Content Creation
Industry News — content creators, the Creator Economy, and technology.
Gap Unveils Hollywood Ambitions, Hiring First Chief Entertainment Officer
Former Paramount exec Pam Kaufman will lead the retailer’s push into entertainment
Gap is making a big push into original entertainment, hiring Pam Kaufman as executive vice president, chief entertainment officer, a newly created role.
Kaufman, a former Paramount executive, will be tasked with building the retail company’s “Fashiontainment” platform, which spans entertainment, content, and licensing across music, television, film, sports, gaming, consumer products, and cultural collaborations.
She will start on Feb. 2 and report to Gap Inc. president and CEO Richard Dickson.
Read more here
Sony Electronics Launches Alpha 7 V and FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II
Advanced AI Subject Recognition and Unmatched Autofocus Capabilities Deliver a Dramatic Evolution for Stills and Video
Sony Electronics introduces the Alpha 7 V (ILCE-7M5), the highly anticipated fifth generation in the popular Alpha 7 Full-frame mirrorless line-up, powered by the newly developed partially stacked Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor with approximately 33.0 effective megapixels. The new image processing engine BIONZ XR2™1 incorporates the AI processing unit functions of the latest AlphaTM series. Through these innovations, the Alpha 7 V delivers a significant performance boost across every aspect of imaging, from Real-time Recognition2 AF (Auto-Focus) to Real-time Tracking3, speed, stable color accuracy, still capture, and video versatility.
Read more here
Netflix Bets on Video Podcasts to Capture Even More of Your Free Time
After years insisting it wasn’t interested in the creator economy, Netflix is diving into video podcasts with both original and acquired content
The battle between Netflix and YouTube for eyeballs can best be described as a Cold War of sorts. Each streaming giant — the two largest in the entertainment ecosystem by far — have taken gentle shots at one another in the press, insisting it’s not too worried about the other in the competition for consumers’ attention.
Read more here
Cinematographer and Camera Assistant Nick Eagleston Shoots Social Media-Ready Spots with AJA ROI-SDI
Commercial production approaches are evolving in tandem with the continued growth of the creator economy. This is especially true as more brands opt to distribute video ads on social platforms, in addition to traditional broadcast and OTT services. With social media sites favoring vertical video, many production crews are adapting quickly by updating their pipelines to support simultaneous monitoring and recording of horizontal and vertical video on set. Nick Eagleston is a freelance cinematographer and camera assistant rethinking his workflow to align with the shift.
Explore the tech here
Top Creators’ Shows Find Second Life Off YouTube
Tubi and Roku are increasingly picking up creators’ already shot videos to repackage them on the FAST platforms.
Creators are taking over yet another screen.
Free ad-supported services such as Tubi and Roku have been striking partnerships with top creators including MrBeast, Steven He and Alan Chikin Chow to feature their videos on their platform. The streamers view the move as increasing engagement on the platforms and building fruitful relationships with next-gen talent, while creators see a chance to get greater reach for their content, and to bring in easy money, as they’re repurposing already produced videos.
“Our point of view is that creators are the new media startups,” said Rich Bloom, evp of Tubi for Creators. “They own their own IP, they have distribution, they have these built in fandoms.” Read more here
For Today’s Young Creators, Chaos Reigns
Polished and perfect are out, and candid and messy are in. At least that’s what it appears consumers on social media are drawn to when connecting with creators in 2025.
Some influencers are pivoting away from meticulously curated profile pages, which peaked in the mid-2010s on Instagram. With TikTok‘s rise, spontaneous, quick-edited videos are proving more popular — not just because they stand out as islands of genuine humanity in a sea of glossy luxury and AI slop, but also because they align better with platforms’ current algorithms.
Read more here
Syracuse University Launches Nation’s First Academic Center for the Creator Economy
The new center will offer courses, research and industry partnerships to prepare students for careers in digital content and entrepreneurship.
Syracuse University today announced the launch of its new Center for the Creator Economy, the first academic center of its kind on a U.S. college campus. A joint venture between the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the center will position the University at the forefront of research, education and thought leadership within the rapidly expanding creator-driven economic landscape.
“The creator economy represents one of the most significant cultural and commercial transformations of our time,” says Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School. “With this bold new center, Syracuse is seizing the opportunity to lead—not follow—in preparing students to thrive at the intersection of creativity, commerce and digital innovation.”
Read more here
CNN Tests the Waters With a Creator-Driven Concept
CNN is planting its own flag in the ever-growing creators economy.
The network’s international division revealed a new initiative on Thursday to create a unit, titled CNN Creators, based out of its newly launched Middle East hub in Media City Qatar, Doha as well as a 30-minute weekly show bowing on Oct. 23 with that same branding.
CNN international exec Meara Erdozain stated that the show “is unlike any show we have ever launched” and “will reflect how our younger audiences are engaging with stories and will deliver compelling, entertaining content in a multitude of ways. It will focus on news-adjacent topics and stories that feel real, relevant, and relatable.”
Read more here
‘You Can Make a Living:’ Honda Accord Driver Says He Makes $3500 a Month From Car Content. Then He Reveals How
A TikTok content creator is proving that you don’t need a supercar to make serious money from automotive content. His revelation about earning thousands monthly from videos featuring his everyday Honda Accord has sparked a conversation about accessible income opportunities in the car community, though industry data shows that only 13% of content creators earn over $100,000 annually.
Read the article here
NWA streamer first solo content creator to fully sponsor NASCAR Cup car
Rexzilla, a Har-Ber High School graduate with strong Northwest Arkansas family ties, has 124k followers on Facebook and 21.7k followers on the streaming platform Kick. He initially gained attention with Call of Duty montages.
Rezxilla is the first digital creator to sponsor a NASCAR Cup series car. Other content creators like the comedy group SuperMega have done so in the Xfinity Series, according to Toby Christie’s Michael Carey. Logan Paul and KSI previously sponsored Timmy Hill in the Xfinity Series through Prime Hydration in 2022.
Read more here
MrBeast filed a trademark for a financial services company (and a bunch of other stuff)
In recent months, Donaldson has filed trademark applications for several phrases, including “MrBeast Financial.” According to the filing, the proposed venture would consist of “downloadable software in the nature of a mobile application for banking services, short-term cash advances, providing cryptocurrency exchange services, providing investment banking services and investment management services, providing consumer lending services and insurance services, providing financial advisory and consultancy services, providing financial planning services, and providing financial wellness education services.”
Read more here
MrBeast Says AI Videos Create ‘Scary Times’ for ‘Millions of Creators’ on YouTube
MrBeast, the world’s top YouTuber with more than 443 million subscribers, is worried about what will happen to his fellow YouTube creators when it becomes impossible to tell AI-generated videos apart from human-created ones.
In a post on X on Sunday, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said AI videos have created “scary times” for content creators. As AI technology advances, it carries the potential to affect “millions of creators” who depend on YouTube to make a living, he said. Read more here
How Adobe’s New AI Tools Empower Creators In 2025
For decades, Adobe has been at the heart of the creative world. From Photoshop and Illustrator to Premiere Pro, Lightroom, and After Effects, Adobe’s tools have shaped how photographers, designers, filmmakers, and now digital creators bring their ideas to life. Whether it’s editing a YouTube thumbnail, designing a brand campaign, or cutting a cinematic video, Adobe has long been the go-to platform for professional-grade creative software for creators and influencers.
Read more here
