Yo yo yooo! How’s everyone feeling on this fine week?!

I know I owe you lovely readers some deliverables that I teased in last week’s newsletter, and I apologize for not getting you that promised update sooner! 🫢 

The deeper I get into my creator career and building CreatorPad, the more I realize the similarities between creating content and building a company.

Much of the work is solo, you’re often building or creating with no idea if the thing you’re making will be enjoyed by others, and most of all, you only want to put out work that is up to your standards, and sometimes that means delays.

While it’s frustrating not hitting deadlines, putting out work that’s not up to par with personal standards would almost hurt more than putting out something you’re not proud of. That’s something I’m sure fellow creators can feel, too!

So, ladies and gents, old readers and new (wassup new folks thanks for being here!!); I promise that we do have some killer stuff in the works with CreatorPad, but things need to be up to our standards. 💪 

I hope I’m not “boy who cried wolf"-ing you guys, but I promise, updates to come VERY soon. Just hold tight, and enjoy the latest stories of creators and happenings that are commanding, shifting, and creating killer content in the creator space.

MrBeast’s $100M Show 🤑 

Apparently, MrBeast is nearing a $100 million deal for a TV show with Amazon Studios to create challenge videos that are reminiscent of his YouTube videos. Let’s dive into the details and see how Jimmy-boy is commanding the space (as always).

• Let’s kick things off by stating the biggest piece. This is all hearsay for now. So take the below with a grain of salt.

• From all of my research, it seems as though a reporter from Puck says MrBeast’s team started pitching the show last week, and the deal allegedly closed earlier this week, with Amazon being the winner.

• The deal itself is in the range of a $100M acquisition, and will likely allow for the production of the series and the prize money for winners.

• It’s said in this article that the show will also premiere on MrBeast’s YouTube channel. Honestly, great move with a CTA to finish the episode on Amazon Prime, I know I’ll swap apps for that!

The specifics on the title, release date, and beyond are still up in the air, but I’ll keep you readers posted as I hear more! Are you going to watch this series as it comes out? No matter your thoughts on MrBeast, the content is entertaining and ripe for a streaming service like Amazon, but can he pull the viewers over?

Let me know your thoughts by replying to this email!

TikTok Doesn’t Want Short Form 🚫 

Jack of all trades, master of none? TikTok has been exploring photos, wants you to post stories, and don’t forget to live stream, sell goods, discover music, use it as a search engine…. ok ok, I’m done. But you get the point.

• TikTok has been pushing more creators to post long-form uploads of up to 30 minutes. 

• As the app that was primarily dedicated to short form content, I can’t help but see the media giant slowly sliding down the same path as its predecessor, Vine.

• This push to longer content may change the ecosystem of TikTok and may see more consumers porting over to YouTube Shorts as the platform inevitably prioritizes long form in the algorithm.

• This may also be a great opportunity for long-form creators as they get pushed in the algorithm, but viewership may be lower from those making an exodus to other short-form prioritized platforms.

• Rather than take over every possible outlet, I believe that TikTok should prioritize the things that are working for them.

• I’ve already heard from creator friends and consumers alike that their TikTok usage has been significantly cut due to the amount of TikTok live shopping and other ads being pushed in the algorithm.

• This begs the thought; will even more users leave due to algorithms prioritizing TikTok’s personal brand growth rather than prioritizing the videos that people actually want to see?

• Vine went against what their creators wanted to see, and now they’re gone (but they do live rent-free in my brain, forever).

Do you believe that TikTok is cannibalizing itself by creating and prioritizing so many different content efforts? Or is this shift creating an opportunity for long-form creators to begin porting over from YouTube?

Cinematography in Music 🎥 

Meet Ike Anyanwu AKA IkeyTV!

Ike is an incredible videographer who has produced literally hundreds of gorgeous music videos for dozens upon dozens of artists.

But that’s not all. Ike drops camera reviews, showreels, and if you go far back enough, you’ll see that Ike has been creating since YouTube was in its infancy.

Starting his YouTube career over 13 years ago, Ike started by posting comedy skits, demo reels, vlogs, video game gameplay, and beyond. It’s so incredible to see how such a talented cinematographer and video director/producer got their start, and it’s very rare to have all of this showcased on one tidy YouTube profile.

While Ike has tried on many different hats in terms of his content, his love for music, videography, and camera gear has stayed prominent throughout his decade-plus YouTube career.

Ike’s videos about filming gear are informative and super well-covered, his camera work is top-tier & will leave you re-watching shots, and his care for craft in shooting music videos shows his passion for churning out captivating visuals.

Ike is clearly going to be in this game for the long run, so you should go check out his work and give him a sub to support. Keep up the killer work, Ike, I know I’ll be finding some fresh music drops because of your beautiful cinematography! 💪 

[Check out Ike’s work]

🗞️ In Other News

Like I said in issues past, I miss giving y’all the little updates that don’t make it into full stories, so I’m starting up this section so you can get your quick news fix!

• Sundance and creators go hand in hand this year as TikTok sends 12 ambassadors to the film festival to capture content and hopefully boost box office sales.

• Creator golf group, Good Good (holy alliteration), is taking things to the greens for a golf open with a ton of creators. Oh yeah, it’s also going to be broadcast on Peacock. A huge dub for both groups!

• Relating to the TikTok article above, usage of the app is down, and that may be due in part to the prioritization of content that users don’t want to see.

• MrBeast breaks the internet wherever he goes, or should I say wherever he uploads. Jimmy-boy just went viral on the Chinese social app, Bilibili, having the number one ranked video in less than 24 hours. That sounds about right.

🤔 What Are Your Thoughts?

Now that we’re basically done with January (send help, I’m pretty sure it was October like last week), have you fallen into any new habits in your content creation?

I’m looking to start recording myself talking all about these newsletter updates, but ya boi struggles with reading directly to camera. Got any tips for me?

Drop them in reply to this email and help me and your fellow creators out!

I’m pumped to hear your tips 😎 

🚀 Up Your Career as a Creator

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