Good morning. FaZe Clan’s merger with GameSquare is expected to pass now that shareholders of both esports companies approved the sale. FaZe Banks appears ready to return to a downsized FaZe (and bring a distinct managerial style) with his new role as CEO, tweeting “You're all f***ing fired” earlier this week.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Real Engineering Launches Career Platform Propeller

YouTube channel Real Engineering announced a career platform called Propeller this week, promising to connect engineers with “innovative companies” like Hermeus (aerospace) and Helion (nuclear fusion).

“I know how much money goes into engineering recruitment,” Real Engineering founder Brian McManus told us. “I was like, ‘I think we can do this cheaper and more efficiently, while also building a cool platform that isn’t LinkedIn.’”

The backstory: McManus first got the idea for Propeller after filming a documentary about Helion in 2022.

• The company told him they hired a specialized nuclear engineer who reached out because of McManus’ video.

• There aren’t many “properly talented” hardware engineers, McManus said, so the competition to recruit them is extremely high.

The solution: Create a job board that plays to Real Engineering’s strengths—telling stories, getting people excited, and connecting with an audience of over 4 million YouTube subscribers.

“Engineers are just mathematically-inclined artists…they’re always looking for a new creative challenge,” McManus told us.

The creator POV: Like many of his peers, McManus hopes to get his channel to a point where it’s not reliant on his uploads to stay afloat.

He said it’s a risk to plug and prioritize Propeller instead of ads in his content. But McManus, who spun out an in-house B2B animation studio last year, believes that building up his new venture now will set Real Engineering up for success in the long-term.

“The greatest businesses being built on YouTube right now are businesses that eventually don’t need the creator to promote them constantly,” he said.

Comedy Creator Druski Launches a Reality Show

Comedy creator Drew “Druski” Desbordes released the first episode of his new reality show, Coulda Been House, on YouTube yesterday.

Set the scene: Desbordes is known for 1) viral sketch comedy videos he shares to his 7 million Instagram followers and 2) his parody music label Coulda Been Records. The show is Desbordes’ first foray into long-form video.

• Coulda Been House follows 15 aspiring artists competing to win $50,000 and a chance to sign with Coulda Been Records. It has all the hallmarks of a reality TV show: shared living space, a confession booth, and a theme song by Snoop Dogg. 

• But with a social twist: contestants are already sharing their own social cuts of their appearances.

The 40-minute premiere aired live on Desbordes’ YouTube channel to about 300,000 concurrent viewers. Desbordes paid for most of the production himself, and sponsors including Raising Canes, PrizePicks, Nike, and Icebox Jewelry supplemented with prizes and products. 

“We tried to pitch it to all these big networks and nobody believed in it,” Desbordes said on morning radio show The Breakfast Club. 

But: “We have Twitch streamers who are making bigger bags than rappers now,” Desbordes said. “It’s different [these] days but that’s what made me think I don’t need to justify what I do. I can pull up to a city saying ‘we’re doing Coulda Been Records tomorrow,’ and thousands of people will line up.”

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Podcast Unions Press Spotify on Fair Pay

Union staffers at several Spotify-owned podcast companies, including The Ringer and Gimlet, are protesting for a new contract after their previous one expired yesterday.

The details: The unions are seeking improved pay, better severance, and AI safeguards. The negotiations follow last June’s widespread layoffs in Spotify’s podcast division and company cost-cutting measures.

Members of the Gimlet union have pledged to strike if their requests aren’t met. The Ringer union hasn’t yet issued a strike pledge.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Design creator DearModern partners with IKEA.

• Golf creators from Good Good and Bob Does Sports are competing for a spot on the PGA tour.

• Create mini-courses and other digital products in a snap with this free all-in-one platform.*

• Facebook updates its creator performance program to remove monthly payout limits.

• Fashion creator Marianna Hewitt becomes the creative director at Revolve’s clothing label, L’Academie.

• Rival IQ releases a social media report that shows TikTok engagement is down 50% from last year.

• Comedy duo Super Mega returns to YouTube after a six-month hiatus.

_{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

📚️ Thank You For Pressing Publish

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

• Read: For The Nation, Devin Thomas O’Shea outlines the evolution of Panera, and what we lose when restaurants try to be tech companies. 

• Watch: Lifestyle creator Rajiv Surendra makes a 12-minute, comprehensive guide on how to walk in public. 

• Listen: Is TikTok being held back by music? The crew at NYT’s Popcast explores how creators might benefit from the loss of UMG music.

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