Archive

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #103 | Jan. 26, 2023 This week for Passionfruit, writer Rebekah Harding explores the case of a TikToker known as “Scar Girl” who sparked a viral debate this month. Gaining notoriety for her viral lip-syncing videos, the TikToker, Annie Bonelli (@wtmab), garnered praise from viewers for proudly flaunting a thin scar…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #102 | Jan. 24, 2023 Over the past three years, millions of dollars have been funneled into non-fungible token (NFT) projects—with pictures of apes, robots, and dozens of other randomly-generated meme machines riding on the backs of hyped investment recommendations from creators. But the market as a whole recently plummeted, and…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #101 | Jan. 19, 2023 As marketers look to cut budgets amid a looming recession, creators are pivoting to find other ways to make money besides brand deals. Online learning has always been a path for creators to diversify their income, and it seems to be only growing as a method…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #100 | Jan. 17, 2023 Welcome to Passionfruit’s 100th newsletter. It’s been a joy speaking with so many fabulous creators and creator economy leaders since this newsletter’s inception. We hope to show you more of the underreported and underrated leaders that push the creator economy forward in hundreds of stories to…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #99 | Jan. 12, 2023 An appeals court in California is allowing a class action lawsuit to continue against Google and YouTube, as well as several kids and family creators that operate YouTube channels—including Ryan’s World, a kidfluencer channel formerly known as Ryan’s ToysReview, and CookieSwirlC, an independent VTuber with 19…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #98 | Jan. 10, 2023 SungWon Cho, aka ProZD, is an iconic voice actor known online for short-form skits about games, anime, internet culture, and fandom. Known for an infectious blend of satire, blunt honesty, and nerdiness, Cho cultivated a dedicated audience for around eight years and monetized primarily off of…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #98 | Jan. 5, 2023 Seismic shifts rattled the creator economy in 2022. The rise of BeReal, AI-driven tech, VidCon’s return, and splashy creator-owned businesses like MrBeast’s Feastables all left their mark on the scene. We witnessed the tumultuous fall of TikTok’s creator fund, creator-backed crypto projects, TikTok-rival Triller, and even…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #97 | Jan. 3, 2023 As a relatively new platform, TikTok is still a wild west of sorts in the content creation game and has a reputation for reach over reward. Its monetization potential hasn’t stacked up to YouTube’s just yet, but its active userbase is a behemoth, surpassing over 1.5…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #96 | Dec. 29, 2022 For many, quitting a 9-to-5 job to pursue content creation full-time is a dream. However, there are a growing number of creators who are rejecting this move—even when they are able to earn enough off social media to make a living. Instead, they are keeping their…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #95 | Dec. 27, 2022 Rodger Cleye and Ian Rae are two creators that especially stood out on TikTok in 2022, united by their love for music. Beloved clips and meme-ified fan edits of amateur singer Cleye, singing along to Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, and Christina Perri, became a viral sensation…