Welcome back. Actor and beloved internet presence Leslie Jordan passed away this week, and a quote of his has been on our minds: “All that fame gives you is a platform—you decide whether you want to give, or if you want to take.” Today, we do our best to honor Jordan by giving more than we take.

–Hannah Doyle

From 200 To 20,000 Subscribers—in 2 Days

And that’s not a typo. It’s reality for video editor and comedian Amy McClung.

So how’d she go from a three-figure YouTube following to a five-figure one in less time than it takes most of us to put away the laundry?

• McClung spent nearly four years as an editor for Legal Eagle, a lawyer education channel with 2 million subs.

• She honed her editing, branding, and creative skills with Legal Eagle before striking out on her own in April.

• Three weeks ago, McClung uploaded a video about her experience at Legal Eagle—and it went viral after Legal Eagle shared said video.

What did McClung say to 100x her subs? Basically, work smarter—not harder. McClung detailed the systems she designed to optimize Legal Eagle’s workflow (systems McClung noted are available for purchase with premade After Effects templates she’s selling on her website.)

Looking ahead: McClung, who’s now at 64k subs, had previously planned for her channel to focus on “musical comedy with stylized graphics” à la Weird Al Yankovic. But now? “I'm seeing a ton of interest in the process of content creation (and editing in particular). Lots to come! Stay tuned,” McClung said in a video comment.

Our Take

There’s no better way to cut your teeth as a creator than by working with other creators, and McClung is proof (so are Colin and Samir, who credit much of their growth to their time working with Yes Theory and Dude Perfect).

In today’s creator ecosystem, potential jobs and their descriptions reach far and wide—and, sometimes, being the mastermind behind the scenes sets you up for an unbelievable debut in front of the camera—and an audience to match.

Shelby Church Leans Into the Creator Economy

Shelby Church calls herself a tech and lifestyle YouTuber, but at this rate? She’s poised to add “Property Brother” to that description.

We’ll explain: Church launched an Airbnb in Palm Springs earlier this year, documenting the buildout process (and its costs) on her channel every step of the way. Last week, Church revealed that the splashy, impeccably designed property is losing money.

And while you hate to see the negative side effects of increasing property taxes and bum air conditioning units in the middle of the desert take their toll on creators, Church is taking the opportunity to double down on her new niche:

She’s starting a newsletter, called Checked In, to cover the Airbnb economy—effectively staking her claim as the go-to creator for this growing industry. FYI, Airbnb bookings increased by 55% in 2021 to 300 million total.

Our Take

We’ve long predicted that hospitality is ripe for creator disruption, and we’re finally seeing that come to fruition (see also: the Sidemen’s forthcoming hotel). But as Church’s experience shows, being a first mover means being the first to traverse any major bumps in the road. But hey! Even losing money can be turned into an opportunity to make some quality content.

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Interested? Get in touch and mention that Colin and Samir sent you.

Squirrelympics Take the Gold

Mark Rober has released his third annual squirrel acrobatics video, this time with a notable rebrand—as a Squirrel Olympics.

Emceed by two famous Jimmies—Kimmel and Donaldson (aka MrBeast)—with a voiceover from Mark Rober, the video details the triumphs and tribulations of several days of competition for squirrels that trained for the event since birth.

Big picture: Rober edits all of his own footage and has only posted seven videos this year—still, he’s amassed over 205 million views. Four days in, Squirrelympics has racked up 10 million views.

Our Take

Few invest as much time and detail into their videos as Rober, and it shows. Squirrelympics is Discovery Channel meets AFV, and is among the most entertaining 20 minutes of YouTube we’ve seen all year.

We channeled our inner clairvoyant (read: 10+ years of YouTube experience) to forecast what the future of the creator economy will look like—the trends, the paradigm-shifts, and the challenges—plus how we’ll rise to meet them. Check it out here 👉 4 Predictions for the Creator Economy.

🔥 Press Worthy

• David Dobrik is opening his pizza shop, Doughbriks, next month.

• MrBeast is reportedly looking to raise $150 million for his business at a $1.5 billion valuation.

• Casey Neistat speaks out against Kanye’s hate speech.

• Hank Green shares big-picture takeaways on Shorts monetization.

• LinkedIn launches the second edition of its Creator Accelerator Program.

• Hasan Piker launches an athletic line, Himbo Fitness.