Good morning. Vivian Tu, aka Your Rich BFF, recently joined the C-suite at Sofi, a $10 billion finance company, as its Chief of Financial Empowerment. 

If this is where the future of creator brand partnerships are headed, sign us up. Maybe soon we’ll be signing off this email as Hannah and Syd, Chiefs of Inbox Excellence.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

This week, TikTok and iHeartMedia teamed up to launch the TikTok Podcast Network, a podcast studio and radio channel where TikTok creators host podcasts distributed by iHeartMedia across platforms. 

The partnership marks the latest in a wave of platforms diving into video podcasting →

So, how does this impact creators? We asked Samir to give us his take.

“Talk shows have always carried value, they just take new shapes depending on the platform.

I like TikTok’s move—take TikTok stars and distribute podcasts via iHeart. But Netflix getting into podcasts feels like a reaction to the moment. Unless they pay creators irrational deals, and those deals are sustainable, I don’t see it lasting. 

At the end of the day, it’s about discovery and reach for creators and audience intent for platforms. Spotify moving deeper into video made sense because it already had a podcast audience.

But if Netflix’s move is about ad sales. Audiences have to care before you can sell ads and getting people to care about podcasts on Netflix is going to be a tough sell.”

Science YouTube channel Veritasium just launched a Kickstarter for its first product in 10 years: a tabletop trivia game, Elements of Truth.

Catch-up quick: Veritasium, started by physics educator Derek Muller in 2010, has gained nearly 20 million subscribers and 60 million monthly views making videos like “Why Are 96,000,000 Black Balls on This Reservoir?” and “The Obviously True Theorem No One Can Prove.” 

In Elements of Truth, players answer trivia questions and place bids estimating how confident they are in their knowledge. 

“It’s got to be accurate, true science, and informed by experts. Hopefully what people will see is like Veritasium, but on the table—getting moments of surprise like ‘I can’t believe that’s the case,’” Oliver Thomas, commercial director for Veritasium, told us. 

The creator advantage: Thomas told us the game provides a way for Veritasium to facilitate conversation beyond YouTube videos, give its audience a new method to engage with science, and find broader appeal through gameplay (as opposed to its first science product, Snatoms, a molecular modeling kit for educators).

“[Elements of Truth] is like a live event, but where you are the facilitator, not the subject. That box will be at the end of the table getting families and friends to connect to each other,” Thomas said.

Sponsored by CTB

When President Barack Obama first appeared on WTF with Marc Maron it marked a defining moment for podcasting.

Now, years later, WTF has come to a close with President Obama returning as Marc’s final guest, a historic episode CTB was honored to help bring to life.

For over a decade, Central Talent Booking has been proud to work alongside Marc and his producing partner Brendan McDonald, helping bring some of the most thoughtful, funny, and influential voices in culture to the show.

👉 See how CTB helps creators book their next big guest interview or collab.

The creator marketing industry is growing at a rate of 12.8% per year, sparking interest among companies outside the creator sector—according to the Quartermast Advisors’ 2025 influencer marketing M&A report. Here are some insights on the state of creator marketing M&A →

Covid fueled a boom in content and e-commerce, which led to more creator agency acquisitions. 57% of all acquisitions have been full-service creator agencies—followed by creator subscription platforms and marketplace matching tools.

One creator agency sold for $380 million. Publicis Groupe, the world’s third-largest marketing agency, acquired Influential, an AI-powered influencer marketing company, in 2024. The company sold for $196 million at closing with a $184 million earnout.

Looking ahead: Quartermast predicts a growth in M&A activity outside North America, with Europe and Asia as the fastest-growing creator markets. It also predicts influencer marketing agencies like Billion Dollar Boy, Viral Nation, and Open Influence to be targets for future acquisitions—with their experience in UGC content and experiential activations.