Did any of you readers go to SXSW? I'll make it next year, I promise! ❤️I'm actually making it a goal of mine over the next year to attend at least one creator-based event. Does anyone have any suggestions? Shoot me a message on LinkedIn (linked on my name below) if you're going to a creator event and want to meet up! 

Now, on to the biggest news from this week in the creator world. 👇

-Luke

Meta Rolling Back Creator Funding 😓

It's been a rocky road to say the least, but Meta finally announced that they will be canning their Reels Play Bonus for Instagram creators. 

Initially starting this program during their $1B injection to support creators, Meta decided to roll back this program that allowed creators to earn monthly bonuses if they hit a certain view count on their Reel.

Now as I said, this has been a rocky road from the start. With constantly changing rules, inconsistent payouts, creator complaints and more, this program has come to its fiery end. 

With no insight into how much they've paid creators through this program, no information on how this change may evolve into something new, and no money going to creators after this month, Meta just showed their true care for creators.  

Instagram & Facebook creators, did you ever get a piece of this Play Bonus pie? Reply to this email and let us know your experience with this program and your thoughts on it ending! 

[Read More]

Is AI Causing Creator Mediocrity? 🥱

In this Episode of the CreatorPad Podcast, Alex discusses the rise of AI systems such as ChatGPT beginning to suggest content. 

With the explosion in popularity from using AI systems for everything from work to play, creating content with these systems is definitely happening today. So, why is this an issue? 

Well, I'm a firm believer in "if you're good at what you do, AI systems can assist you, but if you're not good at what you do, these systems will make you worse." 

Basically, if you're a creator who is snagging ideas from ChatGPT without adding your own flavor, you're essentially going to be ripping another creator's idea because of how the data is scraped and presented, and you will most likely not execute it to the level that they did. You can certainly evolve ideas, but if you blatantly pull from the AI response, that will be evident and likely won't perform as well. 

Check out the full video below (6 mins) and let us know your thoughts either in the comments, or by replying to this email! We look forward to hearing from you (or AI)! 🤖

[Watch video]

Creator Economy News 🚨

This week in the creator world, creators becoming executives, the world of content creation is opening up opportunities for disabled individuals, Reddit changes up its UI & UX, and more. 

• More creators are joining the world of E-Sports as execs. Karl Jacobs (yep, the same Karl from MrBeast) is joining competitive gaming franchise, Misfits as the owner and creative director. I think I'm still team Moist E-Sports.

• The Rolling Stone releases an article showcasing how the world of content creation is allowing for more opportunities for disabled individuals.

• Reddit makes a big shift in changing its user experience in setting two feeds for "reading" or "watching." Please let me read and watch, I like the dynamics! 😓

• TikTok wants you to learn STEM disciplines, and I can't shake the feeling that these positive updates are an attempt to not get banned in the US.

You should see these 👀

• CitiBank claims that the creator economy will be worth up to $75B in 2024.

• It's not the 'creator' economy, it's the 'curation' economy. Very interesting read!

• In just three years, Kajabi has paid out more than $5B to creators. 🤯

Creator Spotlight 🔦

Meet Estrella!

I stumbled on Estrella's content from this LinkedIn post which is acting as a live application for Creator Camp. Not only did I think this idea was a genius way to get Creator Camp's founders' attention, but the production value of this video really stood out to me.

If you watch Ryan Ng's content, and then watch Estrella's application video, you can see the similarities between the two. This aspect of the video is what really made me dive into Estrella's content, and I wasn't disappointed!

In their videos, Estrella mainly focuses on vlogs and happenings in their life. Whether it's stories of an average day, events they're frequenting, how to deal with certain trying moments in life, and so much more, Estrella's content embodies their life as a journal of sorts. 

With beautiful shots of the events they're attending strung together with great music to carry the story, Estrella forms a narrative that makes you feel as though you're on this adventure with them. 

As their application is Estrella's most recent piece of published work, I'm super excited to see them continue to evolve and grow as a creator. And I'm sure a stint with the Creator Camp crew will only add insane value to their videos! 

Keep killing it, Estrella. Can't wait to see the big things you do!! 😄

Want to go even further? 🚀

If you’d like to keep learning about topics like the ones shared above, stick around! But more importantly, check out the links below to further your development as a creator. 😎

1. Join our free creator community

2. Find a personal mentor to learn from

3. RSVP for our weekly webinar