FAST channels are the new status symbol among top YouTube creators. I dug into why in my newsletter this week. likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/fast-times...

Substack’s top voices are going live with can’t-miss Taylor Swift takes. Thursday: @natjarv.bsky.social and Ochuko Akpovbovbo will chat about Swift’s digital strategy. Friday: @kateyrich.bsky.social @chrisjrosen.bsky.social and @hunterh.bsky.social will discuss Swift's film ambitions bit.ly/4n43AXD

As the podcast industry completely reinvents itself as a video medium, YouTube is rolling out a new feature to help creators turn their audio into video using AI. I got an exclusive early look at the technology that you can read all about here: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/cowherd-sm...

Sour candy interviews, bedroom chats, and slime merch. @natjarv.bsky.social reports on Gen Alpha's favorite podcasts Pucker Up, LOL, and Girl Talk that are outpacing Joe Rogan on the charts and selling out live shows likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/a-gen-alph...

Late night is evolving, and creators like Theo Von, Alex Cooper, and Sean Evans are leading the way. @natjarv.bsky.social breaks down how YouTube and podcasts took over late night and why legacy TV never figured out the business model likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/the-youtub...

Ms. Rachel was the #7 most-watched TV show on Netflix during the first half of the year with 53 million views…for only 4 episodes of repackaged YouTube content

Golf is surging in popularity, not just on the fairway but also on YouTube, where dozens of channels and shows about golf have sprouted in recent years. I even hear one NFL player is such a fan that he wants to launch a channel of his own likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/golfs-big-...

YouTube shows were shut out of the Emmys this year — even in the short form categories — after a big push by the Google-owned streamer to campaign for its creators. You can read my story about their efforts here: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/youtube-st...

VC money is flowing again. Creator studios are scaling. And platforms are starting to treat top creators like production companies, not just talent. @natjarv.bsky.social tracks four trends shaping the business and predictions for the rest of the year bit.ly/4eJNlM

Creators have sold merch, tours, and meet-and-greets. Sam and Colby are selling fear. Their escape room fuses audience lore, production design, and YouTube storytelling into a terrifying, monetizable fan experience. @natjarv.bsky.social goes inside Asylum: Room 1952: bit.ly/3GssBfy

The buzzword heard up and down the Croisette: authenticity. From Cannes Lions, Janice Min and @likensubscribenews.bsky.social' @natjarv.bsky.social join @elainelow.bsky.social to consider if creators’ drive to be true to themselves will protect them from AI theankler.com/p/youtube-vs...

SCOOP: ReelShort tells The Ankler it’s made The Adjuster, a microdrama based on Luigi Mangione's case. @elainelow.bsky.social and @natjarv.bsky.social explore the $5B microdrama market, where actors earn big bucks, and viewers are addicted to paywalled cliffhangers theankler.com/p/microdrama...

Want to know what it's like to be an influencer today? Watch 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.' I spoke to an EP on the show about how it has changed the women's careers, why you don't see their kids on camera and much more likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/secret-liv...

YouTube’s Emmy play isn’t subtle: “We’ll keep doing this until we get there.” But it’s not just about trophies—it’s about higher CPMs, deeper respect, and redefining what counts as TV. @natjarv.bsky.social charts YouTube's Emmy takeover likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/youtube-st...

Phew

TV isn’t dying. It’s being restructured by creators. With built-in fans and scalable IP, they’re now the safest bet in a shaky industry. @natjarv.bsky.social breaks down how Netflix, Hulu, and other streamers are playing catch-up likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/netflix-is...

This week I interviewed Nick Viall about how he went from The Bachelor to podcast mogul. “I’ve been acting like The Viall Files has been competing with the top 1% of podcasts ever since it existed,” he told me. “Now I feel like I actually am.” likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/nick-viall...

Here's something cool! @likensubscribenews.bsky.social was shortlisted for a Publisher Newsletter Award! Proud of this barely 4-month-old newsletter and excited to keep telling stories that resonate publishernewsletters.com/2025/en/page...

Everyone from Dude Perfect to Dhar Mann is hiring legacy execs, writers and producers from film and TV — if they're willing to take the pay cut. More from @natjarv.bsky.social likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/jobs-talen...

The biggest kids franchises today start on YouTube. Just look at Cocomelon, Blippi & Ms. Rachel. So why aren't more media companies experimenting there? Nickelodeon is with YouTube original Kid Cowboy. I went deep on their strategy this week: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/the-next-p...

Every week, @natjarv.bsky.social interviews creators who are catching her eye. This week: how Nurse John lucked his way into TikTok fame and how his hilarious content helped him stay there likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/webtoon-wh...

I've got your first look at the speaker lineup for VidCon this year, plus a couple other fun stories in this week's newsletter likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/webtoon-wh...

When an AI-powered company mistook food blogger Claire Scott for an OnlyFans star with a similar username, it got Scott’s photos delisted from Google, impacting her finances and growth. @natjarv.bsky.social sees how Scott's fighting back. Plus: the TikTok bid frenzy theankler.com/p/food-blogg...

Did you watch "Paul American" last night? Read my interview with EP Andrew Fried about how the project came to be, what it was like working with the Paul brothers, and how they approached telling a story that would feel fresh to audiences likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/jake-logan...

Today a group of top YouTubers will present their upcoming programming slates to CMOs at an event with Spotter. Here's my spotlight on the company. cutting big checks to creators & acting as their Hollywood consiglieri likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/ad-dollar-...

This is a doozy of a story and worth the time it takes to read theankler.com/p/stalked-a-...

Interesting news of the day: Former Disney communications chief (and longtime Bob Iger confidante) Zenia Mucha has hired former Warner Bros. Discovery comms chief (and David Zaslav confidante) Nathaniel Brown as TikTok's new head of corp comms

Next week, Max is dropping a new docuseries about Logan and Jake Paul. I talked exclusively to EP Andrew Fried about working with the outrageous and outrageously controversial brothers likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/jake-and-l...

Scoop: Emma Chamberlain's Chamberlain Coffee went looking for investment last year & had a hard time raising the funds. Why? It's pitch deck didn't tell a strong growth story. I got my hands on that deck: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/inside-emm...

Food creator and Bon Appétit Test Kitchen alum Carla Lalli Music seems like she made it as a YouTuber. But she was really losing over $10k a month. She tells @natjarv.bsky.social about the tough choices that led her to take a break from her 230K subscribers bit.ly/41nWTqt

Finding out Harry Styles has a faster marathon time than me has really ruined my day

Last week I traveled to Frisco, Texas, to tour @dudeperfect.bsky.social's new headquarters. What they're doing there—thanks to a $100 million investment—tells me a lot about how the creator business will evolve as it enters its third decade likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/dude-perfe...

Ten months ago, @dudeperfect.bsky.social took on a $100 million-plus investment from Highmount Capital and soon after, appointed a CEO. @natjarv.bsky.social visits the $5 million Dude Perfect HQ in Texas to see where the quintet might be going next likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/dude-perfe...

VC money, like a $60 million fund from Slow Ventures, is trickling into creator-led brands. Learn which creators have scored the biggest cash infusions, why some creators might exit their businesses, and more from @natjarv.bsky.social likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/the-new0-n...

Last weekend I traveled to the Super Bowl, where I found a lot of energy around the creator space. Here's my dispatch on why big sporting events are becoming friendly environments for creators—even those with only a passing connection to athletics likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/score-nfl-...

New scoop from me: Netflix is seeing big success licensing YouTube kids content (Ms. Rachel, CoComelon, Blippi). Now I'm hearing it wants to invest even more in creators likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/youtube-vs...

Last weekend, trekked to Utah for the Sundance Film Festival and sat down with three creators I've been writing about for years. We had a very fun (and interesting) conversation. You can read (or listen to) it here: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/sean-evans...

What a week to be launching a newsletter about the creator economy. Of course my first installment had to be about the TikTok ban, which I've been covering off and on since 2020 likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/vulnerable...

Starting the year off with some personal news! So thrilled to be launching a newsletter all about the creator economy alongside my smart friends at @theankler.bsky.social! www.axios.com/2025/01/21/t...

We are so back

Never felt the compulsive need to scroll my For You page more than I have tonight

Thankful to David Lynch for the hours I spent watching and talking about Twin Peaks with my dad 💔 www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/m...

With the news that BuzzFeed has sold "Hot Ones" owner First We Feast for $82.5 million, here's a story I wrote for @vanityfair.com a while back about how the spicy wings show became an internet phenomenon www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/20...

Learn their names now before they appear on your TV, in your Spotify Discover Weekly playlist or on your Instagram Explore page

For @hollywoodreporter.com.web.brid.gy’s annual Next Gen issue, here are 15 content creators meeting their moment www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/rising...

We have a deal! And in some personal news, I no longer have to bring my work laptop to toddler birthday parties and hard-to-get dinner reservations www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/20...