Good morning. Today marks Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the US, celebrating the culture and honoring the deep history of Native Americans across the country.
For Crash Course Native American History, Che Jim shares the truth about the Taíno people’s first encounter with Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Today’s lineup:
Sony makes a big bet on creator films
Who’s funding projects in the creator economy today?
Meet the vlog creator rebranding as a TV show
Sony Taps Former YouTube Exec to Lead Film Label
Former YouTube executive Fede Goldenberg will lead Screen Gems at Sony Pictures / Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures, the studio behind films like Resident Evil and The Social Reckoning, just hired former YouTube executive Fede Goldenberg to lead Screen Gems, its genre film label.
Goldenberg spent nine of his 15 years at YouTube leading the platform’s TV & Film Partnerships department, where he played a major role in bringing the Academy Awards exclusively to YouTube in 2029.
Why it matters: As Hollywood studios race to replicate the successes of Backrooms and Obsession—both of which are considered genre films—much of the search has turned to YouTube-native IP. Goldenberg's appointment signals Sony's growing interest in online audiences and its commitment to bringing more creator projects to its slate.
“I know firsthand that the next generation of great filmmakers is already building audiences on [YouTube],” Goldenberg told The Hollywood Reporter. “Expanding Screen Gems’ creative vision to include digital-native creators is the right move at the right moment, and I’m excited to join the incredible team at Sony to help lead that effort.”
Do you think more social platform execs will make the move to Hollywood studios?
Who’s Funding the Next Generation of Creator Businesses?
Talent agencies, growth platforms, and Hollywood studios are funding creator ventures / Illustration by Moy Zhong
If X (creator) + Y (funding) = Z (thriving media business), solving for Y could be the difference between idea and execution in the creator economy. But who’s signing the checks?
We’ve spent a lot of time this year tracking where creator funding is flowing, from tech to film to investment firms. For creators looking to finance their next big idea, here are four funding opportunities worth knowing about→
In talent representation: This year, several talent agencies launched creator funds with different purposes in mind.
YMU launched a Ventures Fund in January to invest directly in client businesses across sports, media, and commerce. The agency hasn’t disclosed the fund’s size, and investments are currently limited to YMU clients.
CAA, in partnership with private equity firm TPG’s digital arm, launched Compound Creative Holdings, a $250M holding company focused on acquiring creator-led businesses. Unlike YMU, Compound is looking to invest in both CAA and non-CAA clients, prioritizing creators with reach that rivals traditional talent.
For the growing creator: UK-based creator growth platform Nuggit announced a ₤5M fund in September, targeting YouTubers at an “inflection point for professionalizing their business.”
In the Hollywood studio system: Earlier this summer, entertainment studio Invisible Narratives partnered with a private equity firm to “deploy more than $300M” into creators with strong IP and established fanbases.
Are you looking for capital to grow your creator business? Which of these funds best suits your needs? Hit reply and tell us what you’re building.
How a Vlogger Rebrands as a Showrunner
Kariza Santos hires a co-writer, director of photography, and producer to turn her vlogs into a show / Life of Riza
From the Try Guys to our very own Colin and Samir, one theme we’ve seen trending among creators is the repackaging of videos into shows.
We chatted with Kariza Santos, the lifestyle creator behind the channel Life of Riza, who’s rebranding her vlogs into a show. Here’s how she’s doing it →
Santos hired a co-writer, director of photography, and producer to make eight “episodes” for her latest video series, writing a season-long story arc. Before, she wrote and filmed vlogs on her own, with each video as a standalone narrative.
“Now it feels like you're watching a show, and then the character breaks the fourth wall,” Santos told us.
Santos self-funds the series through short-form brand deals and sponsored BTS videos.
Looking ahead: As YouTube continues to roll out features that are optimized for TVs, and brands want to spend money on creators who package themselves as shows, we may continue to see more long-form creators rebrand themselves like Santos.
“When there’s so many of us and we’re all being watched on the same screen, marketing matters a lot, and that’s what a show does. It changes the nature of how it’s talked about, perceived, and the recall of it.”
👀 Creator Jobs
Creator Nation is hiring a social content producer to develop engaging short-form video content across social channels.
Hearst Media Production Group is looking for a digital creative content producer to lead trend research, develop platform-specific strategies, and develop original series.
Rohan Kumar is hiring a hype editor to help him aura farm (yes, you read that right).
🔥 Press Worthy
Newsletter creator Emily Sundberg is hosting horror movie screenings in Brooklyn, NY throughout October.
Yes Theory announces a book sharing stories and lessons from 11 years of traveling to 100+ countries.
Film creator Megan Tan is hosting a storyboarding workshop in Austin, TX this Saturday.
The Wall Street Journal develops a tool to track the political sentiments of TikTok users and podcast creators ahead of the US midterm elections.
Meta bans TikTok from advertising on its platforms in the US.
