Holding Space for Your Audience

Issue #295 | Dec. 3, 2024

You know, as someone who works in queer media (ba-dum tss), it’s clear that the Wicked movie has the internet in a fingerhold (booo hisss). Surviving its much-debated melodramatic press tour and Spongebob-themed extramarital allegations, the Wicked franchise has undeniably doused the world in pink and green.

As Charlotte Colombo writes this week, even if you don’t have a $150 million advertising budget, there are some lessons creators can pull from the marketing and press tour of this movie — from aesthetics to brand collaborations and holding space (last one I swear) for your audience. Read more below.

– Grace Stanley, Deputy Editor

CULTURE

What Creators Can Learn From Wicked’s Marketing Campaign

Follow the yellow brick road.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

The stars of Wicked the movie musical do an interview.

→ READ THE FULL STORY

If the above image got you excited, you should read this

Sorry, this isn’t an advertisement for that weird B12 powder they’re selling on TikTok Shops. It’s a little friendly unpaid promotion of our friends at The Small Bow, the best newsletter for understanding addiction, recovery, and sobriety (without all the preachy stuff). Even if you don’t have a problem and love a good holiday party, that slope gets particularly slippery this time of year, and The Small Bow is a great resource for ~~creative geniuses~~ users and non-users alike.

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IN THE BIZ

A new app called GoBlue allows users to track their BlueSky analytics.
Brain rot has been crowned the Oxford University Press Word of the Year.
TikTok will restrict certain beauty filters from users under 18.
TikTok shared 10 best practices for creating long-form videos on the app.

PLATFORMS

Donald Trump’s Cabinet Is Clashing Over TikTok

What does this mean for TikTok?

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

PERSONALITIES

The hosts of the show speak into microphones on set.

AJ and Big Justice: The Costco Guys Explained

‘BOOM’ or ‘DOOM’?

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

UPCOMING EVENTS

CES Creator Space is Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas.
1 Billion Followers Summit is Jan. 11-13 in Dubai.
Creator Economy Live is Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas.
the platform is Mar. 21 in Pittsburgh.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:

This week, Passionfruit’s “Deep Linkers” welcomes longtime friend and collaborator Taylor Lorenz.

A leading voice in new media, Taylor has covered online trends and cultural movements for over a decade, with bylines in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Now, she’s branching out with her show Power User and her newsletter User Mag.

In this episode, she talks brain rot, feminism, horror movies, and more. Check it out below!