Good morning. YouTube recently reported that its creative ecosystem supported over 490K jobs and contributed $55 billion to US GDP in 2024. That’s more than the GDP of Jordan—or the equivalent of 275 million pairs of Nike Jordans, for what it’s worth.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

"I don’t think you’re going to see many pure actors from here on out. I think everyone who wants to be an actor will have done something online.”

Jack Innanen, TikTok comedy creator-turned-star of FX's new comedy series Adults, thinks we're well into the era of entertainment in which every would-be star has taken a turn on TikTok, YouTube, or some other social platform. Why? The lines between new and old media blur more by the day. And Adults is proof—Innanen, who rose to TikTok fame in 2019, stars alongside popular podcaster Owen Thiele.

So what's the new path for creators to turn online success into Hollywood roles? Innanen laid it out for us.

Context: After dabbling in Minecraft YouTube in middle school, Innanen returned to content with TikTok comedy skits and characters, amassing 3.4 million followers on the platform. 

With no prior acting experience and only one other audition under his belt, Innanen said he booked Adults thanks to getting acting reps on TikTok. 

But: “That was also a fear,” Innanen said. “I think some people thought that I got [the part] because I had this presence.”

Innanen had seen Hollywood execs’ stigma against creators in the past and was worried his TikTok would hurt more than help. So he looked to creator friends like Brittany Broski, who has navigated the intersection between traditional and digital media landscapes, for inspiration. In the weeks since Adults premiered, Innanen has integrated tons of content about his show character, Paul Baker, into his personal channels.

Looking ahead: As more creators land acting roles and more actors expand their social presence, Innanen predicts that the “mysterious, Frank Ocean-esque approach to media” will be a thing of the past.

“I think it’s fun to be chronically online,” Innanen said. “Being part of the show’s existence online is naturally how that’s going to keep progressing.”

Last week, 26,000+ active members of the Television Academy began voting on nominations for the 2025 Primetime Emmys. With a month left before nominations are announced, adventure creator Michelle Khare is hoping she’ll make the cut.

Khare is campaigning in support of season seven of her YouTube series, Challenge Accepted. It’s on the Primetime ballot for outstanding hosted nonfiction series, with a special focus on the “90-Day Blackbelt” episode.

Already, Challenge Accepted is on the shortlist of category contenders alongside projects from Conan O’Brien and David Letterman. 

What this means for all creators: “It’s not just an award to say ‘we did a good job.’ If the Emmys see us as viable, great makers of media, this will be a huge win for our industry as a whole—it will attract the crew to make the show, it will attract the audience to support the show, and it’ll attract the ad dollars to support the show,” Khare said. “And to me, those are signs of a maturing industry and one that I want to be at the forefront of.”

New York-born comedy and food creator Danny Mondello, aka Meals by Cug, is opening up a Brooklyn sandwich shop called Casa Cugine.

Context: Mondello has grown a following of over 4 million making videos of eating and cooking ft. trademark taglines like “take care, brush yo hair.”

Now, those sayings will serve as the names of Casa Cugine menu items, like the How Ya’ Doin’ sandwich with chicken cutlet and broccoli rabe.

Zoom out: NYC is a tough market for restaurants, even those that are creator-fronted—consider the struggles of Dylan Lemay’s Catch’N Ice Cream or Salt Bae’s steakhouse. Mondello has the advantage of being a local with the neighborhood on his side, though. “The way we see it, [Casa Cugine is] good for the neighborhood and the culture,” Sabino Curcio, owner of a nearby sandwich shop, told Grub Street.