Is YouTube Finally a True Social Network?

In this episode, Josh and Lauren break down the heat, the hype, and the massive industry shifts happening at the 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. We explore how Hollywood views the creator space, why restrictive brand briefs are officially dead, and the new tools creators need to know about.What you’ll learn:-- Why brands like PepsiCo are shifting resources to influencer management and open-ended briefs.-- The critical difference between creators, influencers, and personalities.-- Why comparing YouTube views to Nielsen television ratings is a massive mistake.-- How Facebook’s reimagined Creator Studio is using AI to separate business and creator tools.00:00 Introduction & Cannes Heat02:02 Is Cannes a Corporate Boondoggle?05:31 The Rise of the Creator Track08:12 PepsiCo's Creator Strategy Shift12:26 Tubefilter & Comscore Roundtable12:58 Creators vs. Influencers vs. Personalities16:36 YouTube Views vs. Nielsen Ratings22:31 Facebook Creator Studio Returns26:48 Hot Ones Spinoff on NetflixCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

Lauren and Josh sit down with Billy Parks, EVP and Head of Fox Creator Studios, to discuss their massive new creator partnerships.Then, we head to France with Ed Davidson, Chief Growth Officer at Cannes Lions, to explore how the festival is treating creators as serious business leaders.Plus, a breakdown of Fox's massive $22 billion proposed acquisition of Roku.00:00 Welcome to Creator Upload01:28 Interview: Billy Parks, Head of Fox Creator Studios02:50 Why Fox is Financing Creator IP07:58 The First Slate of Partnered Creators15:05 The Fox Competitive Advantage18:22 The Business Model: Splitting IP23:40 Interview: Ed Davidson, Cannes Lions25:40 Cannes Creator Beach and Secret Suppers30:05 How Brands are Going Deeper with Creators38:32 Fox's $22 Billion Proposal to Buy RokuCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

YouTube is bringing back DMs, and it could completely rewrite how the algorithm pushes your content. Plus, Accenture's massive acquisition of the Whalar influencer agency to CAA's newly formed $250M fund for creator-led businesses, and Hollywood's sudden embrace of TikTok-style short-form series highlighted by a new partnership with the Sundance Institute.00:00 The Power of Video Clipping04:36 YouTube Brings Back DMs07:04 Is YouTube a Social Network?08:00 How DMs Drive the Algorithm10:20 TikTok Partners With Sundance12:38 Hollywood Embraces Vertical Dramas15:46 Accenture Acquires Whalar Agency18:38 CAA Launches $250M Creator Fund19:56 The Social Reckoning TrailerCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

Today, we hear from Robert Kaliati, President of Hammer Media, about the highly successful launch of Hammer Elite on Uscreen. We discuss the mechanics of moving massive audiences off YouTube, the incredible difference in revenue splits (from YouTube's 30% cut to Uscreen's 5-7%), and why user retention is the ultimate metric for creator businesses. Plus, we dive into Lauren's trip to the Congressional Creators Caucus, Markiplier's self-distribution strategy for Iron Lung, and Jay Shetty's massive $100M Spotify and Netflix deal.00:00 Introduction01:10 The Congressional Creators Caucus07:33 Creator Economy GDP Impact10:14 Markiplier's Iron Lung Strategy13:28 Creator Horror Movies Hit Theaters18:53 Interview: Robert Kaliati20:07 Inside the Caleb Hammer Empire24:06 Moving Superfans Off YouTube28:16 Building a Successful Membership Offer30:37 Obsessing Over Retention Metrics32:36 YouTube vs. Uscreen Revenue Splits34:57 Is KSI Leaving the Sidemen?36:45 Jay Shetty’s $100M Podcast Deal38:40 Final Thoughts & Sign-OffCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

Today: Lauren and Josh break down the latest news from Google I/O and what it means for your content. We dive into the history of ContentID, how YouTube is handling deepfakes with its new likeness detection tool, and X's AI-powered push to match creators with brands. Plus, we discuss Tom Brady's move to YouTube and Duolingo's crazy new focus module.00:00 Welcome to Creator Upload01:59 Viacom's massive 2007 YouTube lawsuit03:11 The birth of Content ID06:23 Gemini Omni comes to YouTube Shorts07:33 YouTube's new AI likeness detection13:28 X enters the creator marketplace era14:28 How Creator Connect uses AI16:23 Meta's Threads catching up to X19:27 Duolingo locks you out of apps22:18 Tom Brady's new YouTube trivia show23:54 Why athletes thrive on YouTubeCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

In this episode, Josh gives us an inside look from the David Geffen Theater at Lincoln Center after attending YouTube Brandcast. We discuss how YouTube is packaging creator-led shows for legacy advertisers , new shopping features on connected TVs , and the fighting spirit of YouTube executives taking aim at other platforms.What you'll learn:-- Household name advertisers grew their creator sponsorships by 189% in 2025.-- YouTube is packaging upfront shows for creators like Alex Cooper and Dude Perfect.-- A new ad product allows viewers to buy items in two clicks via Google Pay on connected TVs.-- LTK announced a new creator program for social commerce with Target.00:00 Welcome to Creator Upload00:42 Gospel Stats in the Wall Street Journal04:13 YouTube BrandCast at Lincoln Center07:53 Packaging creator shows for legacy advertisers11:24 New creator shows coming to YouTube15:44 YouTube executives adopt a fighting attitude17:54 Why you can't optimize into desire19:28 Two-click shopping on connected TVs21:01 Target and LTK social commerce partnership22:28 Mental health benefits of leaving Instagram22:45 TikTok Go travel booking programCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

Does Meta's new age verification work? Is Instagram really banning meme accounts?Lauren is joined by ICYMI's Lia Haberman to discuss her takeaways from the Scalable Summit, Meta's new AI teen surveillance, and the truth about the meme account crackdown.Plus, Josh sits down with Sophia Kianni, founder of Climate Cardinals and Phia, to talk about leveraging AI, scaling businesses as a Gen Z founder, and her podcast, The Burnouts.What you’ll learn:-- Inside TikTok's 100M view micro-drama collaboration with Issa Rae. -- What Instagram's "unoriginal content" update actually means for creators.-- How Sophia Kianni raised $40M and built her AI tech stack.-- The top creator economy conferences to attend this year.00:00 Intro & Meet Lia Haberman01:31 Scalable Summit Takeaways03:52 TikTok's 100M View Micro-Drama07:45 The Korean Vegan's Productivity09:53 Meta's Teen Age Verification16:22 Instagram's Meme Account Crackdown19:31 Interview with Sophia Kianni24:04 The Power of AI for Founders26:16 Why Sophia Started "The Burnouts"28:07 A Young Founder's Tech Stack35:54 The Best Creator Conferences41:09 Google Photos' Clueless Closet Update44:15 YouTube's AI Music Generator47:23 Outro & Where to Find LiaCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

Discover how YouTube giant Jesser is transforming his channel into a multi-million dollar holding company. In this episode, Lauren sits down with Zach Miller, President of JesserCo, to break down their strategic reorganization. They dive into diversifying revenue streams, hiring top executives from Adidas, and mitigating key man risk to build an exit-ready business.Also: Josh went to POSSIBLE and shares more about what he learned from YouTube and other creators' keynotes while there.What you’ll learn:-- The steps to transition from Bucketsquad to JesserCo-- How to scale an apparel brand to $10 million in revenue-- When a creator needs to hire a President for administrative tasks-- The strategy behind getting into 150 Dick's Sporting Goods stores 00:00 POSSIBLE Miami & Issa Rae07:34 Zach Miller Interview Starts07:52 Rebranding to JesserCo08:49 New Business Ventures Coming10:54 When to Hire a President13:39 Scaling Bucketsquad Apparel15:01 Solving Creator Key Man Risk20:52 YouTube Media Business Breakdown23:34 Hiring an Adidas Executive27:05 JesserCo's M&A Strategy30:01 YouTube's Market DominanceCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

Today: Markiplier is bypassing traditional Hollywood by building his own indie movie studio directly on YouTube. Plus YouTube's got a new deepfake detection tool for celebrities, Keke Palmer's moving to Twitch, Jesser's major exec move and Fixated's acquisition of Studio71.What you’ll learn:-- Why creators can't just sell individual VOD movies on YouTube without a studio setup.-- How YouTube's "Content ID for likeness" acts as fire insurance for public figures.-- The reasons A-list celebrities are taking control of their own live formats.-- Why major creator brands are reorganizing into holding companies.00:00 The Mario Movie Sequel Disappointment01:13 Markiplier Becomes an Indie Movie Studio04:58 YouTube's Anti-Deepfake Tool for Hollywood10:50 Keke Palmer Launches a Twitch Talk Show14:45 The Return of Live Broadcasting18:41 Jesser Re-orgs and Hires Adidas GM22:06 Fixated Acquires Studio71Creator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand

Are B2B creators the future of the creator economy? We sit down with Alex Josephson, VP of Brandworks at LinkedIn, in the wake of its NewFronts presentation earlier this spring. He shares insights into the Top Voices 360 program and reveals that LinkedIn has tripled creator payouts over the last year.Also today: YouTube's Coachella station initiative, Justin Bieber's cred as a YouTuber, headlines today vs in 2013 (shout out AOL), and YouTube's new Shorts timer.00:00 Welcome to Creator Upload00:20 YouTube Coachella Station Initiative02:33 Justin Bieber's Coachella Performance07:05 Is Bieber a True YouTuber?10:37 Interview: LinkedIn's Alex Josephson11:10 CEOs as Content Creators14:28 The Rise of B2B Creators16:02 LinkedIn NewFronts and Top Voices22:06 Scaling Impact for Brands28:53 Tripling LinkedIn Creator Payouts30:12 Follower Count vs Real Influence33:46 Connected TV Ads on LinkedIn37:02 Hollywood on YouTube vs AOL44:22 YouTube Shorts Timer Update45:47 Wrap UpCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand