Good morning. Streamer Sensei Martian recently completed his 169-day journey walking 1,865 miles across Japan, from its southernmost point in Cape Sata to its northernmost point in Cape Sōya. He streamed the whole trip, finishing right at sunset almost half a year in. Between Martian’s cross-country trek and streamer Arda Saatçi’s recent 3,000km ultra marathon, streamers are showing us the sky's the limit this year—and we’ve still got three months to go.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Moment Launches $50,000 Residency Program

Last week, camera gear and course marketplace Moment announced its new YouTube Residency Program. The two-year, application-based program will give $50,000 to a handful of creators looking to kickstart their video production process. It also includes a part-time producer and access to Moment's brand relationships.

“This means you'll not only get the financial support you need, but also the runway to start your own creator journey,” filmmaker and former Moment talent Caleb Babcock said in the announcement video.

Catch up quick: Babcock is now a director at the creative studio Sunny Sixteen. But he—along with his cofounders, Niles Grey, Taylor Pendleton, and Joshua Martin—got started making content for Moment’s YouTube channel.

Now, the group wants to support the next generation of creators. “This [residency program] is the thing we wish existed when we were starting out,” Grey said. “There's a lot of places to learn nowadays…but there's nothing better than getting out, making videos, posting them on the internet, and figuring out what this whole social world is about.”

Zoom out: Creator and poet Donovan Beck commended Moment's new residency program, sharing his belief that “the era of one-off creator brand deals [is] dying a slow death” as the next generation focuses instead on “mission and purpose.”

“In 2022, nearly $4 billion was spent on influencer marketing, and that's set to double by 2025,” Beck wrote on LinkedIn. “[But] If brands can find where they share big dreams with the creators they would look to bring on for deals anyway, they won't just ultimately have a good campaign—they will have long-term champions.”

We want to know: If you had $50K, what would you do to grow your creator business? Hit reply and tell us your strategy.

The Verdict on Facebook’s New Monetization Program

Last week, Meta announced Facebook Creator Monetization beta, which merges its three monetization verticals—in-stream ads, ads on Reels, and performance bonuses—into one monetization program for creators.

We asked readers if they’ve found success generating revenue on Facebook. Here’s the rundown →

• “I made $7K on Facebook in one month, like, 6–8 months ago, now we consistently make about $400 per month with a little over 500K followers,” pet wellness creator Bryce Francois said.

• “On my Instagram channel, I've received 3.4 million views in the last 30 days and made $1.71. Where is the $2 billion [Facebook has paid content creators in the last year] going?,” family creator Mo Brady told us.

• “I make a good living off my YouTube channel but have never made a single dime off Facebook,” tech creator Erin Lawrence said. “They are not set up to monetize, not set up to help creators figure out how to do it, and not well-versed in educating creators on how to earn more. They need to overhaul how they interact with creators and encourage them to monetize for this to succeed.”

Context: Facebook’s revamped monetization system comes after Instagram recently announced a pivot in its performance metrics, prioritizing views and reach over likes and follows. Facebook said its payout model isn’t changing with the new approach to monetization, but creators will qualify for payment via performance metrics like engagement. The beta program is currently invite-only, with open enrollment set for early next year.

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TikTok May Lose Another Licensing Deal

Music licensing firm Merlin, which negotiates digital licenses for indie music labels repping artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Nirvana, said TikTok “walked away” from renewing its licensing deal last week.

The why? TikTok told Billboard it wants to enter "direct deals with Merlin members.” Merlin says TikTok is "fragmenting" its talent to try to minimize licensing payments for indie music.

Merlin reps about 15% of the global recorded music market. If the licensing deal ends, it means that many songs from artists like Diplo, Mac Demarco, Mitski, and more will disappear from TikTok next month unless those artists’ respective labels reach agreements with TikTok.

FYI: Merlin is the third music org to struggle renewing its music license with TikTok this year, joining Universal Music Group and National Music Publishers Association.

👀 Creator Moves

• Taylor Lorenz is hiring a freelance video editor for her Power User podcast.

• HopeScope is looking for a short form editor to brainstorm and shoot videos across social channels. Must be willing to relocate to Utah.

• Nick DiGiovanni is hiring an advanced animator to generate 2D animations and concepts.

Looking to bring on new team members? You can post opportunities on our (free) job board here.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Vice President Kamala Harris goes on Call Her Daddy.

• Bricks and Disorder launches hand-carved silver jewelry.

• TommyInnit shares his thoughts on the state of YouTube.

• Haliey Welch starts streaming on Kick.

• TikTok comedy troupe Stapleview is relaunching with five new shows.

• Glitch’s Digital Circus reaches the #4 spot in TV shows on Netflix in the US.