CREATOR NEWSLETTER
Issue #145 | June 22, 2023
Oh, the joys of VidCon. If you aren’t packed in an Anaheim hotel elevator with kids and families—some in “Minecraft” merch, others in Mickey Mouse ears—are you really experiencing VidCon?
VidCon is the go-to convention for video creators to meet fans, rub shoulders with brands, and party. It’s littered with marketing folks and companies selling merch, food, and more. Daily panels allow creators to learn more established folks’ tips, tricks, and insights. It takes place in Anaheim every summer, with a new convention added in Baltimore in September 2023.
I hopped on a plane at LAX and then endured a one-and-a-half-hour car trip to the happiest place on Earth. We whisked away to our first event of the weekend: Tubefilter and Amaze’s K-1 race track event. The VIP lounge was great if you don’t mind selfie sticks, pageant moms, go-karts whizzing past, and four brands of free cheap beer. But the event had a charm, with many industry folks, creators, media mavens, and families milling around—and a dance battle outside with a DJ blasting something that sounded like a PG T-Pain song.
Today, the convention floor is PACKED with an unbelievable amount of teens and tweens in cosplay and gaming merch. We started the day strong with children in selfie-stick-adorned helmets jumping into a Squishmallow pit. Please, dear God, let us not repeat the mistakes of TwitchCon 2022.
The line for the shopping center on the convention floor wrapped in zigzags around the building, with tired parents and kids trying to get the latest squishes, toys, shirts, and other merch from “Minecraft” star Dream or “Roblox” stars KREW (or whoever the kids are watching these days).
And you’ll never guess who showed up.
– Grace Stanley, Newsletter Editor
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Passionfruit Presents: Taylor Lorenz on the Rise of Influencers, Predatory Platforms, and Potential Creator Unions (Video)
In an exclusive interview with Passionfruit, Lorenz sat down with Passionfruit’s managing editor Drew Grant to discuss what traditional media gets wrong when reporting on the creator economy.
By Drew Grant, Managing Editor
NOTED BY LON HARRIS
What Creators Can Learn From the Writers Strike, Part 7: Taking Back Control
Though creators can’t necessarily unionize like WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the strikes show the importance of using their collective power.
By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor
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THE COMMENTS SECTION
“I would love to see a union for content creators, much like the actor’s and writer’s guilds. We need better negotiation rights across all the platforms that use our labor for profit.”
—Twitch streamer LeksiW (@LeksiW) on content creators’ need to unionize.
IN THE BIZ
- Patreon is offering free subscriptions. e-commerce. and other creator monetization options to make up for free subscriptions.
- TikTok has admitted to storing the data of users in its Creator Fund on servers based in China. In other news, TikTok now has an open position for a new COO.
- Tech titans and IRL League of Villains co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk may be competing in what we can only hope will be a literal Celebrity Deathmatch.
- YouTube’s new comment feature: “Yo dog, I heard you like Shorts, so we’re gonna let you put Shorts in your Shorts.”
VIDCON 2023: LOGAN’S RUN
Is Logan Paul at VidCon? Probably not, but screaming fans seem to think so
A Logan Paul doppelgänger crashed VidCon with an entourage of private security guards.
By Grace Stanley, Passionfruit Contributor
DARK SIDE OF THE INTERNET
On TikTok, Suddenly Everyone’s a Titanic Expert
If the bizarre, horrifying situation involving the missing submersible has you needing content on the topic, you’re in luck: TikTok is suddenly full of Titanic experts.
By Jasmine Waters, Passionfruit Contributor
THE MORE YOU KNOW
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Setting Up A Patreon
Ever wonder how to set up a Patreon? Here’s everything you ever wanted to know.
By Rachel Kiley, Passionfruit Contributor
TIKTOK MADE ME DO IT
These Day 1 VidCon vlogs have us wishing that we were there.
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