Alex Cooper. She’s the winner. The host of the popular podcast “Call Her Daddy” just sold to Spotify for a reported $60 million across 3 years. Podcast deals are looking more like NBA contracts these days. Today, Alice is digging into the highs and lows of building a creator brand...and the burnout that comes with it. Enjoy ✌🏻✌🏽.

→ Team YouTube scoops the victory in the Battle of the Platforms 

→ FaZe Clan make history with their Sports Illustrated cover

→ Lessons from Emma Chamberlain on creator burnout

The future of creator live events

Last weekend, 25,000 fans descended on the Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium to watch the highly anticipated contest that pit YouTubers vs. TikTokers in a 7-match boxing event. The event was hosted by LiveXLive, with pay-per-view (PPV) selling for $50 a pop and in person tickets going for as much as $1,000. The spectacle culminated in the headline match between TikTok’s Bryce Hall and YouTube’s Austin McBroom, with the latter seizing the victory (despite the paparazzi being team Bryce...on god) and a payout of at least $5m for both fighters. While it’s rumored the PPV has already cleared 1m buys, some are more skeptical and doubt the fighter’s eventual paycheck.   

Sell Beef, Make Bread

These fights would be nothing without the creator's storytelling and the content it generates leading up to the fight. Four of YouTube’s top 15 trending videos are now about the fight, with more than 13m collective views in 48 hours. Bryce Hall’s YouTube channel was also used to stream the first two fights of the night for free to tease PPV access. Fans are becoming increasingly engaged in the storytelling from creators, while creators benefit from having content to build on for months.

We’re witnessing the transformation of live events for creators, shifting from the likes of panel events at VidCon and meet and greet tours, into global entertainment events with the ability to monetize that far beyond just IRL attendance. We predict the rise of collective events, where creators come together to put on one singular event – and ones not just limited to boxing.

Gamers have become the new rock stars...and athletes

FaZe Clan made history as the first esports collective to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, a revered publication in the sporting world since 1954. The cover features established FaZe members including FaZe Bronny (Lebron’s Son), and FaZe K1 (NFL Quarterback, Kyler Murray.) The article profiles co-founder FaZe Banks, CEO Lee Trink, investor Jimmy Iovine, NBA star Ben Simmons (aka FaZe Simmo), and Atlanta FaZe co-owner Paul Hamilton. The cover has also inspired a limited collection of merch in a partnership with NTWRK, one of their investors.

The Cool Kids Table

In the past, Faze Clan has welcomed in stars like Offset, Swae Lee and Pitbull. The sheer fact that Bronny James and Kyler Murray are featured on the team’s cover story is emblematic of the cultural relevance that Faze has garnered. Not only was this Bronny’s first time on the cover of Sports illustrated, but it was also his first time in a pro jersey - and it’s not for an NBA team.

Brand Building 101

We’re well underway into the era of the personal brand. Collectives such as FaZe Clan are uniquely positioned to build individualized personas, versus the likes of legacy structures like the NBA. With FaZe, the whole team can monetize and profit off being viewed as the MVP, not just one or two players per team. The FaZe brand is featured in front of each individual players name, you’d never see that in the NBA…no one is calling him “Laker Lebron”.

In 2020, Forbes valued FaZe at $305m, estimating that 80% of their $40m revenue last year came from its content arm. As detailed in the FaZe cover story, “athletes want to be gamers and gamers want to be athletes”. Just look at Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns, who both stream on Twitch with top gaming creators. Evidently, FaZe is uniquely situated to interact with musicians, athletes and multiple creators because gaming is non-competitive to their world. In fact, Faze’s brand is so big that you might see it and not really know it’s a gaming team.

Creators are burning out…so what we can learn from it?

This week, via her podcast “Anything Goes”, Emma Chamberlain dove into the state of social media and how it plays into mental health, describing TikTok as “the most toxic platform and the most addictive” and Twitter as “destroying my mental health”. Despite having more than 10m followers on TikTok, Emma was recently subject to mass speculation regarding her mental health on the platform, which the rumor mill was churning out at an accelerated pace by the reach of the “For You” Page.  Emma confirmed that the TikToks were in fact rumors, but that the virality of posts had real-life implications on her life and mental state. Emma detailed in the episode that she's deleted the app and will only be downloading to post, before deleting it again. 

For You, Against You → While TikTok’s FYP is credited with launching members of its community to stardom, the inconsistency of content performance, coupled with expectations to churn out content at an increasing rate has left creators feeling burnt out. As 22 year-old creator Jack Innanen stated in Taylor Lorenz NYT deep dive, "I feel like I’ve been tapping a keg that’s been empty for a year”.

While we think platforms need to step up in supporting creators, this will likely pale in comparison to what creators can do for each other – by opening channels of conversation, offering mentorship and guidance, and developing resources that can develop into community support systems. Sharing your life in an authentic way is both your superpower and potential downfall as a creator, which is why IRL friendships are more valuable than ever.