Lauren and Josh are packing their linen pants and heading to the south of France! The duo breaks down a preview of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, and why the heck they're going to it (and not VidCon).Also: the "Beige Lawsuit" is over, YouTube and Disney battle for key talent, plus quick takes on Dubai's creator push, Kai Cenat's Streamer University, and Hasan's recent comments on Twitch. 00:00 Intro & Upcoming Trip to Cannes03:18 What is the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity?05:31 Cannes vs. VidCon06:54 What to Expect at Cannes10:03 The "Beige Lawsuit" Gets Dismissed14:48 Disney Acquires Cocomelon Streaming Rights17:54 Disney Sues YouTube for Poaching an Executive20:59 Upload: Dubai Wants to Attract 10,000 Creators21:42 Upload: Kai Cenat's "Streamer University"23:22 Download: Hasan Piker's "Egregiously Insufficient" Twitch Suspension26:18 OutroCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand
This week on Creator Upload, hosts Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen break down Google's game-changing AI announcements like Veo 3 for video with sound and the "Flow" filmmaking tool. They also cover a surge of industry moves, including Google's investment in AI studio Promise, Whalar's $400M valuation, Caspar Lee's Creator Ventures raising $45M, and Publicis acquiring Captiv8 in a consolidating influencer market. Plus, discussions on Instagram's new creator referral program, Kai Cenat's decision to end his Streamer University, and Samsung's FAST channel launch with creators like Dhar Mann and Mark Rober.00:00 Welcome to Creator Upload / Girl in the Closet00:43 Google's Veo 3 AI: Video & Dialogue Generation02:04 Google I/O: Veo & The Future of AI Content04:10 Google Unveils Flow AI Filmmaking Tool05:41 The AI Race & Google's YouTube Data Advantage07:36 Big Stories: Creator Economy Investment & Acquisition Boom08:05 Promise AI Studio Lands Google Investment09:42 Promise AI: Enhancing, Not Replacing, Human Creativity?11:59 AI in Hollywood: Speed, Cost, and the Future of Content14:03 Whalar Hits $400M Valuation with Major Investors14:46 Whalar's Lighthouse: The "Soho House for Creators"?16:36 Lighthouse vs. YouTube Spaces: Monetizing Creator Hubs18:00 Caspar Lee's Creator Ventures Raises $45M Second Fund20:04 Creator Ventures: Success Breeds Success20:32 Publicis Acquires Captiv823:18 Market Consolidation: The Big Picture for Influencer Marketing24:07 Uploads & Downloads24:10 Instagram's $20k Creator Referral Program: Thirsty or Smart?26:57 Kai Cenat Pulls Plug on Streamer University Amidst Backlash28:48 Samsung Launches STN FAST Channel with Dhar Mann & Mark Rober29:46 FAST Channels & Kids: Will They Watch Ads?31:41 Wrapping Up / Longitudinal Study on Kids & Media31:51 Outro & CreditsCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand
Get the full inside scoop from YouTube's biggest event of the year! This week, Joshua Cohen reports directly from the Brandcast frontline, revealing Lady Gaga's show-stopping performance, game-changing ad updates for creators, and YouTube's bold vision for the future. Plus, major news on Mr. Beast, the NFL on YouTube, and industry-shaking acquisitions!On this episode of Creator Upload, we unpack all the critical announcements from YouTube Brandcast 2025. From the star-studded red carpet featuring MrBeast to new advertising tools like Peak Points and Cultural Moment Sponsorships, we cover what creators and marketers NEED to know. We also dive into the redesign of YouTube on Connected TVs, the launch of the official YouTube Podcast Charts, and what "There's Only One YouTube" really means for the ecosystem.Beyond Brandcast, we're talking about Mr. Beast's "Beast Games" getting renewed for two more seasons by Amazon AND his major expansion into the Middle East. Get the details on the upcoming NFL game (Chargers vs. Chiefs in Brazil) that will be live-streamed FOR FREE on YouTube. And finally, we break down significant moves in the creator management world as Ben Silverman's Propagate acquires Select Management & Parker Management, and Skybound Entertainment snaps up Nine Four Entertainment.Creator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand
This week, Lauren and Josh unpack the NewFronts, including major updates from Meta, LinkedIn, and YouTube as they roll out new tools and monetization opportunities designed to connect brands with creators. From Meta's AI-powered ad formats and enhanced Creator Marketplace to LinkedIn's new BrandLink Program and YouTube's Creator Partnerships Hub, find out what these changes mean for how brands and creators interact on platform.Plus, we discuss Spotify's move to display podcast play counts, the Golden Globes introducing a "Best Podcast" category, and YouTube's massive $100 million investment in India's booming creator economy. Then, the exciting relaunch of the Just For Laughs comedy festival with new creator-focused initiatives and the impressive multi-million dollar sale of Yes Theory's merch fulfillment business.
Creator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.
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Justin Flom earns billions of short-form views per month. Today, we interview him to learn more about YouTube's new view calculations and how (or if) they impact creators, monetization strategies (including brand deals!), and why consistency is key. Elsewhere: YouTube's massive Q1 earnings, the latest IAB reports on the creator economy's growth, Snap's earnings, TikTok vs. Twitch, NCAA NIL updates, and SAG-AFTRA's new influencer committee.
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Today, a world's first: Reid AI, the digital version of LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, performs its first ever podcast guest appearance right here on Creator Upload. Joining Reid AI is Ben Relles, who manages content strategy for Reid in all forms of existence.
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We're joined by Jasmine Enberg, the VP and Principal Analyst at EMARKETER covering Social Media and the Creator Economy. We go in depth about the changing trends -- and rising tides -- in creator marketing budgets in 2025 and beyond...and how creators should take advantage. Elsewhere: Zuck on trial, Patreon's video innovation, and MrBeast's Vegas meltdown.
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Today, we interview Marian Brannelly, Global Director of Awards for the Cannes LIONS Festival, to learn more about their Creators programming lineup and why creators should attend. Also: Vimeo helping creators launch their own streaming services, Netflix fires shots at YouTube, and the impact of tariffs on the creator economy.
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Technically, TikTok is supposed to be banned again tomorrow. Will it? It remains to be seen...but in the meantime, a long line of potential buyers have risen their hands. What will Trump decide? Lauren and Josh break it down today, along with all the other creator economy headlines fit to discuss.
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Today, Josh is joined by special guest cohost Drew Baldwin, Josh's partner in crime at Tubefilter. After 17 years, we finally got him on the show! On the show itself, first: YouTube changes up the definition of what a view is, as content consumption preferences continue to move away from legacy media. Elsewhere: Good Good Golf gets great money, a TikToker is running for office, and the most outrageous sigma grindset maybe parody video we've ever seen, featuring Saratoga Water. Dive in!
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Lauren and Josh are back in the studio (Josh, notably, caffeine-free) to discuss the biggest beef in kids content today...Bluey vs Brainrot? Well, at least that's what YouTube's new Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative has us believing.
Elsewhere: more than half of brands will pay YouTubers to market their products this year; March Madness sells out its ad space early, and the biggest game show of all time is on for Season 2.
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Lauren has just returned from SXSW (and announced a new role!) and is here with Josh to spill all the details on the creator front from the marathon conference. Then: creators are usurping TV ad dollars via their own version of Upfronts, and MrBeast's investor deck leaks additional detail about his various businesses. Plus: the biggest creator charity event of the year just happened in the UK, and it crushed.
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Josh rediscovers crochet and Lauren teases SXSW. Meanwhile, YouTube is leaning harder than ever into its premium era, and creators are scrambling to polish their content offerings to match.
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Lauren and Josh are finally back in the studio together, just in time for MrBeast to claim his business should be valued at $5 billion. Elsewhere, Alex Cooper dumps Alix Earle as the latter leaves Unwell, YouTube takes over the podcast crown, and Crime Junkie cashes in (though with over $40 million of annual profit...why?). All that, plus Reels might go standalone. Lots to cover!
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This week, Josh welcomes special guest cohost Billy Parks. Billy is a Venture Partner at Slow Ventures, which recently announced a $60 million fund for creators. On the show, we discuss the landscape of creator brands through the investor lens -- and also take a look at some headlines for the week, including the NikeSKIMS announcement and a peculiar case of true crime, fake content.
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This week, Lauren is joined by special cohost Jamie Gutfreund (Forbes; Creator Vision) to look back at 20 years of YouTube through the lens of their 2025 letter from CEO Neal Mohan. Then: Netflix pursues podcasters, Poppi tarte-d at the Super Bowl, and Buzzfeed invests in hopecore via a new social media platform.
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It’s a rare occurrence that Josh and Lauren are in the same place — BUT, they come together today during SoCom 2025 to hit us with all the hot creator economy goss. Headlines include: YouTube’s Community push and creators at the Super Bowl.
Hike!
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Josh and Lauren are back in the studio! Major news for today: Meta is balling out on creators (again), the NFL is giving more content access to its legends, and Trump-favoring creators will now have a path to gain White House credentials.
This episode is sponsored by Memberful. Memberful is a best-in-class membership software that empowers creators to build customized membership businesses. Creators can generate reliable recurring revenue, all while fostering meaningful connections with their audiences. Get started for free; no credit card required. Link: https://tbfltr.co/tfmf25
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This week, Josh is joined by special cohost Kaya Yurieff. Kaya is Team Leader for the Creator Economy beat at The Information, and originally scooped the news that TikTok would be shutting down ahead of its supposed ban. Now that the ban has been delayed for 75 days, Kaya joins the show to talk about what happens now.
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We welcome Lauren back to the studio for the closing days of social media's most impactful app of the last 10 years. TikTok is set to shut down on Sunday January 19, and we're here to discuss it. Plus: the tech elite are cozying to Trump's ways, and Ms. Rachel's empire grows.
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