March 09, 2025 | Read Online

TOGETHER WITH

It's Sunday and here's a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

But first, here's our tip of the day: Don't miss your flight just because TikTok told you to. The app's "airport theory" advises travelers to reach the airport right before the doors to their flight close. The results are exactly what you would expect.

CREATOR COMMOTION

On the job: Creators are getting hired, un-fired, and (temporarily) suspended

The new hire: iShowSpeed embraced sports punditry for a turn on UCL Today. Paramount+'s flagship studio show for its soccer coverage brought in the footie-loving creator for the Champions League Round of 16. Speed's chaotic vibe made him a perfect fit with the UCL Today crew, even if his takes were easy to predict. (Surprise, surprise: Speed thinks Ronaldo is the GOAT.)

The triumphant return: While iShowSpeed tries out a new role, IanOnYouTube is getting back to business-as-usual. 7-11 recently fired the creator (who's arguably one of its most famous representatives) after discovering that he shared dispatches from his job in short-form videos. At the time, we (and the rest of the online world) argued the personnel move was a bad idea. A few weeks later, 7-11 got the memo and restored IanOnYouTube to his rightful role.

The temporary ban: HasanAbi, meanwhile, might need to take a new approach if he wants to hang onto his position as a top Twitch streamer. The progressive political commentator channeled his inner Luigi when he told followers that "If you cared about Medicaid fraud, you would kill [Senator] Rick Scott." A ban soon followed, though Hasan is now back on his stream and apparently willing to tone down the rhetoric just a little bit.

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Log in or sign up for Spotter Studio. (No purchase necessary; new members can even enter the challenge on a free trial!)
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TECH TALK

Metaphysics has earned a rep for celebrity deepfake videos

This week in AI news…

Deepfake ups and downs: The creator of one of TikTok's most viral celebrity deepfakes got the bag. VFX studio DNEG Group has acquired Metaphysic, a company known for posting videos that feature an AI-generated Tom Cruise lookalike.

That deal could prove to be risky business—but it's not nearly as sketchy as a deepfake scam involving YouTube's CEO. A few words of wisdom: if a robotic-looking facsimile of Neal Mohan asks you to share your personal information with him, don't listen.

Platform updates: Pinterest, meanwhile, is hoping to avoid any deepfake disasters of its own by adopting clearer AI labels. Other platforms have already developed tools that identify and point out AI-generated uploads, so Pinterest is a little late to the party. In fact, it took some criticism from users for the digital pin board to announce its improved labels.

THE BIZ

TikTok telenovelas and $2M Oscars spots shook up the ad world this week

The TikTok campaign: e.l.f. Cosmetics is bringing branded telenovelas to TikTok. A Mexico-based campaign invites users to "Discover the e.l.f. effect" through melodramatic storylines. It's not the first time a brand has attempted to bring the time-honored Hispanic genre online (and we're hoping it won't be the last).

The award season price surge: Oscars ads reportedly went for $2 million a pop this year. The spots were so expensive that even Anora's Russian oligarch boyfriend would have trouble affording them.

The gaming sphere: Gaming influencer marketing might not come with an Oscars-style price tag, but it isn't as straightforward as it used to be, either. It's getting harder for brands to locate gamers who they consider to be "brand-safe." Do sponsors need to adjust their expectations, or is it time for the edgy gamers to grow up?

WATCH THIS 📺

No, David Letterman's YouTube channel didn't kill Dave Chappelle

False alarm: For a while now, the YouTube hub affiliated with David Letterman's former late-night show has posted compilations featuring recently departed celebs like Roberta Flack and Gene Hackman. So, when a Dave Chappelle compilation showed up on a channel last week, viewers feared the worst.

Luckily for the comedian's fans, it was just a false alarm. Chappelle is alive and well—and the curators behind Letterman's YouTube channel probably need to think a little more about optics.

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