Good morning. A decade after the last Grand Theft Auto was released, fans finally got what they asked for: A new trailer for the best-selling video game franchise’s sixth installment.

The trailer (released Monday) is still sitting at #1 on YouTube’s trending charts, and with over 100 million views, it even broke MrBeast's viewership record for a non-music video in its first 24 hours.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

FazeWorld Raises Seed Round for Multimedia Studio

Media production company FazeWorld (not to be confused with FaZe Clan) just raised a $750,000 seed round from investors including UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and Adobe Chief Strategy Officer Scott Belsky. The fundraise values FazeWorld at $7.5 million.

What they’ll do with the money: Founder Adam Faze wants to build an NYC studio space and launch more unscripted shows across social platforms. Current FazeWorld shows include TikTok hits like Clockwork Dynasty, which follows luxury watch sellers in NYC, and Keep the Meter Running, which profiles NYC’s yellow cab drivers.

“We’re building life-sized sets—a thousand-square-foot bodega, a full-scale nail salon. Now that we have the space, we can start experimenting with different formats that we want to try,” Faze told us.

• For example, FazeWorld’s forthcoming nail salon talk show with creator Ameya Okamoto will be packaged in 2–4 minute vertical episodes. 

• But since each manicure lasts upwards of 3 hours, Faze said they can maximize the content they get out of filming in-studio to make longform videos as well.

Context: FazeWorld is part of a new emergence of vertical-native media production companies like Fallen Media and Mad Realities (where Faze was once head of creative). Unlike the BuzzFeeds and Vices of the 2010s, these new media brands are more focused on working with individuals to make those creators’ own shows and IP than they are on building a network. 

How they’ll monetize: Through brand sponsorships, ecommerce, touring, and an in-house branded content studio, the latter of which has already made FazeWorld profitable. 

“If you are promoting a new movie or book you can come spend two hours at FazeWorld and film six episodes of six different shows with completely different audiences, and that’s sort of this 30 Rock [the famous NBC production studio] feeling I want to create,” Faze said.

Ludwig Announces First Creator Dodgeball Tournament

Gaming streamer and bidet entrepreneur Ludwig Ahgren announced on Monday that he’s hosting his first “Creator Dodgeball World Championship.” The dodgeball tournament will bring together 30 creators in a livestream across Ahgren’s YouTube channel and (newly renamed) Twitch account.

Why it’s significant: Because several months after Ahgren became the most subscribed to Twitch streamer of all time in 2021, he signed an exclusive, two-year deal with YouTube Gaming.

That deal ended last week. Ahgren will still focus the majority of his content efforts on YouTube, but his events—produced by his creative studio, OFFBRAND—will now be simulcast across both streaming platforms (starting with the Dodgeball World Championship).

What we know so far about the dodgeball tournament…

• Consists of 6 teams, each representing a different platform (YouTube, Twitch, Kick, Facebook, Podcasts, and Chessboxing)

• Broadcast Sunday, December 10, in front of a live audience in Los Angeles

• Participants include Ahgren, Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter, and Hasan Piker

Looking ahead: Ahgren has been open in the past about his plans to retire from streaming in the near future. But in the meantime, he wants to maximize his YouTube and Twitch audiences while viewers are still tuning in.

“My goal, simply put, is to do really cool events…and have them be seen by the most amount of people—the biggest cultural event possible,” he said in a video.

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Predictions Roundup: Creator Trends to Watch in 2024 

As the end of the year approaches, a slew of trend predictions and creator platform analysis is beginning to roll out.

Some interesting takeaways, from our inbox to yours:

• 14% of U.S. adults got their news from TikTok in 2023, an increase from just 3% in 2020 (via Pew Research).

• The top three fashion trends in 2024? Modest dressing, thrifting, and purchasing repeatable, sustainable outfits (via Instagram Trend Talk).

• 52% of video creators in one survey said that they were using AI in their creative process by fall 2023 (via Artlist).

• Remember the Grimace Shake? McDonald’s viral dessert was a top trending topic on YouTube in 2023, alongside Barbie, artificial intelligence, and the ever-eerie Skibidi Toilet (via YouTube).

🔥 Press Worthy

• YouTube Premium rolls out new features like watching videos live with friends and an AI chat bot.

• Hank Green shares his social performance numbers over the last month.

• Tech creator Snazzy Labs explains how a high schooler reverse-engineered Apple’s iMessage to work on Android.

• Jacksepticeye raises over $6 million for World Central Kitchen.

• Spotify cancels two of its original award-winning podcasts following a round of heavy layoffs.

• Michelle Khare joins the Jet Lag team for a live Season 8 premiere at a theater in NYC.

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