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Today’s lineup:

1. Unpacking Jesser’s business expansion
2. The short-form creator building a TV slate
3. A rise in creator-led fundraising

Basketball YouTube creator Jesse "Jesser" Riedel just launched JesserCo., a holding company uniting his content operation, Jesser Media (40M+ subscribers, 10B+ views), and apparel brand, Bucketsquad (which crossed eight figures in revenue last year). 

Why now? Zach Miller, now president of JesserCo., exclusively told Publish that it’s about opening doors to new verticals and improving leadership structures. 

"We thought it was the right thing to restructure the businesses and make it clear that Bucketsquad is the apparel business and Jesser is the media brand," Miller said.

Breaking down the business: 

The main goal of the restructure? Reducing key man risk. Rather than building everything under one integrated platform—think Dude Perfect—JesserCo. is deliberately seeding standalone brands that can eventually exist independently of Jesser himself. 

As for future verticals: They’ll go through a three-question filter, Miller told us.

JesserCo. plans to launch a hard goods line this summer, including sporting equipment as a natural extension of products that already appear in Jesser videos.

For creators thinking about scaling: Miller's advice is to resist outside capital until you actually need it. Start by optimizing content profitably, reinvesting what you make, and building from there. "You could make a lot of content without spending a lot of money, start generating revenue, and feed the flywheel that way," he said. "Creators should maintain control."

From Subway Takes to microdramas, short-form content is raking in views—and attention—at a rapid clip. But no two creators are building a short-form content business the same way. 

So? We’re featuring several short-form creators this week to understand their businesses, challenges, and biggest opportunities.

By day, Elliott Walker, aka Infinite Elliott, freelances as a show producer for brands. By night, he self-funds and produces Wrecked Records, his own scripted ensemble comedy set inside a record store.

Among the growing cohort of short-form creators charting their own courses, Walker illustrates the path of the modern-day producer—balancing a mix of personal and work projects to build his own slate of creator IP.

So what does that modern-day producer think about building a successful IP business? Here’s Walker’s POV →

Use constraints as a tool. Walker scripts episodes for Wrecked Records around actor availability and free filming locations, bringing each episode to $300–$400 in production costs. 

"Some of my best work comes from constraint," Walker told us. When Wrecked Records was costing him $1,700 a month, he paused, recalibrated, and came back leaner.

Fund from multiple streams. Brand deals on his personal account and freelance production work—such as street shows and branded content—subsidize his originals. 

Build a slate, not just a show. Walker wants to own multiple shows simultaneously instead of betting everything on one. Alongside Wrecked Records, he’s co-producing a sci-fi interview show. The goal is to film eight episodes in six-hour blocks and upload twice a week. 

Looking ahead: Walker just finished a 22-minute pilot adaptation of Wrecked Records he's shopping to TV networks—not for Hollywood validation, but for budget and scale. "I really want to make longer stuff," he said. "I don't know how else I would make it work in the way I want to."

Sponsored by Central Talent Booking

From Twin Peaks to Inside Out, Kyle MacLachlan has built an eclectic acting career over the past four decades. His latest move? A podcast where he sits down with millennial and Gen Z artists to dig into their creative processes.

To build his guest list, he’s turned to Central Talent Booking. Their 26+ years of industry insight helps hosts like MacLachlan book big names from the jump.

Case in point? CTB helped him land Charlie Puth, who got candid with MacLachlan about his beginnings in music and his upcoming adventure into fatherhood.

Want to build a guest roster that matches the ambitions for your podcast or channel? Partner with CTB today.

Creator fundraising increased 46% last year, with creators raising more than $100M for non-profits on fundraising site Tiltify alone, the platform said.

The big draws: California fire relief, MrBeast and Mark Rober’s Team Water, and Ryan Trahan’s 50 States in 50 Days series, which together raised more than $50M. Gaming creators showed out too, with Ironmouse, Lilsimsie, and CDawgVA each raising over $1M for charity.

Big picture: US charitable giving reached a record $592B in 2024, but the overall number of individual donors is on the decline. Tiltify's report shows that, while institutional philanthropy has become concentrated among wealthy donors, creator-led campaigns are encouraging grassroots participation among the next generation of givers.

While Press Publish LA is top of mind, we’re building out the rest of our summer event calendar. Two questions for you: