Donut Media Expands Beyond YouTube With Exclusive Tubi Deal for ‘HiLow’ Series
Donut Media is moving its flagship YouTube series “HiLow” to Fox’s free, ad‑supported streaming service Tubi, debuting a new six‑episode season titled “HiLow: $5K Civic vs. $50K Civic” on May 26. The exclusive run will reach Tubi’s reported 100 million+ active users at no cost to viewers. The series, which has amassed more than 200 million YouTube views and helped the channel surpass 3 billion total views in 2026, is part of Donut’s broader push into live events, podcasts and merchandise. Tubi is using the partnership to deepen its creator‑content catalog, which now exceeds 10,000 titles from over 100 creators.
Creator Economy Event Calendar – May 25, 2026 – VidCon, Cannes, Craft + Commerce, and More
June 2026 is a marquee month for the creator economy, featuring a slate of high‑profile events across North America and Europe. Highlights include VidCon’s 15th‑anniversary in Anaheim with a new Brand Match Accelerator, the Vertical Media Summit in Hollywood showcasing...
Goalhanger Is Treating Digital Creators Like Tech Founders – Here’s Why
Goalhanger, the London‑based podcast and media group behind shows like "The Rest Is History," launched "The Accelerator" in March 2026, a three‑month incubator for digital creators across entertainment, sport, politics, science, technology and finance. The program provides up to £10,000...
Disney+ Closes Gap With Netflix and Prime Video as Creator Push Accelerates
Disney+ posted a 16% U.S. streaming market share in Q1 2026, gaining two points quarter‑over‑quarter and four points year‑over‑year, narrowing the gap with Netflix and Prime Video. Netflix slipped to 19% share, down one point, while Prime Video fell to 17%...
Alex, Leila Hormozi Sign With CAA to Expand Speaking, Podcasting, and Brand Partnerships
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has signed Alex and Leila Hormozi, co‑founders of Acquisition.com, along with CEO Sharran Srivatsaa and CMO Gabriel Blanco. The agency will manage speaking engagements, podcasts, brand partnerships and live tours for the duo and their executive...
After Vimeo Price Hikes, Livid Courts Creators and Small Businesses Weighing Alternatives
Vimeo’s 2025 acquisition by Bending Spoons led to price hikes of up to 2,400%, prompting many creators and small businesses to seek alternatives. Livid, an ad‑free video‑hosting startup launched in January 2026, raised $10 million from StreamYard co‑founders to capture those...
How Phaith Montoya Turned Rock Bottom Into a Mental Health Movement
In 2020, Phaith Montoya, a recent psychology graduate, filmed herself shaving her head on TikTok amid personal turmoil, a raw video that quickly went viral. The series documenting her hair growth amassed 100 million views, propelling her to a 4 million‑strong audience...
Spotify Launches Creator Monetization Push With Fan Remix Tool, Podcast Memberships
Spotify announced two new creator‑monetization tools at its 2026 Investor Day. A licensed fan remix add‑on, backed by agreements with Universal Music Group and Universal Music Publishing, lets Premium users create and profit from covers and remixes. The company also...
Social Commerce Won’t Scale the Way Brands Expect – Deloitte’s Dennis Ortiz Says Start With Creators
Deloitte partner Dennis Ortiz warns that U.S. social commerce will not scale like China’s live‑shopping model because major platforms lack end‑to‑end fulfillment infrastructure. His 2026 Digital Media Trends survey shows 70% of Gen Z and millennials discover products on social but...
Billion Dollar Boy Unveils Creator-Led Social Hubs to Help Brands Manage Local Presence at Scale
Billion Dollar Boy has introduced Social Hubs, a creator‑led operating model that places regional production teams under a central technology platform called Companion. The model was piloted with Lipton across six European markets, delivering 924 million views and a 281% year‑over‑year...
How DICK’S Turned Its Varsity Team Creator Program Into a Brand Marketing Channel
DICK’S Sporting Goods transformed its internal employee‑driven content into the Varsity Team creator program, a structured influencer channel that now serves both the retailer and major brand partners. In its first year open to external creators the initiative delivered over...
Twitch Streamer QTCinderella Lands CAA Representation
Twitch streamer and YouTube creator QTCinderella has secured representation with Creative Artists Agency, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal follows her launch of the annual Streamer Awards, which in 2025 attracted over 1 million concurrent viewers on Twitch. QTCinderella’s audience...
Why TikTok Shop Is Exposing the Brand Fundamentals Amazon Could Hide
TikTok Shop has shifted from a niche experiment to a core sales channel, prompting brands to reconsider their marketplace mix. Unlike Amazon, which acts as a search engine for intent‑driven shoppers, TikTok generates demand by embedding products in an entertainment...
Creator Economy Job Radar – May 19, 2026 – TikTok, JPMorganChase, and Coty Expand Influencer Divisions, Boston Celtics Seeking Creator...
The latest Creator Economy Job Radar shows a wave of new hires across tech, finance, beauty and sports, with TikTok, JPMorgan Chase and Coty each expanding their influencer divisions. TikTok is offering a Creator Strategy and Partnership Manager role in Los Angeles...
Creators Are the New Creative Production House. Superfiliate’s CEO Explains What That Actually Means
Superfiliate CEO Andy Cloyd says brands are moving paid‑media budgets from traditional ad shoots to creator‑led content programs, treating creators as a distributed production house. He distinguishes campaigns from programs, emphasizing creator autonomy and the need for internal alignment across...
How Jenny Stojkovic Turned a Viral AI Moment Into a 10,000-Person Creator Campaign
Jenny Stojkovic, a venture capitalist and founder of The Women Creators, launched the free Women’s AI Challenge within a week of a viral Reese Witherspoon video highlighting women’s AI adoption gap. The week‑long program offers daily 10‑minute AI lessons across...
From MAC Counter to Times Square: Inside Marjan Tabibzada’s Creator Business Built on Trust
Afghan‑American beauty influencer Marjan Tabibzada, known as YoungCouture, turned a decade‑long MAC counter apprenticeship into a creator empire with over 7 million followers. Her recent Times Square billboard for Tutor highlighted how trust‑driven authenticity fuels high‑value brand partnerships with luxury names like...
Twitch Adds New Community-Driven Monetization Tools for Eligible Creators
Twitch unveiled three community‑driven monetization tools—Creator Badge Drops, Custom Power‑Ups, and expanded Hype Train formats—to let creators turn viewer participation into direct earnings. Badge Drops let streamers design event‑specific badges unlocked by subscriptions or watch time, delivering up to a...
Creator Marketing Platform Hummingbirds Goes National With New York City Launch
Hummingbirds, a Des Moines‑based creator marketing platform, has launched in New York City, completing a national rollout across 78 U.S. cities. The female‑founded company now serves over 50,000 nano and micro creators—primarily women and parents—and more than 280 consumer packaged...
Athlete Influencers Outperform Traditional Creators by More Than 2x, per Report
OpenSponsorship’s 2026 State of Athlete and Influencer Marketing report finds athlete creators generate more than twice the engagement of traditional influencers—10.97% versus 4.92%—and deliver a 7× return on ad spend, producing $5.78 in media value per dollar invested. Deal activity...
Steven Bartlett’s Flightcast Adds Apple Podcasts Video Support, HLS Publishing for All Customers
Flightcast, the podcast hosting platform co‑founded by Steven Bartlett, has rolled out full Apple Podcasts video support and HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) publishing for all customers at no extra cost. The update lets podcasters publish 4K video directly to Apple...
Coinbase’s NBA Playbook: No Script and a Creator Brief Built on ‘Show, Don’t Tell’
Coinbase leveraged its NBA partnership to launch a creator‑driven activation in February 2026, featuring five influencers at Warriors and Clippers games. The in‑house team designed a no‑script, "show, don’t tell" brief that gave creators courtside access, custom jerseys and retired‑player...
No Logo’s Lola Wants to Be the AI Talent Manager Independent Creators Can Afford
No Logo, an Edinburgh‑based creator agency, has launched Lola, an AI‑powered talent manager aimed at independent creators who earn below the $50,000‑$100,000 annual threshold required by traditional agencies. Lola automates deal sourcing, pitch drafting, brand matching, and rate guidance for...
Meet Brandon Pleshek, the Third-Generation Janitor Who Turned TikTok Into a Tentpole Business
Brandon Pleshek, a third‑generation janitor, turned his cleaning expertise into the multi‑platform creator brand Clean That Up. Leveraging TikTok’s algorithm, he built a following of over four million across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, plus a 17,000‑subscriber newsletter. His annual "Spring...
Spotify Expands Video Podcast Distribution as Apple Podcasts Integration Nears
Spotify has broadened its video podcast distribution by linking its Distribution API with five hosting platforms—Libsyn, Podigee, Audioboom, Audiomeans and Podspace—allowing creators to push video episodes directly to Spotify and earn revenue through the Partner Program. The company also announced...
VidCon Returns to Anaheim for 15th Annual Event With Twitch, Snap, Spotify Execs, Debut Brand Match Accelerator
VidCon will return to the Anaheim Convention Center on June 25‑27, 2026 for its 15th annual gathering, uniting creators, fans, brands, and industry leaders. The lineup features executives from Twitch, Snap, Spotify, Pinterest and Tubi, with Twitch CEO Dan Clancy...
Europe’s Creator Economy Reaches 8.6 Million Income-Generating Creators, Report Finds
The Creator’s Hub report shows Europe’s creator economy now includes 8.64 million income‑generating creators and was valued at €28 billion (≈$30.5 billion) in 2025. It projects the market will expand to €135 billion (≈$147 billion) by 2032, a 25.1% CAGR, outpacing the global creator economy’s...
H/L Agency Launches Phased Influencer Campaign for McDonald’s McCafé All-New Drinks
H/L Agency has launched a phased influencer campaign for McDonald’s McCafé All‑New Drinks, beginning in May with PR boxes sent to creators. A second wave in June will mobilize local influencers to produce user‑generated content, while a summer phase adds...
TikTok Mounts Last-Ditch Bid to Escape EU’s Big Tech Regulations
TikTok’s parent ByteDance has taken its challenge to the EU Court of Justice, seeking to overturn the platform’s designation as a “gatekeeper” under the EU Digital Markets Act. The hearing on May 12 marks the first time the top EU...
Earmax Media Brings Outcome-Based Podcast Advertising Model to UK Market
Australian‑founded Earmax Media has entered the UK podcast advertising market, where 39% of adults listen weekly. The agency’s outcome‑based model evaluates campaigns on business results rather than traditional reach or CPM metrics. Through its sister creative shop Eardrum, Earmax delivers...
AnyMind Group Launches Exclusive Influencer Community in Thailand
AnyMind Group has launched the “AnyMind Exclusive Influencer Community” in Thailand, shifting focus from one‑off campaigns to long‑term creator development. The inaugural Bangkok event, partnered with health provider Iwelty, featured a wellness‑focused “Inside‑Out Retreat.” The program delivers training, data insights,...
Beauty Creator Golloria George Signs With UTA for Global Representation
Beauty creator Golloria George, who boasts over 3.3 million TikTok followers, has signed with United Talent Agency for global representation across digital media, brand partnerships, and strategic business ventures. UTA will coordinate opportunities while George remains managed by Digital Brand Architects...
Cameo’s TikTok Partnership Targets the Gap Between Creator Fame and Creator Revenue
Cameo has partnered with TikTok to embed its booking links inside TikTok Minis, allowing U.S. creators with 50,000+ followers to sell personalized video messages without leaving the app. The integration, months in the making, addresses the creator‑economy friction where TikTok’s...
From Wire Services to Viral Clips: The White House Briefing Room’s Shift Toward Creator Media
The Trump White House has opened the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to podcasters, bloggers and social media influencers, creating a dedicated “new media” seat. Within weeks, more than 12,000 creator applications were submitted, and outlets ranging from Breitbart...
Creator Economy Event Calendar – May 10, 2026 – Cannes Film Market, The Podcast Show, and TikTok Shop Lead a...
A packed creator‑economy calendar dominates mid‑May 2026, spanning Cannes and multiple London venues. Highlights include the Cannes Creator Economy Summit on May 17, which explores how digital creators are reshaping film financing and distribution, and the two‑day Podcast Show (May 20‑21) that...
NewGen Bolsters U.S. Talent Department With Two Senior Hires From Kinetic Group, Bad Moon Talent
NewGen, a creator agency, has bolstered its U.S. talent department by hiring Joowon Lee as Associate Talent Director and Mark Sharman as Senior Talent Manager. Lee arrives from The Kinetic Group with a roster that includes the Baka Bros, Jalon...
TikTok Nears $400M Settlement With DOJ Over Children’s Privacy Violations
TikTok is close to a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The deal, reached under the Trump administration, contains no admission of wrongdoing and would channel the money...
Creator Agency NewGen Launches AI Platform to Help Brands Scale Creator Campaigns With Compliance Controls
London‑based creator agency NewGen has unveiled Multiple, an AI‑driven platform that consolidates every stage of influencer campaigns—from creator matching and outreach to contract generation, payment tracking and performance reporting. The system promises to cut campaign launch times by up to...
‘Stop Posting Pretty Things. Build a Business’ – Hannah Wilson on How to Scale as a Creator Enterprise
Hannah Wilson, a creator with over one million followers, leverages her experience at Insta360, livestream commerce, and CGTN to run her personal brand like a business. She stresses rapid skill acquisition, constant re‑branding, and treating brand deals as relationships rather...
OnlyFans Adds Community Pages for Sports, Comedy, and Podcast Creators
OnlyFans unveiled three new community pages—sports, comedy and podcasts—at the OMR Festival in Hamburg, expanding its discovery tools beyond adult entertainment. The platform highlighted more than 285 professional athletes, fast‑growing comedians and niche podcasters, offering dedicated placement to boost visibility....
Levanta Makes the Case That Creator Channels Belong Alongside Every Amazon Ad Budget
Levanta, the Seattle‑based affiliate and creator platform, announced the acquisition of Perch+, an early Amazon‑focused affiliate network. The deal brings hundreds of brands and publishers into Levanta’s marketplace, consolidating two of the longest‑standing players in the Amazon affiliate space. Levanta...
How Social Commerce Summit Aims to End the Silo Problem That Has Cost Brands Real Money
The Social Commerce Summit convenes May 14‑15, 2026 at Westdrift Manhattan Beach, offering an invitation‑only, complimentary forum for senior brand operators, platform leaders, and investors. Organized by Social Commerce News, the event is deliberately neutral, avoiding agency or platform sponsorship,...
The Creator Economy Keeps Adding Tools – The Influencer Marketing Factory Keeps Finding the Same Gap
The Influencer Marketing Factory (IMF) has evolved from a $1,500 startup into a full‑service creator‑economy agency handling organic, paid amplification, and TikTok Shop for brands like Google and Hyundai. Over the past three years, about 90% of its clients now...
SocialChain Taps Havas Play UK Veteran Sophie Berman to Lead Influencer Division
SocialChain has appointed Sophie Berman, former Head of Talent and Influencer at Havas Play UK, to lead its CreatorChain influencer division. Berman will oversee strategy, talent partnerships, and scalable campaign tools while reporting to CEO Jacinta Faul. CreatorChain, which counts...
TikTok Targets Australian E-Commerce Brands With Ecommerce Equation Partnership
TikTok Australia has teamed up with e‑commerce education platform Ecommerce Equation to help local online retailers grow on the app. The partnership launches a “TikTok Bootcamp” that teaches organic and paid media tactics and provides members with exclusive ad‑credit rewards....
The Team, Formerly Wasserman, Acquires Golf Creator Agency Representing Grant Horvat, Bryan Bros
The Team, the rebranded former Wasserman, has acquired Provisions Golf, a boutique creator agency that represents pro golfer Grant Horvat and the Bryan Bros duo. The deal brings Horvat’s 1.7 million‑subscriber YouTube channel and the Bryan Bros’ 850,000 followers under The...
Digital Management Company Made By All Launches Hollywood Studio Venture With Tanya Cohen at the Helm
Los Angeles‑based digital management firm Made By All has launched Made By Us Studios, a premium content studio that merges Hollywood production with the creator economy. The studio appoints Tanya Cohen as Co‑CEO alongside founder Leanne Perice and President of...
POP.STORE Signs as VidCon Anaheim 2026 Title Sponsor to Launch Agentic AI Commerce Platform
POP.STORE, a creator‑monetization platform owned by CommentSold Group, has been named the title sponsor of VidCon Anaheim 2026. At the event the company will debut ECHO‑ME, an agentic AI commerce platform that automates engagement, content creation, brand‑deal monitoring and direct‑message...
The 10 U.S. Fastest-Growing Instagram Accounts of April 2026
April 2026 saw a diverse set of Instagram accounts posting record follower gains. NASA led with a 5.2 million increase after the Artemis II launch, while its Artemis program account added 2.4 million. Celebrity-driven spikes followed, as Justin and Hailey Bieber each attracted...
New York Startup GLORION MEDIA Enters Podcast, Influencer Space With Social Listening-Powered Model
GLORION MEDIA, a New York‑based startup launched in March 2026, offers podcast production, influencer talent management, and performance‑driven digital advertising. The company’s core differentiator is a social‑listening intelligence platform that captures real‑time audience signals to inform campaign targeting. Its flagship...