In this episode of Creator Upload, hosts Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen break down the week's biggest news in the creator economy. We give our takes on LinkedIn's new feature to flag inauthentic AI "slop" and explore Disney's groundbreaking partnership with TikTok.

What you’ll learn:

-- How LinkedIn’s new AI detection tools might affect your reach

-- The rules behind the Disney Creator Ambassador program on TikTok

-- Why Hank Green is pausing his YouTube channel over AI concerns

-- The viral Nantucket antique shop that hung a "No Influencers" sign

00:00 Introduction

00:15 LinkedIn's Anti-AI Slop Button

04:07 The Future of LinkedIn Feeds

09:07 Disney and TikTok Creator Partnership

11:08 Disney Creator Ambassador Program Details

13:41 Why Disney Needs TikTok Creators

16:48 Hank Green Pauses YouTube Channel

21:00 Nantucket Shop Bans Influencers

23:28 Outro and Subscribe

Creator 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 break down Arizona State University's new BA in content creation and what it means for the maturity of the industry. They also dive into the massive new streaming partnership offering Peacock for free to YouTube Premium subscribers starting in 2027.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

-- The ins and outs of ASU's new creator degree at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism

-- How traditional media networks like NBC are now partnering directly with YouTube

-- Why HBO Max is introducing a TikTok-style short video feed to its platform

-- The impact of YouTube finally giving creators the ability to choose Shorts thumbnails

Creator 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

Is broad creator fandom changing? In this episode, former VidCon CEO Jim Louderback (Inside the Creator Economy) joins us to break down how niche creator conventions are thriving, why teen fandom is fracturing, and what went down at Open Sauce. Plus, Lauren and Josh analyze record-breaking Q2 earnings from YouTube and Netflix, France’s brand-new social media ban for kids under 15, and YouTube’s official rollout of its new "Shows" feature.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

-- Why fandom is shifting from mega-conventions to hyper-focused communities

-- How YouTube’s $11B+ ad revenue rivals Netflix’s entire business

-- The real impact of international social media age bans on app usage

-- How to use YouTube's new "Shows" feature to format episodic playlists

00:00 Statue of Liberty & World Cup Craze

01:09 World Cup Stars Explode on Social

04:38 Netflix Q2 Earnings: View Hours vs. Quality

11:31 YouTube Ads Hit Record $11 Billion

14:14 Jim Louderback Joins the Show

15:12 What is Open Sauce?

17:18 How Creator Fandom is Changing

20:20 AI, Drones & Tech at Open Sauce

22:41 VidCon Fans vs. Modern Niche Fans

23:53 France Bans Social Media for Under-15s

26:00 Is Australia’s Teen Social Ban Working?

30:35 YouTube Launches New "Shows" Feature

32:38 Instagram History Feature Request

Creator 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

Right now, Netflix is heavily acquiring YouTube creator content, and AI filmmaking is fundamentally changing how stories are told online. Ben Relles (founder of Make Believe and former YouTube exec) joins the Creator Upload podcast to break down these massive industry shifts and what they mean for the future of entertainment.

Living with a Merman: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cv37Yb_9soxgOI4lTqzgu3Yjrm1AWU8K/view?usp=drivesdk

Elder Boy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i6cCZxdS1uvUYeLYIlAE_LF8XQfzuIRg/view?usp=drivesdk

00:00 Intro

00:22 Ben Relles' Creator Economy Background

01:04 The History of Netflix Using YouTube Talent

02:28 Netflix's Massive New Creator Deals (Jay Shetty, Rhett & Link)

06:11 YouTube vs. Netflix: Revenue & Watch Time Battle

09:11 Could YouTube Originals Work Today?

13:31 The Future of Premium Brand Deals on YouTube

16:44 How Creators Are Making Legitimate Movies

20:00 Why AI Filmmaking is the Next Frontier

26:39 What is Make Believe? (Interactive AI Video)

32:49 Outro & Where to Find Ben

Creator 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, Lauren and Josh break down YouTube's push for Emmy validation and whether creators actually need traditional Hollywood awards. Plus, they explore Netflix's new strategy to compete with YouTube by partnering with digital publishers, and Tubefilter's Sam Gutelle joins the show to discuss the massive battle for the upcoming FIFA World Cup broadcast rights.

00:00 Intro & Mariska Hargitay

01:44 Will Creators Ever Win Emmys?

02:31 Subway Takes Gets Nominated

05:47 YouTube's Push for TV Ad Dollars

08:32 The First YouTubers to Win Emmys

10:43 Netflix's Deals with Digital Publishers

12:46 Is Netflix Building an "Anti-YouTube"?

16:15 Netflix vs. YouTube: The Watch Time War

19:31 Sam Gutelle on World Cup Broadcast Rights

22:25 Why YouTube Wants Global Soccer

25:07 Improving the Live Sports Viewer Experience

26:24 Outro

Creator 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

Did you know a creator just broke YouTube's all-time concurrent viewership record?

Today we explore the massive creator economy intersections happening at the 2026 World Cup, including CazéTV's record-shattering live streams. We also cover the latest platform updates, including Instagram's new "Your Algorithm" feature and WhatsApp handles. Finally, Sam Gutelle from Tubefilter joins to discuss the launch of the new Mister Rogers YouTube channel and why his slow-paced, emotional content is the exact opposite of today's typical high-retention tactics.

What you'll learn:

-- How traditional media is partnering with creators for live sports.

-- Why platforms are suddenly giving users more algorithm control.

-- The strategy behind putting Mister Rogers on YouTube Shorts.

Creator 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 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 Heat

02:02 Is Cannes a Corporate Boondoggle?

05:31 The Rise of the Creator Track

08:12 PepsiCo's Creator Strategy Shift

12:26 Tubefilter & Comscore Roundtable

12:58 Creators vs. Influencers vs. Personalities

16:36 YouTube Views vs. Nielsen Ratings

22:31 Facebook Creator Studio Returns

26:48 Hot Ones Spinoff on Netflix

Creator 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 Upload

01:28 Interview: Billy Parks, Head of Fox Creator Studios

02:50 Why Fox is Financing Creator IP

07:58 The First Slate of Partnered Creators

15:05 The Fox Competitive Advantage

18:22 The Business Model: Splitting IP

23:40 Interview: Ed Davidson, Cannes Lions

25:40 Cannes Creator Beach and Secret Suppers

30:05 How Brands are Going Deeper with Creators

38:32 Fox's $22 Billion Proposal to Buy Roku

Creator 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 Clipping

04:36 YouTube Brings Back DMs

07:04 Is YouTube a Social Network?

08:00 How DMs Drive the Algorithm

10:20 TikTok Partners With Sundance

12:38 Hollywood Embraces Vertical Dramas

15:46 Accenture Acquires Whalar Agency

18:38 CAA Launches $250M Creator Fund

19:56 The Social Reckoning Trailer

Creator 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 Introduction

01:10 The Congressional Creators Caucus

07:33 Creator Economy GDP Impact

10:14 Markiplier's Iron Lung Strategy

13:28 Creator Horror Movies Hit Theaters

18:53 Interview: Robert Kaliati

20:07 Inside the Caleb Hammer Empire

24:06 Moving Superfans Off YouTube

28:16 Building a Successful Membership Offer

30:37 Obsessing Over Retention Metrics

32:36 YouTube vs. Uscreen Revenue Splits

34:57 Is KSI Leaving the Sidemen?

36:45 Jay Shetty’s $100M Podcast Deal

38:40 Final Thoughts & Sign-Off

Creator 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