CREATOR NEWSLETTER
Issue #236 | May 9, 2024
Not content to merely ruin its own search algorithm, the unblinking eye of Sauron (Google) has turned its gaze to its video platform YouTube, taking a once-monetizable business model for creators and reducing it to a barren wasteland of A/B tested content. Much like Legolas in “The Return of the King,” creators now find themselves in a battle for Mordor (YouTube recommendations) not just against the dark lord’s forces (competing channels?) but increasingly their own back catalog of content. Which in this scenario would be like the orcs. Right? (I’m no a LOTR expert, but I have seen “Rings of Power,” and our editorial companion Adelia, a Tolkien superfan, says this kind of tracks. And also to stop trying to speed-read The One Wiki to Rule Them All entries or we’ll be here all night.)
And while I may be talking out of my ass re: Hobbit shit & Silmarillion extended canon, you don’t have to take my word for it that YouTube is screwing even the most established creators (the Harfoots? Nevermind.) Just check out Lon Harris’ “Creator Confessional” column with veteran YouTuber, Steve Zaragoza, who could be called the Tom Bombadil of mid-aughts Internet culture. (Okay, I PROMISE I’m done now.) (…Ents.)
Now co-host of “Dynamic Banter,” Zaragoza first rose to Internet proto-stardom in 2012 when he joined Sourcefed, a comedic news commentary channel that arguably defined and popularized a now-ubiquitous genre on the platform. (Passionfruit fan Phil DeFranco was another cast member.) By the time of SourceFed’s cancelation in 2017, it had amassed 1.7 million subscribers and 900 million video views.
THE COMMENTS SECTION
“I’ve been doing “Dynamic Banter” for eight years, and we’ve found our audience and we have a Patreon. These people love what we do and it’s such a fun, fulfilling thing. Deviating from that, jumping back into the shark-infested waters of the YouTube world, feels like certain death.“
– “Dynamic Banter” co-host and veteran YouTuber Steve Zaragoza
“Coming from that world where anyone could become a million-subscriber YouTuber if they just had the right mix of charisma and business sense, and living through the decline…seeing the destruction of the original YouTube has creatively made me afraid of content now,” Zaragoza told us. Instead, he’s chosen to focus on community building through Dynamic Banter’s Patreon, a move we wholeheartedly support, not just because we just launched our own! Though we did and you should definitely follow us for free on there and join our Discord. Or even better, become a member, and support independent journalism and get access to exclusive content, weekly live streams, and special community channels! Join us on our unexpected journey. As Gandolf said: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Or even better, that other guy who said “Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew.” (The stew is content.)
– Drew Grant, Editorial Director
NOTED BY LON HARRIS
Creator Confessional: Veteran Internet Personality Steve Zaragoza on Why He’s ‘Afraid of Content’
‘Everything comes and then it goes as fast as it arrived.’
By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor
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IN THE BIZ
- Substack has launched a new Creator Studio, enabling creators to better understand their audience with enhanced metrics, improve collaboration, and streamline their workflow through a comprehensive set of tools that make publishing and engagement more efficient.
- TikTok is suing the U.S. government, challenging the recently passed bill that will ban the app nationwide unless its assets are sold to an American buyer. TikTok argued that the law violates free speech rights and lacks evidence that the platform poses national security risks, marking a significant legal battle over tech regulation and user access.
- TikTok introduced mandatory AI-generated content labels to increase transparency, enabling users to identify synthetic media more easily.
- OpenAI announced the development of Media Manager, a tool that will allow creators to opt out of having their copyrighted content used to train AI models. Set to launch in 2025, Media Manager addresses long-standing concerns about the use of creators’ content without explicit permission.
CULTURE
How ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ and a Dancing Chicken Nugget Took Over TikTok
‘I saw it going mega-viral, and people started tagging me in videos where my face is on a chicken nugget.’
By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor
TIPS & TRICKS
Is OnlyFans Worth It? Weighting The Pros and Cons of Getting Started
OnlyFans can be profitable but what are the risks that come with the rewards.
By Demeter DeLune, Passionfruit Contributor
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
- Puggapillar watched “Breaking Bad” season 2, episode 11 for the first time.
- Nikki & Steven React watched the 2015 film “Sicario.”
- Movies with Mary continued her first time watch of “The Sopranos” with season 1, episode 4.
- Mr FLICKS watched 1996’s “Happy Gilmore.”
YOUTUBE MADE ME DO IT
The guys over at Re:animated have been killing it with their anime reactions, including this one for episode 3 of “The Apothecary Diaries.”
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