Inside the DM Economy: Cam McMaster on Providing AI Infrastructure for Creator Inboxes
Australian entrepreneurs Cam McMaster and Chris McLoghlin launched InboxAgents.ai and Guardii.ai in 2025 to give creators a unified AI‑powered inbox and abuse‑filtering layer. The tools aggregate direct messages and emails, surface high‑value brand inquiries, and quarantine harassment, helping creators recover missed six‑figure deals. Early testing revealed that inbox overload costs top creators millions, prompting a shift from pure safety to revenue‑capture. The companies target the 1 % of the estimated 100‑200 million creators who lack professional management.
Jetpak Media Founder Kai Battaglene on Why Content Substance Matters More Than Delivery in the Creator Economy
Kai Battaglene, founder of Jetpak Media, argues that creator campaigns underperform because brands prioritize convenience over contextual relevance. Drawing on a decade in Australian media and senior roles at Spotify and ARN, he launched Jetpak in October 2025 to craft...
Twitch’s Mary Kish on Why Community (Not the Algorithm) Drives Creator Success on the Service
Mary Kish, Twitch’s Head of Community, argues that the platform’s competitive edge lies in deep, real‑time community interaction rather than algorithmic distribution. In 2025 Twitch welcomed 9 million new streamers, prompting the community team to embed engagement tools—badges, raids, and moderation...
LOST iN’s Subway Food TourSignals a New Model for Creator-Led Travel IP
LOST iN has launched *Subway Food Tour*, a creator‑led travel series that follows food influencer Jeremy Jacobowitz as he explores off‑beat eateries along a single subway line. The show is co‑produced with Andrew Zimmern’s Intuitive Content, giving the venture production...
India’s Ad Watchdog Deploys Influencers to Combat Greenwashing, Dark Patterns
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has rolled out its first influencer‑led consumer awareness campaign targeting greenwashing and dark‑pattern advertising. Eight prominent Indian creators, including Shraddha Jain and Aisha Ahmed, will disseminate educational content on evaluating sustainability claims and...
Creator-Led Agency The Now Agency Launches, Secures BJ’s Restaurants, MLSE Among Early Clients
The Now Agency, a creator‑led social‑native firm founded by Gabe Feldman and Jonathan Chanti, officially launched in June 2025 under the Reign Maker Group. Within its first year it landed marquee clients including BJ’s Restaurants, Les Mills, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment,...
From Dubai to Miami Beach, Creator Economy Conferences Fill April 2026 Calendar
April 2026 will host a packed lineup of creator‑economy conferences across Dubai, New York, London, Lisbon, Los Angeles and more. Events such as the Dubai Creator Summit, Social Media Week, NAB Show and Canva Create bring together nano‑to‑macro influencers, brands, marketers and...
AiMCO Recognizes Top Creators, Brands, And Agencies At Inaugural Sydney Summit And Awards
Australia’s Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) held its first summit and the 2025 AiMCO Awards in Sydney, celebrating creators, brands, agencies and technology partners. The event highlighted the “Creator Era” theme and featured keynotes from major players such as MECCA, Tourism...
The Lawyer at the Negotiating Table: Frank Poe on Professionalizing the Creator Economy
Frank Poe, former general counsel at Creators Entertainment, launched Poe Law PLLC in December 2023 to provide dedicated legal services for the rapidly expanding creator economy. His firm represents agencies, managers, creators, and brands, focusing on influencer contracts, payment structures,...
Later CEO Scott Sutton Breaks Down How Later 360 Unifies Creator Marketing Measurement
Later introduced Later 360, a unified analytics platform that merges organic content, paid amplification, and verified commerce data into a single reporting environment. The tool delivers granular visibility down to the SKU level, allowing marketers to trace every dollar, click,...
Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren Top New York Fashion Week Social Media Rankings as Total Media Value Reaches $275M
New York Fashion Week FW26 generated $275 million in total media value, a 73 % increase year‑over‑year. Calvin Klein led with $81.3 million, followed by Ralph Lauren ($58.4 million) and Michael Kors ($56.7 million). Their success stemmed from distinct tactics: APAC‑focused celebrity partnerships for Calvin Klein,...
Study of $1.3B in Meta Ad Spend Suggests Creative Output, Not Creative Intuition, Drives Results
Motion’s analysis of $1.29 billion in Meta ad spend across 600,000 ads shows that only 4‑8 % of creatives become “winners,” yet they capture roughly 55 % of total budget. Advertisers that produce the most winners do so by scaling creative output, launching...
Podcast Agency Oxford Road Launches Awards to Honor Indie Podcast Creators Outside Major Platforms
Oxford Road, a podcast advertising agency, has launched the Independent Podcast and Creator Awards to spotlight independent shows that operate outside major audio platforms. The inaugural ceremony, hosted by rapper Killer Mike, will take place at SXSW in Austin on...
Carson Roney: Discipline Of An Athlete, Instinct Of A Content Creator
Carson Roney leveraged her athlete’s discipline to build a multi‑platform creator business after college, turning TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat into revenue streams that now outpace her previous wait‑staff job. A surge in posting frequency during the COVID‑19 lockdown sparked rapid...
Olympic Snowboarder Maddie Mastro Generated The Biggest Engagement Surge On Team USA’s Instagram – All On Organic Content
U.S. halfpipe snowboarder Maddie Mastro, reigning World Cup champion, generated the largest organic engagement surge among Team USA accounts during the lead‑up to the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. In the 30 days surrounding the Games her Instagram engagement rose nearly...
DUPAY: The Income Protection Platform Turning Unpaid Creator Invoices Into Recoverable Revenue
DUPAY, launched in May 2023, offers a subscription‑based income‑protection platform for creators, agencies, and small businesses. Leveraging AI‑generated demand letters and a three‑letter escalation protocol, the service reports an 81% success rate in recovering unpaid invoices across 16 countries. Beyond...
AiMCO Wants to End the ‘Wild West’ Era of Influencer Marketing in Australia With Its 2026 Summit
The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) will host its 2026 Summit on Feb 26 in Sydney, aiming to shift the perception of influencer marketing from a “Wild West” to a disciplined, brand‑ready channel. The not‑for‑profit body, which introduced Australia’s first influencer...
Digital Media Company Raptive Crosses $4B In Publisher Payouts
Raptive, the ad‑management platform for independent sites, announced it has paid $4 billion to its publisher partners, confirming its status among the top‑10 global media companies. The network now spans more than 6,500 premium sites, reaching 223 million unique monthly visitors and...
Twitch Introduces Separate Streaming And Chatting Suspensions Under New Enforcement Framework
Twitch is overhauling its suspension system by introducing two distinct penalties—streaming suspensions and chat suspensions—linked directly to the type of policy breach. A streaming suspension blocks live broadcasts and disables the channel’s chat while still allowing the user to watch...
Ashley Mady On Why Safe Social and Consumer Products Strategy Are Converging In The Kids Creator Economy
Zigazoo, a safe‑social platform for Gen Alpha, has grown to over 10 million users and more than 1,000 kid creators, positioning itself as both a moderated community and a brand activation hub. President Ashley Mady emphasizes a “trifecta” strategy that merges product,...
Epidemic Sound Launches API To Embed AI-Powered Music Licensing Into Third-Party Platforms
Epidemic Sound has unveiled a developer API that lets third‑party platforms embed its extensive catalog of over 50,000 original tracks and 200,000 sound effects. The API is AI‑enhanced, offering text‑prompt, video‑prompt, SoundMatch, semantic search and an audio reference tool to...
QYOU Media Earns TikTok Agency Partner Badge, Expanding Creator Marketing Capabilities
QYOU Media has earned TikTok Agency Partner status, joining a select group of trusted advertising partners. The badge gives the Toronto‑Los Angeles agency direct access to TikTok’s premium tools, analytics, and support for both organic and paid campaigns. QYOU already...
MENA Music Market Embraces Multilingual Content As TikTok Accelerates Track Virality, Per Report
TikTok continues to dominate music discovery in the MENA region, with 84 % of songs that entered the Billboard Global 200 in 2024 first going viral on the platform. The time to reach 100,000 TikTok posts fell dramatically from roughly 340 days in...
How Adidas Built A Loyalty Infrastructure That Blends Commerce, Fitness, And Content
Adidas has transformed its adiClub loyalty program into a multi‑dimensional ecosystem that blends commerce, fitness tracking, and user‑generated content. Members earn points not only for purchases but also for workouts, reviews, and outfit photos, with points serving both as tier...
The 10 Fastest-Growing UK Instagram Accounts Of January 2026
Manchester United led the UK Instagram surge in January 2026, adding 497,000 followers to reach 66.1 million total. Harry Styles, Owen Cooper, Olivia Dean and other entertainers followed, each gaining between 191,000 and 419,000 new followers. The growth was driven by a...
Substack Doubles Down On Canada, Hiring Digital Media Veteran Mark Swierszcz To Expand Subscription-Led Publishing
Substack has hired veteran digital‑media executive Mark Swierszcz as its first Head of Partnerships for Canada, signaling a focused push into its third‑largest market. Swierszcz brings a decade of experience from MTV, MuchMusic, YouTube and Google Canada to grow creator,...
Millennial Entertainment: Inside The Strategy Behind Long-Term Talent Growth In The Creator Economy
Millennial Entertainment, a Beverly Hills‑based 360° talent firm founded in 2017, positions itself as a long‑term career architect for creators, athletes and performers. Co‑founders Jack Reed and Max Litke emphasize a full‑service model that extends beyond brand deals into podcast...
Guggenheim Brothers Media Wants To Institutionalize The Creator Economy’s Middle Market
Guggenheim Brothers Media has launched a $75 million fund, anchored by Abu Dhabi’s Ethmar International, to fill the middle‑market funding gap in the creator economy. The Los Angeles‑based firm will invest $1‑5 million in 20‑25 early‑ to growth‑stage media and entertainment companies...
Meta To Host Virtual Marketing Summit On March 11 To Address AI-Driven Advertising Strategies
Meta will host its Marketing Summit Online 2026 on March 11, a virtual event spanning three continents for marketers, brand executives, and creators. The agenda includes Meta’s 2026 product roadmap, AI‑driven advertising tactics, and performance measurement sessions led by senior...
Brand Marketers Can’t See Where Their Influencer Budgets Go. And They’re Running Out Of Patience
An ANA survey of 84 brand marketers reveals that only half have full visibility into influencer agency payments, with up to 61% potentially facing opaque compensation structures. More than half of respondents intend to revise their compensation models within the...
Creator Monetization Platform Destream Enters GCC Market
Destream, a creator‑focused monetization platform, has launched services in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), giving regional influencers access to a global payment infrastructure. The rollout includes secure payment links, multi‑currency payouts and a Mastercard‑backed debit card, plus a built‑in eSIM...
Natasha Valerie On Why Creator Management’s Next Phase Demands Cultural Fluency And Infrastructure
The Viralist Group, founded in September 2022, now represents over 200 creators—more than 90% of whom identify as AAPI or BIPOC—and commands a combined audience of 500 million across platforms. The agency has partnered with over 1,300 global brands, positioning itself...
Manychat Earns WhatsApp Technical Certification From Meta
ManyChat has regained Meta’s WhatsApp Technical Certification, confirming its compliance with the messaging giant’s security and API standards. The renewed status elevates ManyChat to Meta’s “Tech Partner” tier, reflecting high conversation volumes and robust client onboarding. The certification allows the...
Influencer Darla Bundus On Why She Decided To Slow Down, Sell Less, And Protect Audience Trust
Influencer Darla Bundus, who commands over nine million followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat, has shifted her strategy from rapid growth to deliberate restraint. She now accepts fewer brand deals, posts less frequently, and emphasizes transparency around personal health...
AI Startup Hightouch Launches AI Tool To Repurpose Existing Marketing Creative
Hightouch unveiled Content Assembly, an AI‑driven tool that repurposes existing brand‑approved assets into new campaign materials. Marketers describe desired outputs in plain language and AI agents scour DAMs, Figma, Adobe, Google Drive and other repositories to assemble on‑brand emails, ads,...