One Day Left to Apply for White House's Creator Economy Conference

Issue #254 | July 11, 2024

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I’m not going to talk about politics today, because I — like the rest of the world — am gutsick over the upcoming November elections here in the U.S. Can we all agree that any timeline where you wake up every day forced to contend with reality like Leo DiCaprio at the end of “Don’t Look Up” is unequivocally the darkest one? (No offense, Adam McKay, though, actually…some offense, Adam McKay.) If you’re not thinking of the film’s final line: “We really did have everything, didn’t we? When you really think about it?” at least five times a day, are you even truly living in your truth, bro?

And though it may not feel like it, we are still currently in our “have everything” predicate. Democracy hasn’t been obliterated…yet. We don’t live under a fascist thought experiment that makes the world of The Boys more grounded than a Ken Burns’ documentary…yet. Ukraine’s leader isn’t President Putin…yet. The situation is dire, but that’s all the more reason to celebrate victories, no matter how seemingly small they appear on the face of things. And on that note:

Tomorrow is the deadline to apply for the inaugural White House Creator Economy Conference (WHCEC) on August 14th. I strongly encourage anyone involved in the sweatshop conditions of content manufacturing to apply, even (especially!) if you think this first-of-its-kind event may also be its last. Though the Biden administration is certainly no stranger to influence initiatives, historically it’s been seen as a promotional tool to educate the country’s chronically online citizens on certain policies and agendas on everything from the State of the Union to the war in Ukraine. (This SNL skit nails it.) But as anyone who’s tried to monetize knows, aiming for reach means targeting accounts with the highest number of followers.

THE COMMENTS SECTION

“Influencer/hustle culture has created subsections of the entertainment industry that are causing large companies to divest from traditional outlet and invest in influencers BECAUSE IT IS EASY. Because they can almost guarantee a win/positive reaction. It’s pure corpo manipulation”
– X user Lin Codega (@lincodega)

First announced at VidCon (perfect, zero notes), WHCEC purports to “convene a group of digital creators and industry professionals to discuss the most pressing issues within the creator economy today — including privacy, fair pay, AI, mental health, and more.” And while no one is naive enough to believe this is just a benevolent, philanthropic gesture that just so happens to fall just over a month before registration windows for voting in the primary election begin to close, it’s one of those cases where intentions matter less than the result. You can see this as a cynical ploy to get more young people registering to vote while also appreciating the opportunity of having the highest level executive branch of government officially recognizing the labor force fueling a predicted half-trillion dollar industry.

If we were living in anything other than the darkest timeline, I’d be able to predict with some confidence that this would have a domino effect: first the White House entertains creators, the next thing you know the profession is officially recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau. If everything ran like clockwork, creators should complete the last stage of their professional metamorphosis just in time for April, when they’ll emerge from their “just a side hobby” chrysalis as fully taxable members of late-stage capitalism. Just like Mother Nature or VP Kamala Harris intended.

But we live in a time of unknowables. Next year, the IRS promises (for super serious this time) a taxation on independent income over $5,000, a “phase-in” of a confusing 2020 initiative to issue 1099ks for any online transaction over $600 as part of the American Rescue Plan. But because everything is on fire and we’re all wearing eyepatches while fighting Furiosa-style to feed (quench?) our addiction to water, it may very well be that this new tax law will go into effect under a different administration than the one that issued it.

Some may see this as a defeatist attitude, but really it should galvanize creators to take even more urgent action in pressing the Biden/Harris White House to officially recognize and enshrine the rights for creator labor. Unionizing may be off the table (though who knows, reality tv stars are finally making some headway…then again, their ranks include Donald Trump), but there are still plenty of ways to leverage your reach as a tool to enact politically motivated legislative action. What else is there to do in Washington?

– Drew Grant, Editorial Director

PLATFORMS

Creator DaShay Hall Live Streams Himself Suing YouTube

The lawsuit accuses YouTube of mishandling DMCA takedowns, channel suspensions, and harassment.

By Franklin Graves, Passionfruit Contributor

dashay hall live stream screenshot of him holding papers showing he's suing youtube next to youtube logos

→ READ THE FULL STORY

Transform your creator business—on your own terms.

With Teachable, you can turn your expertise into fully customizable digital products. Whatever your passion, share it with others in exactly the way you want with courses, community, downloadable content, and more.

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IN THE BIZ

The deadline to apply for the White House Creator Economy Conference, where creators and industry professionals will gather to discuss relevant issues, is Friday, July 12th.
Contrary to popular belief, TikTok streaks do not offer monetary rewards, despite false claims by some creators and scammers.
YouTube is testing a new “add yours” sticker for Shorts,
allowing creators to invite collaboration and responses to their videos.
Also among the YouTube Shorts update are new features like text-to-speech narration, auto-generated captions, and Minecraft effects.

LABOR

How #RIPCartoonNetwork Confused the Web

‘More gutted than dead.’

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

CULTURE

NATO Is Courting Creators

Influencers have taken over NATO.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Sean Thompson watched season 1, episode 1 of “Derry Girls.”
Force of Light Entertainment watched 1999’s “Election.”
Petty Pumpkins watched all of season 2 of “Interview with the Vampire.”
Mary Cherry watched 2014’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service.”

YOUTUBE MADE ME DO IT

On a br and new episod e of Deep Linkers, writer, author, musician, and comedian Lane Moore joins us to discuss her journey from Cosmo to creating online content, staying connected with her audience during the pandemic, and the importance of supporting creators.

Subscribe to the Passionfruit YouTube channel so you don’t miss an episode! If you prefer to listen to podcasts, we have an audio feed as well.