Good morning. #GirlMath—you know it and you love it, no matter who you are. The TikTok phenomenon describes spending scenarios that make both no mathematical sense and perfect mathematical sense: If you return something, you make money. If you don’t spend enough for free shipping, you lose money. And 284 million views later, we’re totally on board with this logic. Are you?

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Why Kelsey Darragh Launched a Wellness Retreat

Multi-hyphenate filmmaker and mental health creator Kelsey Darragh recently opened signups for her Don’t Panic! Retreat, a four-night experience in Malibu that will include workshops based off the curriculum from her 2020 workbook, Don’t F*cking Panic.

Context: Since 2020, Darragh’s workbook has experienced the BookTok effect, going viral (and doing sales numbers) multiple times because of TikToks posted by her publisher, Thought Catalog.

“There’s been no viral fizzing out of mental health content. It’s not just trendy,” Darragh told us. “It made sense, after seeing the success of [the workbook] consistently over time, to do something more physically and community oriented.”

Darragh knows a thing or two about trendy, having worked as a creator since 2011 and gained recognition as an early talent hire at Buzzfeed. She’s since made her own short films, created a show for Comcast, and gone viral on her personal TikTok. She also hosts two podcasts (one of which is with The Try Guys).

Why Darragh—a digital creator—is launching a physical retreat: “We're really trying to make this more special than just going to cry on the side of a cliff in some exotic country,” Darragh said. That means a small group: 13 overnight guests, with some day passes for locals. Activities like scream therapy and somatic cuddling with puppies will, Darragh hopes, cultivate an experience where she can be a learner with her community.

“I really wanted this to be the opposite of what I can't do online, which is respond to every single person individually and as thoughtfully as I'd like to,” she said.

French Creators Host Formula 4 Race in Front of 60,000 Fans

French gaming creator Lucas “Squeezie” Hauchard hosted his second annual Formula 4 (F4) racing competition on Saturday, inviting 24 creators to compete in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000 fans.

• The event, called the Grand Prix Explorer, was held at a racetrack in Le Mans, France.

• It peaked at 1.3 million concurrent viewers on Hauchard’s Twitch livestream.

How the creator pulled it off: Hauchard invited a wide variety of creator friends he’s made along his journey to become France’s biggest YouTube creator at 18 million subscribers.

• And those friends help tell the story. Driving F4 vehicles requires “weeks of training,” according to esports reporter Jake Lucky.

• So participants like gaming creator Romain “LeBouseuh” Goisbeau vlogged their race preparations throughout the year.

Zoom out: Netflix’s Drive To Survive docuseries has reignited French interest in F4’s higher-speed cousin, Formula 1, to the tune of record viewership in 2021.

While Hauchard has been making racing video game content for some time, his Grand Prix Explorer event is very much inspired by France’s growing appetite for motorsports—French F1 drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon even made celebrity appearances.

Sponsored by Artlist

Win $100,000 to Fund Your Dream Project

As a creator, your next great idea is often bigger than your budget.

But Artlist is here to change that…by giving away $100,000.

As part of their mission to empower creators, they’ve launched the Artlist 100K Fund. It’s a special one-time grant for video creators worldwide.

Here’s how you can apply:

• Come up with an original idea.

• Post a video about it on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok—90 seconds tops.

• Fill out a formal application on the Artlist 100K Fund website.

Artlist will then compile a shortlist of top applicants. If you qualify, you’ll be asked to create a pitch deck and hop on a brief video interview.

And that’s it. You’ve got until October 12th to apply.

So what would you create with $100,000? Submit your idea to the Artlist 100K Fund today.

A Creator vs. Traditional Media

Both covered new tech at the U.S. Open…and the creator’s YouTube video came out on top. Let’s unpack the why and how:

The videos:

• “Why the US Open Replaced 200 Human Referees” by science and tech creator Cleo Abram

• “How Hawk-Eye Transformed The U.S. Open And Other Sports” by CNBC

The results:

• Abram netted 500,000+ views vs. CNBC’s 170,000+

• Abram tallied 22,000 likes vs. CNBC’s 1,800

• Abram received 1,500 comments vs. CNBC’s 230

What made Cleo’s video resonate? One viewer (who said they work on the tech explored in both videos) commented that it’s the creator’s “impartiality and ability to explain this complex topic in such an entertaining way” that makes the difference.

📽️ From the Studio

Are you a part-time creator building your channel(s) while also working a full-time job? If so, we’d love to speak with you for a special upcoming project.

Hit reply and let us know if you’re down to talk. We’re excited to learn more.

🔥 Press Worthy

• FaZe Clan fires CEO Lee Trink as the company’s stock price hits an all-time low.

• Humans of New York debuts a 55-chapter Instagram series amplifying Iranian voices one year after the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini sparked protests against the government.

• Matt from Yes Theory announces the group’s upcoming book and rolls out a new newsletter.

• Learn how Makeship supported The Click in designing and selling 25,000 limited-edition plushies to their audience.*

• Safiya Nygaard and Simply Nailogical collaborate on a nail polish line.

• MKBHD was quoted in yesterday’s Apple presentation.

• The Try Guys producer Miles Bonsignore leaves the group after five years to pursue his own show.

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