The Winner Is…

The creators claiming victory in the spotlight this week

September 14, 2021

Good morning. This weekend 18-year-old Brit Emma Raducanu made history with her first championship title at the US Open – without losing a set the entire tournament. 3 months ago Emma was sitting her exams like most British teenagers, but after 3 weeks in New York she’s walking away a hero, with a rather juicy $2.5 million dollars in the bank. And did you see her at the Met Gala in Chanel? Unstoppable. 

In Today’s Issue 💬

→ Unpacking the new MTV and TikTok partnership

→ What Chicken Shop Dates teach us about the power of a serial format

→ What The Try Guys’ move to TV means for creators

TikTok & MTV Pair Up on First-Ever Trending: VMAs

Source: MTV + TikTok

What a year it’s been for music on TikTok. Creators have been at the center of choreographing, remixing and popularizing some of our favorite trends, which have translated into overnight success stories and millions of streams. Now, the platform has partnered with MTV to officially recognize these viral moments, with the first-ever Trending: VMAs. 

TikTok superstar Quen Blackwell (7.2 million followers) hosted the Trending: VMAs award celebration from the red carpet in Brooklyn on Friday, which was broadcast live on MTV’s TikTok account. The awards featured 5 new categories, including Best Artist x Creator Collab, Best Viral Dance and Best Audio Mashup – which give a nod to TikTok’s collaborative remix culture. 

TikTok users could vote for their favorite artists and creators via the platform’s Discover Page. Y2K legends Aly and AJ scooped up Best Comeback Song, after their 2007 hit “Potential Breakup Song” became a wildly popular trend with 1.4 million creations on the app. Last week’s staff pick, Claire Rosinkranz’s “Backyard Boy”, beat Bella Poarch’s record-breaking “Build a B*tch” to win Best Breakthrough Song. Claire found out that she won from the red carpet, which makes for excellent TikTok footage if I do say so myself.

Our Take

Just like Billboard’s Song Breaker Chart, it’s clear that legacy formats – including awards shows – are paying well-deserved recognition to the creators driving media consumption. Creators like Emma Chamberlain and Addison Rae attending the Met Gala shows that the tides are turning in mainstream media spaces. 

Chicken Shop Date With Jack Harlow Goes Global

Source: Amelia Dimoldenberg YouTube

Speaking of national heroes here in the UK, Amelia Dimoldenberg might be our best kept secret...but not for long. Amelia’s YouTube series Chicken Shop Date is a fan favorite with 760,000 subscribers, and its latest episode looks set to bring in a lot of new viewers for the series. Since dropping on Friday, the episode - featuring Jack Harlow - is already closing in on 2 million views. 

The premise of Chicken Shop Date is simple: Amelia takes emerging rappers on a “date” to unassuming chicken shops across the UK. Here, Amelia plays a steely character, who shows off her witty humor and dry delivery as she puts artists under the spotlight, interviewing them about their lyrics and backstories. 

The series has been going strong since 2014, with more than 110 million views on the episodes to date. Previous interviews have included stars such as KSI, Aitch, and Sean Paul. While Amelia rules the roost on YouTube for British audiences, it looks like she’s destined to enjoy success across the pond as well, after Drake casually asked her for a date last month. Champagnepapi in a chicken shop? Sign us up.

Our Take

While content is king, don’t underestimate the power of partnering it with a consistent format for fans to latch onto. Amelia’s formulaic creator-led series, now in its eighth year, has proven its staying power with audiences time and time again. In a world of seemingly overnight success, it’s inspiring to see Amelia hone her craft for close to a decade.

The Try Guys Land On The Food Network 

Source: The Try Guys

Is there anything The Try Guys won’t do?! Don’t hold your breath, because the ex-Buzzfeed comedy challenge group, with 7.6 million YouTube subscribers, is coming to TV with a new cooking show. No Recipe Road Trip is based off an existing series on The Try Guys’ YouTube channel, featuring episodes like “The Try Guys Bake Pie Without A Recipe”, which amassed more than 21 million views. 

Viewers were originally treated to its first episode as a one-off special back in February on the Food Network. Now, five more episodes are in the works to complete the series, with The Try Guys traveling across America to make classic dishes.

Our Take

We’ve seen plenty of creators move into television formats as of late, like David Dobrik’s travel show and The D’Amelios’ reality series. The Try Guys were already producing TV-like formats on their channel, which was perfect testing ground to make the jump from YouTube to TV. Having their concept air on the Food Network means the group will have access to a new audience for their content, while bringing their dedicated YouTube fans along for the ride. It’s win-win.

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