newsletters

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…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #94 | Dec. 22, 2022 Welcome to Passionfruit’s Picks of 2022, a year-end list celebrating some of the most stand-out creators of the year. With these selections, we hope to bring attention to just a few of the creators who can teach us something about what it means to make an…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #93 | Dec. 20, 2022 This month, discourse around artificial intelligence (AI) art picked up traction once again since the technology’s emergence years ago, after viral filters and software like MyHeritage AI and Lensa blew up on TikTok. TikTokers are infatuated with how MyHeritage showcases “you” from different historical periods using…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #92 | Dec. 15, 2022 Over a month since Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, the platform still seems to be in chaos. Just this week, the company caught heat for disbanding its Trust and Safety council. It then confused creators with the launch of a gold and blue verification checkmark system.…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #91 | Dec. 13, 2022 Top-earning YouTubers rake in millions of dollars each year from brand deals, merchandising, and launching product lines.  While TikTok won the attention of many Gen Zers, the top earner on TikTok in 2021, Charli D’Amelio, only earned $17.5 million. That’s less than what the top nine…

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #90 | Dec. 8, 2022 2022 has some unforgettable trends. The resurge of shows like Euphoria, the Y2K aesthetic, and the slice-of-life social media app BeReal are just a few viral moves that shook the internet this year. This week, Adobe, a technology company that makes some of the most popular…