Good morning. Did you catch the cinematic commercial from Ryan Trahan and Sticks promoting the new Joyride candies? Trahan’s going after the big dogs with this release, targeting Nerds Gummy Clusters (currently Target’s bestselling candy), Sour Patch Kids, and Trolli Crawlers. Looks like The Climb is getting more and more real.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

How Theorist Media is Expanding Beyond MatPat

Last March, Matthew “MatPat” and Stephanie Patrick retired from Theorist Media, the network of YouTube channels they started in 2011. 

Catch up quick: MatPat hosted all the channels under Theorist Media, including Game Theory, Style Theory, Film Theory, Food Theory, and GT Live. When he left, each channel got a new host. 

So how has Theorist Media done in the year since the Patricks stepped away?

• It’s earned over 570 million views and 1 million subscribers across its five YouTube channels. 

• Theorist has expanded to new platforms, uploading Game Theory and Film Theory episodes to Spotify and starting a Game Theory Live channel on Twitch.

We spoke with Theorist Media’s director of digital strategy Josiah Hritsko on Theorist’s priorities in its next era →

Keeping Theorist’s ethos consistent. Hritsko said the company is still using data (like Google Trends and View Stats) to identify niche video ideas, then utilizing the same scripting, editing, title, and thumbnail packaging to keep the brand’s identity.

While adapting to new audiences. Hritsko said Game Theory is attracting a new audience with its host, Tom Robinson, and covering more games like Poppy Playtime. Meanwhile, new Style Theory host Amy Roberts is growing the channel’s female viewership. 

“When we have new hosts coming in, there’s going to be some audience that leaves—who were just there for Matt—but we also have new audiences coming in for these new hosts as they discover our videos for the first time,” Hritsko said.

And experimenting with new formats. Consider: GT Live’s new Twitch channel, which includes co-streaming and memberships.

“That’s an awesome opportunity where now Ash, the host of GT Live, is able to pay more individual attention to the audience members because [they’re] not as constricted by all the other channels,” Hritsko said.

Looking ahead: Hritsko said Theorist will continue to use MatPat and Stephanie’s data-driven content approach, while also taking inspiration from brands like Dude Perfect on reaching a multigenerational audience.

“We are appealing to our core base, while also reaching new audiences. That’s how you grow and stay relevant on YouTube,” Hritsko said.

Creator Comedy Roundup: Music Tours + Album Releases

18 years ago, Bo Burnham became one of the first creators to bring musical comedy to YouTube—preceding Weird Al Yankovic by a month. Now, musical comedy is thriving across platforms. Here’s the latest news from the creators keeping the subgenre alive:

Kyle Gordon last week kicked off a 28-stop tour across North America playing music genre parodies, from his Eastern European pop hit “Planet of the Bass” to female empowerment country songs. Gordon has been making parodies since 2023 and has over 300K monthly listeners on Spotify.

Jazz Emu recently released a video on demand version of his new album, Ego Death, after closing out his UK tour. Emu (real name: Archie Henderson) is making what he calls “high art in the age of content,” including funk music about watching a TV show without your partner or the return of skinny jeans. He has an audience of 900K across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and X. 

On Company Time (OCT) makes comedy synth pop for over 350K followers on Instagram and TikTok, citing The Lonely Island and Tenacious D as inspiration. Their newest earworm, “Frictionless Wipe,” drops on Friday. “We wrote, produced, and performed this song with the intention of making you laugh, but also to give you a song that you can enjoy long after the joke gets old,” OCT said on Instagram.

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ChatGPT Rolls Out Image Generation

ChatGPT’s latest 4o update allows users to ask the AI to generate a new image from a drawing or modify an existing image. And it’s causing a stir among creators and thumbnail designers. 

What creators are saying →

• “GPT-4o and Gemini image gen is really cool, but humans who are good at thumbnail design will wield these tools the best,” AI creator Bilawal Sidhu said.

• Video editor Adham Naser made the case on X that “none of [the thumbnails] will stand out after some time,” arguing that generative AI operates through a system with similar output patterns.

• Gaming creator Charlie Herrington said using ChatGPT can be helpful for creators who can’t afford a designer. “I could never come close to something like it did, but it’s also not authentically me,” Herrington said.

👀 Creator Moves

• How To Survive is looking for a video producer based in Ontario to write and edit long-form videos. 

• Visual Venture is hiring a video editor and motion graphic designer to work on long-form video essays.

• Film creator Josh Toonen is looking for a thumbnail designer experienced in Photoshop and passionate about filmmaking.

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🔥 Press Worthy

• Substack launches an in-app scrollable video feed.

• Film creator Alexandra Robinson edited the promo for Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” fan music video.

• Snap is launching a Creator Connect program to offer mentorship and networking opportunities for creators in India.

• Grant Horvat is airing a LIV golf tournament exclusively on his YouTube channel.

• Atrioc launches a business podcast, Lemonade Stand.