Sup (creator) nerds! 🤓 

Merry Chrysler, I hope that everyone is feeling ready to dive into a little bit of time off for some well-deserved R&R!

I’m hitting some crazy writer’s block this week, so I think my brain is ready to shut off for a day or two, but don’t worry, I’ll still be in your inbox next week at the same time. 😎 

This year for the holiday, I have a gift for you (below), and if you want to give me a gift, consider giving this newsletter a share with someone who you think would enjoy it. 😉 

I heard Santa really loves shameless plugs and shilling, so I’m just out here trying to make the big guy happy.

And here’s your gift! As mentioned in the last issue, we have some insanely exciting updates coming to CreatorPad very soon, and to celebrate the holiday season, I’m excited to announce the official waitlist for CreatorPad 2.0!!!

If you want to be the first in the know and be among the first to get your hands on the insanely cool updated site, be sure to sign up for the waitlist. I’ll see you all on the waitlist and in next week’s issue! Happy holidays peeps ❤️ 

-Luke

Creator Hangs with the Cartel 😅 

Yea, that title wasn’t a typo, even though it feels like one. This creator is commanding a very strange niche that places himself in precarious predicaments, all for us and the love of adventure.

NOTE: I dug a bit deeper into Arab and I’ve learned that he’s not a good guy and has been tied up in a lot of controversy. A lot of commenters are claiming this video is fake (in terms of who he interviewed), so I had a very heavy debate with myself about just cutting this piece. I decided to cover this story not to showcase this creator and provide a platform, but to instead highlight a content transition and to show other creators that a shift in content won’t be the death of your channel.

• Arab has been posting on YouTube for several years now, but his content was far from the thrill-seeking adventures that he currently explores.

• Arab was a large Fortnite creator, streamer, and coach who amassed a large following over 7+ years of pushing out videos on YouTube.

• Now, from the research that I’ve done on Arab, he doesn’t seem to have the best reputation. It seems as though he’s offended many people with his distasteful jokes and language, so I have super mixed feelings about covering this story.

• Again, I’ve decided to cover this not to showcase Arab, but to instead show the benefits of taking the risk to make content that resonates with you as a creative.

To me, this creator making the change from a full-time gamer to an adventure creator should be a sign for creators to follow their passions, even if it goes against the grain of what they normally create.

• What you start with in your creative journey doesn’t have to be what you end with. As creators, our passion and energy is what drive audiences to resonate deeply with content.

• If you care about your craft, it can come through on screen and viewers can feel it. So if you’re creating content that you’re not passionate about anymore, and you’re just forcing yourself to post for the sake of posting, your audience will feel that shift, too.

• So if you’re feeling like your candle has burned too low and you no longer care for the craft of creation, maybe it’s time to switch things up.

Take the time to reflect and ask yourself the important questions, and don’t be afraid to take risks and try out new content styles. If you’re not happy with what you’re creating, then what’s the point?

As mentioned, Arab doesn’t have a great reputation and some of his titles, thumbnails, and collabs are absolutely questionable, so check out his content with caution and a grain of salt.

[Link to Cartel Video]

NBA Tapping Into Creators 🏀 (ft. Justin Leusner)

The NBA partnered up with some basketball creators to host the Creator Cup, a basketball tournament featuring these content creators. So what’s the big deal and what does this mean for creators?

• With more and more consumers trusting their favorite creators over traditional media, massive organizations like the NBA are looking to gain more viewership through these influencers.

• If the majority of entertainment for younger sports fans is coming from content creators, then the NBA is losing a piece of the pie.

• Partnering with these creators not only allows for a behind-the-curtain look of their main focus but also allows for their fans to become more deeply ingrained in the ecosystem that they cover.

To get a pro’s opinion, I spoke with my good friend Justin Leusner who is building TDAY Sports, the sports network that’s giving ESPN a run for their money. Justin and I dug into his thoughts on the event and he shared some incredible insights on what this means for creators, other sports, and fans.