Good morning. Last week, kids creator Ms. Rachel announced that her debut album I’m So Happy is coming out September 25.

For those of you still reeling from Phoebe Bridgers’ devastating new record, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Today’s lineup:

Next month, YouTube is making its Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) debut with Variety, screening two creator-led shows on the festival’s opening day.

Behind the curtain: The YouTube x Variety Creator Festival will showcase platform-exclusive formats from comedy creator Ziwe and wildlife creator Mark Vins on September 10.

YouTube has been inching closer to the traditional film world for years, including presenting Sundance’s first Creator Day in 2025 and showing up at Cannes Film Festival’s first Creator Economy Summit. Its TIFF debut takes the strategy a step further, putting new creator-led shows directly into the film festival’s programming.

How we see it: YouTube has the audience, but what it’s still building is industry recognition.

This year, YouTube earned six Emmy nominations—while HBO Max got 122 and Netflix got 111. YouTube is the most-watched streaming service in the US, but still hasn’t been graded on the same curve as the industry it outperforms. 

With the Oscars moving exclusively to YouTube in 2029, the platform is moving closer to the institutions that have historically defined prestige entertainment. The next question is whether creator-led work can earn that recognition on its own terms, or if YouTube will need more scripted, narrative content to get there.

Y2K magazine covers. Papyrus font. Instagram's Rio de Janeiro filter. These elements have all become hallmarks of comedy creator Tamir Omari’s brand, creating an aesthetic reminiscent of the early internet and iPod silhouette ads.

Along the way, Omari has worked with creators and celebrities like MrBeast, Anthpo, The Rizzler, and Ken Carson. Some of his most-viewed videos include brand deals with Airlearn and Uniqlo, and he’s grown his following to more than 1M.

Throughout, he has developed one guiding principle: “Stay top of mind.”

So how does Omari stay top of mind? By repeating recognizable cues until they stick.

His playbook:

What’s your calling card as a creator? Hit reply and let us know.

Sponsored by The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse welcomes Emmy nominated music supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas for its IN Focus conversation series, exploring the creative process behind placing music in film and television. Amanda will share how she discovers emerging artists, builds unforgettable moments through music, and collaborates with filmmakers to shape the stories audiences remember.

Join fellow creators, filmmakers, musicians, and storytellers for an evening exploring the intersection of music, storytelling, and culture.

As a special invitation for Publish Press readers, The Lighthouse is opening the Venice Campus on August 25. Spend the day working from campus before joining the conversation and experience The Campus for Creators firsthand.

RSVP for the conversation at this link.

Fresh off a festival run with three wins, film and comedy creator Alexandra Robinson is turning her short film Meatball into a feature.

How she’s doing it: Robinson has already proved she can crowdfund, having raised $13.5K for the short. But scaling from a short to a feature-length film requires a bigger budget.

Instead of going back to her audience for donations, Robinson is taking a different route: partnering with alternative investment platform XChange Place to raise capital from investors and help fund the feature.

“With XChange, I'm able to achieve some of those larger ideas that I want to execute on, versus keeping myself limited to a potentially smaller budget through GoFundMe or Kickstarter,” Robinson told us.

How she got here: 

The larger conversation: Robinson sees her ability to take Meatball from a crowdfunded short to an investor-backed feature as part of a broader shift in how the film industry views creators.

“A few years ago, it didn't seem like we would even be able to talk about this,” Robinson said. “But now there's more confidence surrounding online creators and what they can do beyond a phone.”