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- Influence Weekly #410 - YouTuber Casey Neistat Warns OpenAI’s Sora Could Flood Social Media With ‘AI Slop’
Influence Weekly #410 - YouTuber Casey Neistat Warns OpenAI’s Sora Could Flood Social Media With ‘AI Slop’
Instagram Launches ‘Rings’ Award Program For Creators
Nii Ahene
October 10, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Instagram Launches ‘Rings’ Award Program For Creators
YouTube Launches Activation Partners Program, Connecting Advertisers With Vetted Ad Experts
YouTuber Casey Neistat Warns OpenAI’s Sora Could Flood Social Media With ‘AI Slop’
MrBeast Warns 'Scary Times' Ahead For Creator Economy Amid AI Video Advancements
Great Reads
YouTuber Casey Neistat raised concerns about OpenAI's newly launched Sora app in a video released October 5, describing it as a "TikTok clone where every video is AI." OpenAI announced the app September 30 alongside its Sora 2 model, which generates videos using AI and allows users to insert themselves into scenes through a "cameos" feature.
The iOS app launched on an invite-only basis in the U.S. and Canada, though ChatGPT Pro users can access without invitation. Users must scan their face and upload a video-audio recording to verify identity before using their likeness in generated content.
Neistat warned the platform could flood social media with "AI slop," describing it as "an endless dribble of computer-generated nonsense." He expressed concerns about potential misuse, including bullying through unauthorized videos and young users creating inappropriate content. The app will be free at launch, with potential charges for additional video generation during high-demand periods.
Instagram launched its "Rings" award program on October 7, recognizing 25 creators from its three billion monthly active users. The program provides physical rings designed by Grace Wales Bonner and digital profile enhancements rather than monetary compensation.
Winners receive golden ring displays around profile pictures, custom profile backdrop colors, personalized "like" buttons, and featured app placement. A judging panel includes Instagram head Adam Mosseri, filmmaker Spike Lee, designer Marc Jacobs, actress Yara Shahidi, makeup artist Pat McGrath, and tech reviewer Marques Brownlee.
The program launched after Meta discontinued its Reels Play bonus program in 2023, which had provided direct creator payments. This contrasts with YouTube, which reported paying creators over $100 billion in the past four years. Fashion partnerships head Eva Chen, who helped develop the program, told The Hollywood Reporter that Instagram aimed to create long-term recognition for "cultural catalysts" who take creative risks on the platform.
Alex Cooper, host of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, launched Unwell Creative Agency in October 2025 as a new division of her Unwell media company. The agency focuses on connecting brands with Gen Z women through content creation, marketing campaigns, and live events.
Google became the agency's first client through a multiyear creative and media partnership. The partnership produced the agency's debut campaign, an ad for Google Pixel and T-Mobile titled "Get Lost," featuring Aidy Bryant and Sabrina Impacciatore alongside Cooper.
The agency joins Cooper's expanding business portfolio, which now employs nearly 100 staff across multiple divisions. Her portfolio includes the Unwell Network launched in August 2023, Unwell Productions, and Unwell Hydration beverage line that launched in January 2025 exclusively at Target stores.
Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast averages approximately 10 million listeners per episode. Her recent SiriusXM partnership, valued at $125 million over three years, grants exclusive advertising and distribution rights for her podcast network.
Upcoming Webinar
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Campaign Insights
NBA on Prime launched a recruitment drive for local content creators to cover its inaugural season across four markets: Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Memphis. The positions run from October 24-31, 2025, requiring creators to capture real-time game moments using iPhones for both vertical and horizontal video content.
The hiring initiative supports Amazon's expanded NBA presence through an 11-year media rights deal that includes broadcasting 67 regular-season games and the NBA Cup. Victoria McBryde, Talent Creative Producer at NBA on Prime, stated the streaming service seeks candidates with experience covering live sporting events and NBA knowledge.
The move comes as NBA teams maintain the largest social media presence among major U.S. sports leagues, averaging 16.6 million followers compared to NFL's 9.1 million. The Los Angeles Lakers lead with 63.8 million followers and generate 45,500 engagements per post. Concurrent with creator hiring, the NBA introduced four new statistics through its Amazon Web Services partnership to enhance fan engagement during live games.
Universal Music Group launched House of Carmen, a proprietary creator marketing app that pays influencers to post content on TikTok and Instagram. The app, developed by UMG's UK team and quietly released in September 2024, moves the company's creator marketing capabilities in-house rather than using third-party platforms.
The platform requires creators to have at least 1,000 followers and operates through two payment models: direct briefs for specific campaigns with guaranteed fees, and challenge-based competitions where creators compete for payment based on performance metrics. The app incorporates gamification elements where creators compete against each other for the best-performing content within Universal's artist roster.
Initially launched in the UK, UMG plans to expand to Germany next, with a U.S. launch also planned according to trademark filings. The platform recently added capability to onboard entire talent agencies and their creator rosters beyond individual creators. UMG has been active in marketing technology, securing AI-focused patents in 2020 and 2022.
Socially Powerful released research showing 94% of brands use product seeding to send free items to creators for content, but 43% struggle to find appropriate creators. The agency surveyed 150 senior marketers from global enterprises in October 2025.
The study found 35% of marketers blamed declining effectiveness on creator fatigue, while 38% acknowledged creators feel spammed by brand outreach. Additionally, 30.7% reported creators increasingly request payment instead of accepting free products, and 23.3% receive low-quality content from seeded creators.
Socially Powerful categorized brand sophistication using a four-tier framework. Only 18.7% of marketers operated at the highest "Future-Proof" level with data-driven targeting and measurement. The largest group at 39% remained at Level 3 "Intentional" practices, while 36% operated at basic or ad-hoc levels.
The research revealed 37% of marketers rely solely on engagement rates to measure seeding success. James Hacking, CEO of Socially Powerful, stated brands treat creators as "disposable commodities" rather than partners, undermining the authentic advocacy that makes product seeding valuable for building consumer trust.
Bonkers Toys secured a global master toy license for gaming creator PrestonPlayz, who operates multiple YouTube channels with 66 million subscribers and 22 billion views. The partnership will launch physical toys in spring 2026 across major retail channels worldwide.
Bonkers specializes in converting digital creators into physical toy franchises that compete with traditional entertainment brands on retail shelves. The company previously worked with Ryan's World, Lanky Box, Aphmau, and Skibidi Toilet, with products now distributed in over 60 countries.
The PrestonPlayz line will include "The Pleb Slayer Deluxe" sword, Mystery Merch Boxes with 11 collectibles, and Mini Plushies featuring six characters from his content universe. Bonkers selected Preston after monitoring his consistent performance over several years, noting his gaming content generates millions of views when featuring specific elements like his fire sword.
The company also announced upcoming 2026 partnerships with "Warrior Cats" literary franchise and family channel "Genevieve's Playhouse." Head of Brands Dan Meyer emphasized that creator toy lines now regularly appear on category bestseller lists, competing directly with traditional entertainment properties in retail.
CeraVe announced on October 6, 2025, that it became the NBA's official skin care and hair care partner. The L'Oréal-owned brand, which has grown to $2 billion in revenue since its 2017 acquisition, will integrate into NBA events including the Emirates NBA Cup and video game NBA 2K25.
The partnership launched with a social media teaser campaign featuring @NBACentel, a popular NBA parody account on Twitter, marking its first brand collaboration. CeraVe also rolled out content across its own social channels inspired by NBA cultural moments. The campaign builds on CeraVe's "Head of CeraVe" effort that featured NBA All-Star Anthony Davis alongside WNBA player Paige Bueckers and TikTok creator Charli D'Amelio.
The deal includes a "Care For All" philanthropic program offering dermatology checkups at Jr. NBA clinics. CeraVe, founded in 2005, has positioned itself as the number one dermatologist-recommended skincare brand in the U.S. through its "medutainment" strategy combining education with social media content.
TikTok launched AI-powered trend insights within its creator analytics dashboard in October 2025, discovered by app researcher Yasser Masood. The feature provides creators with data on trending topics, search trends, popular keywords, related video performance, and demographic insights tailored to their content niche.
The tool includes a "Create" button that enables immediate content production based on the insights. TikTok joins other platforms implementing AI-driven content suggestions, following YouTube's "Inspiration" tab and similar tools from Meta AI and X's Grok.
The feature responds to TikTok's growing role as a search destination, with recent research showing one in five Americans regularly get news on the platform. According to analytics firm Metricool, the insights serve as backup when creators run out of content ideas, though they function as guidance rather than prescription for content creation.
Raising Cane's executed an unexpected Fashion Week stunt that cut through industry noise by commissioning creator and fashion designer Joe Ando-Hirsh to produce five dresses inspired by chicken fingers, signature red cups, and the chain's mascot. Influencers including Livvy Dunne, Brooks Nader, and Camille Kostek modeled the looks during Fashion Week in New York.
While seemingly absurd for a fast food chain to participate in fashion's premier event, the campaign generated significant buzz by taking an unconventional approach that contrasted sharply with standard influencer drive-through content.
The activation demonstrates how brands must differentiate dramatically in today's saturated market, where Fashion Week has evolved into a creator-driven playground. The strategy sparked conversation and debate, achieving cut-through that conventional tactics couldn't deliver. The campaign illustrates the growing necessity for brands to execute wildly unexpected initiatives rather than recycling familiar influencer partnerships.
Research analyzing 220 econometric studies across 133 million pounds in creator spending reveals marketers have fundamentally misunderstood influencer marketing. While creators deliver average short-term returns comparable to television, they generate the highest long-term return on investment of any advertising channel over two years.
This marks creators as digital's first true brand-building medium, not just a performance marketing tool. The analysis, combining data from 144 brands across 28 markets, shows creators produce the largest long-term media multiplier ever recorded. However, success requires strategic overhaul. Marketers must stop treating creators as salespeople and instead integrate them into comprehensive brand-building campaigns with early branding and emotional consistency.
Current execution shows extreme variance because brands outsource creative strategy to influencers lacking marketing expertise. The research demonstrates that applying traditional advertising principles—distinctive creative, early branding, and emotional appeal—to creator content produces measurable brand growth, filling a crucial gap as digital channels increasingly dominate attention.
Albertsons is significantly expanding its retail media capabilities by integrating influencer-led content and new omnichannel advertising options as core parts of its strategy. This shift is anchored by a new partnership with independent influencer marketing agency Linqia and the rollout of a retail media toolkit that connects consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands to social media creators, premium in-store screens, and expanded digital placements across Albertsons' owned properties.
Albertsons now enables CPG partners to collaborate with content creators, producing authentic, influencer-driven campaigns designed to drive sales and engagement. A recent influencer activation generated 1.3 million impressions and 33,000 video views. This influencer channel is now positioned alongside Albertsons’ robust first-party data assets and enterprise media, supporting more authentic, engaging touchpoints for shoppers.
Agoda launched its Ambassador Program in October 2025, targeting travel creators across social media platforms to drive bookings through commission-based partnerships. The digital travel platform, which operates over 6 million holiday properties, 130,000 flight routes, and 300,000 activities, provides participants with unique promo codes to earn commissions on follower bookings.
The program offers sponsored stays and activities valued up to $225 per month, allowing creators to share experiences at Agoda's partner hotels worldwide. Additional rewards include travel credits up to $1,000, branded merchandise, and special trophies for top performers. Chief Marketing Officer Matteo Frigerio positioned the initiative as a collaboration benefiting creators, hotel partners, and travelers.
Travel creators can apply through agoda.com/agoda-ambassador and receive a toolkit with promotional resources upon acceptance. Agoda plans to feature selected ambassadors in global marketing campaigns to increase their visibility and audience reach.
The Big 3 Podcast - October Recap Podcast Now Out!
Join us for The Big 3 by Influence Weekly, where hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene deliver expert commentary on the creator economy's most impactful business developments. Each month, they offer insider perspectives on industry-shifting stories, unpacking what these changes mean for brands and marketing professionals in the creator economy
Interesting People
Dutch skateboarder Sterre Meijer has built a following of more than three million followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat by blending feminine fashion with technical skateboarding skills. The 20-year-old creator, who was the Dutch Freestyle Windsurfing Champion in 2019, gained viral attention after a video filmed by her mother at a skatepark reached 6 million views.
Meijer chose to quit school six months before graduation to focus on content creation full-time after rapidly reaching 100,000 followers. She challenged traditional skateboarding aesthetics by wearing flowy dresses and crop tops while performing difficult tricks, initially receiving both hate and support for maintaining her feminine style in the male-dominated sport.
The creator has partnered with brands including DVS Shoes and Red Bull while maintaining a selective approach to sponsorships. She trains six days per week, films daily content, and handles all editing herself. Meijer attributes her success to inspiring young girls to enter skateboarding, noting that her local skatepark now sees mostly girls taking lessons compared to only boys two years ago.
Basketball player-turned-content creator Soufiane Bernoukh has built a business empire around comedy videos featuring missed shots and athletic struggles. Bernoukh, who creates content on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, gained recognition with his Ramadan-themed trick-shot compilation that combined cultural identity with basketball humor.
His content success led to the launch of two business ventures. Halal Wrist, a clothing brand that merges fashion with cultural expression, represents his first major expansion beyond content creation. He later developed Musbiz, a platform connecting Muslim entrepreneurs and professionals who share similar values.
Bernoukh received unexpected industry validation when Canadian rapper Drake followed his social media accounts. He emphasizes looking beyond view counts to analyze demographics and non-follower engagement metrics. The creator maintains he has declined partnership opportunities that conflicted with his values, prioritizing brand alignment over potential revenue. His approach combines scripted planning with improvised filming sessions featuring longtime collaborators.
Jordan Schwarzenberger, manager of YouTube collective The Sidemen and co-founder of Arcade Media, predicted the influencer marketing bubble would burst during remarks at the Wales Screen Summit 2025. The Sidemen group has 244 million cross-platform subscribers.
Schwarzenberger, who appears on Forbes 30 Under 30 and serves on Downing Street's SME Council, said brands were becoming their own content producers rather than relying on influencer partnerships. He noted that audiences now skip branded content, making the current influencer model unsustainable.
The executive said traditional television producers could compete effectively on YouTube and TikTok by adapting their formats for digital platforms. He cited Amelia Dimoldenberg's "Chicken Shop Dates" as an example, noting episodes cost only two to three thousand pounds to produce compared to larger traditional development budgets.
Schwarzenberger dismissed expectations that Generation Z would eventually adopt scheduled television viewing habits, stating this demographic had grown up with mobile content consumption and would not transition to traditional formats.
Rachel Tokar, a former LinkedIn account manager from Michigan, transitioned to full-time content creation after leaving her corporate role three months ago. The comedy creator built audiences of 75,000 followers on Instagram and 22,500 on TikTok by producing character-driven sketches parodying dating culture and corporate life.
Tokar gained 50,000 followers in a short period after her breakthrough video "Finance Bro is on His Dream Date" reached millions of views. She developed recurring characters including aspiring DJs, tech bros, and dating archetypes. Her content strategy involves daily posting, collaboration with other creators, and repeating successful formats with variations.
The creator established production partnerships with fellow content makers and uses CapCut for editing with 24-hour turnaround times. She is represented by The Gold Studios and is forming an LLC to manage brand partnerships and media work. Tokar is developing a feature-length comedy screenplay and considering expansion into TV and movie production, viewing her current social media success as a foundation for broader entertainment industry involvement.
Becca Bloom, a Silicon Valley heiress dubbed the "queen of RichTok," has amassed 4.6 million TikTok followers and 2.6 million Instagram followers since joining earlier this year by showcasing extreme wealth displays. The 27-year-old daughter of Camelot Information Systems co-founders built her own entrepreneurial track record, selling a tutoring platform for 200,000 dollars while still in high school.
Her viral content features Hermès shopping hauls, caviar breakfasts, and luxury unboxings, distinguishing herself by working 80-hour weeks in financial technology rather than relying solely on family wealth. Bloom recently married Google software engineer David Pownall in an extravagant Lake Como ceremony at Villa Balbiano, wearing custom Oscar de la Renta and Van Cleef jewelry pieces starting at 400,000 dollars.
The multiday celebration featured 60 guests, truffle pasta, and rainbow smoke during their first kiss. Her jewelry collection exceeds 240,000 dollars for everyday wear, with bridal pieces surpassing one million dollars. A traditional Asian wedding is planned for even larger scale.
YouTube creator MrBeast warned about AI video technology threatening creator livelihoods in an October 5 post on X, stating "scary times" as AI advances rapidly. His comments followed recent AI video tool launches from several tech companies.
OpenAI launched Sora 2, enabling users to insert themselves into videos using text prompts. YouTube introduced tools allowing podcasters to generate short videos from transcripts. Meta released "Vibes," a dedicated feed for AI-generated videos within its Meta AI app that allows users to create videos from scratch and share across Instagram and Facebook.
Research from Wondercraft found over 80% of content creators now use AI tools, with nearly 40% incorporating them throughout their entire workflow. However, brand openness to AI influencers decreased by approximately 30% between late 2024 and early 2025, according to Collabstr data, suggesting trust remains critical for human creators despite technological advances in the creator economy space.
Former Pinterest and Walmart communications executive Meredith Klein launched "Meredith & The Media," a Substack newsletter in May 2025 that reached 55,000 monthly readers. The publication features weekly journalist interviews and media trend analysis targeting PR professionals and media subscribers from The New York Times, Fortune, and brands including Airbnb and PepsiCo.
Klein built multiple revenue streams from the platform. Paid subscriptions at $8 monthly or $80 annually generated $10,000 to date. She secured sponsored content deals with agencies like Notably PR, which paid for four weekly articles in August. The newsletter opened consulting and speaking opportunities with major brands seeking media strategy guidance.
Klein leveraged the publication to obtain press credentials for Forbes Power Women's Summit, Fast Company Innovation Festival, and Advertising Week New York. She partnered with fashion retailer SHEIN for event clothing sponsorships. The venture addresses gaps created by newsroom contractions and journalists' migration to independent platforms, providing guidance for evolving PR-media relationships.
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Industry News
Syracuse University launched the nation's first academic center dedicated to creator economy education in October 2025. The Center for the Creator Economy operates as a joint venture between the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
The center offers undergraduate and graduate courses covering creative content, audience engagement, and digital strategy. Programming includes workshops on personal branding and influencer law, speaker series, on-campus incubators with mentorship and funding, and research initiatives focused on creator economy trends.
Goldman Sachs projected the creator economy will reach nearly $500 billion by 2027, with the global creator community expanding 10-20% annually. Roughly half of U.S. teenagers currently generate income through digital channels. The university will conduct a national search for an executive director, supported by faculty co-directors. Two advisory bodies will guide operations: a Student Engagement Council and an Industry Advisory Council comprising creators, media executives, brand managers, and investors.
OpenAI launched a social video app powered by its generative AI video tool Sora on September 30, 2025. The app can generate AI videos featuring copyrighted material unless rights holders explicitly opt out of the system.
The opt-out feature positions OpenAI to test copyright law boundaries as it enters the short-form video market. This approach differs from traditional licensing agreements that platforms typically negotiate with content creators and media companies before using their material.
The launch puts OpenAI in direct competition with established social video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. OpenAI's strategy suggests the company believes AI-generated content can compete with human-created videos for user attention and engagement in the social media space.
People Inc. acquired food publisher Feedfeed in October 2025, marking the first acquisition since Dotdash Meredith rebranded to People Inc. in July. Feedfeed operates a creator network with 7 million social media followers and approximately 1,000 influencer partners. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition differs from People Inc.'s previous integration strategy. The company plans to leverage Feedfeed's influencer network model across beauty, style, travel, home, and entertainment categories rather than simply integrating the publisher into its existing monetization system. Feedfeed will retain its branding and all employees will join People Inc.'s food and drink vertical.
The move comes as creator-driven content dominates digital food publishing. Pixability research showed food and beverage content generated 457 billion YouTube views in Q1 2025, with 32% year-over-year growth. The category ranks fourth-largest on YouTube, with 99% of top channels being creator-driven versus brand or publisher content. People Inc. now accounts for over 70% of parent company IAC's revenue.
Journey Further, a Leeds-based agency, acquired Glasgow influencer marketing firm Saulderson Media on October 6, 2025. The acquisition aimed to scale Journey Further's global influencer offerings following two years of growth in its influencer and social teams.
Saulderson Media will continue operating under its current name as a Journey Further company. Founder Suhit Amin will maintain leadership and join Journey Further's Senior Leadership Team.
Saulderson Media operates a database of 47 million influencers, specializing in technology and gaming sectors. The agency works with clients including Acer and Ubisoft, executing approximately 400 campaigns annually and producing more than 3,500 pieces of content. Amin founded the company in 2018 at age 17 while undergoing cancer treatment.
The acquisition supports Saulderson Media's expansion plans, which included geographic growth into Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, plus development of proprietary influencer marketing technology.
Steven Bartlett, Ex-MrBeast Engineer Launch Flightcast Platform As Video Podcast Market Consolidates
Steven Bartlett, creator of "The Diary Of A CEO" podcast, and Roxcodes, a former MrBeast engineer, launched Flightcast in October 2025, a platform that streamlines video podcast distribution and analytics. The all-in-one platform consolidates distribution, analytics, and growth tools for video podcasters across YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Flightcast entered a market where YouTube holds approximately 40% market share of monthly podcast listeners in 2025, according to Sounds Profitable research. The platform offers unified upload flow, consolidated analytics dashboards, and AI-powered video clip generation that automatically creates clips from episodes and tests them before publishing winners to main channels.
Market data showed the percentage of consumers expecting podcasts to be audio-only dropped to 21% in 2025 from 26% in 2024. Average weekly podcast consumption increased to 6.3 hours in 2025 from 6.0 hours in 2024, with 44% of listeners reporting increased consumption compared to the previous year.
TikTok regained its operating license in Indonesia on October 7 after providing government-requested user data from August 25-30, a period marked by deadly protests that resulted in ten fatalities. Indonesia's Communications Ministry had suspended TikTok's electronic system provider registration on October 3 when the platform initially refused to share live streaming activity data.
TikTok submitted data related to traffic escalation and monetization activity during the protest period. Indonesian officials stated they needed the information to trace accounts linked to online gambling that allegedly monetized TikTok's live streaming feature during the unrest.
The platform had voluntarily suspended its live streaming capacity on August 30 when tensions peaked, resuming days later. Despite the license suspension, TikTok remained accessible to Indonesian users throughout the dispute.
Indonesia operates 12 million content creators producing 500,000 to one million pieces monthly, making it Southeast Asia's leading content producer according to GroupM-GOAT Indonesia. The incident highlights regulatory pressures facing global platforms in Indonesia, where over half of 270 million residents are under 40 and active on social media.
FT Strategies and WAN-IFRA, backed by the Google News Initiative, published a study in October 2025 that categorized news creators into three roles and established financial benchmarks for creator sustainability. The research interviewed more than 15 creators and 25 advisory board experts.
The study classified creators as Investigators who conduct original reporting, Explainers who synthesize existing content, and Commentators who add interpretation to factual material. It recommended tagging creators by topic, geography, sourcing method, and commentary level to help marketers and platforms identify partnerships.
The report established credibility guidelines based on Accuracy, Integrity, and Transparency principles. It developed a diagnostic tool with 30-plus questions across four dimensions: Financial Resilience, Product & Audience, Monetization, and Foundations. The framework aimed to help creators move toward predictable revenue models while providing signals to funders about operational readiness.
The study documented creators' dependence on unpredictable platform algorithms and highlighted burnout as creators handle editorial, commercial, and administrative responsibilities without institutional support.
YouTube launched its "Activation Partners" program on October 7, 2025, connecting advertisers with certified third-party advertising specialists. The program features four initial partners: Channel Factory, MiQ Digital, Pixability, and Zefr, each specializing in different aspects of YouTube advertising optimization including AI-powered contextual targeting and data-driven audience segmentation.
Companies seeking certification must undergo a Google review process and meet specific requirements. These include operating independently from Media Agency HoldCos, maintaining substantial managed YouTube advertising spend, employing dedicated sales and account management teams, and having engineering resources for Google product integrations.
Partners must also demonstrate strong customer demand for Google services, comply with all platform policies, and ensure team members complete Google Ads Video certification. YouTube positioned the program as helping advertisers navigate the platform more effectively, citing its status as the number-one streaming platform in the United States for over two years according to Nielsen's Gauge report.
Bailey Sarian, true crime and beauty creator, signed with UTA for representation in all areas on October 7. Sarian hosts the "Murder, Mystery & Makeup" podcast and maintains approximately 8 million YouTube subscribers and 6 million combined followers across Instagram and TikTok. Her content format combines true crime storytelling with beauty tutorials, launched in 2019.
UTA will represent Sarian for television, film, live events, and other media platforms through their Creator practice division. She joins other digital personalities at UTA including Alix Earle, Kai Cenat, and Charli D'Amelio. Sarian appeared on Forbes' Top Creators List in 2022 and 2024, won the 2025 Webby Award for her "Dark History" podcast, and received two YouTube Streamy Awards.
Sarian continues working with Underscore Talent, which signed her earlier in 2025 to develop premium content initiatives and product lines including a podcast network. She was previously represented by WME before moving to UTA.
Paramount acquired The Free Press for approximately $150 million and named founder Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss launched The Free Press in 2021 after leaving The New York Times and built it into a subscriber-funded publication with 1.5 million subscribers, including 175,000 paying members. The outlet will continue operating independently under the agreement.
The acquisition reflects declining trust in traditional media, with 57% of US adults citing misinformation as the top factor eroding media confidence, according to HarrisX data. Less than 30% of Americans trust media to report news accurately, per Gallup research.
Substack's US traffic doubled between May 2024 and May 2025, reaching 13.9 million monthly visitors, demonstrating audience appetite for personality-driven journalism. Younger audiences trust AI-generated news at 47% compared to 67% for traditional outlets. Paramount positioned the deal as targeting audiences fatigued by polarization and institutional bias, betting that Weiss's direct-to-reader approach can restore credibility to CBS News.
Talent management agency A-List Me doubled its workforce from 8 to 16 employees and expanded its creator roster from 200 to nearly 400 in the past ten months while increasing revenue by 50%, according to CEO David Gosselin. The Westerly, Rhode Island-based company, founded in 2016, represents content creators primarily on U.S. platforms and handles brand partnership negotiations, campaign logistics, and payment processing.
Gosselin, a former mechanical engineer who worked at General Dynamics Electric Boat building nuclear submarines, established A-List Me after witnessing exploitation in the entertainment industry. The agency differentiates itself by offering non-exclusive partnerships to new creators before signing them exclusively, allowing talent to evaluate the company's performance without risk.
The company grew from Gosselin's experience launching a matcha tea company in 2015, where he first encountered influencer marketing, combined with his wife Olivia's struggles finding ethical representation as a musician and influencer. A-List Me focuses on matching creators with brands they already use naturally rather than relying solely on follower counts or engagement metrics.
Snapchat announced in September it would charge users for storing more than five gigabytes of previously shared images and videos in its Memories feature. The company, which previously offered unlimited storage for free, said only a small number of users would be affected by the change.
Users responded with one-star reviews on app stores and social media criticism calling the move "corporate greed" and a "memory tax." An online petition emerged protesting the fees, while TikTok users posted videos about plans to delete the app or download their data before charges take effect.
Snapchat has not disclosed UK pricing for storage plans, describing the rollout as "gradual" and global. The company compared its paid storage model to existing services from Apple and Google. As an alternative, users can download their Memories data, which some users said spans tens of gigabytes accumulated over years of use. Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that hosting data requires covering costs for storage, bandwidth, and encryption infrastructure.
YouTube removed hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos with more than 16 million views following a Reuters investigation and celebrity lawsuit. The platform confirmed the creator of channel "AI Bollywood Ishq" deleted 259 videos, including sexually explicit content, after appearing in the Reuters report.
Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan filed lawsuits in New Delhi seeking removal of AI-generated videos that infringe their intellectual property rights. The couple sought approximately $450,000 in damages from Google and challenged YouTube's AI training policy.
This follows YouTube's March demonetization of AI movie trailer channels Screen Culture and KH Studio after a Deadline investigation revealed misleading practices. YouTube stated it prohibits harmful misinformation and removes technically manipulated content that misleads users. India represents YouTube's largest market with 600 million monthly active users, making Bollywood content particularly valuable for the platform.
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Brand partnerships with AI influencers dropped 30% in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to transaction data from influencer marketing platform Collabstr. The decline stemmed from both consumer backlash against AI-generated content and poor performance metrics compared to human creators.
Collabstr cofounder Kyle Dulay said AI content has not reached engagement levels that real humans achieve. Several brands faced criticism for AI campaigns, including fashion brand Guess for using an AI model in a Vogue advertisement, while beauty brand Dove eliminated AI models entirely from its marketing.
Despite cooling interest in AI influencers, 79% of marketers said they increased investment in AI-generated creator content this year, according to a Billion Dollar Boy survey of 1,000 senior marketers. Companies explored using AI for content modification rather than full replacement, with firms like Obviously planning tests with technology from Mirage, formerly Captions, to help modify existing influencer content.
China launched a two-month campaign targeting social media content expressing economic pessimism, suspending accounts of bloggers and influencers who questioned traditional life paths or criticized quality of life issues. The Cyberspace Administration ordered platforms to purge posts inciting "excessively pessimistic sentiment" or promoting ideas like "hard work is useless." Victims include advocates of "lying flat" lifestyles, influencers advising against marriage and children, and commentators highlighting class divides, some with tens of millions of followers.
Weibo suspended over 1,200 accounts for spreading economic "rumors" while local governments investigated users for unflattering city portrayals. The crackdown targets genuine frustration amid economic uncertainty, youth unemployment reaching record levels with 12.2 million new graduates entering a struggling job market, and stagnant wages. Officials worry malaise could fuel Communist Party criticism. The campaign demonstrates leadership anxiety about spreading disenchantment as government confidence-building measures show limited effectiveness.
A Washington Post investigation analyzing data from over 800 TikTok users reveals the platform's algorithm drives compulsive usage patterns that rapidly escalate engagement. The study found average weekly usage exceeded seven hours in early 2024, with some users reaching ten hours daily. TikTok's "For You" feed serves 90 percent algorithmically-selected content rather than followed creators, incentivizing fast swiping through highly varied short videos. After watching approximately 260 videos—roughly 35 minutes—users begin forming daily habits with longer, more frequent sessions.
Casual users' daily engagement can double from 30 to 70 minutes within months, while power users average over four hours daily by late 2024. Many users described addiction-like relationships with the app, finding it difficult to stop scrolling. Experts noted short-video consumption diminishes self-control and replaces meaningful social interactions. The platform's design effectively blurs boundaries between casual and heavy users, creating widespread deep engagement that users frequently underestimate, raising concerns about TikTok's psychological impact on digital consumption habits.
MrBeast received a $15 million grant from North Carolina, representing about half of the state's film and entertainment budget, to film his Amazon Prime Video show "Beast Games" in the Greenville area. The YouTube creator, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, operates his production headquarters in Greenville, North Carolina, a college town of 90,000 residents.
MrBeast employs roughly 450 people across his operations, with about 300 staff working in Greenville. Most YouTube creative staff, including producers, are expected to relocate to North Carolina, while his Feastables chocolate bar team works in Chicago. The company implements a 90-day "vibe check" period for new hires, providing temporary housing and rental cars before full-time employment offers.
Former employees said the social scene revolves around workplace relationships, with staff frequenting local college bars and restaurants. East Carolina University partnered with MrBeast in 2022 to establish a content creator curriculum, further cementing his presence in the community.