Good morning. If you’re reminiscing on the days of tripping over your big red MSCHF boots, then LEGO and Crocs’ newest collab might be for you.
What the brick-shaped clogs lack in practicality, they make up for in a $150 price tag. Sign us up.
Why Are TikTok Views Suddenly Changing?
News creator Dylan Page says his political videos have been suppressed on TikTok / Dylan Page
In the days following the sale of a majority of TikTok’s US business to a group of American companies, creators have noticed significantly lower views and engagement on videos.
Catch up quick on the TikTok timeline →
December 22, 2025: TikTok US sells to a joint-venture led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX.
January 22, 2026: The deal closes, and TikTok users receive a notification about new terms of service detailing which data the app will now collect (like precise location tracking).
January 25, 2026: Users report app glitches, including low engagement, suppressed videos, and demonetization. When we asked you earlier this week, 64% of Press readers noticed a change in their For You Page, with some reporting that all content related to ICE raids and President Donald Trump was gone from their feeds.
What do the new owners say? Oracle attributed the viewership glitches to a data center outage. But regardless of the root cause, TikTok took a hit: a 130% increase in uninstalls since the deal took effect.
What creators are saying:
Commentary creator Amanda “Swell Entertainment” Golka reported multiple videos (both political and apolitical) sitting at zero views for hours during the outage. Although YouTube is her main source of monetization, Golka said she worries for creators who earn the most on TikTok. “The job market is horrible, and a lot of these creators do rely on TikTok for income,” Golka told us.
At the risk of losing monetization on TikTok, news creator Dylan Page dropped a long-form YouTube video on his own experience with TikTok demonetization and video suppression, interviewing former and current TikTok employees.
What’s next: Some creators and users are moving to different platforms. Short-form video platform UpScrolled is currently No. 1 on Apple’s social networking charts.
Dhar Mann Inks Microdrama Deal with Fox Entertainment
Dhar Mann Studios and Fox Entertainment are releasing microdramas this spring / Dhar Mann
Dhar Mann Studios just signed a deal to produce 40 vertical drama features with Fox Entertainment. The videos will appear on entertainment tech company Holywater’s MyDrama platform.
Context: Last year, microdramas exploded in popularity, making $11 billion worldwide (for reference, FAST channels generated $5.8 billion). With 83% of microdrama revenue coming from China, US studios are looking to jump on the trend.
Enter: Dhar Mann Studios—a creator-led media company with over 163 million followers cross-platform and the second-highest gross earnings of any creator (following MrBeast).
According to Dhar Mann Studios CEO Sean Atkins, 87% of its Facebook audience has asked for the studio to expand into microdramas.
But why partner with Fox? “Embracing that we have our own methods of storytelling, as well as sharing that ambition of scope and innovation was so special to Fox and something that was exciting for us as a creator studio,” Dhar Mann Studios head of vertical content Erin McFarlane told us.
Worth noting: Fox recently launched Fox Creator Studios to develop new IP and formats with digital audiences in mind.
Fox and Dhar Mann have started producing their first round of microdramas, launching this spring.
“[Microdramas] are written from the ground up specifically for this type of [mobile] experience,” McFarlane said. “These are shot differently, produced differently, and they're really meant to connect with and retain attention and allow people that form of escapism.”
Why This Creator Company Wants to Pay You $100K
Stan will give its Dare to Dream competition winner one year's salary to run their creator business / Stan
For the second year, creator business resource Stan is accepting applications for its Dare to Dream campaign, providing one creator with a year’s salary to build out their business using Stan’s creator tools (and $10K to five runners up).
Here are the details, by the numbers:
$115K → The total prize money awarded to the winner (between $100K salary and $15K marketing budget).
47% → The increase in applicants from last year’s competition.
$1.2M → Stan’s ROI from last year’s campaign, taking into account new Stan users who signed up to participate in the competition.
Worth noting: Stan’s campaign prioritizes creators building products for philanthropic causes like a dementia education platform or charitable clothing company.
“The biggest thing that's tied to our mission is democratizing entrepreneurship,” Stan’s head of marketing Rebecca Larzik told us. “How can we make it easily accessible and remove the friction so that anybody can work for themselves?”
🔥 Press Worthy
Ex-Paramount CEO Brian Robbins is launching an animation studio for YouTube, adapting IP like Eloise at the Plaza.
YouTube and the NFL are hosting a flag football game on February 7 with creators including Druski and Deestroying.
Markiplier sells $7 million in presale tickets for his movie, Iron Lung.
Sundance Now is rebranding as an “algorithm-free” streaming service.
IShowSpeed is launching a donation campaign for local organizations in countries he visited during his Africa tour.
