Good morning. After nearly a decade of Chicken Shop Date, creator and host Amelia Dimoldenberg wrote and directed a claymation version of the show featuring characters from Chicken Run. The two-minute episode took 35 people to pull off. And it may have hinted at a major collab in the works. Dimoldenberg’s last line: “Drake? What do you mean I’m at the wrong shop?”

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Platform Roundup: The Long and Short of It

In the final days of the year, a handful of platforms are making changes that could affect creators’ content in 2024. Here’s what you need to know about the latest platform changes.

YouTube is now playing fewer ads on TV screens. The ads it does run on TV, though, will have a longer run time. Ads are also now appearing between Shorts viewed on TV. 

• This is part of YouTube’s larger push to get more eyes on ads, which has also included a concerted effort to put restrictions on ad blockers. Creators like Hank Green and CaptainSparklez have spoken out on the subject, mostly in opposition to ad blockers.

Facebook is ending its 55% ad revenue share program with creators, according to The Information. It’ll replace the program with payouts based on video performance instead of a percentage-based revenue share from ads played next to videos. The platform hasn’t disclosed exactly what metrics it will consider to evaluate video performance.

Instagram launched Video Notes. The new tool lets creators record a two-second looping video that will stay in a follower's Notes section (above DMs) for 24 hours. FYI: Teens post Notes 10x more frequently than other users, according to Instagram.

Twitch loosened its sexual content policy last Thursday, allowing depictions of “fictionalized nudity” if properly labeled. Just 24 hours later, though, the streamer reversed course, saying, “Upon reflection, we went too far with this change.” The reason? AI advancements could make it hard to discern what’s real from what’s fake. As creators like Phil Defranco pointed out, the policy had room for improvement: It may have allowed for more freedom for female streamers, but it also could've limited their searchability.

Our Final Two Staff Picks of 2023

Over the last week, The Publish Press team has revealed (most of) our 2023 Staff Picks—six creators we feel paved a new path for our industry this year.

Rounding out the list today are our final two choices: Tina Choi and Tezza Barton.

Tina Choi (@doobydobap) is a food creator turned restaurateur, leveraging her popular cooking content on YouTube to open a new sit-down eatery called Mija Seoul in South Korea this year.

Why we chose her: Choi invested over $200,000 of her savings in order to open the restaurant. After seeing her document the buildout on her channel, fans have even booked tables and flown to South Korea just to support the business. Read more about Choi’s vision for Mija Seoul here.

Tezza Barton (@tezza.barton) is a sought-after photographer whose titles have grown to include multi-hyphenate lifestyle creator and tech founder over the last decade.

Why we chose her: Barton’s photo editing app, Tezza, reported this year that it has been downloaded 20 million times since its 2018 launch and is on track to end this year with $32 million in annual recurring revenue. Read more on Barton’s community-first approach to building a tech startup here.

FYI: This project is a partnership between The Publish Press and .Store. Learn more about .Store on the Staff Picks 2023 home base.

NBA Hosts First ‘Creator Cup’ All-Star Game

The NBA welcomed 12 sports creators including Jesse “Jesser” Riedel, Marcelas Howard, and Jenna Bandy to compete in its first “Creator Cup,” a five-on-five basketball game held in Las Vegas last week.

While the Creator Cup didn’t feature a live audience, Cup highlights appeared on the NBA’s flagship YouTube channel as an appetizer right before the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament Finals kicked off.

Zoom out: The NBA’s creator-friendly approach has paid dividends for both creators (who have increasingly gained exclusive access to film at events) and the league (which aims to reach younger fans), a relationship that Riedel’s COO Jason Russak described as “a win-win.”

“I think one of the biggest things the NBA is going to continue doing is just finding new and creative ways to collaborate with creators and incorporate them more into the content, the world of the NBA…without disrupting the game itself,” Russak told us.

👀 Creator Moves

• Jomboy Media is hiring an executive assistant to support operations for its sports creators.

• Carter Kench is hiring a YouTube editor to assist in developing his longform lifestyle content.

• Dani Austin is hiring a vice president of brand to manage a 3–5 year project roadmap for the fashion and lifestyle creator’s business.

🔥 Press Worthy

• BENOFTHEWEEK reveals his wide-ranging and rather unhinged predictions for 2024.

• xQc releases a clothing line called Lengyel.

• Kai Cenat breaks another Twitch record with Nicki Minaj joining his livestream.

• Sneaker Shopping brings on Will Ferrell to dish on his life in comedy (and how he became a sneaker icon).  

• Lizzy Capri explains why she ended her 50 Dates in 50 States series.

• Colin and Samir unpack the history of Smosh with its founders, Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox.

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