CREATOR NEWSLETTER
Issue #172 | Sept. 28, 2023
Back when I was the publisher of Futurism dot com, I used to go on stage at dorky futurist conferences and tell people “there was more content produced in the last hour than in all of 1990.” Just in terms of raw hours filmed, words published, songs recorded, and art produced, the proliferation of digital media has given nearly every human the tools to share an idea online.
This should not be a revolutionary concept to you; if you’re reading this newsletter you’ve likely been living in this future for most of the last decade or longer, as Taylor Lorenz’s upcoming book Extremely Online catalogs. (We’ll have a new interview with her on our Youtube soon, go subscribe now if you haven’t already).
Like most radical ideas, it takes a minute for the rest of society to catch on, but when it does, it’s everywhere all at once. “Creator culture” is driving general culture. “Skibidi Toilet Lore” is one of our top trending search terms this month. “Rizz” has just been entered into Webster’s dictionary. Girl dinner, girl math, Swifties putting Kelce on the map. The Roman Empire (which I admittedly think about weekly) wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the digital creator community that dominates our current zeitgeist.
While the New York Times is publishing “don’t call it content” pieces as a way to differentiate the prestige of television and film from the mad chaos of the internet, I ask them: Have they spent $5 to watch ITYSL’s Conner O’Malley’s The Mask? Do they know that Chapo Trap House (get well soon Matt) makes more on Patreon per month than most local TV anchors make in a year? Bobbi Althoff and Funny Marco are playing the Beacon Theater next month, GAYLE played the U.S. Department of State last night. Creators are culture, and while “content” may be a disparaging term when used as a capitalistic unit of measure, it is still something we all find ourselves producing every time we snap a photo, write a blog, or shoot a TikTok. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it, NYT.
THE COMMENTS SECTION
“One of the ideas behind [Endorphinport.com] is I’m not going to take this money and then spend it on a car or something like that; it’s going to be put into the next project. Hopefully it’d be a good subsistence-based model. Like you’re paying to watch The Mask, but you’re also funding the next thing. I pay everybody that works on these videos out of my own pocket, so it would just be nice to have even a very small budget for the next thing.”
—Comedian Conner O’Malley (@conner_omalley_) via Vulture
So to the point of my whole thing here, which came first? The content or the community? Without going too far down the anthropological rabbit hole, a community develops around a shared interest and/or location, and content is produced when that community has something important or entertaining to share with itself. Without a community, content can exist, but it won’t be widely consumed. Without content, a community can exist, but it won’t evolve. They’re symbiotic.
At Passionfruit, we see our mission as helping creators of all sizes and stripes grow and thrive. The easiest way to do that most immediately? By featuring you and your creativity across Passionfruit and our (much larger, audience-wise) sister site, The Daily Dot.
That’s why I’m inviting you, specifically you, the creative person reading this email all the way through the heady anthropological stuff, to apply for the Passionfruit Creator’s Spotlight.
Starting in October, you’ll start seeing more and more of your own work here in this newsletter and our social channels. From there we intend to roll out a number of invitation-only community features, tools, discounts, events, and sponsorship opportunities for those of you who are sincerely making a go at this whole internet creativity thing.
If you’d like to be a part of the early, “here before it was cool” group at Passionfruit, go follow us on our social channels, send us a DM (it’s gonna either be me, Drew, Eric, Grace, Rusama, Adelia, or Trevor responding), and most pressingly let us know that you’ve applied for the Creator Spotlight.
There are tens of thousands of you and only 7-ish of us right now, so while it may take us a second or two, we really do want to get to know each of you, and more importantly, we want each of you to get to know each other.
Despite what your cynical, social media-ravaged brain may assume, this entreaty is actually not about our Passionfruit community, it’s about the communities that you’re building around your own work. And it’s my sincere belief that you’ll have a much easier time building those communities and making that creative work if y’all do it together, so it’s our intention to make sure you can eventually connect, follow each other, share secrets, vent, and ultimately feel supported by one another.
Passionfruit may have started as a newsletter promising to deliver you free news and tips relevant to digital creators, and we’ll always continue doing that. But for those of you who are serious (or even curious) about turning your passion into something more online, we’d like to help you on your way.
Apply now to have your work featured here, and don’t be a stranger on the socials (you can find our updated social links at the bottom of this email, genuine thanks to all of you who got in touch to tell us they were broken). We’ll be inviting our most engaged creators into more invite-only spaces in the coming weeks and months, so come say hi and stick around.
Above all else, keep calm and create on.
– James Del, Passionfruit Publisher
NOTED BY LON HARRIS
How the WGA Deal Actually Happened
The short answer is solidarity.
By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor
SPONSORED
Put yourself in the best light
Meet the ultimate portable kit for the creator on the go from Lume Cube. With the Mobile Creator 2.0, you get lighting, a tripod, a microphone, and a Bluetooth shutter remote to elevate your content to the next level.
IN THE BIZ
- Mr. Beast as a WhatsApp bot? Suppose it was only a matter of time. Meta is Putting AI Chatbots Everywhere (via The Verge)
- As previously mentioned, the word “rizz” is officially in the dictionary. Congrats and condolences to all involved! (via Merriam Webster)
- SAG-AFTRA heads back to the negotiation table on October 2nd (via CNN)
- Airrack signs with UTA (and hires PrestonPlayz’s creative director) (via Tubefilter)
TOOLS REVIEW
What is the Best Vlogging Camera for Any Budget?
The vlog of a lifetime awaits.
By John-Michael Bond, Passionfruit Contributor
PLATFORMS
Kick Streamers Say They Feel That The Platform Has Finally Gone Too Far
Kick’s CEO sent laughing emojis during a sordid livestream, but nobody else is laughing.
By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
- Movies with Mary reacted to 1991’s “Hot Shots.”
- The Perfect Mix watched 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” for the first time.
- Popcorn in Bed reacted to this summer’s massive hit “Barbie”.
- Dos Cavazos watched the 1997 film “Starship Troopers” for the first time.
TIKTOK MADE ME DO IT
TikToker Polly of The Pocket Report (comedian and political activist G.L. DiVittorio) is recovering from cancer treatment and making a damn compelling argument for why beauty brands should be sponsoring her.
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