Hellooooo beautiful people ❤️ 

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you didn’t get your s/o a gift yet, consider sending them this issue of the newsletter. They’ll probably be confused, but at least you got them something. Knowledge is power or something like that, right?!

It wouldn’t be an issue of Cmd+Shift+Create if I didn’t ask how you fine folks are feelin’ this week, so… how we feelin’?!

This week, I’m feeling like I need to start doing video content. Would you readers be interested in a YouTube show that covers these creator topics in the same lighthearted & relatable language? With my biggest goals being informing and entertaining with my content, it seems like it’s a natural progression and a way for me to take even deeper dives into my thoughts. Who knows, maybe you readers will get a sneak peek on the first ep!! 👀 

But before I do that, I gotta gauge interest. If you’d be interested in a Cmd+Shift+Create YouTube show, drop me a note and let me know!!

But in the meantime, we have some creator news to jump into!

-Luke

Kai Cenat Just Does It 🤯 

Kai Cenat just signed an insane deal with Nike, and it’s not for his dirt biking skills.

Kai Cenat is huge, and being one of the top streamers in the world can lead to some incredible opportunities. From Hanging with Ninki Minjaj (you read that right) to not getting robbed by 21 Savage (lol), streaming and developing massive communities can open many doors, and in Kai’s case, this most recent door led to him getting signed by Nike.

• While details of this deal have yet to break, seeing a massive legacy brand such as Nike beginning to sign streamers, you creators should get hyped up!!

• As creators like Kai become household names, they only further legitimize being a creator in the eyes of these big-name brands (and your parents, hey mom!).

• That said, deals such as this open up an entirely new lane for creators with other brands, both big and small.

• If Nike brings on Kai, who is Adidas and others like them going to go after? I think we will see this trend continue to work its way down the line until most brands have a creator whose name and brand are synonymous with theirs.

With a deal like this coming to fruition, I can only hope that Carhartt WIP or OnlyNY wants to sponsor me. Don’t fight over me though, guys. Like I always say, I’m here for collabs. 😘 

😲 Uh Oh! Mid-Newsletter Break!

We’re hosting a webinar tomorrow with the one and only, Taz Zammit!!

Want to learn all about how to win brand deals from the brand deal pro herself?! Join us tomorrow, February 15, at 3:00 PM PT//6:00 PM ET to learn from Taz’s insanely deep insight as a full time creator, and find out how you can turn your passion for content creation into your full time job!💪 

You can RSVP here!!

YouTube’s CEO Showcases Shifts 🔀 

The times they are a-changin’.

And with those shifts come predictions, and there’s no shortage of ‘em. While predictions are always interesting to hear, you might want to take them with a grain of salt, unless they’re coming from someone like the CEO of YouTube, Neal Mohan.

In a blog post penned by Mohan, he talks about his four big bets for this year, and he shares some insights for changes that YouTube and the creator space may see. Let’s break ‘em down:

• 🤖 Number 1 Is no surprise: AI will continue to become a major tool in the creator resource tool belt. From monetization to creator rights and beyond, Mohan leads this post by talking about AI will power creativity.

  • YouTube has been and will continue to, roll out more AI tools like Dream Screen, and Music AI Incubator, and Dream Track (news to me) all to assist creators.

  • It’s YouTube’s thought that their Shorts feature enables anyone to create content just with simple phone access. And ensuring AI integrates into these features can allow even more creators to access the algorithm-bending AI features.

  • Don’t worry, Grandpa, YouTube says it’s placing a heavy focus on developing responsible AI while ensuring access for all. But then again, that could mean they’re building some Ex-Machina MrBeast type creator that will destroy us all. I joke, I joke.

• ✌️ YouTube thinks its creators are basically building their own entertainment studios and conglomerates.

  • Creators are taking over the entertainment game with high-level storytelling and production, covering more niches and drawing in more eyes than ever before.

  • Creators are making money in new and interesting ways like fan funding, and memberships. YouTube mentions that it will continue to invest in ways creators are earning money (they also mention “while helping viewers shop for products” here, and all I can hope is they don’t go down the TikTok shop wormhole.

  • There’s more advocacy than ever before for recognizing creators' economic and entertainment value. AKA, now that creators are becoming celebrities, they’re finally being leveraged in politics. That’s capitalism, baby.

• 3️⃣ If you’re not already watching YouTube on your TV, Neal is coming to glue you to those couches.

  • With YT viewers now watching more than 1 billion hours on average of YouTube content on their TVs EVERY DAY (bro what?! These hours are prob like 5% just me), lines between traditional media and creator content continue to blur.

  • YouTube wants to bring everything in one place, especially with the additions of services like NFL Sunday Ticket, live TV, movies, and more.

  • This is a quick one, but people apparently watch shorts on their TV….?

  • Basically, if you optimize for TV viewing, you might reap the rewards!

• 🍀 Papa Neal decided to wrap this one up on a more wholesome note, by sticking up for us creators. 😤 

  • Well, kinda anyways. I just really wanted to make that meme. Neal’s final point talks about how protecting the creator economy is foundational because it is a foundation for everything we do.

  • Protecting the community builds trust between the audience and creators, and in turn, benefits creators and advertisers.

  • YouTube wants to ensure a healthy online experience for kids with responsible youth content. First step, tracking down a certain ukulele player.

  • I’d be remiss if I didn’t cover this one, Neal talks about connecting people with high-quality information during election periods.

  • This one could have been lumped in with AI, but since Taylor Swift went all Liam Neeson on those deepfakers, YouTube will be investing in new tools and policies to address challenges like deepfakes and other AI issues.

So that’s the YouTube tea, peeps. I like that a rounded-out, high-level thought process on the next year to come was pushed out by the CEO, it only continues to concrete YouTube as the most trusted platform in the game (in my eyes, anyways). Is there anything that you wished Mohan covered in his breakdown? You already know I want to hear more about collabs, but everything in due time. 😌 

Creating for the Sake of the Craft

Meet Evan Monsma!

Evan is a maker, cinematographer, teacher, and so much more. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Evan goes above and beyond to stretch his creative muscles. From modding his cameras to his car, Evan seems to be constantly building, tinkering, and teaching us through his content creation along the way.

As a new viewer of Evan, I was immediately drawn to the calm and collected tone of voice that Evan uses. His narrations married with gorgeous cinematographic shots and professional color grading, Evan showcases his skills while essentially teaching us how to create, and the life lessons we can learn from those creations.

Now, I have to say that Evan isn’t some sort of guru who is going to tell you why you should be taking ice baths when you wake up at 3:30 in the morning. Evan has the energy and insights of an old soul. As he takes you through his processes and fills you in on his thoughts, as a viewer, you come away with intrinsic thoughts on how to go about things in your everyday life (or at least I did).

Evan’s content is complex in practice yet simple in consumption. His nonchalant but enigmatic energy draws you in, and makes you want to start tinkering with your own toys, or just simply get out and start creating.

I find it super interesting that after diving into a handful of his videos, I’m itching to start playing with some of my old camera equipment (I miss you, Flip Camera. I will have you again one day 💔).

If you’re looking to gain inspiration, slow things down in your daily life, or want the kick to get out and create, look no further than Evan’s channel. Keep up the incredible work, Evan; I can’t wait to see what you push out next!

Massive shout out to Mia Zimonjic for the incredible recommendation! If you readers ever have a creator you’d like to see spotlighted (even yourself), drop me a message, and let’s chat! I love showcasing incredible creators to the whole community, so let’s get to know each other a bit more! 😄

🗞️ In Other News

• Ryan Trahan is dropping a candy and holy F the amount of creators in this trailer is insane. We ❤️ collabs, especially between a ton of big creators!

  • Collabs are a fun way to make content with fellow creators, and they can also lead to some insane growth. If you want to meet creators to collab with, check out the all-new CreatorPad. 👀 

• Spotify 🤝 Riverside. Oh, man. Even creator brands are collabing. WE STILL LOVE TO SEE IT!!! Spotify is adding some podcasting tools from Riverside, allowing Spotify podcasters to record and edit inside the Spotify for Podcasters web app. Riverside is a beast, I used it when I was running a pod production company, and I still use the app for virtual recording sessions. If you’ve used this feature already, reply to this email, and let’s chat. I’d love to hear your thoughts to share with the rest of the Cmd+Shift+Create community!!

• The NBA-All-Star Celebrity Game is back, and it’s chock full of creators. 😎 

• While Spotify rolls out some new tools for podcasters, YouTube is looking to pull those same creators over to their platform. YouTube just announced that you can now upload your pod’s RSS feed to YouTube and YouTube Music. For you non-pod folks, this basically means that you can now easily upload all of your previous pod content to YouTube. Big move by YT, and I’m sure it’ll pull a ton of podcasters over. Double dip that content, baby!!

🤔 What Are Your Thoughts?

I wanted to take a moment to shoutout one of my incredible readers (and industry vet), Avi Gandhi! Avi replied to last week’s issue and shared his insight on the trend of non-exclusivity and some of the potential reasoning behind these creators parting ways with exclusive partners and platforms.

I found Avi’s take to be extremely helpful in how I was thinking about this topic. Where I was fully focused on creators jumping over to YouTube because that’s where the real money can be made (and true community can be formed), Avi pointed out some of the more intrinsic business-oriented details that definitely came into play as well.

Thank you again for your killer thoughts, Avi, I appreciate it!!

And to all of you fine readers who want to chime in and have a convo on any of these topics, you can always reply to these issues and let me know your thoughts!

Writing these newsletters sometimes feels like sending my thoughts into the void, but hearing feedback and thoughts from other creators and creative professionals gets me fired up and lets me know that you readers are enjoying my thoughts. I look forward to hearing from more of you readers in future issues! 🤝 

🚀 Up Your Career as a Creator

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