Good morning. SNL said goodbye to some of its biggest cast members this weekend, including Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Pete Davidson. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next class of comedians was recruited largely from TikTok—I’d start with the cast of Stapleview.

–Hannah Doyle

TikToker Michael Le Raises $8 Million for Gaming Startup

The dance and gaming creator with 51 million TikTok followers recently secured seed funding for Joystick, a web3 gaming and esports platform he co-founded with tech entrepreneur Robin DeFay.

Joystick will operate on a play-to-earn model where players pay a fixed fee upon joining the platform, then keep 100% of the revenue they make. Though it’s undisclosed how Joystick will make money, similar platforms profit through transaction fees.

The idea behind play-to-earn games is that players can receive rewards that have real-world value. While consumers have been earning money through video games for a while via practices such as gold farming, the emergence of blockchain technology and NFTs has allowed players to own what they earn outright and sell assets independent of the game.

The platform's creator Michael Le was an early adopter of TikTok, posting comedy and dance videos on the platform starting back in 2016. He’s also a member of The Shluv Family, which has 11.8 million followers. He’s spent the last two years building a sizable gaming following on YouTube and focusing on crypto education.

“The industry is craving a new model where players are more empowered to get paid for their time and Joystick offers a valuable solution,” Le told The Hollywood Reporter.

Play-to-earn gaming has picked up steam over the last two years and at times has been met with skepticism, seen by some as a money grab by large game development companies.

Our Take

With Le’s name behind Joystick, it might help skeptics welcome the new venture despite the volatility of the crypto world. And if the platform lives up to its promises, it could bring more entrepreneurial opportunities to gamers where they can own their assets and have a path toward a viable living through gaming.

How This Beauty Vlogger Averages 5 Million Views Per Week

YouTuber Bailey Sarian has built a highly engaged audience of 6.3 million subscribers. She’s been averaging more than 20 million views per month, which is more views than other beauty channels with over double her following.

Sarian sets herself apart in the competitive category by merging two popular concepts—beauty and murder mystery storytelling. While putting on makeup, she tells a gripping story, which comes across more like a friend talking to you than listening to a podcast procedural.

Sarian started uploading consistently six years ago, posting a combination of everyday and halloween makeup tutorials, with most videos getting 100,000–200,000 views. When she started her Murder, Mystery, and Makeup series three years ago, the viewership jumped to around 10 million per episode. Since, she’s secured brand deals with beauty brands, won two Streamy awards, and has worked with Netflix UK.

Our Take

By implementing dual narratives that are an unexpected pair–beauty and murder mystery–she’s created something uniquely her own, where viewers are getting practical tips and entertainment all at once. Multiple narratives like these keep viewers watching longer and can be seen in some of YouTube’s most popular shows like Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date.

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TikTok Creators Win at Cannes

Two winners were selected for the grand prix award at the TikTok Short Film Competition at the Cannes Film Festival last week. The films were judged by a panel made up of Khaby Lame and filmmakers Camille Ducellier, Basma Khalifa and Angele Diabang.

Japanese creator Mabuta Motoki won for his film Is It Okay to Chop Down Trees? about the craft of Japanese woodworking.

Matej Rimanic from Slovenia won for their silent black and white film Love In Plane Sight, which shows two people connecting via paper airplane notes.

The winning films were between 2 and 3 minutes long, and both creators had under 150,000 followers. Submissions were entered from across 44 countries and received over 4.5 billion views.

Our Take

TikTok’s partnership with Cannes is a big step for the platform and representative of where many award shows will likely move in the near future, recognizing digital creators alongside those from traditional entertainment.

🔥 PRESS WORTHY

• TikTok now lets creators tag and credit original video creators.

• JoJo Siwa to star in Facebook Docuseries, JoJo Goes.

• Amazon is hiring a Creator Partnerships Manager.

• Spreadshop takes the hassle out of creating your own merch brand.*

• MrBeast Philanthropy provides drinking water to a village in Cameroon.

• Emma Chamberlain collaborates with Levi’s.

• YouTube is shutting down the android app YouTube Go.

*This is sponsored advertising content.