Good morning. As things heat up on Love Island USA, everyone has an idea of the season’s villain. But one eliminated contestant is using his newfound fame for good.Β 

Jeremiah Brown started a book club on Instagram, getting over 100K of his followers to read The Song of Achilles with him. Have you ordered your copy yet?

Platform Roundup: YouTube Cracks Down on Clip Farming

YouTube cracks down on clips while Substack makes clipping easier, and Amazon rewards creators participating in Prime Day / Illustration by Moy Zhong with photography viaΒ AmazonΒ andΒ Substack

Here’s your rundown of the most impactful platform headlines from the last week. ➑️

YouTube is improving its monetization screening process in an effort to crack down on what it calls β€œmass-produced and repetitious content.” Starting on July 15, channels that reupload other creators’ content will have to change it significantly to qualify for monetization.Β 

  • Zoom out: Top streamers like Ludwig have spoken out about how clip farmersβ€”channels that reupload clips from livestreams or longer videos as they’re premieringβ€”can be detrimental to their revenue streams.Β 

  • This update may disincentivize clip farmers from stealing content or, as Ludwig suggested, encourage creators to hire clip farmers to their teams to create their own easily digestible short-form content.

Amazon is incentivizing creators to sell through its Amazon Associates program as social media-based ecommerce (read: TikTok Shop) gains popularity.Β 

This month through July 20, Amazon Prime is increasing commissions on select sales made through creator affiliate linksβ€”coinciding with Prime Day, which starts tomorrow. Commission on jewelry and power tools will double, and payouts on sales in 11 other categories like toys and beauty will jump, too.Β 

Zoom out: Last year, Amazon’s sales increased by 136% during Prime Day, bringing in $14.2 billion over two days. This year, Prime Day will last four days, with over 900K creators participating as creator affiliates.Β 

Substack is doubling down on livestream video with a feature that automatically generates clips from livestreams and shows performance metrics like video plays in real-time. Creators can also connect their YouTube channels to upload Substack videos directly as Shorts.

  • Livestreams have become a popular tool among journalists like Kathleen Lingo and Mehdi Hasan.Β 

  • News creator Chris Cillizza told Substack that live videos have helped him gain new subscribers. "It’s been one of the most effective ways to get my work in front of more people, wherever they are,” he said.

How a Musical Comedy Creator Sells Out Live Shows

Kyle Gordon wraps up his nationwide tour where he sold out 11 shows /Β Kyle Gordon

Musical comedy creator Kyle Gordonβ€”known best for his parodies of musical genresβ€”just finished a 26-stop nationwide tour, where he sold out almost half of the shows.Β 

How he got here:Β 

  • Like many comedy creators, Gordon started posting during the Covid-19 lockdowns, challenging himself to post daily for three months.Β 

  • Originally an improv comic, he transitioned to musical comedy to make a solo act he could take on the road.

β€œIf you saw me in 2022, it would have been me and an acoustic guitar at the Chuckle Hut in Indiana,” Gordon told us. But nowβ€”because of the audience he has grown on TikTok and Instagramβ€”he tours with a full band, selling out 400-person venues.

So why does a live tour work for Gordon’s niche? β€œThere's this group of people that really enjoy my music that react differently in person than they do as, like, a blob of [online] numbers,” Gordon said. Live shows ensure that creators like Gordon have a more tangible connection to their audiences. Β 

Big picture: By promoting the tour alongside new singles and music videos, Gordon simultaneously increased fan interest and sales. It’s a play that works for other creators tooβ€”like Trisha Paytas, who timed song releases with live events to sell out theaters on tour.

Coming to a Theater Near You: Lilly Singh

Lilly Singh's film "Doin' It" finds a distributor /Β Aura Entertainment

Creator, writer, and actor Lilly Singh debuted her coming of age movie, Doin’ It, at SXSW last yearβ€”now, it’s coming to theaters across the US starting September 19.

The details: Singh co-wrote, starred in, produced, and financed the movie in partnership with Arizona-based film company Camelback Productions. Aura Entertainment, a US-based distributor that launched earlier this year, acquired the movie from Camelback as one of its first acquisitions.

Big picture: Singh recently returned to YouTube after three years of working exclusively in film and television. Now, she’s hosting a connected TV game show, creating a YouTube interview show, and vlogging.

πŸ‘€ Creator Moves

  • Brooke Does Everything is looking for a videographer and editor to join her on the road longboarding across America.Β 

  • Tori Dunlap aka Her First $100K is hiring a full-time executive assistant to run internal operations and media communications.

  • Documentary creator BC Productions is looking for a script writer on a per-project basis.

  • Jacklyn Dallas aka NothingButTech is hiring a short-form video editor to create well-researched and engaging videos.

πŸ”₯ Press Worthy

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