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CriticGate and MovieTok’s Conflict of Interest
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #160 | August 17, 2023 In an infamous AMC ad, Nicole Kidman wore a glorious sparkly pinstripe jumpsuit and made a good point: When watching movies, all of society comes together—and we are not just entertained, but transformed. Kidman, of course, was paid to say this. While we can appreciate the sincerity…
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Musk and Zuckerberg Pull a Page From Putin’s Playbook
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #159 | August 15, 2023 Back in July 2022, amid an ongoing Dogecoin racketeering lawsuit and a court battle over the future of Twitter, Elon Musk took a little getaway to Mykonos on a $20,000-per-week luxury yacht. When topless photos of the richest man in the world were leaked by paparazzi, the…
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Creators: When Was the Last Time You Took a ‘No Bones Day?’
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #158 | August 10, 2023 In European journalism circles, August is colloquially known as “Cucumber Season.” This, according to Passionfruit’s publisher James Del, is because traditionally, very little happens during the month to move the news media needle forward other than the ripening of certain long, green fruit. (Hey! Cucumbers are fruit!…
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Internet Vengeance, Schadenfreude, and Bad Bosses
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #157 | August 8, 2023 I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some really scummy, abusive bosses: I’ve had a producer scream with specks of spit flying at my face, slamming a door so loud it could be heard down the office block. I’ve been harassed on the job by men…
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SAG Bears the Mark of the (Mr)Beast
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #156 | August 3, 2023 It’s not been a great week to be the world’s most popular YouTuber, Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast aka probably not the antichrist, who may or may not also be a scab? I mean sure, I MAY be inclined to think the worst on hearing that there are…
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BookTok’s Hockey Smut Sexualization Problem
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #156 | August 1, 2023 Ah, BookTok. A place heralded as a safe haven for young female readers—both feminist and not-so-feminist. It’s a place for some to connect over the revolutionary musings of Bell Hooks and Audre Lorde. A place to be a self-aware Sally Rooney sad girl, an unhinged satirical “My…
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What Makes a Career Content Creator?
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #155 | July 27, 2023 Words mean something. It’s important to define your terminology—especially now, during Hot Labor Summer, with SAG, the WGA, and several non-Hollywood-based unions on strike. Unfortunately, in the case of SAG in particular, a lot of the terminology has gotten quite muddled, sometimes leading to conflicting responses. If…
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Get Your Head in the Clouds
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #154 | July 25, 2023 If you’re anything like me (a creative individual with attention deficits), you’ll remember school days when teachers bemoaned you for having your head in the clouds, with end-of-semester report cards that read: “Grace is great, but has a habit of daydreaming.” I don’t know about you, but…
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Three Strikes: The Consequence of a Self-Imposed Creator Shutdown
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #153 | July 20, 2023 SAG is on strike. WGA has been striking for months now (welcome to the party, y’all). Even Southern California’s hotel unions are on strike, and for real, shame on the outfits who, unable to use AI replacements as a credible threat in the negotiations, have instead just…
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An Ode to the Creative Dreams Crushed by Hollywood Bosses
CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #152 | July 18, 2023 Is anyone else feeling the crushing boot of techno-capitalism on their necks more than usual this work week? I know I am. I started my career as a production assistant, prompted by the fierce love of documentaries I developed in college — obsessed with the weird tragic…
