Good morning. No, it’s not an April Fools’ joke. We’d like to officially introduce the first ever President of The Publish Press: Lauren Thermos.

Our Aussie queen has spent 15 years scaling billion-dollar brands (like e.l.f. Beauty, Whole Foods, and Target) and she's been building in the creator economy longer than most people knew it existed. Now she's here to build with us. Hit reply to say hi.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Today’s lineup:

Yesterday TikTok announced a partnership with Cameo, which allows users to request and receive personalized videos from creators directly within the TikTok app.

Context: Cameos regularly go viral on TikTok, and according to Cameo CEO Steven Galanis, TikTok creators delivered its strongest year yet in 2025. It’s a smart partnership for a brand that has struggled to bounce back from its COVID-era highs. 

For TikTok, it’s another monetization vertical in addition to live gifting, series subscriptions, and TikTok Shop.

Why it matters for creators: Historically, going viral on TikTok meant a spike in followers and maybe a brand deal or two. Bringing Cameo inside the app provides a direct line to fans with minimal friction. And unlike merch or digital downloads, there’s no inventory, logistics, and overhead. 

With the integration, TikTok is giving creators custom call-to-action buttons they can add to their videos for personalized messages. Users can also search “Cameo” on TikTok to see its full roster of creators that offer the service.

Big picture: TikTok Shop, which has been growing into an ecommerce giant rivaling eBay, has normalized in-app purchases. Cameo has proven fans will pay for something even more personal. The ability to capture and convert cultural relevance—inside the same app where it’s happening—could produce outsized outcomes for creators. 

Over the weekend, we attended the Yes Chef Food Fest in Los Angeles, put on by food creator Jack Goldburg (aka Jack’s Dining Room). 

How he got here: 

Last June, he hosted his first food fest in NYC (his homebase) drawing 6,000 attendees. This year, he went bigger, like 100 pound pig roast bigger. But did the audience turnout translate across coasts?

We went on the ground to see for ourselves:

“Over the years, we’ve built up relationships with not only the chefs in the community, but the people watching the content—trying to be authentic and uplift everyone,” Goldburg told us. “I think we're a beacon for positivity within the food space.”

Building bridges: Goldburg was mostly able to set the restaurant lineup through his personal relationships with the restaurants, securing sponsorships from brands like Verizon, Cane’s, and Don Julio. He told us the festival’s new partnership with Pepsi happened because their CMO was a fan of his content.

“Food is the connector of everyone and everything,” Goldburg said. “At the end of the day, someone might like music or sports, but everyone eats. So I think these companies value that and want to be part of something so special.”

The whole enchilada: So what makes this event so unique? For many food creators, cookbooks are the main output to connect with fans. But Goldberg isn’t a chef—he’s a curator. And after proving his taste to his audience for five years, they trust him to produce an experience worth flying in for.

On Friday, we asked you for the creators you think should get more recognition. Thanks to you, our “Watch Later” playlist has never been more interesting. Here are a few of our readers’ recent faves →

Food creator Alvin Zhou makes documentary-style videos about exclusive restaurants. His editing style takes inspiration from video games and anime, with sweeping sound effects and music interludes.
— Ian W.

NY creator Nico Heller’s short-form “surreality” show, Revival of the Fittest, which takes place in an NYC record shop. From altercations about the state of the bathroom to a guest appearance from Kareem Rahma—each episode made us wonder, “What did I just watch?” and, “Why can’t I stop?”
—Laura W.

Film creator Henry Kidman built his own camera in a 3D printer—making the process almost as cinematic as the end result.
— Isaac T.

Thank you to everyone who told us their favorite creators, and if you want to add your fave to the mix…just hit reply.

*This is sponsored content