K-FESTA to Debut in Palm Springs as First U.S. K-Beauty Festival Built Around Creator Partnerships
K‑FESTA, the first U.S. Korean‑beauty festival, launches April 11‑12, 2026 in Palm Springs, timed with Coachella. The two‑day event places global beauty creators at its core, letting them lead live demos, brand activations, and content‑driven storytelling. Twelve Korean brands across skincare, cosmetics, haircare and food will showcase alongside live abstract painting and traditional Samulnori performances. Powered by ADGC Inc., the festival offers a creator‑inquiry portal to streamline brand‑creator partnerships.
How 8 Episodes a Year Built One of Podcasting’s Most Expensive Advertising Inventories
Acquired, the business‑history podcast hosted by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, limits itself to eight deep‑dive episodes a year, a scarcity strategy that has enabled it to command presenting sponsorships up to $6.5 million through Fall 2029. Each episode attracts over one...
YouTuber Jesser Launches Parent Company, Preps Business Expansion
Jesse “Jesser” Riedel has created JesserCo, a parent company that will house his existing ventures, including Jesser Media and the basketball‑lifestyle apparel brand Bucketsquad. The 27‑year‑old will stay founder while Zach Miller, former Bucketsquad president, becomes JesserCo’s president. Jesser Media...
RHEI Overhauls Made Platform With Proactive AI Agents to Eliminate Creator Blank-Page Problem
RHEI has rolled out a major overhaul of its Made platform, shifting from a prompt‑driven tool to a proactive AI assistant that surfaces personalized content ideas as soon as creators log in. The update introduces five dedicated AI agents—Milo, Zara,...
TikTok Star Khaby Lame's $975 Million Deal Is Raising Serious Red Flags
TikTok sensation Khaby Lame was linked to a $975 million all‑stock transaction with Rich Sparkle Holdings for his commercial‑rights firm Step Distinctive. The deal issued 75 million new shares, briefly inflating Lame’s stake to a paper‑billionaire valuation as Rich Sparkle’s stock surged....
AI Podcasters Really Want to Tell You How to Keep a Man Happy
AI‑generated dating podcasters are flooding social platforms with scripted, toxic relationship advice, amassing millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers. Influencers like Sylvia Brown, Wisdom Uncle, and Nia Luxe exist only as synthetic avatars, yet they monetize through paid courses...
“I’d Love It to Become a Musicians’ Platform – Curated, High-Quality, and Fair”: Why Steven Wilson Launched Headphone Dust
Steven Wilson launched Headphone Dust, a high‑resolution digital platform that sells "virtual Blu‑ray" albums as a single downloadable bundle rather than streaming. The service delivers Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround, hi‑res stereo, binaural mixes, visuals and PDFs in an MKV file,...
8 Ways To Make Talent Endorsements Work
Radio and podcast hosts can wield endorsements that rival personal recommendations, but only if they feel authentic. The article outlines eight practical rules—starting with only promoting products the host would use, and ending with aligning deals with long‑term brand values....
Audible Taps BookTok Star Luke Bateman To Engage Gen Z & Young Men
Audible has appointed Australian former NRL player and podcast host Luke Bateman as its new ambassador to drive audiobook adoption among Gen Z, especially young men. Bateman will front launches, events and social‑first content that showcase titles like Andy Weir’s *Project Hail Mary*. The initiative...
Kuaishou Amplifies Deaf Voices with “Streaming Out Loud” Campaign via TOPic & Loong China
Kuaishou teamed with TOPic & Loong China to launch the “Streaming Out Loud” campaign, using AI‑driven sign‑language recognition and a voice avatar to make deaf live‑commerce streams audible to hearing viewers. A pilot with deaf streamer @Jingjing attracted over 700,000 viewers and...
Quiet Achiever Acast Says ‘Authentic Integration Is on the Rise’
Acast, the Swedish‑founded podcast network, has secured the return of Abbie Chatfield’s “It’s A Lot” podcast and highlighted a surge in “authentic integration” where ads extend beyond audio to social and video platforms. The company leverages its global footprint in...
You Can Now Clone Yourself on YouTube With an AI Avatar Tool
YouTube has introduced an AI avatar‑clone tool that lets creators generate Shorts using a digital twin of their own likeness and voice, removing the need to appear on camera. The avatar reproduces the creator’s appearance and speech, and every video...
Instagram Adds Comment Editing
Instagram announced a new comment‑editing feature that lets users revise their replies within a 15‑minute window. The edit option appears beneath each comment and can be used unlimited times during that period, with an "edited" label shown but no version...
Issa Rae’s Production Company Jumps Into Micro-Dramas. Here’s What to Expect From the Hoorae-TikTok Deal
Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media has teamed with TikTok to launch the micro‑drama series *Screen Time* on the platform’s PineDrama app, marking Rae’s return to short‑form digital storytelling. The partnership includes a slate of additional vertical dramas, positioning TikTok as a...
RAIN Notes: April 9
AdsWizz is hosting a webinar on April 23 titled “Scaling Podcast Advertising: Unlocking Growth with Context and Confidence,” aimed at helping advertisers break through scale ceilings caused by over‑filtering and brand‑safety constraints. The session will cover where scale is lost, episode‑level...
DigitalGlue Challenges AI Fatigue at NAB Show 2026 with Creative.Space Platform
DigitalGlue unveiled its creative.space platform at NAB Show 2026, debuting the AI‑driven creative.space Intelligence (CSI) in beta while making the creative.space Storage solution generally available. The unified operating system merges storage, collaboration and AI insight to replace fragmented video‑production tool...
Patreon Podcast Revenue Up, New Spotify Video Controls, & More
Patreon reported a 33% year‑over‑year revenue increase to $629 million, driven by 7.6 million paid podcast memberships across 47,000 creators. American Public Media and Streamguys launched the Inform Media Network, a private marketplace delivering 55 million+ monthly impressions for public‑media podcasts and livestreams....
Before Imagine Dragons, Brothers Dan and Mac Reynolds Always Wanted to Make Videogames—Now Their First, Last Flag, Is About to...
Brothers Dan and Mac Reynolds, known for fronting Imagine Dragons, are debuting their first video game, *Last Flag*, a capture‑the‑flag hero shooter. The title, developed under Night Street Games, introduces a unique flag‑hiding mechanic that adds strategic depth to classic CTF gameplay....
Replit Taps RevenueCat to Help Vibe-Coders Make Money
Replit has integrated RevenueCat’s subscription infrastructure directly into its AI‑driven coding platform, allowing users to add monetization features with simple natural‑language prompts. The partnership brings RevenueCat’s billing, pricing analytics, and compliance tools—used by over 80,000 apps handling roughly $1 billion in...
Frank Oz Returns to Puppetry with Judge Boing Boing Shorts
Frank Oz, the legendary puppeteer behind Bert, Grover and Fozzie Bear, has returned to hands‑on puppetry after more than a decade by co‑creating the YouTube short series "Judge Boing Boing." The parody courtroom sketches feature a clueless puppet judge and...
Black Tabby Games Slinks Into Game Publishing with 1000xResist Creator's Next Game
Black Tabby Games announced the launch of its publishing label, Black Tabby Publishing, with Sunset Visitor’s FMV title Prove You’re Human as its first fully funded project. The publisher will provide development capital, release‑management, and a straightforward 70/30 revenue‑share deal...
YouTube Says It Does Not Have 90-Second Unskippable Ads Despite User Reports
YouTube users streaming to televisions reported seeing 90‑second unskippable ad breaks, a possible extension of the platform’s 30‑second non‑skippable ads introduced last year. In response, Team YouTube confirmed that the service does not currently offer a 90‑second non‑skippable format and...
EIZO Introduces ColorEdge CS3200X 31.5-inch 4K Creator Monitor
Japanese display maker EIZO launched the ColorEdge CS3200X, a 31.5‑inch 4K UHD monitor targeting professional photographers, video editors, and digital creators. The panel offers 99% Adobe RGB and 96% DCI‑P3 coverage, HDR support through HLG and PQ, and a 10‑bit/16‑bit...
Top Influencers’ Secret Weapon for Engagement Might Be Replaced by AI
Influencer marketing has leaned heavily on freelance video clippers who turn long‑form content into bite‑sized TikTok, Reels and Shorts clips. Last year, AI‑powered services such as Overlap and OpusClip began offering end‑to‑end clipping, editing and posting without human involvement. Major...
All Things Creator Marketing with Tiffany Rivers
Tiffany Rivers, VP of emerging media and influencer marketing at Media Cause, will speak at Marketing Brew’s "The Next Phase of Social and Creator Marketing" on May 12. She advises nonprofit clients such as the University of Florida, Parkinson’s Foundation,...
TuneCore Partners with RoyFi to Offer Royalty Advances to Indie Artists
TuneCore, the Believe‑owned digital distributor, has launched TuneCore Direct Advance in partnership with fintech firm RoyFi, allowing independent artists to obtain cash advances against future streaming royalties. The program offers a flat‑fee financing model with repayment drawn automatically from royalty...
SAMY & L’Oréal Launched TikTok Shop in Spain Together: Here’s What the First Year Taught Them
When TikTok Shop launched in Spain in late 2024, L’Oréal partnered with influencer agency SAMY to test social commerce. Over the first year, SAMY produced 18 live shopping events—42 hours of content—expanding from L’Oréal Paris to Maybelline, NYX and Garnier....
OWM Founder Jeff Frommer on Why Creators Are Leaving Money on the Table
Jeff Frommer, founder of creator‑ownership platform OWM, argues that creators are missing out on equity in deals that generate billions of brand value. He identifies three structural blockers—lack of standard contracts, limited equity education, and misaligned manager incentives—and shows how...
YouTube Launches Unskippable 90-Second Ads
Google’s YouTube is rolling out mandatory 90‑second ads for viewers using the platform on smart TVs, replacing the traditional skippable format. The move follows a March announcement about unskippable 30‑second spots and aligns with YouTube’s goal to treat TV viewers...
YouTube Report Details Animation Industry Indie Wave, Reveals Viewership Trends (Exclusive)
YouTube’s Culture & Trends team released the "Animation’s New Wave" report, showing a surge in independent digital animation as traditional studio output declines. The study, based on creator interviews, viewership data for 16‑49‑year‑olds, and a U.S. survey, finds that half...
True-Crime Podcasts ‘Disgraceland’ and ‘Hollywoodland’ Join iHeartMedia Network Alongside ‘My Favorite Murder’
True‑crime host Jake Brennan’s podcasts “Disgraceland” and its spin‑off “Hollywoodland” are moving to Exactly Right Media, the network behind “My Favorite Murder,” which is partnered exclusively with iHeartMedia for sales, marketing and distribution. The shows, previously hosted on Audacy, will...
PayPal Links on Canva and Other Digital Transactions News Briefs From 4/9/26
PayPal announced that its Payment Links are now available on Canva, allowing creators to accept payments through text, email or social media. At the same time, Adyen introduced Intelligent Money Movement to give global businesses real‑time cash positioning, while Paysafe...
7 Best AI Video Generators I’ve Tried (and Loved!) For 2026
After testing over 20 AI video generators, the author narrows the field to seven standouts—Synthesia, Canva, HeyGen, Creatify AI, VEED, AKOOL and AI Studios—each priced between $10 and $33 per month. The tools were evaluated on quality, speed, multilingual support and workflow...
PayPal Embeds Payment Links Into Canva Designs
PayPal has integrated its Payment Links service directly into Canva’s design platform, allowing creators to embed checkout buttons or QR codes within digital and printed assets. The feature lets users generate PayPal‑hosted payment pages, customize product details, and accept funds...
Podcasting Has Earned Its Seat. Who’s Ready to Be at the Table?
Sounds Profitable highlighted podcasting’s move from niche gatherings to mainstream marketing forums, citing a 55% monthly U.S. listenership. At Advertising Week Europe, 450 attendees—including brand strategists and media buyers—joined panels, signaling broader industry interest. The firm plans to extend this...
GeeLark
GeeLark launches a cloud‑based social media marketing platform that blends mobile‑first cloud phones, antidetect browser profiles, automation, and AI tools for high‑volume, multi‑account growth. Its modular pricing starts with a free tier, then $9.75 Base and $14.25 Pro plans, while...
YouTubers Sue Amazon for Allegedly Scraping Their Videos to Train Nova Reel
Three prominent YouTube creators—H3H3 Productions, MrShortGame Golf, and Golfholics—have filed a proposed class‑action in Seattle accusing Amazon of illegally scraping their videos to train its Nova Reel generative‑video AI. The complaint alleges Amazon used virtual machines, automated scripts, and rotating...
I Quadrupled My Revenue With a Newsletter in 6 Months. Here’s How Startup Founders Can Do the Same
Newsletter platforms are experiencing explosive growth, with Beehiiv reporting $19 million in paid subscriptions for 2025—a 138% jump from 2024. A founder who focused on email newsletters doubled his revenue every quarter, ultimately quadrupling earnings in six months. The piece outlines...
TikTok vs Instagram vs YouTube: Which Platform Converts Fastest?
The article compares time‑to‑conversion across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, showing that TikTok fuels impulse buys in minutes, Instagram spreads purchases over several days, and YouTube’s trusted long‑form content can shave up to six days off a buyer’s journey. It highlights...
Meta Rolls Out AI-Led Shopping Tools Across Reels and Creator Ecosystem
Meta unveiled a suite of AI‑driven shopping tools that embed product tagging directly into Reels and expand creator‑brand collaborations. The updates add generative AI voiceovers, automatic translation, and product‑set optimisation to streamline multilingual video ad creation. Reels Trending Ads now...
Daily Newsletter Is Telegraph’s ‘Biggest Source of Subscribers’ One Year After Launch
One year after its April 2025 launch, the Telegraph’s flagship daily newsletter “From the Editor” has become the publication’s largest source of new paying subscribers. The email reaches over 850,000 readers each morning and boasts a total audience of more...
Forecast: Content Creators to Move Beyond the Smartphone
Futuresource Consulting estimates 246 million online video creators in 2025, rising to 267 million by 2030. While smartphones remain the dominant capture device, a growing 4% CAGR cohort is upgrading to dedicated cameras and accessories. Aspirational and professional creators—about 35% today and...
Streamer Culture Isn’t Dying, It’s Burning Through Itself
Streamer culture remains financially robust, with viewership surging 69% in 2020 and top creators still commanding massive live audiences. The medium has expanded beyond gaming into comedy, politics, music and hip‑hop, making streamers de‑facto celebrities and real‑time tastemakers. However, relentless...
Great American Media Partners with Minivela to Develop and Distribute Micro-Drama Slate
Great American Media’s Pure Flix division has partnered with Minivela to create Pure Flix Familia, a Spanish‑language and bilingual micro‑drama streaming destination launching later 2026. The deal leverages Minivela’s mobile‑first, vertical‑short production model and its deep ties to U.S. Hispanic and Latin American...
YouTube Shorts Will Use AI to Make Avatars that Look and Sound Like You
YouTube has launched an AI avatar feature for Shorts, letting creators generate photorealistic, voice‑enabled digital doubles from a brief selfie recording. The tool, built on Google’s Veo and Gemini models, creates up to eight‑second clips that can be stitched together,...
YouTube Tests 90-Second Unskippable Ads on CTV
YouTube is piloting 90‑second unskippable ads for content streamed on connected‑TV (CTV) devices. The test follows earlier experiments with hour‑long ad blocks that only appear when ad‑blockers are detected. YouTube’s CTV audience now exceeds a billion hours per day, putting...
Gaming and Nerd Culture Are Having a Crowdfunding Moment
In 2026, indie game developers and nerd‑culture creators are turning to crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and BackerKit at unprecedented levels. Projects such as Sacred: Last Pixel of Ancaria, Axis Saga, Neon Odyssey, and a revival of Felicia Day’s web series...
TikTok Launches Updated Integration for Wix Users
TikTok has released an updated integration for Wix, now available through the Wix App Market, that lets merchants connect their sites directly to TikTok for Business. The upgrade simplifies adding the TikTok Pixel and Events API, enabling real‑time visitor data...
Stride Rite Launches New Children’s Shoe Collection With YouTube Personality Ms. Rachel
Stride Rite has partnered with YouTube educator Ms. Rachel to launch a new children’s shoe line that embeds learning cues such as right‑left insoles and color‑shape prompts. The collection, available now on StrideRite.com, Kohl’s, Amazon, Zappos and in 500 DSW stores,...
Whitney Leavitt Says This Utah Company Is the New Stanley Cup
HydroJug, a Utah‑based water‑bottle maker, is being hailed as the new Stanley cup after a design tweak—flexible, lock‑able straws—won over celebrity Whitney Leavitt and Gen Z consumers. The brand surged 9,032% since its 2017 launch, hitting over $10 million in revenue within...