Ciao Creators!
Ah, my last Creator Toolkit newsletter before I head home to the motherland π¦πΊ
Travelling is a bit of a mixed bag.
I guess thatβs why we travel: to get away from the rat race of life and spice it up in other ways, like getting pickpocketed or touching a stone thatβs 2000 years old.
No, I loved it!
Iβll be recapping my two months of travelling across the U.S., U.K. and bits of Italy next week, but for now, I want to draw your attention to a pivotal event that occurred at the White House this week.
Creators from all walks of life (US-based, of course) were invited to Bidenβs crib in what appeared to be an attempt to court those with a captive digital audience.
Of course, as an Aussie, I wasnβt invited to the event, but reading from those who did attend, Iβd like to share my understanding and what is relevant to you on a macro level.
Hereβs what you can expect in todayβs newsletter:
Keep up to date with whatβs happening in Quick Fire!
The White House isΒ recognising creators.
Social media Updates for this week
Check out my READ, LISTEN + WATCH recommendations for this week
π«by Jess Smalley
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"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." β Marcus Aurelius
CREATOR NEWS
π§¨QUICK FIRE
Meta and Universal Music Group are refreshing their contracts and expanding usage rights to Threads and WhatsApp.
Meta is getting rid of CrowdTangle, a tool journalists, academics, and politicians use to source truth online. As The US approaches an election, more than 50,000 people have signed a petition to Meta to retract its decision.
Is TikTok concerned itβs no longer growing? TikTok incentivises YouTube and Instagram users with $300 to jump over to their platform.
Kids in the U.S. say YouTube is the coolest brand in 2024, leapfrogging Netflix.
Productivity YouTuberΒ Ali AbdaalΒ launched a writing productivity app called Voicepal. The app has seen early success in beta, with a 96% retention rate and a $9,000 revenue prior to launch.
TOP STORY

Credit: White House
Creators in the U.S. received a nice, credible nod from none other than The White House this week.
Around 100 creators with a combined audience reach of over 110 million were invited to the countryβs capital to discuss the things that you and I are often concerned about, including AI, fair pay and transparency, data privacy, and mental health.
Those who attended the 6-hour event included creators, industry leaders, newsletter writers, talent managers, agents, entrepreneurs and markeV.P.sg VPs. Interestingly, representatives from major social media platforms were not in attendance.
A few names I recognised were Jon Youshaei (creator educator) and Hannah Williams from Salary Transparent Street.
And where were the journalists, you may ask?
Well, a small group was present for the first few sessions but then ushered upstairs to the balcony area of the room. Initially, there were cheers and comments when this happened. Journalists are clearly not part of this conversation.
Meanwhile, of course, the backdrop to all of this was the drama of the US election and the looming legislation to sell or ban TikTok.
Speaking of Biden, guess who dropped by to make a sneaky guest appearance?
Apparently, Biden was expected to speak for five minutes, but he stretched it out to 30 minutes and joked that he is on the hunt for a job. (I wonder if he stole that from all the memes flying around during the week of his announcement not to run for president again.)
As a slight side note, Iβve found it a bit sad to watch the public decline of an aging man, but this quote from Biden on the day is reminiscent of what got him to this position in the first place,
βI talk about these inflection points in history, how history gets changed by mostly technology, and it changes it drastically. Think about it β¦ Itβs staggeringβ¦ youβre changing not only what people listen to and what they put their faith in, but what theyβre doing.β
My takeaway:
From what Iβve read, the Creator Conference hosted by the White House seems to be a significant nod to creators.
For an industry often overlooked and misunderstood by regulators and policymakers, you would think the administration finally recognises creators as an essential voice.
I mean, you have to; otherwise, the opposition will take advantage of your blind spot. Just last week, former President Donald Trump was seen alongside live streamer Adin Ross, racking up 2.4 million views to date.
But like most conferences of this nature, what was missing were hard conversations about the multiple elephants in the room: TikTok legislation,
Because letβs face it, creators are certainly a friendlier option for politicians than the mean traditional media.
Iβm okay with that for nowβ¦baby steps, I guess π€·ββοΈ.
SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES
Meta
Meta now lets you add up to 10 Facebook and Instagram accounts in Business Suite.
now enables you to hide the share count on Reels.
added a new shortcut to access a full-screen mode, save a Real, or create a cutout sticker from a Reel.
Threads
announces new features, including post insights, the ability to save multiple drafts to Threads on desktop and soon the option to schedule posts.
TikTok
is adding group chats and custom stickers to DMs.
now labels which comment was the βFirst commentβ on a video.
can now buy plane tickets on TikU.S.k (D.M.s.
DMs can now be deleted within 3 minutes of sending them.
Youtube
is making ad breaks longer but less frequent.
has added a new βVideos for youβ feed carousel.
now lets Premium subscribers give free trials to friends.
THE DIG
READ:Β How does Facebook stay relevant with Gen Z? Well, Facebook Marketplace is where itβs at.
LISTEN: Shameless, ugh, theyβve done it again with a beautiful breakdown of a pop cultural moment that is on everyoneβs social feedsβthe It Ends With Us movie drama.
Zara and Michelle unpack what is happening behind the scenes of what is supposed to be a blockbuster hitβexcept the movP.R.βs PR is overshadowing it, and itβs a bit of a mess.
WATCH: Bit of a rogue one, but Iβm sharing Kylie Jennerβs interview for British Vogue. Personally, I find this interesting as the Kardashian/Jenner empire is in a funny place at the moment, and this interview acts a bit like a band-aid for this moment.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider sharing it with someone else who might also enjoy it.
Have a great week π
