Good morning. Ever felt the overwhelming urge to punch your ex in the face? Well, thanks to creators Irene Lee and Gael Aitor, now you can.

This Saturday in LA, Lee and Aitor are hosting a joint DJ set and boxing event, encouraging ex-couples to hop into the ring for $20. Scott Pilgrim fans, your time is now.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Indian actor Aamir Khan is taking the post-theatrical run of his latest movie, Sitaare Zameen Par, exclusively to YouTube—bypassing streamers altogether. 

Set the scene: Khan is known for some of India’s most popular films, including 3 Idiots and Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. He made his latest movie, Sitaare Zameen Par, via his own studio, Aamir Khan Productions. It brought in $30 million in global box office sales following its release in June.

What comes next? Most movies go to streaming following a theatrical run. Khan said a streamer offered him $14 million for Sitaare Zameen Par.

He said no thanks. Instead, Khan is releasing the movie exclusively on YouTube through a pay-per-view model with localized pricing for each territory. In India, it will cost about $1.15 to watch. YouTube will share revenue from views with Khan.

Why YouTube? To democratize distribution, Khan said. India is YouTube’s largest viewership market, and Khan told Variety only 2–3% of the population saw his movies in theaters.

“For the past 15 years I have been struggling with the challenge of how to reach audiences who do not have geographical access to theatres, or those who are unable to make it to theatres for various reasons,” Khan said in a press release. “Finally the time for the perfect storm has come.” 

Big picture: The partnership with Khan cements YouTube’s growing effort to dominate streaming. And for creators-turned-filmmakers, the pay-per-view model could offer a new path toward financial viability that doesn’t involve theaters or streamers.

“If this idea works, creative voices can tell different stories breaking geographical and other barriers,” Khan said in a statement.

Brand deals often feel extremely finetuned to match a creator’s brand—here are three creators stepping outside of their comfort zones, much to their audiences’ pleasant surprise:

Rainbolt x Maybelline: Maybe he’s born with it? Or maybe it took years for gaming creator Rainbolt to finetune his GeoGuessr skills. Whichever it is, it only took him six minutes to geolocate which New York City park lifestyle creator Hayley Bayley was hiding in and which Maybelline mascara she was wearing.

“It's flabbergasting how good this guy is at blending in ads into his content while keeping it entertaining. Great video as always and top-tier ad,” one viewer commented.

Sydeon x New Balance: Gaming creator and member of streamer content house OfflineTV Sydney “Sydeon” Parker is New Balance’s first female gaming ambassador. In a recent vlog, she took her audience on a tour of New Balance’s Boston campus and flagship store.

“If there was one creator in the gaming space that suits this kinda thing it’s you,” one fan said in the comments. “Bridging the gap of fashion/beauty and gaming is something I feel [OfflineTV] does well.”

Tiny Chef x AG1: Still recovering from the cancellation of his Nickelodeon show, the internet’s favorite claymation chef is getting back on his feet with a sponsorship from supplement brand AG1—the show’s first major brand deal since shifting to YouTube from Nickelodeon. 

“This is how you make ads. Fun, engaging, and you never get annoyed when they come back on,” one commenter said.

Sponsored by Brand Safety Institute

Last year, we polled you on brand safety and more than 60% of you agreed that creators should say what they want.

Why? Because authenticity matters.

But staying true to your voice doesn’t mean you have to ignore brand safety. There’s a way to balance both.

If you’re not sure how, this free 15-minute crash course from the Brand Safety Institute can help. It teaches ways to:

Future proof your path as a creator and take the brand safety crash course today.

Music creator Josh Shelton wants to produce the next big movie musical, and he’s giving his audience a stake in it. 

Shelton is crowdfunding for his new movie musical, Tempo Rubato, on WeFunder. He’s promising supporters 125–130% of their investments back. Once he breaks even and repays investors, Shelton will continue to split any further revenue 50/50 with investors.

Who else is following a similar crowdfunding model to get big projects off the ground?

We’re a little more than a month out from Press Publish NYC, our one-day summit for the creator economy. And today, we’re sharing our first two speakers from a packed event programming lineup:

Filmmaker Max Joseph first started getting attention after collaborating with Casey Neistat on the short Make It Count. His work has screened at festivals like Sundance, Telluride, and SXSW. He also co-hosted the MTV show Catfish for seven years and directed the Warner Bros. Film We Are Your Friends with Zac Efron.

Video journalist Cleo Abram breaks down complex ideas—from quantum computers to Formula 1—for her 10 million subscribers across platforms. Her science and education show, Huge If True, has become a major hit in just a handful of years thanks to Abram's skillful storytelling.

Want to hear from these creators September 4? There’s still time to sign up here.

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.