Following the crash of her meme coin, $HAWK, Hailey Welch, a.k.a. ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl, disappeared from social media for more than three months. Now, investors are finally getting some answers, though they may not be the ones they were looking for. passionfru.it/hawk-tuah-crypto-161830/

Who are your favorite farm life creators?

As we explore the universe of the internet and all the different types of creators who make it hum, this week we’re spotlighting some of the comedians on Bluesky we think you should follow. 👀 go.bsky.app/5hGdrZo

We’re bringing the ultimate creator meetup to #SXSW for the second year in a row with our friends from both coasts! We’ll have drinks, discussions, networking, professional headshots, snacks, a live DJ & dance party and lots more. 🥳 RSVP ➡️ lu.ma/lgyj84vt ✨

On March 3, Frank McCourt announced that Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, has joined “The People’s Bid for TikTok.” What is The People’s Bid? Learn more about the project, Alexis Ohanian, and his involvement at the link below. 👇 passionfru.it/tiktok-reddi...

We’re bringing the ultimate creator meetup to #SXSW for the second year in a row with our friends from both coasts! We’ll have drinks, discussions, networking, professional headshots, snacks, a live DJ & dance party and lots more. 🥳 RSVP ➡️ lu.ma/lgyj84vt ✨

Who are your favorite Disney creators? ✨

Who are your favorite reactors? 👀

Creators can learn a lot from Kai Cenat. The streamer has become one of the most successful online figures, with 16.2 million Twitch subscribers. Now, he wants to let fellow creators in on the secret of his success at “streaming university.” passionfru.it/kai-cenat-streamer-university-156097/

Check out all the stories you missed on Passionfruit last week. 🧶 ⬇️

It’s our first starter pack, of course we’re spotlighting creators! 🤩 Make sure to check out these wonderful creators and their work featured in Passionfruit’s creator spotlight newsletter. ⬇️ go.bsky.app/BJ3z7yN

Back in September 2024, #YouTube announced a new feature called ‘Communities. Communities is a dedicated social feed linked to certain creators’ channels. 🤝 Check out the updates coming to YouTube Communities. ⬇️ passionfru.it/youtube-comm...

What creators make you want to sign up for Nebula? 👀

On Monday, Feb. 3, Donald Trump signed an executive order to set up a sovereign wealth fund for the country. However, Trump has a different idea for US funds, as CNN reports that he may well use it to buy #TikTok. ⬇️ passionfru.it/tiktok-sovereign-wealth-fund-148660/

In March 2024, it was announced that entertainment company #RoosterTeeth had shut down. 🐓 This week, Rooster Teeth founder Burnie Burns announced that he and his production company have acquired the brand, paving the way for a Rooster Teeth revival. 👀 ➡️ passionfru.it/rooster-teeth-149946/

Which tech reviewers do you watch for advice?

Controversial YouTuber Dr Disrespect has announced that his YouTube channel has been re-monetized. He was initially de-monetized back in 2024 after he was accused of inappropriately messaging a minor by several former Twitch employees. ⬇️ passionfru.it/dr-disrespec...

🚨 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced today that a “New Media Seat” has been added to the White House briefing room. This seat is open to content creators and independent journalists outside traditional media sources. 👀 ⬇️ passionfru.it/creators-can...

On Monday, Jan. 20, Senator Rand Paul and US Representative Ro Khanna introduced a repeal bill to undo the “ban or sell” TikTok law. In a press release, both parties claim that the banning of TikTok is a violation of US users’ right to freedom of speech. passionfru.it/repeal-bill-...

RedNote became the most popular app in the App Store as TikTok’s future hung in the balance last week. But while many US creators have been singing RedNote’s praises, a new Wired investigation has made it apparent that not all of this hype was for free. 👀 passionfru.it/rednote-crea...

Uh oh. The thing we’ve all been dreading just happened. The Supreme Court has unanimously decided that the TikTok ban doesn’t compromise users’ First Amendment rights. As a result of this decision, the app will effectively be banned on Jan. 19. passionfru.it/supreme-cour...

A new TikTok ban delay bill might be the lifeline TikTok needs. 👀 The ‘Extend the TikTok Deadline Act,’ introduced by Senator Edward J. Markey proposes to extend TikTok’s “buy or sell” deadline by 270 days. passionfru.it/tiktok-ban-delay-bill-136668/

Donald Trump won his second term by embracing edge lords. In an election night speech, UFC owner Dana White thanked edgy creators like Adin Ross, NELK Boys and Theo Von. A study claims social media sites encourage this behavior. Learn more. ⬇️ passionfru.it/year-of-the-edge-lord-131357/

Hey, feeling reflective today? Us too. Whether 2024 was your year or not, we hope you know how much your creativity, your voice, and your ideas matter. Keep making things in 2025 whether it's for an audience of one or one million. 🧶

As we look back at internet video and digital media in 2024, here are the clips, viral moments, channels or ongoing projects that stand out as particularly notable, or speak to some larger trend in our culture or among professional creators this year. ⬇️ passionfru.it/passionfruit...

As a creator, what are you most excited for in 2025? 🤩

So excited that I get to watch @videodrew.bsky.social and @startthemachine.bsky.social together again! But really everyone should go subscribe to the @passionfru.it YouTube channel for more great content like this! youtu.be/DqWVktcOd7E...

As of Dec. 18, the Supreme Court confirmed that it will hear arguments over how constitutional the “ban or sell” TikTok law is on Jan. 10, 2025, nine days before the ban and ten days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration. passionfru.it/tiktok-supre...

What creators are you catching up with during the holidays?

Buzzfeed’s long search to find a buyer for Hot Ones is finally over. The company has agreed to sell First We Feast, the production company behind Hot Ones, to a consortium led by Soros Fund Management LLC. The deal ended up costing $82.5 million. ⬇️ passionfru.it/buzzfeed-hot...

We sat down with MrBeast’s former editor, Matt Turner, to learn about his experience working for #MrBeast. 👀 Have you checked out the full interview yet? To hear more from Matt and another former MrBeast employee, click this link👇 youtu.be/uKoSFqGsE_g

We want to know who your favorite comedic personalities online are.👇 Who is the funniest creator on the internet right now? 👀

What’s it like working for MrBeast? 👀 Jake Weddle, MrBeast’s former writer, discusses his experiences in the wake of appearing in an interview on Dogpack404’s channel. ⬇️ Watch the full video here: youtu.be/uKoSFqGsE_g

“Traditional outlets often frame stories through a centrist lens to appeal to advertisers, which can dilute the truth. I make my biases clear, I’m reporting for my community." Excellent!

After much hype, OpenAI has finally released Sora, its artificial intelligence video generator. The controversial feature, which has already caused panic and protest in the creator economy, is available for those with a premium subscription to ChatGPT. passionfru.it/openai-sora-...

To further explore the culture and working environment at #MrBeast Productions, we sat down with two former employees about their direct experience with MrBeast. Matt Turner, MrBeast’s former editor, expands on his experience previously touched on in 2019. ⬇️ Full video here 👉 youtu.be/uKoSFqGsE_g

Passionfruit spoke to two former MrBeast employees, Matt Turner and Jake Weddle, about their experience working in the early days of MrBeast’s YouTube channel. 👀 Watch the full video at the link below. ⬇️ youtu.be/uKoSFqGsE_g?...

TikTok has filed an emergency motion for an injunction to stop the app’s impending US ban on Jan. 19. 👀 🚫 passionfru.it/tiktok-injun...

A US federal court has upheld a law that could force #TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese company or be banned in the United States by January 19th. The future of TikTok in the US now hangs in the balance. ⬇️ passionfru.it/tiktok-ban-f...

Comic creators! What is something you learned further in your career that you wish you knew when you were first starting off?

Here’s one I created for Black Journalists, Content Creators and Media Outlets (You’re in it😉) #Blacksky go.bsky.app/N349hva

From the very beginning, the #Wicked movie has made headlines. 👀 🎬 We might not be privy to the $150 million advertising budget, but there are a few things creators can learn from the marketing and press tour of this movie. 💚👇🩷 passionfru.it/creator-wicked-marketing-campaign-110380/

What is a feature you *hate* on a social media platform? 👀

At long last, Spotify Wrapped 2024 has arrived. From the global music and podcast trends to new personalized Spotify features coming to Wrapped, read all about Spotify Wrapped 2024 below. 👀 ⬇️ passionfru.it/spotify-wrap...

Who are your favorite Twitch streamers?

Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump have arguably had a strained relationship. But it appears like now that’s all water under the bridge, as Zuckerberg was spotted wining and dining with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week. 👀 Find out why. ⬇️ passionfru.it/donald-trump...

Looking for a new laptop? Not done with #BlackFriday shopping? 💻 Here are a few of the best laptop deals for creators this #CyberMonday. ⬇️ passionfru.it/black-friday...

Brain rot is officially Oxford dictionary’s word of the year. Read about how the term emerged and gave birth to an entirely new online lexicon in my latest for @passionfruit4us.bsky.social passionfru.it/brain-rot-cr...

Words like gooning, rizz, sigma, gyatt, and skibidi have formed a new cultural lexicon that’s shooting content creators to popularity and permanently warping online and offline speech, according to etymologists. ✍️: @taylorlorenz.bsky.social passionfru.it/brain-rot-creators-107160/

As a creator, what are you most thankful for this year? 🤩