Good morning. TikTok introduced a fact-checking feature called Footnotes. Users apply to contribute by “adding relevant information to content” on TikTok.

With 80K contributors out of approximately 1.5 billion monthly active users, it is now harder to fact check on TikTok than it is to get into Harvard.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Countries including the UK, Ireland, Australia, and the US have recently introduced or passed legislation that would require social platforms to verify users' ages before they can access the sites. Creators? They’re not convinced.

Driving the news: At the end of July, YouTube announced that it will begin testing a feature that uses AI to estimate whether a user is a minor, applying “age-appropriate experiences” regardless of the birthday on the account. If a user is wrongly labeled as a child, ID must be provided. And Meta began preparing to expand its video selfie age verification tool last month under increased pressure from state governments weighing legislation to stop kids from accessing inappropriate content.

Advocates for these online safety laws say they protect children, but some creators have a different perspective.

“At the White House content creator summit last August, [former Biden administration senior advisor] Neera Tanden got up on stage in front of all those content creators and said, ‘We want to remove anonymity from the web,’” tech journalist Taylor Lorenz told us. “That should terrify any of these content creators.”

Why? Some creators are worried that ID verification could become a tool to algorithmically suppress underrepresented voices, unmask anonymous creators like VTubers, and isolate minors looking for mental health resources or community.

What the creator industry is saying: 

NYC-based mixed media artist Anya “KARO” Karolyn has spent the last two years making clothing drops inspired by her paintings and documenting the process to her 500K+ followers. 

Now, she’s spinning off the design and art portion of her business as Studio Karo. 

The details → 

Studio Karo represents a shift in Karolyn’s brand strategy—from vlogs, behind-the-scenes videos, and product launches all in one place to an established brand with more consistent drops and structure for community…without relying solely on Karolyn’s likeness. 

“I want to differentiate it from people perceiving it as merch. Like taking a blanket and putting my tag on it—everything’s custom done,” Karolyn said. “All of this stuff is slowly building towards a more elevated fashion line and full studio.”

To get there? Karolyn is hiring an assistant to help with production. She’ll continue to run brand deals (which funded her latest drop) as Karo, and she hopes the studio will work with brands on both content and product collaborations.

Zoom out: Karo joins other creators like Jimmy Darts and JedCal who are building businesses—from CPG to software—that can thrive independently from their personal content.

“I’m so excited for this reintroduction to what the brand is, and creating an online gallery space for Karo and making it a bigger thing than just me,” Karolyn said.

Sponsored by CTB

Joaquin Phoenix isn’t exactly known for giving a ton of interviews. But last month, the Oscar-winning actor sat down with Theo Von for a rare and unfiltered conversation.

The two talked about burnout, fatherhood, and grappling with the pressures of doing your best work as an entertainer. With 2.6 million views, it’s the most watched podcast Theo has published so far this summer.

It happened thanks to an assist from Central Talent Booking. With 25+ years of industry expertise, CTB helps creators book the kinds of guests and collaborators who rarely say yes.

Want to land guests and collaborations your audience can’t believe you pulled off? Partner with CTB.

If this week’s headlines are any indication, the next big sports media personalities are almost certainly creators. Roll the tape → 

Sports and lifestyle creator Katie Feeney signed with ESPN to make daily content across its social channels. 

Two sports podcasts, The Sports Gossip Show and Pablo Torre Finds Out, signed licensing deals with NYT-owned The Athletic as part of its podcast network. The agreement with Torre was reportedly worth seven figures, according to Bloomberg.

Big picture: In the face of dwindling web traffic, legacy sports media is looking to expand audiences through creator-helmed distribution. The W for creators? Another consistent revenue stream and a stamp of approval from major institutions.

*This is sponsored content