Good morning. Did you get fooled by that AI video of a kangaroo holding a plane ticket? Same here…does that mean we’re getting our Gen Z card revoked?

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Sketch comedy creators RDCWorld kicked off their anime and sports convention, Dream Con, today in Houston. They sold over 29,000 tickets (badges start at $60) to the three-day event. 

The run of show → Fans and creators will gather for gaming tournaments, exhibitions, panels, and a charity basketball game featuring creators including Duke Dennis and Hasan Piker. 

Context: RDCWorld, founded in 2012 by Mark Phillips and Affiong Harris, has amassed over 7 million followers and 1 billion views making anime and sketch comedy videos.  

The group previously requested to host meet and greets at several anime and comic conventions but were ignored or rejected because they didn’t “fit in,” they said. That inspired them to launch Dream Con in 2018.

Now? The convention is the largest and fastest-growing Black-owned anime and gaming convention in the US.

This year, Dream Con is bigger than ever—it’s being hosted at the 1.9 million square-foot George R. Brown Convention Center, over 75% of attendees are from out of state, and Megan Thee Stallion is hosting a conversation on storytelling and entrepreneurship. Megan’s tequila brand, Chicas Divertidas, joins Coca-Cola, YouTube, Under Armour, and Red Bull as event sponsors.

“The energy at Dream Con is electric. We played a big role in cultivating that culture and you don’t have to worry about trying to look cool—to me that’s the best part about the con,” Harris said in a video.

At some point in the last 13 years, you’ve probably been entranced by the endless runner mobile game, Subway Surfers. It’s been downloaded over 4.5 billion times, still pulls in 150 million players every month, and has over 25 million followers across social.

So how has the game stayed relevant all these years? Creators. 

The game’s key to keeping momentum? Staying flexible with the IP, according to Celia Zimmermann, the head of player experience at Subway Surfers developer SYBO. The company embraces creators’ game interpretations, fine tuning the Subway Surfers experience to match the larger conversation around the game. For example…

Big picture: SYBO is part of a growing group of brands operating as entertainment—echoing some of the success of Ulta’s in-store associate creator program or Little Caesars’ YouTube reality show, Pretzel Crust Island.

Sponsored by Fiverr

Fiverr—the world’s leading platform for freelance talent—is inviting creators like you to join a program that celebrates creativity and collaboration.

Join the Fiverr Creator Program and get exclusive perks made just for digital storytellers:

Whether you're big on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn, Fiverr wants to team up with you.

🖊️ Apply now and start creating with a brand that empowers creators to do what you love—and get paid for the content you post.

Three years after gaming creator Technoblade passed away following a battle with cancer, his channel (now run by his dad) reached 20 million subscribers this week. 

The backstory: With an 11-year-long career and over $1 million raised for sarcoma research, Technoblade was one of the most influential Minecraft YouTubers on the platform—even receiving a cameo in A Minecraft Movie. His catch phrase “Technoblade never dies” has been adopted by his community as a way to memorialize him and his work.

What gaming creators are saying:

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