 YouTube Continues Crackdown On 'Pick-Up Artist' Vloggers Globally
Following an investigation by BBC Scotland, which led to the termination of two channels (and over a hundred videos) linked to a U.K.-based 'pick-up artist' on Sunday, YouTube is continuing its crackdown in the space.
So-called pick-up artists instruct men on techniques to approach women. One of the two removed channels belonged to 38-year-old Adnan 'Addy A-Game' Ahmed, titled D.W.L.F. Game, after Ahmed was convicted last month in Glasgow of threatening and abusive behavior toward women. ...
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YouTube Star Jordyn Jones Drops Self-Titled EP, Will Embark On 'Eyes On Me' Tour
Reality television star-turned-digital sensation Jordyn Jones has made a serious play in her burgeoning music career.
The 19-year-old has released today her self-titled EP, which is available on all streaming platforms. At the same time, Jones -- who counts 2 million YouTube subscribers and 5.9 million Instagram followers -- has announced that she's hitting the road with special guests pop singer Dana Vaughns and rapper Maxso. Tickets for the Eyes On Me tour will go on sale Monday on Jones...
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Trump Signs Up For Twitch, Will Livestream Campaign Rallies
After spending his time in office primarily using Twitter to disseminate his thoughts, Trump has staked an account on the Amazon-owned livestreaming platform, and appears to primarily be using it as a feed for his campaign rallies.
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YouTube Pacts With Michelle Obama On Third Series To Spotlight Global Girls' Education Initiatives
YouTube is building on its relationship with Former First Lady Michelle Obama.
After pacting with Obama on a BookTube interview special coinciding with her memoir release -- as well as an advice series dubbed A Student's Guide To Your First Year Of College -- YouTube is creating another learning-centric special with Obama that will send its Creators For Change ambassadors across the globe to highlight girls education initiatives in different countries. (Creators For Change is a YouTube init...
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Amazon Pacts With Howard University On College Program To Diversify Entertainment Pipeline
Howard, the Washington D.C.-based historically black university, has joined forces with Amazon Studios in a bid to diversify the talent pool across today's entertainment industry. A new program called Howard Entertainment will enable African American students enrolled at Howard -- as well as members of other marginalized groups -- to study and train alongside established Hollywood executives, thus serving as a pipeline of sorts for nascent talent and aspiring industry players.
Kicking off in...
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Apple Signs Overall TV Deal With Oscar-Winning Auteur Alfonso Cuarón
Ahead of the formal launch of Apple TV+ on Nov. 1, Apple is stepping up its content ambitions as it seeks to compete in a crowded field of established players and fellow newcomers.
After reportedly outbidding Netflix, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures for a live-action Christmas musical starring Will Ferrell (of Elf fame) and Ryan Reynolds, Apple now reportedly inked an overall television deal with noted auteur Alfonso Cuarón, Deadline reports.
The five-year pact has been in the works fo...
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After Near-Death Experience, 'Threadbanger' Star Says Merch Sales Helped Pay Off Hospital Bills
YouTube creator Rob Czar -- who is one half of the married duo behind crafting channel Threadbanger, alongside his wife, Corinne Leigh -- is thanking fans for their overwhelming support during a difficult time.
In early August, Czar shared a video on his channel fully recounting his brush with death, where he says he was declared clinically deceased for nearly half an hour. Czar, who had been suffering from an unknown illness, was initially being treated for severe allergies, then later diagn...
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Gigi Gorgeous To Launch Eponymous Makeup Brand In Collaboration With Ipsy
Veteran lifestyle vlogger Gigi Gorgeous, arguably the first mainstream YouTube star to come out publicly as transgender, is throwing her hat into the beauty brand ring with Gigi Gorgeous Cosmetics.
Gorgeous's soon-to-launch eponymous makeup brand is being created in collaboration with Ipsy -- a beauty subscription box service and online retailer co-founded by fellow YouTube makeup OG Michelle Phan, though Phan is no longer affiliated with Ipsy as of 2017.
While Gorgeous has shared little a...
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HBO Max Taps YouTubers LaurDIY, Michelle Khare To Host Kids' Competition Series
HBO Max, the forthcoming streaming service contender to be launched by WarnerMedia this spring, is looking to diversify its content offer with two kid-friendly competition series headlined by digital natives.
BuzzFeed personality-turned-independent content creator Michelle Khare and DIY star Lauren Riihimaki (pictured above) are starring in two series -- titled Karma and Craftopia, respectively -- that are both aimed at child audiences. The series capitalize on each creator's content expe...
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Talent Firm Rare Global Forms Incubator Division For 'Mid-Tier' Influencers Like Genelle Seldon, Brittany Sky
Rare Global, a boutique digital talent management outfit that reps starry lifestyle creators like Jenn Im, Jackie Aina, and Wengie, has launched a new incubator division that will seek to bolster the careers of mid-tier influencers.
The so-called Rare Incubator division will provide clients with strategy, mentorship, resources, and connections -- given that the company believes such influencers bring in solid conversions, high engagement, and positive ROI.
The first two clients signed to th...
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Instagram Rolls Out Long-Awaited 'Dark Mode' on Latest Versions Of iOS, Android
Instagram has gone the way of many platforms before it to launch, today, a 'dark mode', which is rolling out now on both its Apple and Android apps.
When enabled, dark mode -- which, at its core, features a black and grey background instead of a white one -- aims to make the app easier on viewers' eyes during nighttime scrolling, and also helps to preserve battery life. The feature is currently available on iOS 13 and Android 10, The Next Web reports, and marks an extension of the system-wi...
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American Teens Call YouTube, Not Netflix, Their Top Daily Streaming Destination (Survey)
A semi-annual study by investment bank Piper Jaffray has concluded, for the first time, that YouTube is the most favored platform by American teens when it comes to their daily video-streaming destination. YouTube (chosen by 37% of the teens surveyed in the study) beat out Netflix (35%) for the first time. Piper Jaffray's so-called Taking Stock With Teens survey has been conducted 38 times over the past 19 years.
Teens narrowly selected YouTube as the victor because of its diverse content libr...
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VidCon U.S. Adds Joana Ceddia, Binging With Babish, NickEh30 As 'Featured Creators'
VidCon has announced the second round of Featured Creators for next summer's Anaheim event to fete the fact that tickets are now on sale.
The Merrell Twins, Brent Rivera, Joanna Cedia, Sofie Dossi, Anthony Padilla, Rachel Ballinger, Summer Mckeen, Calle y Poche, MatPat, Binging With Babish, Aphmau, Carly & Erin, TheOdd1sOut, and Nick Eh 30, have been added to the lineup for the 11th annual gathering. They join previously-confirmed stars like Elle Mills, Joey Graceffa, Gigi Gorgeous, Jai...
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Kids' Content Upstart Moonbug Launches 'Little Baby Bum' Merch At Amazon, Walmart
Kids' content upstart Moonbug is making a massive foray into merchandising.
The company's foundational property, popular YouTube children's channel Little Baby Bum (20.6 million subscribers), has released a line of toys alongside the California-based consumer products firm MGA Entertainment (and its children's imprint Little Tikes). Four toys are currently available via Amazon and Walmart, with additional products aimed at preschoolers slated to roll out in coming months.
Moonbug an...
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YouTube Originals Continues Push Into Music-Themed Docs With Mark Ronson Feature
On the heels of the announcement of its Johnny Cash doc, The Gift (dropping next month), YouTube is setting its sights on even more unscripted originals in the music space.
On Saturday, the video giant will premiere How To Be: Mark Ronson, a feature documentary about the acclaimed producer, who has worked with Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars (the Ronson-produced "Uptown Funk" remains the fifth most-watched clip on YouTube to date at 3.5 billion views). The film will chronicle Ronson's rise to f...
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Shane Dawson Could Make $5 Million On His 'Conspiracy'-Themed Eyeshadow Palette, Jeffree Star Says
While the second episode of Shane Dawson's The Beautiful World Of Jeffree Star felt vaguely like an infomercial for the eyeshadow palette and accessories collection that the two are slated to launch this holiday season, Star -- who has never been shy about flaunting his financials -- did share some telling details about his lucrative cosmetics empire and the moneymaking potential of the collab.
For instance, Star, who has previously said that his eponymous cosmetics company clocks $150 milli...
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Brat Launches Inaugural Podcast, A Show-Within-A-Show Called 'Attaway Appeal'
Brat, the digital studio that services Gen Z audiences globally with a slew of multi-platform ventures, has dropped its first podcast, Attaway Appeal.
The series stars the voices of YouTuber and frequent Brat collaborator Annie LeBlanc, singer-songwriter-actress Indiana Massara (Chicken Girls), and marks a reboot of a previous Brat series about a school newspaper. Attaway Appeal is the name of the high school newspaper in Brat's signature Chicken Girls franchise, and the scripted podcast s...
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Rooster Teeth Drops 'RWBY' Season 7 Trailer, Greenlights Seasons 8 And 9
After a massive leadership change saw its co-founders taking on creatively-focused roles amid the ascension of digital vet Jordan Levin to general manager, and in the wake of its first major round of layoffs, Austin-based digital outfit Rooster Teeth is pressing onward with what it does best: creating content for its global footprint of 45 million YouTube subscribers and 5 million unique monthly visitors to proprietary website.
At a panel yesterday at New York Comic-Con, Rooster Teeth unvei...
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Whistle Acquires Elisabeth Murdoch-Founded, Snap-Backed Content Studio 'Vertical Networks'
Whistle, the sports and entertainment-focused digital content purveyor, has purchased Vertical Networks -- a three-year-old mobile content studio that founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, the daughter of media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
Vertical Networks produces premium video targeting millennial and Gen Z audiences driven by real-time analytics, it says. The company, which is backed by Snap and distributes much of its programming on that platform, has created numerous successful channels and formats t...
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YouTube Millionaires: Adi Fishman Is A Trend-Tracking Master Who's Amassed A Million-Strong Audience In 1 Year
Folks who tune in to Adi Fishman's YouTube videos might get the idea that creating content on the platform is all fun and games. Fishman has built a presence hinged on lighthearted, trendy content: pranks on his brother (who's Tal Fishman, creator of the massive Reaction Time channel) and girlfriend, many, many challenges, and collabs with friends like Infinite and other members of creative collective Free Time. But what seems easy breezy on the surface is the result of a lot of hard work ...
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James Charles Spills Savvy Brand Deal With Ole Henriksen — And Some Tea To Boot
On Monday evening, while all eyes were trained on the debut of the Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star's docuseries, another prominent member of the YouTube beauty community, James Charles, dropped a project of his own.
Charles and Star's friendship -- and business partnership -- infamously dissolved earlier this year amid a larger firestorm within the beauty community, in which Star appeared to accuse Charles of sexual harassment. Charles, who vehemently denied the claims, subsequently pulled hi...
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Italian Government Reportedly Investigating Netflix For Tax Evasion
Netflix's operations in Italy are coming under scrutiny, as government there has reportedly launched an investigation into the streaming service for tax evasion.
The Milan tribunal opened the probe because it believes Netflix has enough of a presence in Italy -- including its physical infrastructure of cables and computers servers -- to qualify as a local business, Bloomberg reports. News of the investigation first broke in a local paper called Corriere della Sera.
Italy has reportedly bee...
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Comedy Central International Unveils Latest Digital Slate, Including Return Of U.K. Sketch Series 'Bad Cramps'
Viacom Digital Studios International (VDSI), which creates online content for the media conglomerate's family of brands across the globe, has unveiled today Comedy Central International's latest slate, comprising three new shows and one returning series rolling out this month.
The new series include: Rosie Tries To Help, in which comedian Rosie Jones will try to make the world a better place by helping groups of people on various issues like the environment or LGBTQ+ rights; Comedy Central...
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Aussie Children's YouTube Channel 'CKN Toys' Inks Global Deal With Nickelodeon
Kids' content behemoth Nickelodeon has struck a deal with CKN Toys, an Australian children's YouTube channel, that will see the two parties creating linear and digital short-form series to be distributed in roughly 170 territories the globe over.
CKN features young brothers Calvin and Kaison -- who are seven and three-years-old, respectively -- unboxing and testing out new toys, including superheroes, cars, construction kits, and more. They have amassed 13.5 million subscribers on their cha...
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YouTube Adds Ability To Auto-Delete Search And Viewing History
YouTube is adding a new setting that will enable users to auto-delete their search and viewing histories after a designated period of time, as part of a larger privacy initiative by parent company Google.
While users have always been able to manually delete their viewing and search histories, Variety notes, the new options will enable them to choose between an auto-delete period of either three or 18 months. Users will also have the option to disable history-tracking altogether with a pause opt
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Catie Turner's Song “Prom Queen” Sees Nearly 1M New Spotify Streams After Starring In Shane Dawson Trailer
In the past seven days, more than 11 million people have heard Catie Turner's voice.
The 19-year-old singer-songwriter's melancholy, deeply personal single "Prom Queen" opened and then overlaid the entire four-minute trailer for Shane Dawson's newly premiered docuseries, The Beautiful Mind of Jeffree Star. Uploaded to YouTube exactly one week ago, the trailer has brought Dawson -- who has 22.5 million subscribers -- 11.8M views and counting.
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Shane Dawson Gets Another Glimpse At Jeffree Star In Second Docuseries: “I Feel Like I'm With A Mob Boss”
If you have a full hour to spare and enjoy watching Shane Dawson self-deprecatingly marvel about his inferiority to Jeffree Star, the duo's second docuseries, The Beautiful World Of Jeffree Star, dropped yesterday to massive viewership and buzz.
Beautiful World was first announced last December, and marks a follow-up to Dawson and Star's 2018 venture, The Secret World Of Jeffree Star, which trod roughly similar territory and whose five episodes have clocked upwards of 140 million views to ...
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Gabbie Hanna, Hannah Hart, Killer Mike To Headline Inaugural 'Patreon Assembly', A Creator Summit
Patreon is taking its mission of creator support offline.
Today, the creator subscription platform announced its first-ever Patreon Assembly -- a summit for artists and creators on Nov. 2 that will feature performances from and appearances by Issa Rae, activist and entrepreneur Killer Mike, Whitney Cummings, actor Paul Scheer, Patton Oswalt, YouTuber Hannah Hart, indie rock band Local Natives, Gabbie Hanna (pictured above), and more. Speakers will discuss how they've cultivated an entreprene...
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Creators For Good: Remi Cruz On The Health Journey And Staying “Pretty Basic”
Between walking the runway and promoting her latest gig as the new host of Project Runway, Karlie Kloss is the ultimate role model for young girls looking to pursue careers in STEM. Back in 2014, Kloss became interested in the ways that technology influenced the fashion industry. From there, she took her first coding class and the rest is history. A year later, she launched Kode With Klossy, a nonprofit organization which hosts free, two-week summer coding camps for girls ages 13 to 18 years old
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YouTube And K-Pop Star Wengie Rolls Out 'Whimsical' Toy Brand To Walgreens
Wengie, the YouTube star and burgeoning K-pop idol, is expanding her toy empire to even more stores across America.
The line, dubbed Whimsical By Wengie -- comprising body art, a glitter lava lamp, a unicorn hair kit, and a slime pack -- launched at 1,800 Target stores in July. And now, Wengie -- whose real name is Wendy Ayche, and who counts 25 million followers across all social platforms -- is bringing the line to Walgreens. Walgreens will exclusively vend new slime art DIY kits and six ne...
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Kid President Returns To YouTube In Motivational Travel Series 'Are We There Yet?'
SoulPancake's beloved Kid President character -- known for his adorable pep talks and inspirational missives -- is making his long-awaited return to the internet.
Kid President, who is portrayed by Robby Novak and based on a character created by his brother-in-law, Brad Montague, is launching a new YouTube series today called Are We There Yet? The six-part series will live on SoulPancake's YouTube channel, and will see Novak and Montague traveling across the country in a camper to explore the...
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Creators On The Rise: Sebastian Bails Is Turning Mean Memes About His Face Into Viral Stardom
Sebastian Bails is making an online video ascendance by embracing the memes.
The 19-year-old's first and foremost social media love is YouTube, but like an increasing number of Gen Z'ers, he's also on TikTok, the 500 million-users-strong shortform video app that's taken the U.S. by storm after first growing popular in China and Japan.
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Hannah Stocking To Front Shots Studios' New YouTube Music Brand, 'Mindie'
Shots Studios, the digital production company and talent management outfit that reps massive YouTube creators like Hannah Stocking, has tapped the comedic vlogger to serve as the face of its new comedy brand, Mindie.
Mindie, which launched today as a standalone YouTube channel, will seek to shine a spotlight on different artists, creators, and entertainers on the platform, in interview with Stocking. On the game-centered talk-show, guests can advance in various classic games by answering questi
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HBO Max Reveals Executive Team Lineup Ahead Of Spring 2020 Launch
WarnerMedia has locked in a leadership team for upcoming streaming service HBO Max ahead of its launch this spring. When it launches (the exact date hasn't yet been released), it'll offer a library of 10,000 hours of content, the company said in a statement.
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Dez Machado, The Stokes Twins, Ben Azelart Named Featured Creators For 11th VidCon
VidCon will return to Anaheim for its 11th annual gathering next summer from June 17 to 20, the Viacom-owned convention announced today.
VidCon welcomed 100,000 attendees to events in the U.S., London, and Australia in 2019, and had 75,000 attendees and 120 exhibitors at the most recent VidCon U.S. last July. To this end, the organization has also announced the first slate of Featured Creators for the 11th VidCon -- including first-timers Dez Machado, a lifestyle vlogger; twin creators Alan a...
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Nerd City Calls On YouTube For More Demonetization Transparency Amid New Study About LGBTQ+ Video Titles
Nerd City, a YouTube commentary channel with 700,000 subscribers that looks into online trends and crucial goings-on across the platform -- and which previously made waves with an investigation into whether Jake Paul hawking merch to minors crosses legal boundaries and delved into YouTube's alleged secret rating system -- has conducted yet another study into a radioactive theory: that using LGBTQ+-related words in videos titles conclusively causes demonetization.
Nerd City partnered on the fo...
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Vevo Looking To Supercharge OTT Distribution With Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, Comcast Pacts
Vevo sees itself as the largest ad-based business in today's music industry, the company's SVP of sales, Jesse Judelman, told Tubefilter during an interview at the second annual NewFronts West, which took place earlier this month in Los Angeles.
And looking to the future, Vevo -- which was founded as a joint venture between Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and EMI -- is looking to OTT and connected TV distribution to supercharge growth. While YouTube remains its primary dist...
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At TwitchCon, CEO Addresses Controversial Policy Enforcement, Reveals Sweeping Ad System Overhaul
This past weekend's TwitchCon arrived as the company is in a tricky moment. It recently lost its biggest star when Ninja (who had nearly 15M followers and made upward of $500,000 per month on the platform) bumped over to Microsoft-owned rival Mixer. Last week, it rebranded and launched its first-ever ad campaign to debut a new slogan ("You're already one of us") emblematic of its ongoing mission to draw in more -- and more non-gaming -- streamers.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stori...
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YouTube Just Implemented Creators' Most Requested Feature To Date: Comment Filters
YouTube is making it easier for creators to engage with their comment sections.
The platform has rolled out a new comment search function that lets creators filter the comments their videos receive using several different parameters. In a Help Center post about the update, YouTube said comment filters are creators' No. 1 most requested feature.
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Gaming Talent Management Firm 'Loaded' Signs Jordan Fisher, Its First Traditional Star
Loaded, a leading talent management company in the esports realm that reps gaming stars like Ninja, DrLupo, TimTheTatman, Anne Munition, Dakotaz, and Cloakzy, is dipping its toes into traditional entertainment.
The company has signed rising musician, actor (The Secret Life Of The American Teenager), and dancer Jordan Fisher. While Loaded says Fisher is "the first traditional talent" to join its roster, the company will be working with celebrities who are also avid gamers, it says. Fisher...
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Twitch, In Bid To Lock Down Top Talent, Inks Exclusive Streaming Deal With 'NickMercs'
Twitch is continuing to lock down VIP talent in the wake of the sudden departure of hallmark star Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins.
Fellow esports pro Nick 'NickMercs' Kolcheff has inked a multi-year deal that will see him live stream exclusively on Twitch, where he currently counts over 3 million followers. At the same time, Kolcheff -- best known for his Fortnite prowess, and for competing exclusively on a game controller, which is widely considered to be a handicap -- will have a featured pres...
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Influencer Sinead Burke Unveils Series With Just-Launched Podcast Network Lemonada
Lemonada Media, a just-launched podcast network dedicated to first-person narratives and content that serves to build empathy, made its debut at the second annual NewFronts West gathering in Los Angeles earlier this month to tout one of its flagship new series -- As Me With Sinead.
That series is hosted by Sinead Burke -- an Irish academic and fashion enthusiast who was born with achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that results in dwarfism, and who rose to renown for her TED talk Why Design Shou
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Kids' Content Upstart Moonbug Names Former ProSiebenSat.1 Exec Head Of EMEA
Digital kids' content startup Moonbug has nabbed a major hire to serve as its head of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa -- a newly-created role.
Nicolas Eglau, the former international EVP of German media conglomerate ProSeibenSat.1, will be based in London and oversee Moonbug's operations and expansion in international markets. He will also be responsible for licensing, partnerships, and platform distribution in the aforementioned regions.
During his tenure at ProSiebenSat.1, Eglau ex...
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Musician And Patreon Investor Serj Tankian Launches Page On Platform
In July, when Patreon announced a $60 million funding round, it touted the fact that it was the first time creators were investing in the company alongside traditional VC firms -- including musician Serj Tankian and comedian Hannibal Buress. Though at the time, neither Tankian nor Buress were active on the platform.
Now, that's changed. Tankian, a singer-songwriter, poet, visual artist, and activist who is perhaps best known as the former lead singer of '90s heavy metal brand System Of A Down,
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YouTube Millionaires: Jarvis Johnson On The Pros And Cons Of Being A YouTube Perfectionist
You ever have one of those days where everything you do, no matter how simple, just goes wrong?
If your answer is "yes," then the nameless, faceless main character of Buttered Side Down's content gets you. I mean, he really, really gets you. Because for him, it's not only one day that ends in disaster -- it's his entire life.
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Facebook, Like Instagram, To Test Hiding 'Likes', Reactions, And Video Viewcounts
Instagram's parent company, Facebook, is taking a page out of the photo and video-sharing company's playbook by publicly hiding 'like' counts in order to alleviate user pressure, encouraging Facebookers to post more freely without fixating on their content's reception.
Yesterday, Facebook said it would begin testing hiding 'likes', reactions, and viewcounts on select posts in Australia -- and then will gradually roll out the future to the majority of Australian users, CNN reports. On test p...
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Podcast Platform Art19 Touts New Listener-Targeted Ad Innovations
Podcast platform Art19, which works on the monetization and metrics side of massive series like The Daily and Dr. Death, touted some of its latest ad developments at the second annual NewFronts West.
Lex Friedman, the company's chief revenue officer, explained that while ads in the podcast space have traditionally been purchased on a show-by-show basis, Art19 has developed technology that enables marketees to buy based on the specific types of listeners that they want to target.
"So if a...
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Power Is Changing. Here's What That Means For Brands.
When it comes to power, what was once disruptive is now institutional. Millennials are taking on roles where they dictate and shape institutional and structural power. At the same time, Gen Z is pushing the boundaries of traditional power structures, transforming and reconsidering cultural narratives, helping historically underrepresented voices get heard, and telling stories from a new point of view. This transition means that brands must develop new and innovative ways to connect with youth, a
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TikTok Says It No Longer Uses Guidelines That Could Censor Content Criticizing Chinese Government
Documents obtained by The Guardian reveal that TikTok -- which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance -- may be or may have been censoring videos in accordance with China's foreign policy aims.
The alleged documents instruct moderators to remove videos that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, or a banned religious group called Falun Gong, The Guardian reports.
The revelation would seem to affirm a report earlier this month by The Washington Post, which alleged that discussion ...
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MTV Launches 'Teen Code' Spin-Off Series On Snapchat With Eva Gutowski, Jordyn Jones, More
MTV has spun off its popular Guy Code and Girl Code television franchise into a new gender-neutral iteration aimed at teens, bowing exclusively today on Snapchat.
Guy Code, in which famous male figures share their thoughts about an unspoken code of conduct that exists among men, debuted on MTV2 in 2011, and spawned the Girl Code spin-off series in 2013 with the same premise. Both shows are no longer on television, though Snapchat revived Girl Code for its Discover section in July 2017.
On a ...
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Caspar Lee-Founded Influencer Marketing Firm Closes $3.6 Million Funding Round
Influencer, an influencer marketing platform co-founded by YouTuber Caspar Lee and 23-year-old entrepreneur Ben Jeffries, has closed a $3.6 million funding round.
The Series A was led by U.K. venture capital firm Puma Private Equity. Funds will be used to drive new platform innovation and expand Influencer's presence globally. The team plans to double its headcount by year's end, including a series of hires on its global management team. The company will also open its first office in New Yo...
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Ninja Calls 'The Masked Singer' Stint “The Scariest Thing I Have Ever Done”
Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins may be absent from Twitch, but the leading Fortnite player reappeared on prime-time television screens last night in an appearance on Fox's The Masked Singer.
On that singing competition series, which is hosted by Nick Cannon and currently in its second season, celebrities are shrouded in costumes that conceal their identities, and their vocal talents are then assessed by a panel of judges including Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke. Thr...
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Snap Sets Series With Nikita Dragun, Bhad Bhabie, Will Launch New 'Shows' Page To The Right Of 'Discover'
Today, during Advertising Week, Snapchat announced the latest additions to its slate of premium, episodic Snap Originals series -- an initiative it launched last October in order to redefine television for the mobile era with vertically-oriented, interactive programming, touting five-minute episodes and a "hypervisual" approach.
The latest additions include: Tekashi69 VS The World, a docuseries launching this fall, tracing the rise and fall of the incarcerated rapper; Nikita Unfiltered, a 2020
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YouTube Revamps 'Music Foundry' Program, Names Latest Class Of 14 Emerging Artists
In 2016, to help emerging musicians bolster their YouTube presence, the platform launched the YouTube Music Foundry, offering tools, workshops, mentorship, and exposure to up-and-coming artists.
And now, the video giant has named the latest class of 14 artists that it will support through the development program, including London folk-rock star Beabadoobee (pictured above), Atlanta R&B singer Baby Rose, Nigerian rapper Rema, producer Kenny Beats, Norwegian pop star Girl In Red, EDM artist
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How Mattel Harnessed YouTube To Help Bring Its Iconic Barbie Character Down To Earth
In order to evolve and modernize the 60-year-old Barbie brand for today's consumer, and to make her a better role model for young girls, parent company Mattel knew that it had to focus on the legendary doll's imperfections. And it has found no better venue in making Barbie more relatable than on its YouTube channel.
Speaking at the second annual NewFronts West, Barbie SVP Lisa McKnight -- who also serves as Mattel's global head of dolls -- said that the famed character has always been a c...
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Rooster Teeth Appoints Jordan Levin New GM, As Co-Founders Shift To Creatively-Focused Roles
Rooster Teeth has announced substantial changes to its senior leadership team today that will see digital veteran Jordan Levin ascend to general manager of the 16-year-old Austin-based digital brand. At the same time, three of the company's co-founders -- Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, and Burnie Burns -- will assume creatively-focused roles within the company.
At an all-hands meeting today, Rooster Teeth announced that Levin -- whose past resume includes stints as CEO of Awesomeness (where he i...
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Levi's CMO Jen Sey Talks Importance Of Taking A Social Stand At NewFronts West
In honing its social video presence, legendary denim brand Levi's knows the importance of taking a stand when it comes to the social issues of the day.
"Gen Z and millennials really care what you stand for. In the future, there won't be room to just not tell people what you stand for and just talk about skinny jeans. I just -- who cares?" the company's SVP and CMO, Jen Sey, told Tubefilter at digital video ad conference NewFronts West, which was held last week in Los Angeles. "If y...
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Issa Rae Takes Stake In Streamlytics, Which Lets People Monetize Their Own Streaming Data
Issa Rae, the web creator who forayed onto linear TV with the HBO smash Insecure, is now delving into the streaming realm with an investment in Streamlytics.
Streamlytics is the third company founded by serial tech entrepreneur Angela Benton; it's a data analytics firm that exclusively tracks streaming video and audio consumption data -- not cable and radio -- with the permission of consumers, who opt in. The company looks at the streaming accounts associated with each consumer in order to pu...
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UTA Adds To Burgeoning Esports Roster With Call Of Duty Star Seth 'Scump' Abner
UTA is building on its burgeoning esports division with the signing of Seth 'Scump' Abner, who the talent agency will rep in all areas of his career.
Abner is best known for being one of the top Call Of Duty players in history, UTA says, having previously served as captain of the pro esports organization OpTic Gaming. During his tenure, Abner led the team to victory at the 2018 CWL Las Vegas Open. All told, he has won 27 major gaming championships throughout his career.
In addition to hi...
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SeatGeek Taps David Dobrik To Launch Its First Branded Series, 'Postgame Press Conference'
At this point, the relationship between YouTube star David Dobrik and ticketing app SeatGeek has become something of branded content lore, given its pioneering, symbiotic impact.
And now, piggybacking on this success, SeatGeek has caught the original content bug. In May, the company formed a content division called Team SeatGeek to produce consumer-facing videos speaking to its workings in the influencer space. The content -- which lives on its YouTube channel as well as a dedicated Instagram ...
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Emma Chamberlain To Drop Sunglasses Collection With Eyewear Brand 'Crap'
Emma Chamberlain, the 18-year-old vlogger who rose to renown for her quirky editing style, helping to usher in a whole generation of 'VSCO Girls', continues to solidify her status as an influential figure in today's fashion industry.
Chamberlain, who has created videos in collaboration with Louis Vuitton and Vogue, and who collaborated on a clothing collection at the outset of her career with ecommerce app Dote, is getting into the sunglasses game.
Chamberlain has created five limited editio...
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YouTube Apologizes, Reverses Course After Creators Balk At Verification Update
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki apologized on Friday for an update last week that infuriated countless creators: that YouTube had changed the eligibility requirements surrounding verification, and sent letters to many prominent channels stating their status could be stripped.
Now, YouTube is reversing course. No users will be stripped of their verification status, product manager Jonathan McPhie wrote in an update on the company's blog, and the verification application system will reopen in late O...
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Vimeo Debuts 'For Hire', A Marketplace For Video Professionals To Find Clients (And Vice Versa)
Vimeo has launched For Hire, a marketplace where folks looking for professional video services can find skilled freelancers -- and vice versa.
Clients can browse Vimeo's network of more than 30,000 video professionals, including filmmakers, editors, videographers, animators, and more, looking for their project's perfect match. Search options within For Hire allow them to find freelancers based on budget, project type, location, skill level, and years of experience. Or, they can post wanted ...
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