What Does the Hollywood Strike Mean for You?

The gap between creators and Hollywood is smaller than ever

Good morning. Last week, Meta projected that Reels annual revenue will grow to $10 billion this year. That’s about the size of TikTok's global ad revenue in 2022 (this year, TikTok is forecast to earn $13.2 billion). As much as Reels seems like the less-cool cousin of TikTok, the numbers suggest it’s coming into its own competitive angle.

How Should Creators Navigate the Hollywood Strike?

Moy Zhong

Writers and actors are striking together for the first time since 1960 to battle studios they suspect want to further cut talent payouts as AI and streaming dominate entertainment.

Where do creators fit into all of this?

We spoke with The Creators’ Attorney, Tyler Chou, about creators’ role in the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild dual strike—and why the gap between creators and Hollywood is smaller than ever.

Can creators promote movies and TV shows?

SAG says only those that aren’t included in the strike (some productions didn’t use SAG actors or were granted waivers). Creators can check this site or reach out to SAG via email to see if the work they want to promote is fair game.

  • Worth noting: SAG discourages creators from making content about strike-affected work in any capacity (for instance, fashion inspired by the Barbie movie).

Why should creators stand with SAG-AFTRA?

“It’s important for creators to realize that as much as creators focus on creating for the beauty and sake of creation and by tapping into their passion, they are exactly like all of the working actors who act because of their love of acting,” Chou said. “Only 1% of actors make the big acting fees that we hear about.”

  • FYI: 87% of SAG members don’t get union health insurance because they don’t make the minimum yearly salary of $26,000 required to qualify.

“I predict this strike is bringing SAG into the consciousness of creators,” Chou said, “and they will consider joining with the realization that SAG could ultimately protect them and offer benefits that they do not have on their own.”

Those benefits could include advocating and negotiating minimums for brand deals, offering healthcare, and more.

Zoom out: While YouTube is pulling in more viewership than streaming services and TV networks, the line between creators and Hollywood is blurring. Actors like Paul Scheer and Jason Bateman have podcasts, while creators like Quinta Brunson and Reece Feldman actively work in Hollywood.

“These companies that the actors and writers are fighting against are the same ones who hire creators, so by making the studios and streamers accountable
they are setting precedents to make sure that [studios] also don’t [take advantage of] creators,” Chou said.

Victoria Paris Reports Uptick in TikTok Earnings

Victoria Paris / Instagram

Lifestyle creator Victoria Paris recently shared that she made over $6,000 in one month through TikTok’s Creativity Program, significantly topping her average monthly revenue from the platform last year.

Context: Since TikTok launched its Creator Fund in 2020, big time creators like Hank Green have criticized the platform for lackluster payouts compared to other platforms’ revenue sharing programs.

In February, TikTok rebranded its fund as a Creativity Program, a move TikTok’s former head of product said was a reactive measure to compete with other platforms.

Details: Paris noted that only about one in 20 of her videos meets the Creativity Program’s video length requirement of 60 seconds, implying that a smaller share of her videos are earning significantly more than what her entire catalog used to.

FYI: TikTok’s Creativity Program is still limited to users in the U.S. Other creator revenue programs including YouTube’s, Snap’s, and Twitter’s are more widely available globally.

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TikTok Rappers on the Rise

Flyana Boss / TikTok

TikTok rappers Flyana Boss became YouTube’s Artist on the Rise last week, their latest achievement in a major month-long rise.

Context: Since June, the LA-based duo has racked up over 165 million views on TikTok promoting their single “You Wish.” The so-called Flyana Boss challenge videos show them running through unexpected locations from Times Square to Disneyland.

FYI: Their popularity has translated to IRL opportunities—earlier this month, Flyana Boss performed at the 2023 Essence festival with Megan Thee Stallion. The two have also worked with brands including Google, Chipotle, and TikTok following their first viral video.

Zoom out: Though “You Wish” is their first viral hit, this isn’t the first time Flyana Boss have promoted a song through a dance challenge. Missy Elliott recently came to the rappers’ defense over their TikTok marketing strategy, which was criticized for being “repetitive.”

👀 Creator Moves

  • Aquarium Info is hiring a script writer to work on long-form videos.

  • Riley Mae is looking for a YouTube producer with two years of short-form content experience.

  • VanWives is hiring an experienced editor to help with their YouTube channel.

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