Happy New Year to all of my fellow creator nerds, and a very very warm welcome to all of you new readers!

I hope everyone’s year is off to a killer start and we’re all feeling ready to take 2024 head-on. I know I am! I’m insanely fired up and looking forward to all of the exciting things to come over the next few months!

From growing personally as a creator by creating even more content and exploring new formats to releasing the 2.0 version of CreatorPad, there are so many exciting things on the horizon that I can’t wait to share with you.

But until then, we have some housekeeping to do. Let’s dive into the latest creator news!

Children Prefer YouTube to Netflix

A Nielsen study reveals that viewership among children is beginning to pick up on YouTube while it falls on Netflix. These numbers, albeit not insanely significant, still signal that creators and their content have the power to overthrow these streaming behemoths.

• YouTube's share of children (2-11 year-old) viewers climbed four percent since September 2021

• Netflix on the other hand, is down four percent in the same period.

While channels like Cocomelon remain a top choice among kids on YouTube (averaging 1.2 billion weekly views 🥴), love for Shorts is also booming among the youths. But none of this seems all too surprising, right?

• It’s no shock to find that YouTube is more popular and beginning to beat out a streaming beast who has, let’s be honest, been pumping out mediocre content over the last few years.

Creators are pumping their hearts and souls into their work and parents and children are choosing those who provide greater value and care for craft.

Sure, it could be argued that YouTube’s algorithms and recommendations are playing a large role in this shift, but I believe creators are truly producing stronger content because there is more opportunity to grow a dedicated fanbase now than ever before.

• From strictly entertainment content to edutainment and beyond, creators are carving out their own lane and beating out massive streaming platforms with their own killer content.

So creators, keep pushing. It’s only a matter of time until these massive streaming platforms continue to see the true value of creators and their ideas across all niches, and they want to scoop up your creative brainpower to capture more audience eyeballs.

Cali Moves to Protect Child Creators

California is lookin’ out for the little ones with some new legislation. Senator Steve Padilla is pushing for the Child Content Creator Rights Act, which would require creators who feature minors in (at least 30% of) their content to set aside some cash for the child actor/creator.

• The law is still in its early stages, but it is expected to be heard in the Senate in January.

• Illinois also passed a law protecting minors featured in creator’s videos back in August. This law guarantees compensation for minors featured in vlogs.

This shift in the space to support child talent is not only super necessary but is something that all states should push for as the creator space continues to become the norm.

• Padilla, who introduced this bill says it best, "these children are generating significant revenue for content creators, but they are not receiving any of the financial benefits."

If you’re a creator who is cashing in off of a kid, why not set that child up for continued success as they continue to grow? While I’m unsure of how this will be enforced, I love to see this move being made and I can only hope that other states will follow suit!

Colin & Samir’s 2024 Predictions

I’m not a huge “new year trend predictions” guy, but when creator economy thought leaders Colin and Samir give us a breakdown of potential YouTube trends in the upcoming year, I’ma listen.

They cover it nicely in this tweet, but I’ll break it down below to save you a click.

• Long form is getting longer: C&S predict that videos will continue to get longer. Longer videos provide (no surprise here) longer average view duration (higher AVD = more money) and an opportunity for deeper audience connection.

• Short form is getting…. repetitive: And this technically isn’t a bad thing. Short form content that has an opportunity for repeatability creates an opportunity for potential series. C&S note that the success here lies in the bingeability of the short form library from a successful series. AKA if one vid sparks interest, viewers can go watch even more.

• Quality over Quantity: Well, that’s kind of the takeaway. What they really say is that “appointment viewing” is making a comeback. AKA, instead of mass uploading, creators will begin releasing content like it’s an event. Because there’s so much content being posted every day, C&S believe that these “events” will allow for content to stand out even more.

What do you readers think of these predictions? Are there any that they got wrong or missed? Let me know by replying to this email with your thoughts!

Down the Rabbit Hole with Oki

Meet Oki’s Weird Stories!

Hold on tight, because we’re going for a bizarre ride. Oki covers some of the strangest stories that you could think of. From infiltrating cults to covering eccentric characters who could be straight out of a movie, Oki doesn’t just inform, he goes above and beyond to create documentaries on these people and topics.

The first introduction that I got to Oki was through an hour-and-a-half-long documentary about the King of Stolen Valor. When my friend tossed this on, the last thing I was expecting was to watch a doc as professionally produced as this one.

From interviewing those involved in the story to pulling archival footage, Oki pulls no stops when it comes to properly covering the story. As a journalist, I understand and appreciate all of the effort that Oki puts into all of his investigative pieces, and I get insanely excited when I see coverage as proper as this.

In my eyes, this is the type of content that should scare Netflix, especially after the story above. Oki efficiently and effectively covers the content that would undoubtedly be a bloated, drawn-out Netflix series.

With Oki seemingly moving away from the Netflix norm, and into a more unique light in covering these intrinsic stories, I believe that the days of binging true crime docs on Netflix will begin to come to a close with the rise of creators like Oki. Viewers are getting bored with the Netflix meta, and they’re seeking creators like Oki to fill the hole left by streaming giants like Netflix.

While Oki has 580k subs, he absolutely deserves more eyes on his content, so if you want to explore some bizarre stories and get sucked into the rabbit hole, definitely be sure to check out Oki’s videos.

🤔 What Are Your Thoughts?

Last issue I asked if you had any goals in the new year, Alex the Grape 🍇dropped some goals that got me fired up to start jamming on my own goals, so I had to share with you readers. 😎 

Now THAT’S a goal!! Alex is one of the hardest-working creators that I know, so I know that he’s going to crush this one. Be sure to keep an eye out for Alex on your recommended page! 👀 

So readers and fellow creators, what are your goals? I want to get to know all of you more, so let me know what you’re looking to accomplish this year!

You looking to wake up a bit earlier? Maybe you want to run a marathon or hit your first 1,000 subscribers. Whatever that goal is, let me know by replying to this email!

🚀 Up Your Career as a Creator

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post. See you next week ✌️