Good morning. This is not a trap: Film director M. Night Shyamalan just launched a YouTube channel, with the goal of breaking “stigmas” he has about creating digital content.

We’ll see if cracking the algorithm is Shyamalan’s sixth sense…

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Today’s lineup:

Several brands backed out of partnerships with golf creator brand Good Good this week following backlash over an ad it released across socials with its sporting goods partner, Callaway.

Catch up quick: Last Friday, Good Good and Callaway released a 60-second ad (that’s since been deleted) showing Good Good founder Garrett Clark shoving fellow cast member Alexis Miestowski to the ground after reaching for his driver, warning, “Do not touch my driver.” The ad drew immediate pushback online, with critics accusing the brands of normalizing aggression against women. 

Callaway, Clark, and Good Good CEO Matt Kendrick each issued apologies. Some criticized the responses for lacking accountability, while others argued the backlash was overblown.

The fallout quickly moved beyond socials to its brand relationships:

Good Good also stepped back from its title sponsorship of a PGA Tour tournament in November. The event will go on without Good Good branding or a Big Break winner playing in the tournament. The PGA Tour released a statement in support of the decision. 

What changes now: Kendrick said Good Good is changing its creative review and approval process and that he’ll personally review content from its marketing teams. “We will make sure this never happens again,” Kendrick said on LinkedIn.

Kendrick’s initial message was contrite, but this morning he took to X, accusing Callaway of dropping Good Good “in a coordinated media blitz.” Callaway hasn’t responded yet, but the exchange suggests the partnership ended on a sour note, and the fallout may not be over.

Big picture: In six years, Good Good has grown to 2M subscribers and over 700M channel views, raised $45 million last year, and expanded into live events, women's golf content, and collaborated with creators like Dude Perfect and Bob Does Sports. 

But its rise underscores how fast that goodwill can drain. As Tim Ferris has said to Colin and Samir, “Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.” 

Tech creator Matt Wolfe hit 1M YouTube subscribers this week—nearly two decades after he started making videos. He launched his channel in 2009, sharing WordPress tips for bloggers. Since then, he’s shifted to AI education, with 92% of his audience joining in the last three years.

Although the numbers, packaging, and revenue streams changed over time, his messaging didn’t: Be the human voice in the AI conversation.

Here’s how it got him to 1M →

Getting to 1M is one thing. Staying relevant in AI is another. In an online space where creators compete against AI slop and growing public mistrust of big tech, Wolfe says that nuance matters more than ever. 

One way he accomplishes this: Wolfe keeps language in his brand deal contracts that lets him speak freely about a company outside of the 90-second ad slot. Right now, he’s in a 12-month exclusive deal with OpenAI—but he’ll still say when he disagrees with an update.

“[It’s important to have] your own voice, put predictions out there, and stand behind them. Then coming back six months and being like, “I was wrong about that,” Wolfe said. “Those kinds of vulnerabilities are things you're not gonna see AI-generated videos do.”

Sponsored by Artlist

AI filmmaking just had a real cinema moment. The Arc is a five-episode series made entirely with Artlist Studio, directed by Simone Ferretti and Darrin Stewart. It premiered at London’s Electric Cinema on August 18, in front of a live audience.

But the part worth watching is the behind-the-scenes film. It offers a candid look at how a fully AI-generated series actually gets made, from creative decisions and experimentation to the tools and workflows behind the final result.

For creators watching where AI is taking filmmaking, this is a rare glimpse at what’s actually possible.

Watch the BTS, then catch the full series free on Artlist TV.

Yesterday, Meta agreed to a $17.1B settlement with 47 states, Washington DC, and other US territories, ending several months-long lawsuits over alleged child social media addiction.

Inside the settlement: 

“Asking other [platforms] to join in is an admission that these features are relevant to the competitive business landscape when it comes to profit and revenue,” Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety told us.

Why it matters: For creators with younger audiences, fewer hours available on-platform could mean less watch time and reach. And if TikTok and YouTube adopt similar restrictions, that impact could extend across every major platform.

Although…Similar teen social media bans and restrictions have been enforced in several countries, to mixed results. The share of Australian TikTok users ages 10-12 is higher now than before the country-wide ban, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.