{ "nodes": [ { "id": "mrbeast", "name": "MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "greenville_nc", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, holding company founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Jimmy Donaldson uploads his first video in February 2012 at age 13 and spends five years on Let's Plays before I Counted to 100,000 breaks through in January 2017. AdSense pays first; the first brand deal comes in June 2017 when the app Quidd pays $10,000 that he gives away on camera, which becomes the format. Night Media manages him from January 2019. MrBeast Burger launches in November 2020 as a ghost kitchen deal with Virtual Dining Concepts, reaches 2,000 locations and ends in a 2023 lawsuit. Feastables, the first product he fully owns, launches chocolate in January 2022 and sits in Walmart and 7 Eleven. Beast Industries raises $45 million in 2022, $105 million in 2024 and a reported $500 million in January 2026 at $5 billion. Beast Games season two airs from January 2026 and he passes 500 million subscribers in June 2026, all run from Greenville, North Carolina.", "people": "Jimmy Donaldson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://forgeglobal.com/beast-industries_ipo/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Games_season_2", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.37, 35.61 ], "cityId": "greenville_nc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "logan_paul", "name": "Logan Paul", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "puerto_rico", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Creator, WWE wrestler, beverage co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Logan Paul starts on Vine in 2013 from Ohio, has 3.1 million followers by February 2014, and moves to Los Angeles that year. He registers Logan Paul Vlogs in August 2015 and launches Maverick Apparel in 2017 as his first owned product. The December 2017 Aokigahara video gets him removed from Google Preferred in February 2018, which pushes him toward podcasting with Impaulsive from November 2018 and boxing against KSI in 2018 and 2019. Prime Hydration, co founded with KSI in January 2022, reaches a reported $1.2 billion in first year sales before falling 42 percent year over year by 2025. CryptoZoo, launched in September 2021, never ships and ends in refunds and litigation, with the investor suit dismissed in October 2025. He joins WWE in 2022 and holds a tag team title in March 2026. He lives in Puerto Rico.", "people": "Logan Paul", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/07/22/prime-hydration-sales-decline-year-over-year-creator-product/ | https://www.wrestlinginc.com/2020692/wwe-logan-paul-cryptocurrency-lawsuit-update/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "puerto_rico", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ksi", "name": "KSI (Olajide Olatunji)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Creator, musician, boxer, beverage co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "KSI registers his channel in July 2009 and posts FIFA commentary from his bedroom in Watford, England, reaching a million subscribers in 2012 and dropping out of sixth form once AdSense pays monthly. He joins the Sidemen in October 2013 while signed to Polaris, the Maker Studios gaming network, and Forbes ranks him the fifth highest paid YouTuber in 2015. Music follows from 2015 and boxing from 2018, with the professional win over Logan Paul in November 2019 setting up their joint company. Prime Hydration launches in January 2022, Misfits Boxing runs with Wasserman, XIX Vodka launches with the Sidemen in October 2022 and Lunchly with MrBeast and Paul in September 2024. He leaves the Sidemen on May 31, 2026 citing time, judges Britain's Got Talent from February 2026 and buys into Dagenham and Redbridge FC in March 2026.", "people": "Olajide Olatunji", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI | https://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahabraham/2026/05/31/ksi-is-leaving-the-sidemen-heres-everything-you-need-to-know/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jake_paul", "name": "Jake Paul", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "puerto_rico", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Creator, boxer, promoter, betting co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Jake Paul starts on Vine in September 2013 and reaches 5.3 million followers before launching YouTube in May 2014. Disney casts him in Bizaardvark in 2016 and fires him in July 2017 after neighbour complaints at the Team 10 house. On his 20th birthday, January 17, 2017, he raises $1 million for TeamDom, the company behind Team 10, and It's Everyday Bro goes platinum that May. Boxing begins with the August 2018 Deji fight and turns professional in January 2020. He co founds Most Valuable Promotions with Nakisa Bidarian in 2021 and Betr with a $50 million Series A in August 2022, launches the W personal care line at Walmart in June 2024, and the Tyson fight on Netflix in November 2024 draws a reported 65 million concurrent viewers. Anthony Joshua knocks him out in December 2025. He operates from Puerto Rico.", "people": "Jake Paul", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Valuable_Promotions | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sports-betting-entrepreneur-joey-levy-and-media-mogul-jake-paul-announce-creation-of-micro-betting-and-media-company-betr-with-50m-series-a-301601541.html | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/betr-adds-15-million-in-strategic-equity-financing-to-further-accelerate-its-sports-gaming-and-media-businesses-302081356.html | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260618551048/en/Anti-Fund-Closes-Oversubscribed-$100-Million-Growth-Fund-Firm-AUM-Tops-$180-Million | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-w-raises-14-million-in-seed-and-series-a-funding-led-by-shrug-capital-and-anti-fund-to-reinvigorate-mens-personal-care-aisle-302203008.html | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-06/jake-paul-s-betr-sportsbook-startup-raises-funds-at-375-million-valuation | http://about.netflix.com/en/news/33-million-global-viewers-on-netflix-watched-jake-paul-vs-anthony-joshua", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "puerto_rico", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "charli_damelio", "name": "Charli D'Amelio", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator, dancer, Broadway performer", "status": "Active", "note": "Charli D'Amelio posts dance videos to TikTok from Norwalk, Connecticut in summer 2019, joins the Hype House in December 2019 and signs with UTA in January 2020, within roughly six months of her first upload. A Sabra Super Bowl commercial in February 2020 and a Dunkin' signature drink in September 2020 are the first major brand deals, and she becomes the most followed person on TikTok in March 2020. She and Dixie leave the Hype House in May 2020, move the family to Los Angeles and build D'Amelio Brands, which launches D'Amelio Footwear in 2023. The Hulu series runs 2021 to 2023 and she wins Dancing with the Stars in 2022. She makes her Broadway debut in & Juliet in October 2024 and extends the run through September 2025, and by 2026 her work is stage and screen rather than TikTok.", "people": "Charli D'Amelio", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D'Amelio | https://playbill.com/article/charli-damelio-again-extends-run-in-broadways-juliet | https://wwd.com/footwear-news/shoe-industry-news/charli-dixie-damelio-footwear-brand-tiktok-1237702480/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dixie_damelio", "name": "Dixie D'Amelio", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator, singer, snack brand founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Dixie D'Amelio follows her sister onto TikTok in 2019, signs with UTA in January 2020 and releases the single Be Happy in June 2020, which leads to a HitCo record deal with L.A. Reid that August. Forbes puts her earnings at $2.9 million for the year. The Hulu series runs 2021 to 2023. D'Amelio Brands raises $6 million in September 2022, and Be Happy Snacks popcorn, named for her song, launches under D'Amelio Foods at Walmart in October 2023 at $3.98 a bag. She signs with WME and IMG Models in September 2024 and attends the Balenciaga show in October 2025, shifting toward fashion.", "people": "Dixie D'Amelio", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_D%27Amelio | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/damelio-foods-introduces-be-happy-snacks-popcorn-301968173.html | https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/06/the-damelios-tiktoks-first-family-launch-new-creator-economy-venture-.html | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/dixie-damelio-signs-wme-img-models-1236142585/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "addison_rae", "name": "Addison Rae", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator turned pop musician", "status": "Active", "note": "Addison Rae joins TikTok in July 2019, passes a million followers within months, leaves Louisiana State University in November 2019, briefly joins the Hype House in December 2019 and signs with WME in January 2020. Item Beauty, co founded with Madeby Collective, launches in August 2020 as her first owned product and later winds down. Netflix's He's All That in 2021 is the most streamed film of its release week. Music takes over: Columbia Records signs her in August 2024, Diet Pepsi goes platinum, the album Addison debuts at number four in June 2025 and she is nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys.", "people": "Addison Rae Easterling", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison_Rae | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tiktok-star-addison-rae-launches-item-beauty-301104293.html | https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/feature/addison-rae-tiktok-influencer-item-beauty-ipsy-1203691820/ | https://www.beautyindependent.com/beauty-companies-close-in-house-brand-incubators-unilever-ipsy/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "emma_chamberlain", "name": "Emma Chamberlain", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, coffee company co CEO", "status": "Active", "note": "Emma Chamberlain starts her channel in June 2016 in the Bay Area, moves to Los Angeles in June 2018 and signs with UTA that July, about two years in. Louis Vuitton makes her an ambassador in 2019 after a YouTube sponsored trip to Paris Fashion Week in March 2019. Chamberlain Coffee launches online in December 2019, raises close to $20 million over several rounds including $4.6 million in 2024, reaches roughly $22 million revenue in 2024 while losing money on co packer stockouts, and opens cafes in Century City in January 2025 and Venice in May 2025. She becomes co CEO with Gustav Langberg Hossy after Christopher Gallant exits. The podcast Anything Goes runs from April 2019 through Ramble, goes Spotify exclusive in February 2023 and pauses indefinitely in April 2026.", "people": "Emma Chamberlain", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Chamberlain | https://sprudge.com/internal-documents-dont-paint-a-rosy-picture-of-chamberlain-coffee-309553.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "casey_neistat", "name": "Casey Neistat", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Filmmaker, vlogger, app founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Casey Neistat sells an eight episode series to HBO in 2008 for under $2 million, which airs in June 2010, and the April 2012 Nike Make It Count film shows brands what a creator can do. Daily vlogging starts March 26, 2015 and reaches a million subscribers by August 2015. He co founds the app Beme in July 2015, sells it to CNN in November 2016 for a reported $25 million, and CNN shuts the app in January 2017 and closes the unit when he leaves in January 2018. The 368 creator space opens at 368 Broadway in April 2018 and closes in February 2024. He moves to Los Angeles in 2019 and back to New York in September 2022.", "people": "Casey Neistat", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat | https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/cnn-casey-neistat-beme-acquisition-1201927533 | https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/25/cnn-shuts-down-casey-neistats-beme-but-some-of-its-digital-news-tech-will-live-on | https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/31/beme-me-down", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "michelle_phan", "name": "Michelle Phan", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2007, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, Ipsy co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Michelle Phan posts makeup tutorials from May 2007 and her Lady Gaga tutorials pass a million subscribers by 2010, when Lancome makes her its official video makeup artist, widely reported as the first major brand deal for a YouTube beauty creator. She co founds MyGlam in 2011, which becomes Ipsy in September 2012 and raises $100 million in 2015 at a valuation above $500 million. L'Oreal launches Em Cosmetics with her in August 2013; she buys the stake back in 2015 and relaunches Em independently in April 2017 after leaving Ipsy. Endemol Beyond builds the Icon network with her in 2015. Em Cosmetics is her business today.", "people": "Michelle Phan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://techcrunch.com/2015/09/14/makeup-subscription-delivery-service-ipsy-raises-100m | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/loreal-sells-back-michelle-phans-831349/ | https://coveteur.com/2017/04/17/michelle-phans-em-cosmetics-relaunch/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "pewdiepie", "name": "PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator", "status": "Active", "note": "Felix Kjellberg registers PewDiePie in April 2010 in Gothenburg, Sweden, posts horror Let's Plays and has 60,000 subscribers by December 2011. He signs with Machinima, leaves, and joins Maker Studios in December 2012, becoming the most subscribed channel in August 2013. Maker builds the Revelmode sub network around him in January 2016; Disney and Maker drop him in February 2017 after a Wall Street Journal report. G Fuel signs a partnership in January 2019 and the Tsuki clothing line with Marzia is the owned product. He passes 100 million subscribers in August 2019, moves to Japan in May 2022, ends gaming content in November 2025 and sits at 110 million subscribers in 2026.", "people": "Felix Kjellberg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie | https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/disney-pewdiepie-anti-semitic-videos-1201987380/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/02/14/disney-maker-studios-drops-pewdiepie-youtube-axes-scare-pewdiepie-anti-semitic-controversy/ | https://www.bevnet.com/news/2021/g-fuel-and-the-worlds-biggest-youtuber-pewdiepie-launch-yuzu-slash-energy-drink/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 110 million subscriber figure for 2026 and the November 2025 end of gaming content rest on general and fan press only; no trade source retrieved." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "markiplier", "name": "Markiplier (Mark Fischbach)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, filmmaker", "status": "Active", "note": "Mark Fischbach starts on YouTube in Cincinnati in March 2012, moves to his current channel in April 2012 after a monetisation problem and relocates to Los Angeles in early 2014. Cloak, the apparel brand co founded with Jacksepticeye in October 2018, is the first owned product. Unus Annus runs for exactly one year to November 2020, and the Distractible podcast from May 2021 tops Spotify and Apple charts. He self finances the horror film Iron Lung on a reported $3 million budget and books about 2,500 screens without a distributor. It opens January 30, 2026 to $18.2 million domestic and a reported $21 million worldwide in its first weekend, and finishes near $41 million domestic and $51 million worldwide.", "people": "Mark Fischbach", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markiplier | https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Iron-Lung-(2026) | https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/markiplier-cries-iron-lung-indie-film-global-box-office-debut-1236649636/ | https://www.indiewire.com/news/analysis/markiplier-open-iron-lung-2500-screens-no-distributor-1235172987/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jacksepticeye", "name": "Jacksepticeye (Sean McLoughlin)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, coffee brand founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Sean McLoughlin starts his channel in December 2012 in Athlone, Ireland; a PewDiePie shoutout in 2013 takes him from 2,500 to 15,000 subscribers in four days, he goes full time in May 2014 and hits a million subscribers that August. He joins Revelmode in January 2016 and moves to Disney Digital Network when it closes, including a 2018 Twitch deal. He co founds Cloak with Markiplier in October 2018 and leaves in 2023. Top of the Mornin' Coffee launches in June 2020 and his Thankmas streams raise more than $25 million. He lives in Brighton, England.", "people": "Sean McLoughlin", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksepticeye | https://topofthemornincoffee.com/pages/about-us | https://x.com/Jacksepticeye/status/1836881600900124895", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "rhett_and_link", "name": "Rhett & Link", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Comedy duo, Mythical Entertainment founders", "status": "Active", "note": "Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal begin on YouTube in 2006 from North Carolina, incorporate in 2009, and launch Good Mythical Morning on January 9, 2012, which now has 19.6 million subscribers. The company becomes Mythical Entertainment in 2017, based in Burbank, buys Smosh out of the Defy Media collapse in February 2019 and sells majority control back to its founders in June 2023. The Mythical Accelerator fund of $5 million invests in other creators' businesses from 2021. Mythical Kitchen and podcasts continue in 2026.", "people": "Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhett_%26_Link | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/inside-rhett-links-10-million-deal-smosh-1192233 | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/06/20/rhett--link-sell-pioneering-youtube-brand-smosh-back-to-original-co-founders/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ryan_higa", "name": "Ryan Higa", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "las_vegas", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, streamer", "status": "Active", "note": "Ryan Higa starts nigahiga in 2006 in Hilo, Hawaii and holds the most subscribed channel on YouTube from 2009 to 2011. He moves to Las Vegas for college and founds Ryan Higa Production Company in 2012. Ninja Melk, an energy drink, takes three years to develop and launches in May 2019. He steps away from YouTube in 2020 and streams on Twitch instead.", "people": "Ryan Higa", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Higa | https://higatv.com/ninja-melk-energy-drink/ | https://www.cantechonline.com/news/25640/ninja-melk-reports-successful-european-launch-of-canned-energy-drinks/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -115.14, 36.17 ], "cityId": "las_vegas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "lilly_singh", "name": "Lilly Singh", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, television host, producer", "status": "Active", "note": "Lilly Singh starts IISuperwomanII in October 2010 in Toronto, tours the world as A Trip to Unicorn Island from March 2015 and moves to Los Angeles in December 2015. How to Be a Bawse tops the New York Times list in March 2017. Unicorn Island Productions launches in April 2018 and NBC gives her A Little Late from September 2019 to May 2021. She judges Canada's Got Talent from 2022 to 2024 and stars in the film Doin' It, released in September 2025.", "people": "Lilly Singh", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Singh | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250626067504/en/AURA-ENTERTAINMENT-Acquires-Lilly-Singhs-Sex-Education-Comedy-Doin-It-from-Camelback-Productions | https://deadline.com/2025/06/lilly-singh-doin-it-release-date-aura-entertainment-1236442263/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "liza_koshy", "name": "Liza Koshy", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Vine and YouTube creator turned actor", "status": "Active", "note": "Liza Koshy posts on Vine as Lizzza from 2013 in Houston, reaches 7 million followers, and moves to Los Angeles in 2015. She becomes the fastest creator to 10 million YouTube subscribers in 2017 and Beats ads featuring her outperform celebrity spots four to one. She stops regular uploads in early 2018 for Liza on Demand on YouTube Premium, which runs to 2021, then Netflix's Work It in 2020, and film roles through 2026 including The Naked Gun.", "people": "Liza Koshy", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liza_Koshy | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/22/liza-koshy-netflix-movie-work-it-august-7/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/01/20/liza-on-demand-third-season-youtube-originals/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Her role in The Naked Gun is confirmed only by the IMDb cast listing; the Deadline casting report could not be retrieved." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "david_dobrik", "name": "David Dobrik", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Vlogger, Vlog Squad founder, app co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "David Dobrik starts on Vine in 2013, passes a million followers and moves to YouTube in 2015, building the Vlog Squad ensemble around four minute vlogs. SeatGeek is the recurring sponsor that funds the car giveaways. Dispo launches as David's Disposable in December 2019, hits number one on the App Store, and raises a $20 million Series A from Spark Capital in February 2021 at a $200 million valuation. In March 2021 Business Insider reports a 2018 rape allegation against Vlog Squad member Dom Zeglaitis; Spark severs ties on March 21, Dobrik leaves the Dispo board, YouTube demonetises him and sponsors exit. He returns in July 2021 and opens Doughbrik's Pizza in Los Angeles in November 2022.", "people": "David Dobrik", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dobrik | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispo | https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/21/spark-capital-decides-to-sever-all-ties-with-david-dobriks-dispo-app-weeks-after-leading-investment | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/22/spark-capital-severs-ties-with-dispo-david-dobrik-departs-company/ | https://www.axios.com/2021/03/23/spark-capital-startup-david-dobrik", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jenna_marbles", "name": "Jenna Marbles", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": 2020, "role": "YouTube creator, retired", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Jenna Mourey uploads How to Trick People into Thinking You're Good Looking from Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2010 and it draws 5.3 million views in a week. The channel passes 20 million subscribers, she hosts YouTube 15 on SiriusXM in 2014, sells dog toys modelled on her pets from 2013 and produces the film Maximum Ride in 2016. On June 25, 2020 she apologises for 2011 and 2012 videos and leaves every platform indefinitely, and she has not returned. She marries Julien Solomita in November 2022.", "people": "Jenna Mourey", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_Marbles | https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/jenna-marbles-leaving-youtube-racist-videos-1234690649/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "shane_dawson", "name": "Shane Dawson", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2008, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, documentarian", "status": "Active", "note": "Shane Dawson launches ShaneDawsonTV in March 2008 at 19 and is one of the earliest partner programme earners. Simon & Schuster publishes I Hate Myselfie in 2015 and It Gets Worse in July 2016, both sold at Target. The documentary series on Jeffree Star from 2018 leads to the Conspiracy palette in November 2019, which sells out on launch. The rung breaks on June 26, 2020: after his apology for blackface and comments about minors, Target pulls both books on June 29 and YouTube suspends monetisation on all three channels on June 30. He returns in October 2021 with a reduced audience and no retail products.", "people": "Shane Dawson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Dawson | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/06/30/youtube-suspended-monetization-shane-dawson/ | https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/target-morphe-shane-dawson-books-makeup-jeffree-star-1203663161/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2008, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tana_mongeau", "name": "Tana Mongeau", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "las_vegas", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, podcaster", "status": "Active", "note": "Tana Mongeau builds an audience with storytime videos from 2015 in Las Vegas. After VidCon declines to feature her, she and manager Michael Weist stage TanaCon at the Anaheim Marriott on June 22, 2018; 4,000 to 5,000 people arrive, the event collapses in a day and refunds follow. MTV airs No Filter in 2019 around her unlicensed Las Vegas wedding to Jake Paul. OnlyFans becomes a main income line from 2020. The podcast Cancelled with Brooke Schofield runs from July 2021 to September 2025. In May 2024 her allegation about Cody Ko ends his podcast career.", "people": "Tana Mongeau", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tana_Mongeau | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanaCon | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/10/30/michael-weist-bankruptcy-tanacon-documentary/ | https://www.inverse.com/article/46872-tanacon-refunds-available-but-some-want-lawsuit", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -115.14, 36.17 ], "cityId": "las_vegas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "nikita_dragun", "name": "Nikita Dragun", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, cosmetics founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Nikita Dragun joins YouTube in February 2013, moves to Los Angeles and comes out as transgender in 2015. Dragun Beauty launches in March 2019 as a vegan line aimed partly at the transgender community, sells out at launch and, per figures reported by Glossy, grows from about $2 million in year one to a reported $25 million in year three before falling to about $1 million in 2021. Sephora and Ulta approach the brand but never stock it; it sells through its own site, Beauty Bay, Morphe and Amazon. The Snap Original Nikita Unfiltered premieres in March 2020. A November 2022 arrest in Miami Beach pauses her career, and Glossy reports the brand on hiatus in February 2023 with the site emptied. The rung that breaks is the founder's own reputation; no relaunch is confirmed.", "people": "Nikita Dragun", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Dragun | https://www.glossy.co/beauty/dragun-beauty-is-on-hiatus-as-nikita-dragun-debuts-onlyfans-account/ | https://www.papermag.com/nikita-dragun-dragun-beauty", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "james_charles", "name": "James Charles", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator", "status": "Active", "note": "James Charles starts posting tutorials in December 2015 and CoverGirl makes him its first male ambassador in October 2016, ten months in. The Morphe Sister Collection palette and Sisters Apparel both launch in November 2018. In May 2019 the Tati Westbrook video costs him a million subscribers in 24 hours. In April 2021 Morphe ends the partnership over messages with minors and YouTube demonetises him. He launches Painted cosmetics independently in 2022 but partnerships stay far below the 2018 peak.", "people": "James Charles", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles | https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/news/news/21867058/report-youtube-morphe-cut-ties-with-james-charles | https://www.nylon.com/beauty/morphe-brushes-statement-james-charles-underage-texting-allegations", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tati_westbrook", "name": "Tati Westbrook", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, supplement and beverage founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Tati Westbrook starts GlamLifeGuru in November 2010 and reaches a million subscribers in 2016. Halo Beauty, a supplement company, launches in February 2018; the Bye Sister video of May 2019 briefly adds four million subscribers. Tati Beauty launches in October 2019 and closes in November 2021, which she attributes to the lawsuit and the pandemic. Co founder Clark Swanson sues over Halo in October 2020; she settles in July 2024 and exits Halo, saying she sold her house and condo to fund the defence. In May 2026 she launches Unfair Advantage, a functional beverage brand, with Go Go Juice, a powdered energy drink sold online at $49.95 for twenty servings.", "people": "Tati Westbrook", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tati_Westbrook | https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/tati-westbrook-settles-lawsuit-leaves-halo-beauty-plans-to-relaunch-beauty-brand/ | https://beautynewsdaily.com/tati-westbrook-launches-unfair-advantage/ | https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/make-up-influencer-tati-westbrook-closes-tati-beauty-following-lawsuit-and-covid-180404", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jeffree_star", "name": "Jeffree Star", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": null, "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, cosmetics founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Jeffree Star builds a MySpace following in 2006, releases Beauty Killer in 2009, leaves music in 2013 and founds Jeffree Star Cosmetics in November 2014 with velour liquid lipsticks, self funded. Morphe carries the line in its stores from 2018 and Forbes reports $18 million in 2018 YouTube income. The Conspiracy palette with Shane Dawson sells out in November 2019. Morphe drops him in July 2020 after the Dawson controversy. He moves to Casper, Wyoming in 2020, where he runs Star Yak Ranch, and the cosmetics business ships from there.", "people": "Jeffree Star", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star | https://news.yahoo.com/morphe-cuts-ties-jeffree-star-205347534.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/07/18/jeffree-star-store-grand-opening-makeup-and-meat-cosmetics/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Casper, Wyoming", -106.31, 42.87 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -106.31, 42.87 ], "geoLabel": "Casper, Wyoming", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Casper, Wyoming" }, { "id": "marques_brownlee", "name": "Marques Brownlee (MKBHD)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Tech reviewer, studio owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Marques Brownlee joins YouTube in March 2008 and posts product reviews from January 2009 while in high school in New Jersey. He moves the studio to Kearny, New Jersey in 2016 and launches the Waveform podcast in August 2019. In February 2024 he joins Ridge as a board member and chief creative partner. The Panels wallpaper app launches in September 2024 at $12 a month, draws backlash, and shuts in December 2025. A sponsored DJI review in November 2024 showing him speeding forces an apology. He holds more than 20 million subscribers across channels in 2025.", "people": "Marques Brownlee", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marques_Brownlee | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/02/23/marques-brownlee-is-ridges-new-chief-creative-partner/ | https://x.com/MKBHD/status/1760698224250130465 | https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/01/mkbhds-wallpaper-app-panels-is-shutting-down/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "linus_sebastian", "name": "Linus Sebastian", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2008, "end": null, "role": "Tech creator, Linus Media Group founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Linus Sebastian presents NCIX Tech Tips for the Canadian retailer from July 2007 and starts Linus Tech Tips in November 2008. He buys the channel for $1 with a two year non compete and founds Linus Media Group in Surrey, British Columbia in October 2012. Creator Warehouse runs the LTT Store merchandise business and Floatplane the subscription platform. He steps down as CEO on July 1, 2023, and the Gamers Nexus criticism of August 2023 pauses production for ten days. The channel has 16.9 million subscribers in January 2026.", "people": "Linus Sebastian", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Sebastian | https://www.thewrap.com/linus-sebastian-tech-tips-ceo-resignation/ | https://www.techspot.com/news/98751-linus-sebastian-stepping-down-ceo-linus-media-group.html", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The creator_warehouse edge carries years 2016 to present but its own note gives a September 17, 2018 founding; no registry filing was retrieved to settle the date." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2008, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ninja", "name": "Ninja (Tyler Blevins)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "detroit", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Streamer", "status": "Active", "note": "Tyler Blevins plays Halo professionally from 2009 and streams from 2011 in Michigan. Fortnite takes him from 500,000 followers in September 2017 to a record 635,000 concurrent viewers streaming with Drake in March 2018. Red Bull signs him in June 2018 and EA reportedly pays $1 million for an Apex Legends stream in February 2019; he estimates $10 million earned in 2018. On August 1, 2019 he leaves Twitch for Microsoft's Mixer in a reported multi million dollar deal; Mixer shuts in July 2020 and he returns to Twitch on a multiyear exclusive in September 2020. Loaded manages him. He is treated for melanoma in 2024.", "people": "Tyler Blevins", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ninja-reportedly-got-20-30-million-to-move-from-tw/1100-6473106/ | https://frontofficesports.com/ninja-heads-back-to-twitch-in-exclusive-multi-year-deal/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The killer_merch and adidas edges remain unconfirmed by any retrieved source, and the Mixer fee is reported at $20 to $30 million by GameSpot but at $50 million by VGC." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -83.05, 42.33 ], "cityId": "detroit", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "pokimane", "name": "Pokimane (Imane Anys)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Streamer, snack brand founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Imane Anys starts streaming League of Legends on Twitch in June 2013 on a $250 PC. She co founds OfflineTV in Los Angeles in 2017 and the talent firm RTS in 2021, later selling her stake. Myna Snacks launches on November 13, 2023 with Midnight Mini Cookies at $28 for four bags, draws a pricing backlash within days, and goes quiet; Dexerto reports the site and social accounts removed after about two years, and in April 2026 she says she stepped back after launch and took no profits. The rung that breaks is creator backed pricing under public scrutiny. She ends Twitch exclusivity in January 2024 while continuing to stream, and in 2026 remains the most followed woman on Twitch at 9.46 million.", "people": "Imane Anys", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokimane | https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/pokimane-launches-myna-snacks-snack-company-and-reveals-first-product-2381327/ | https://www.dexerto.com/twitch/pokimane-explains-why-her-cookie-brand-quietly-disappeared-3345636/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "kai_cenat", "name": "Kai Cenat", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "atlanta", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Streamer, AMP member", "status": "Active", "note": "Kai Cenat uploads his first YouTube video in January 2018 from the Bronx, joins AMP in 2020 after Fanum finds him and starts streaming on Twitch in February 2021. His January 2023 subathon brings 306,621 subscribers, the August 2023 Union Square giveaway ends in arrests, and Mafiathon 2 in 2024 reaches 728,535. Nike signs him in February 2024, the first major athletic deal for a streamer. Mafiathon 3 in September 2025 passes one million subscribers with 962,000 peak viewers and Hasbro and Fortnite as partners. He hits 20 million followers in November 2025, announces in January 2026 that he is stepping back from full time streaming, and launches the clothing brand Vivet.", "people": "Kai Cenat", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Cenat | https://hatchet.gg/blog/kai-cenats-mafiathon-3-full-recap-breaking-1-million-subscribers/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -84.39, 33.75 ], "cityId": "atlanta", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ishowspeed", "name": "IShowSpeed (Darren Watkins Jr.)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": null, "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Streamer", "status": "Active", "note": "Darren Watkins Jr. registers IShowSpeed in 2016 in Cincinnati, streams NBA 2K to about ten viewers by 2020, and grows from 100,000 to a million subscribers between April and June 2021 as TikTok clips of his outbursts spread. Twitch bans him in December 2021 so YouTube becomes his platform. Warner Records releases World Cup in 2022. The Euro 2024 tour draws 2.5 billion views and an Indonesia stream hits a million concurrent viewers. He reaches 50 million subscribers in January 2026 during an Africa tour, takes Ghanaian citizenship, and performs at the 2026 World Cup closing ceremony.", "people": "Darren Watkins Jr.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IShowSpeed | https://www.malaymail.com/amp/news/showbiz/2026/01/22/ishowspeeds-africa-tour-reaches-lagos-as-he-hits-50-million-subs/206316 | https://yen.com.gh/entertainment/celebrities/307937-american-ghanaian-internet-personality-ishowspeed-perform-2026-world-cup-final/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Cincinnati", -84.51, 39.1 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -84.51, 39.1 ], "geoLabel": "Cincinnati", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Cincinnati" }, { "id": "alix_earle", "name": "Alix Earle", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "miami", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator, beverage and skincare investor", "status": "Active", "note": "Alix Earle goes viral in December 2022 with get ready with me videos from the University of Miami, graduates in 2023 and lands Forbes 30 Under 30 the same year. Hot Mess launches in September 2023 through Alex Cooper's Unwell Network. In 2025 she invests in Sipmargs during a $3 million round and becomes its brand partner; Sazerac takes a stake and national distribution rights in May 2026. She places second on Dancing with the Stars in 2025, invests in Gorgie in December 2025 and launches the skincare brand Reale Actives in March 2026.", "people": "Alix Earle", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alix_Earle | https://www.fooddive.com/news/sazerac-stake-sipmargs-alix-earle/820231/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mikayla_nogueira", "name": "Mikayla Nogueira", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "boston", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, cosmetics co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Mikayla Nogueira starts TikTok in March 2020 while working at Ulta in Massachusetts and has 4.5 million followers by March 2021. The January 2023 L'Oreal mascara review draws accusations of false lashes. She co founds POV Beauty with Ani Hadjinian in March 2025, which reports $1 million in sales in seven minutes at launch. She has 17.4 million followers in February 2026.", "people": "Mikayla Nogueira", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikayla_Nogueira | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mikayla-nogueira-debuts-point-of-view-redefining-beauty-from-every-angle-302412051.html | https://beautymatter.com/articles/pov-beautys-next-viral-moment-is-the-sephora-shelf | https://www.inc.com/annabel-burba/pov-beauty-tiktok-strategy-mikayla-nogueira-sales/91191398", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -71.06, 42.36 ], "cityId": "boston", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "zach_king", "name": "Zach King", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2008, "end": null, "role": "Video effects creator", "status": "Active", "note": "Zach King starts on YouTube in 2008 with Final Cut Pro tutorials, Jedi Kittens in 2011 passes 25 million views, and daily magic vines from September 2013 make him a Vine star. He posts to TikTok from 2016 and Magic Broomstick in December 2019 becomes the platform's most viewed video at 2.2 billion. He runs a 25 person production staff in Los Angeles, has written six books and holds 43 million YouTube subscribers in 2025.", "people": "Zach King", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_King | https://www.zachkingteam.com/about", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 25 person staff and 43 million YouTube subscriber figures are not on the company page, which cites 105 million combined followers; no trade source retrieved." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2008, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "khaby_lame", "name": "Khaby Lame", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator", "status": "Active", "note": "Khaby Lame loses his CNC machine job near Turin, Italy in March 2020 and starts posting silent reactions to life hacks on TikTok. He becomes the most followed account on June 22, 2022 with 142 million followers, signs Hugo Boss in January 2022 and gets Italian citizenship in August 2022. ICE detains him in Las Vegas on June 6, 2025 for a visa overstay and he self deports. In January 2026 Rich Sparkle Holdings buys his company Step Distinctive Limited in a reported $975 million all stock deal, taking exclusive commercial rights for at least 36 months and authority to build an AI digital twin of his face and voice; he becomes a controlling shareholder of the buyer. Forbes reports experts flagging the valuation.", "people": "Khabane Lame", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaby_Lame | https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/backwoodsaltar/tiktoker-khaby-lame-975-million-all-stock-deal-digital-twin-ai | https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinadilicosa/2026/01/31/tiktok-superstar-khaby-lames-big-deal-which-saw-him-valued-at-66-billion-raises-red-flags-experts-say/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "bella_poarch", "name": "Bella Poarch", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator, musician", "status": "Active", "note": "Bella Poarch's August 2020 M to the B lip sync becomes TikTok's most liked video. Warner Records signs her in May 2021 and Build a Bitch peaks at 56 on the Hot 100. She leaves Warner, sets up her own label M TO THE BEE and in May 2026 announces a partnership with Last Gang Records and MNRK Music Group with the single Ribcage. The debut album Picnic at the Cemetery is released September 18, 2026 on Last Gang.", "people": "Bella Poarch", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_Poarch | https://shop.lastgang.com/blogs/news/bella-poarch-signs-to-last-gang-releases-ribcage | https://bellapoarch.bandcamp.com/album/picnic-at-the-cemetery", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "bethany_mota", "name": "Bethany Mota", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Haul creator, jewelry founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Bethany Mota starts Macbarbie07 in 2009 in Los Banos, California with haul videos and earns about $40,000 a month by January 2014 through the StyleHaul network. Aeropostale launches her clothing line in December 2013, the first big retail line for a YouTube creator, but Forbes reports it underperforms and the retailer has little to show by mid 2014. She competes on Dancing with the Stars in 2014 and co founds the jewelry line Atom & Matter in 2019.", "people": "Bethany Mota", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Mota | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aeropostale-launches-exclusive-collection-with-bethany-mota-234774721.html | https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/feature/aropostale-gets-behind-mota-launch-7301325-146323/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The claim that Forbes reported the Aeropostale line underperforming by mid 2014 was not retrieved; only the launch release and WWD launch coverage were found." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "zoella", "name": "Zoella (Zoe Sugg)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Lifestyle creator, author", "status": "Active", "note": "Zoe Sugg starts the Zoella blog in February 2009 while an interior design apprentice in England and adds YouTube the same year, managed by Dominic Smales at Gleam Futures and networked through StyleHaul. Zoella Beauty launches in September 2014, made by SLG in Gloucestershire and sold at Superdrug and Feelunique, with a US debut at Tilly's and Aerie in 2016; Girl Online sells 78,109 copies in its first week that November, a debut record. Zoella Lifestyle homeware follows in September 2016. Her company ZS Beauty Ltd, incorporated July 13, 2016 with her as sole director, files last accounts to March 2021 and is dissolved on March 1, 2022. She lives in Brighton and has been on an extended social media break since January 2026.", "people": "Zoe Sugg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Sugg | https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10276906 | https://www.tubefilter.com/2016/05/23/zoella-beauty-sweet-inspirations-american-debut/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "joe_rogan", "name": "Joe Rogan", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "austin", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Podcaster, comedy club owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Joe Rogan starts the podcast in December 2009 with Brian Redban on Ustream, reaches the iTunes top 100 by August 2010 and 11 million monthly downloads by 2015, with YouTube and ad reads as the money. Spotify licenses the show in May 2020 for a reported $200 million, exclusive from January 2021, and renews in 2024 for a reported $250 million without exclusivity. He moves to Austin in 2020, buys the Ritz theatre in 2022 and opens the Comedy Mothership in March 2023. Spotify names it the top podcast for the fifth year in December 2024.", "people": "Joe Rogan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Rogan | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-05-19/the-joe-rogan-experience-launches-exclusive-partnership-with-spotify/ | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-02-02/the-art-of-podcasting-with-joe-rogan-and-his-new-multiyear-spotify-partnership/ | https://comedymothership.com/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 2020 Spotify fee is given as $100 million in the edge and $200 million in the node; both are press reports and Spotify discloses no figure." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "alex_cooper", "name": "Alex Cooper", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Podcaster, network and beverage founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn start Call Her Daddy in 2018 and Barstool Sports buys it within a month; downloads go from 12,000 to 2 million in two months. After the 2020 contract dispute she hosts alone. Spotify makes the show exclusive from July 21, 2021 for a reported $60 million over three years, and SiriusXM takes exclusive advertising, distribution and content rights from 2025 for a reported $100 million to $125 million over three years, announced August 2024. She founds the Unwell Network in 2023 with Matt Kaplan, signing Alix Earle in August 2023 and dropping her in February 2025, launches Unwell Hydration with Nestle at Target in January 2025 and Unwell Creative Agency in October 2025. Forbes puts her 2024 earnings at $32 million. In August 2026 WTSL, led by Patrick Whitesell, invests at a reported $500 million valuation.", "people": "Alexandra Cooper", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster) | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-06-15/call-her-daddy-is-making-it-exclusive-with-spotify/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/08/20/alex-cooper-signs-exclusive-deal-sirius-xm-call-her-daddy/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/08/12/alex-cooper-unwell-funding-round-500-million-valuation/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dave_portnoy", "name": "Dave Portnoy", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2004, "end": null, "role": "Barstool Sports founder, pizza reviewer", "status": "Active", "note": "Dave Portnoy starts Barstool as a four page Boston newspaper handed out on the subway in 2004 and moves it online in 2007. The Chernin Group buys a majority in 2016, Penn Entertainment pays $163 million for 36 percent in 2020 and $388 million for the rest in February 2023. Penn's 8-K of August 8, 2023 records the sale of 100 percent of Barstool back to Portnoy in exchange for non compete and other restrictive covenants, a price reported as $1, with Penn keeping the right to 50 percent of gross proceeds from any later sale or monetisation; the same filing sets out the ESPN Bet licence that replaced the Barstool Sportsbook. One Bite pizza reviews become his personal product and a Brooklyn festival from 2023. He signs a Fox Sports partnership in July 2025.", "people": "Dave Portnoy", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Portnoy | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/921738/000110465923088855/tm2323045d1_8k.htm", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The barstool_sports edge gave a 2003 founding while the node gives 2004; the 8-K does not date the founding, so the edge is set to 2004 to match the node pending a better source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hyram_yarbro", "name": "Hyram Yarbro", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": null, "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Skincare creator", "status": "Active", "note": "Hyram Yarbro starts his YouTube channel in 2017 in Honolulu, jumps from 50,000 to 500,000 subscribers in two weeks in 2019 and adds six million TikTok followers in six months of 2020. Selfless by Hyram launches at Sephora on June 24, 2021 across 663 stores in 20 countries with The Inkey List founders, with products around $30, and expands to the UK in March 2022. The line's current status and his base are not confirmed.", "people": "Hyram Yarbro", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyram_Yarbro | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/06/08/hyram-yarbro-launching-selfless-skincare-brand-sephora/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "Selfless by Hyram's current retail status could not be confirmed; the Sephora brand page returned no product content." ], "pin": [ "Honolulu", -157.86, 21.31 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -157.86, 21.31 ], "geoLabel": "Honolulu", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Honolulu" }, { "id": "manny_mua", "name": "Manny MUA (Manuel Gutierrez)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, cosmetics founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Manny Gutierrez starts tutorials in 2014 in San Diego and Maybelline makes him its first male ambassador for Big Shot mascara in January 2017. Lunar Beauty launches in 2018 with the Life's a Drag palette and he makes Forbes 30 Under 30 that year. He appears in Escape the Night in 2025.", "people": "Manuel Gutierrez Jr.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_MUA | https://lunarbeauty.com/pages/about", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Lunar Beauty's company page confirms the founder and a live store but not the 2018 launch date or the Maybelline 2017 ambassadorship; no trade source retrieved." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "patrick_starrr", "name": "Patrick Starrr", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, One/Size founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Patrick Simondac works a makeup counter in Orlando, starts YouTube in February 2013 and gets a MAC collaboration in 2017. He co founds One/Size in July 2020 with Luxury Brand Partners, sold at Sephora, and expands to Southeast Asia and a Disney Fantasia collection the same year. He hosts the podcast Say Yas to the Guest in 2025.", "people": "Patrick Simondac", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Starrr | https://onesizebeauty.com/pages/about-us", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jackie_aina", "name": "Jackie Aina", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator, candle brand founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Jackie Aina starts YouTube in 2009 while in the Army Reserve in Hawaii, where MAC hires her. Collaborations follow with e.l.f. in 2016, Sigma in 2017, Too Faced in 2017 where she formulates nine new foundation shades, and Anastasia Beverly Hills in 2019. Forvr Mood, a candle and lifestyle brand, launches in August 2020 as her owned product. She wins the NAACP Image Award for YouTuber of the Year in 2018.", "people": "Jackie Aina", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Aina | https://forvrmood.com/pages/about", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "josh_richards", "name": "Josh Richards", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator, producer, investor", "status": "Active", "note": "Josh Richards leaves high school in Ontario for Los Angeles and reaches 25.7 million TikTok followers. He co founds the Sway House in January 2020 and TalentX Entertainment with Michael Gruen, becomes Triller's chief strategy officer in 2020, co founds Ani Energy in July 2020 and CrossCheck Studios with Mark Wahlberg. Forbes estimates $5 million earned in 2021. He co hosts BFFs with Dave Portnoy and wins the 2025 Creator Classic golf event.", "people": "Josh Richards", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Richards_(internet_personality) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/28/tiktok-josh-richards-bryce-hall-ani-energy/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "bryce_hall", "name": "Bryce Hall", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator, boxer", "status": "Active", "note": "Bryce Hall starts on YouNow at 15, then Vine, musical.ly and YouTube from 2015. He moves into the Sway House in January 2020 and co founds Ani Energy that July. Los Angeles cuts power to his home in August 2020 over lockdown parties. He loses to Austin McBroom in June 2021, wins a bare knuckle bout in August 2023 and stars in Skill House in 2024.", "people": "Bryce Hall", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Hall | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/28/tiktok-josh-richards-bryce-hall-ani-energy/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/08/23/josh-richards-bryce-hall-ani-energy-walmart/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ludwig", "name": "Ludwig Ahgren", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Streamer, events and media founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Ludwig Ahgren streams part time from May 2018 and full time from February 2019. His subathon from March 14 to April 13, 2021 sets a record of about 282,000 subscriptions. He signs a YouTube Gaming exclusive in November 2021 and returns to Twitch in December 2024. Mogul Moves stages Mogul Money Live in July 2022 and Mogul Chessboxing in December 2022. Offbrand, co founded in September 2022 with Nick Allen, Nathan Stanz and Brandon Ewing, closes its events production arm in December 2024, saying it could not make creator events sustainable; the Offbrand Games publishing unit, whose first title Rivals of Aether II topped Steam in October 2024, continues. Red Bull signs him in 2024 and Moist Esports merges into Shopify Rebellion in January 2025.", "people": "Ludwig Ahgren", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/12/18/ludwig-ahgren-close-evens-production-offbrand/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/09/27/ludwig-ahgren-offbrand-creative-studio-xqc-game-show/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "chase_hudson", "name": "Chase Hudson (Huddy)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "TikTok creator, musician, Hype House co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Chase Hudson builds a following on musical.ly, co founds the Hype House in December 2019 with Thomas Petrou and Daisy Keech, and signs to Immersive Records, a new imprint under Interscope Geffen A&M, releasing the debut single 21st Century Vampire on January 21, 2021. He appears in Machine Gun Kelly's Downfalls High that month and releases the album Teenage Heartbreak in September 2021. He has a film role scheduled for 2026.", "people": "Cole Chase Hudson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_Hudson | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/01/21/tiktok-lil-huddy-immersive-records-drops-debut-single/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "thomas_petrou", "name": "Thomas Petrou", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Hype House co founder and manager", "status": "Active", "note": "Thomas Petrou co founds the Hype House in December 2019, runs its business side and stays after the founding members leave. He announces the sale of the Moorpark mansion in April 2023 after a landlord suit claiming $300,000, and the house dissolves in August 2024. He continues as a creator and manager.", "people": "Thomas Petrou", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "Nothing above encyclopaedia grade was found for the 2023 mansion sale, the $300,000 landlord claim or the August 2024 dissolution; Tubefilter coverage stops in 2022." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ethan_klein", "name": "Ethan Klein (h3h3)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Podcaster, apparel co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Ethan and Hila Klein start h3h3Productions in 2011 in Israel, Vape Nation breaks them out in 2016, and they win the MattHoss fair use case with $130,000 raised by Philip DeFranco. The H3 Podcast starts in 2017. Teddy Fresh, the apparel brand designed by Hila, is announced in July 2017 and launches on October 25, 2017 with sweaters, hoodies, jackets, socks, tees and caps as the owned product, reaching Zumiez stores nationwide in July 2018. The Kavanaugh and Triller suits run from 2021, with two of four resolved in the Kleins' favour by January 2022 and the defamation claims settled in August 2024. He files copyright suits against reaction streamers in 2025 and 2026.", "people": "Ethan Klein, Hila Klein", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Klein | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/10/25/hila-klein-h3h3-productions-teddy-fresh/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/07/03/hila-klein-teddy-fresh-zumiez/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/01/14/ethan-klein-prevail-2-of-4-lawsuits-filed-by-triller-ryan-kavanaugh/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "cody_ko", "name": "Cody Ko", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Comedian, podcaster", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Cody Ko builds nearly two million Vine followers from 2013, joins YouTube in May 2014 and forms Tiny Meat Gang with Noel Miller; the podcast starts in October 2017 and Arista signs the duo in October 2019. TMG Studios launches in October 2021 and passes 200 million downloads. In May 2024 Tana Mongeau alleges sexual contact when she was 17 and he was 25. On July 29, 2024 TMG Studios announces that he steps away from day to day operations, Noel Miller takes creative leadership of the six podcast network, and Ko loses more than 270,000 subscribers within a month. He does not address the allegations and posts sporadically since.", "people": "Cody Kolodziejzyk", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody_Ko | https://time.com/7004951/cody-ko-steps-down-tmg-studios-allegations/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ryan_trahan", "name": "Ryan Trahan", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": null, "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, candy brand co owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Ryan Trahan starts YouTube in 2013 in Sugar Land, Texas, co founds Neptune Bottle in 2016 and loses NCAA eligibility at Texas A&M in 2017 for promoting it. The 2022 penny challenge raises $1.38 million for Feeding America. On February 15, 2024 Joyride, the low sugar candy company founded by Tyler Merrick in 2022, relaunches with Trahan as chief creative officer; Sour Strips sell first on joyridesweets.com and reach Target in June 2024, then 1,300 Target stores, Whole Foods, CVS and Amazon. Joyride files a $30 million raise led by Aria Growth Partners in June 2025. The 2025 50 states in 50 days series raises $11.5 million for St. Jude by July 30, 2025. His equity stake in Joyride is not disclosed.", "people": "Ryan Trahan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Trahan | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/youtube-sensation-ryan-trahan-takes-a-sweet-turn-as-joyrides-chief-creative-officer-launching-first-of-its-kind-sour-strips-and-viral-social-first-ad-campaign-302063175.html | https://www.nosh.com/news/2025/ryan-trahan-backed-joyride-raises-30m-to-shake-up-sour-candy-scene/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/07/30/ryan-trahan-haley-pham-50-states-st-jude-charity/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Sugar Land, Texas", -95.63, 29.62 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -95.63, 29.62 ], "geoLabel": "Sugar Land, Texas", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Sugar Land, Texas" }, { "id": "airrack", "name": "Airrack (Eric Decker)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator", "status": "Active", "note": "Eric Decker launches Airrack in July 2019 with gate crashing videos, and a referral campaign with the startup Stir adds 250,000 subscribers in two weeks to reach a million on December 27, 2020. He co founds Creator Now in 2021 with managers Zack Honarvar and Kate Ward; vidIQ buys it on January 24, 2024 for an undisclosed sum. He competes in MrBeast's Creator Games in December 2021 and joins FaZe Clan in November 2022. A Pizza Hut deal produces the world's largest pizza in 2023, UTA signs him in September 2023 with Josh Mattingly as chief operating officer, and he moves to CAA in November 2025 with more than 17 million subscribers.", "people": "Eric Decker", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airrack | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vidiq-acquires-creator-now-in-push-to-increase-access-to-creator-education-302043558.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/01/24/creator-economy-company-now-acquires-airrack-youtube-film-school/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/eric-airrack-decker-signs-uta-1235603322/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "shroud", "name": "Shroud", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Streamer, former Counter Strike pro", "status": "Active", "note": "Michael Grzesiek streams as Shroud after a Counter Strike career and is managed by Loaded, which negotiates his exclusive move from Twitch to Mixer in October 2019. When Microsoft closes Mixer in June 2020 he receives the remainder of his contract, declines a Facebook Gaming offer and returns to Twitch on August 11, 2020 to more than 516,000 concurrent viewers. Defined here for the Loaded edge; the creator cluster may extend it.", "people": "Michael Grzesiek", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_(gamer) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/03/07/ninja-drlupo-courage-talent-management-loaded/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_(gamer)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tfue", "name": "Tfue (Turner Tenney)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "tampa", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Streamer", "status": "Active", "note": "Turner Tenney streams on Twitch from 2014 and joins FaZe Clan in 2018 as Fortnite peaks. On May 20, 2019 he sues FaZe, claiming he kept only 20 percent of branded video revenue and was pressured into stunts; FaZe countersues in August 2019 and both sides settle in August 2020. He retires in June 2023, returns on Kick on November 20, 2023, steps away again in November 2024 and returns to Twitch on December 15, 2025 with a 15 hour stream that peaks near 20,000 viewers. He lives in Florida.", "people": "Turner Tenney", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tfue | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/game-over-tfue-and-faze-clan-settle-esports-contract-fight-4050702/ | https://www.dexerto.com/twitch/tfue-makes-surprise-twitch-return-after-more-than-year-long-hiatus-3294062/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -82.46, 27.95 ], "cityId": "tampa", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dr_disrespect", "name": "Dr Disrespect (Guy Beahm)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "san_diego", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Streamer, former game studio co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Guy Beahm leaves Sledgehammer Games in 2015 to stream full time and draws 388,000 concurrent viewers in February 2018. Twitch signs a multi year deal in March 2020 and bans him permanently on June 26, 2020. He moves to YouTube and co founds the studio Midnight Society in December 2021. On June 24, 2024 Midnight Society terminates him after former Twitch staff say he messaged a minor in 2017; he admits some messages were inappropriate, YouTube demonetises him and sponsors leave. Rumble announces on November 25, 2024 that he leads Rumble Gaming and joins Rumble Premium. Midnight Society shuts down and cancels Dead Drop on January 31, 2025, the same day YouTube remonetises his channel. Collaborators stay away through 2026.", "people": "Guy Beahm", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr_Disrespect | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/11/25/2986683/0/en/Dr-Disrespect-Will-Lead-Rumble-Gaming-Join-Rumble-Premium.html | https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/06/24/midnight-society-terminates-relationship-with-dr-disrespect-after-allegation-investigation-ban/ | https://gamesbeat.com/midnight-society-shuts-down-and-kills-dead-drop-game/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -117.16, 32.72 ], "cityId": "san_diego", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tyler_oakley", "name": "Tyler Oakley", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2007, "end": null, "role": "YouTube creator, activist", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Tyler Oakley starts on YouTube at Michigan State in 2007, is among the first monetised creators and passes a million subscribers in 2012. Binge is a New York Times bestseller for 11 weeks in 2015, Snervous premieres that December and Ellen Digital gives him a show in 2016. He announces an indefinite hiatus in December 2020, streams on Twitch, and enters VidCon's Hall of Fame in 2025.", "people": "Tyler Oakley", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Oakley | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/12/16/tyler-oakley-announces-indefinite-youtube-hiatus/ | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/vidcon-hall-of-fame-rhett-link-smosh-tyler-oakley-grace-helbig-1236383891/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "grace_helbig", "name": "Grace Helbig", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2008, "end": null, "role": "Comedy creator, author", "status": "Active", "note": "Grace Helbig hosts DailyGrace for My Damn Channel from 2008, more than 830 episodes with 2.4 million subscribers by 2013, then relaunches independently as itsGrace in January 2014 with Fullscreen and later Studio71. Grace's Guide debuts at number one in 2014 and E! gives her a show in 2015. She is treated for breast cancer from July 2023.", "people": "Grace Helbig", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Helbig | https://deadline.com/2023/07/youtube-grace-helbig-breast-cancer-diagnosis-video-1235429448/ | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/vidcon-hall-of-fame-rhett-link-smosh-tyler-oakley-grace-helbig-1236383891/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2008, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "fine_brothers", "name": "Fine Brothers (React Media)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2007, "end": 2021, "role": "React franchise creators", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Benny and Rafi Fine start TheFineBros in 2007 and Kids React in October 2010 grows into a franchise with 32 million subscribers. On January 26, 2016 they announce React World, a plan to license and trademark React; 675,000 subscribers leave within weeks and they withdraw the applications on February 1. Allegations of racism in 2020 follow a resurfaced blackface clip. Electric Monster Media buys React Media on November 18, 2021 for an undisclosed price; the brothers step away and about 25 staff transfer. Brat TV buys Electric Monster in January 2025 and the combined company becomes ZATV, which now runs the React channels.", "people": "Benny Fine, Rafi Fine", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_Brothers | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-digital-entertainment-company-electric-monster-raises-significant-capital-to-acquire-and-grow-digital-channels-acquires-well-known-media-brand-react-media-301426112.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/11/18/react-media-fine-brothers-acquired-electric-monster-media/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-studio-brat-tv-electric-monster-rebrands-zatv-1236098786/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "epic_rap_battles", "name": "Epic Rap Battles of History", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "YouTube series", "status": "Active", "note": "Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Ahlquist launch ERB on September 26, 2010 and Maker Studios produces seasons one to five. They go independent in December 2018 with Patreon supporting the writing. Season seven runs from June 2021 into 2026 and the channel holds 15.1 million subscribers in August 2026.", "people": "Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Rap_Battles_of_History | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios | https://www.patreon.com/erb/about", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "colleen_ballinger", "name": "Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2008, "end": null, "role": "Comedy creator, touring performer", "status": "Active", "note": "Colleen Ballinger creates Miranda Sings in 2008, tours the character from 2009 and lands the Netflix series Haters Back Off for 2016 and 2017, with more than 5 billion views by 2023. In June 2023 screenshots surface of group chats with minors; her ukulele response video becomes a meme, she cancels the rest of the 2023 tour in July and sponsors leave. She resumes vlogging in November 2023 to a much smaller business.", "people": "Colleen Ballinger", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleen_Ballinger | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/colleen-ballinger-canceled-tour-dates-podcast-trisha-paytas-1235666512/ | https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/colleen-ballinger-tour-canceled-allegations-1235369711/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2008, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "alissa_violet", "name": "Alissa Violet", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Creator, model", "status": "Active", "note": "Alissa Violet moves into the Team 10 house in August 2016 during a relationship with Jake Paul and leaves in early 2017 saying she was thrown out; her June 2017 answer track with RiceGum charts on the Hot 100. She then joins Clout Gang with FaZe Banks and RiceGum and works as a model. Her Vine start and later career details are not confirmed here.", "people": "Alissa Violet", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alissa_Violet | https://www.teenvogue.com/story/alissa-violet-moves-into-faze-banks-clout-house", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The Hot 100 entry for It's Every Night Sis (June 9, 2017 release, peak of 80 in September 2017) appears only in chart aggregator and fan sites, and no trade or financial source covers her Vine start or later career." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "nadeshot", "name": "Nadeshot (Matthew Haag)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Former Call of Duty pro, 100 Thieves founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Matthew Haag joins OpTic Gaming in June 2010, wins the 2011 Call of Duty XP championship and its $100,000 prize and captains the team until April 2015, when he leaves to build his own brand. He founds 100 Thieves in 2016 with Dan Gilbert's backing and runs it as CEO until stepping back in December 2024 to stream. In September 2025 12 layoffs land while he streams a Roobet sponsorship from Mexico, and he confirms he is no longer CEO.", "people": "Matthew Haag", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadeshot | https://esportsinsider.com/2025/09/nadeshot-addresses-100-thieves-layoffs-amidst-stream-controversy", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "asmongold", "name": "Asmongold (Zack Hoyt)", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "austin", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Streamer, OTK co founder", "status": "Active", "note": "Zack Hoyt streams World of Warcraft on Twitch from 2014 in Austin and becomes its leading WoW streamer with Classic in 2019. He co founds OTK in October 2020, Starforge Systems with Cr1TiKaL on August 8, 2022 and Mythic Talent in February 2023. He gives up his OTK leadership role in late 2024 and confirms on February 21, 2025 that he has left the organisation entirely, saying the split is mutual and that his political content makes sponsorship harder. By 2026 his streams are mostly political commentary.", "people": "Zack Hoyt", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmongold | https://www.dexerto.com/twitch/asmongold-reveals-that-he-has-officially-left-otk-amid-changes-to-org-3141010/ | https://www.dexerto.com/tech/otk-moistcr1tikal-launch-starforge-systems-1895988/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ian_hecox", "name": "Ian Hecox", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Smosh co founder and co owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Ian Hecox co founds Smosh with Anthony Padilla in November 2005 and stays through the Alloy Digital, Defy Media and Mythical years as the on camera lead. In June 2023 he and Padilla buy majority control back from Mythical and run the company from Los Angeles, launching Bit City in August 2024.", "people": "Ian Hecox", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "anthony_padilla", "name": "Anthony Padilla", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Smosh co founder, interviewer", "status": "Active", "note": "Anthony Padilla registers smosh.com in 2002, launches the YouTube channel with Ian Hecox in November 2005 from his bedroom in Carmichael, California, and leaves in June 2017 over creative control under Defy Media. His solo interview series I Spent a Day With makes him, in the Washington Post's phrase, YouTube's interview king. He and Hecox buy Smosh back in June 2023 and fold his Pressalike company into it.", "people": "Anthony Padilla", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Padilla | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dude_perfect", "name": "Dude Perfect", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "dallas", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Sports entertainment group", "status": "Active", "note": "Five Texas A&M roommates post Backyard Edition on April 9, 2009, draw 200,000 views in a week and incorporate on September 9, 2009. A CMT series in 2016 moves to Nickelodeon, live tours start in 2019 and the channel passes 60 million subscribers. Highmount Capital announces an investment of more than $100 million on April 9, 2024, and former NBA executive Andrew Yaffe becomes the first CEO in October 2024. An 80,000 square foot, reported $5 million headquarters opens at The Star in Frisco, Texas in January 2025 with the first Trick Shot World Championship in February 2025. Yaffe departs on September 3, 2026 after disagreeing with the founders on the next phase, and investor Patrick Hurley becomes interim CEO.", "people": "Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert, Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude_Perfect | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-dude-perfect-100m-investment-highmount-1235868550/ | https://www.axios.com/2026/09/03/dude-perfect-ceo-out | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2025/01/16/the-next-chapter-of-dude-perfect-inside-their-5-million-headquarters/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sidemen", "name": "Sidemen", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "YouTube group and holding company", "status": "Active", "note": "Seven British YouTubers form the Sidemen as a GTA Online crew in October 2013 in London, with revenue split equally among members. Sidemen Clothing earns £5 million to £7 million a year, Sides fried chicken opens as a delivery brand, XIX Vodka launches in October 2022, Best cereal reaches Tesco in 2024 and Side+ sells subscriptions. The Wembley charity match raises £4.7 million, Netflix airs Inside, and Victor Bengtsson becomes the first outside CEO in January 2026. KSI leaves on May 31, 2026 and the remaining six continue.", "people": "KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, W2S", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI | https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/why-ksi-quit-leave-sidemen/ | https://everything-pr.com/sidemen-the-youtube-collective-that-built-a-british-creator-holding-company", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "nelk", "name": "Nelk", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "miami", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Prank and lifestyle crew, beverage owners", "status": "Active", "note": "Kyle Forgeard starts NelkFilmz in Mississauga, Ontario in 2010 and pairs with Jesse Sebastiani in August 2014. The crew moves to Los Angeles, then Orange County, then Miami. Full Send apparel sells in Supreme style drops and is reported near $100 million in annual sales. Happy Dad hard seltzer launches in June 2021, brewed by Minhas in Monroe, Wisconsin, and is a top five seltzer at Total Wine by 2023, with John Shahidi as president and Sam Shahidi as CEO. The Full Send Podcast starts in August 2021.", "people": "Kyle Forgeard, Jesse Sebastiani, John Shahidi, Stephen Deleonardis", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelk | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/06/01/nelk-launches-happy-dad-hard-seltzer-brand/ | https://happydad.com/pages/about-us | https://www.brewbound.com/news/last-call-nelk-boys-producing-hard-seltzer-at-minhas-constellation-invests-in-breaking-bad-stars-mezcal-brand", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The reported figure of near 100 million dollars in annual Full Send apparel sales appears only in net worth aggregator sites, and no trade or financial source was found; the SteveWillDoIt 15 percent Happy Dad stake is also unsourced above encyclopaedia grade." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "yes_theory", "name": "Yes Theory", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Travel and challenge crew, apparel owners", "status": "Active", "note": "Four friends in Montreal film Project 30 in 2015 and move to Venice, California the same year when Snapchat's Vertical Networks pays them to make content, the first money. The Will Smith bungee jump in September 2018 is the breakout. Seek Discomfort, launched in 2018, is the apparel brand that funds the channel. Derin Emre leaves in 2017 and Matt Dahlia steps off camera in 2021.", "people": "Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, Matt Dahlia", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Theory | https://yestheory.com/about/ | https://www.c21media.net/news/snapchat-seals-vertical-series/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "try_guys", "name": "The Try Guys", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Comedy group, independent studio owners", "status": "Active", "note": "Four BuzzFeed employees film Guys Try Ladies' Underwear in September 2014 and become the company's first recurring on camera series. They leave on June 16, 2018 keeping the brand and found 2nd Try LLC. Ned Fulmer is removed in September 2022 after an affair with an employee. The subscription service 2nd Try TV launches in May 2024 with nine new cast members as Eugene Lee Yang steps off camera, and Try Every Day, a daily channel, launches in September 2025.", "people": "Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, Eugene Lee Yang", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Try_Guys | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/the-try-guys-new-streaming-service-2nd-try-1235905178/ | https://thetryguys.substack.com/p/we-launched-a-new-youtube-channel", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "smosh", "name": "Smosh", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Sketch comedy channel and studio", "status": "Active", "note": "Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla start Smosh in Carmichael, California in 2005 with lip sync videos and become one of YouTube's first big channels, paid by ad share once partnership opens. Alloy Digital buys the brand in 2011 for stock, which Padilla later says proves worthless when Defy Media, Alloy's successor, collapses in November 2018. Padilla leaves in June 2017 citing lost creative freedom. Mythical Entertainment buys Smosh in February 2019 for a reported ten million dollars and builds it a 17,000 square foot Burbank studio; in June 2023 Padilla and Hecox buy majority control with financing from Breeze, with Alessandra Catanese as chief executive. Smosh runs on 27 million subscribers, live tours and the Bit City format launched in August 2024.", "people": "Ian Hecox, Anthony Padilla, Alessandra Catanese", "source": "https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "faze_clan", "name": "FaZe Clan", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Esports and creator organisation", "status": "Active", "note": "FaZe starts on May 30, 2010 as a Call of Duty trickshot channel, passes a million subscribers in 2012 and moves into shared houses from 2014 and the Los Angeles Clout House in 2017. Tfue's May 2019 suit exposes the contract terms. The B. Riley SPAC lists FaZe on Nasdaq on July 20, 2022 at $725 million, the stock falls under $1 by January 2023, CEO Lee Trink is fired in September 2023 and GameSquare buys the company for about $17 million in stock in March 2024. FaZe Media launches in May 2024 with $11 million from Matt Kalish; the creators leave in December 2025 and only FaZe Esports remains in 2026.", "people": "Thomas Oliveira, Richard Bengtson, Yousef Abdelfattah, Nordan Shat", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan | https://www.shanethegamer.com/esports-news/faze-clan-esports-focus-2026/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hundred_thieves", "name": "100 Thieves", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Esports and lifestyle brand", "status": "Active", "note": "Nadeshot founds 100 Thieves in 2016 and Dan Gilbert invests in November 2017. Drake and Scooter Braun co lead a $25 million Series A in October 2018, a $35 million Series B follows in 2019 and a $60 million round in December 2021 values it at $460 million. The Cash App Compound, 15,000 square feet in Culver City, opens in 2020. Higround keyboards are acquired in October 2021 and Juvee energy launches in May 2022. Layoffs in January and November 2023 spin off Juvee and the game studio, and 12 more staff go in September 2025.", "people": "Matthew Haag, John Robinson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211202005656/en/100-Thieves-Raises-$60-Million-in-New-Funding-to-Expand-Its-Business-and-Continue-Elevating-Gaming-Culture | https://esportsinsider.com/2025/09/nadeshot-addresses-100-thieves-layoffs-amidst-stream-controversy | https://www.gamereactor.eu/esports/1370203/100+Thieves+announces+executive+leadership+overhaul/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Nadeshot's CEO end date is unresolved: a March 15, 2024 leadership announcement still names him founder and CEO, while Esports Insider in September 2025 reports he has not served as CEO for nearly two years and attends only quarterly board meetings, so the edge's December 2024 date is unconfirmed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "amp", "name": "AMP (Any Means Possible)", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "atlanta", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Streaming crew, skincare owners", "status": "Active", "note": "Fanum, Duke Dennis, Agent00, Chrisnxtdoor and ImDavisss form AMP in 2019 and Kai Cenat joins in 2020. The crew buys a $2.7 million Atlanta house in 2022 as its production base. Bang Energy signs them in June 2024 and a $30 million Tribeca penthouse evicts them after four days in August 2024. Tone skincare launches in February 2025 with the agency Night and reaches Target nationwide in July 2025, the same month as the AMP Summer marathon in San Antonio.", "people": "Fanum, Duke Dennis, Agent00, Kai Cenat, Chrisnxtdoor, ImDavisss", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_Means_Possible | https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/body-care/kai-cenat-amp-twitch-stream-target-launch-tone-fragrance-1237965885/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/07/07/amp-summer-subathon-target-tone-body-care-creator-line/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -84.39, 33.75 ], "cityId": "atlanta", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hype_house", "name": "Hype House", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": 2024, "role": "TikTok content house", "status": "Dissolved", "note": "Chase Hudson, Thomas Petrou, Daisy Keech and Alex Warren found the Hype House in December 2019 in Los Angeles, with Charli and Dixie D'Amelio and Addison Rae among the first members. Keech leaves in March 2020, sues Petrou and Hudson over credit and deals, and starts Clubhouse; the D'Amelios and Rae leave in May 2020, so the house loses its biggest names within six months. Membership peaks at 21, the group moves to a Moorpark mansion that Petrou says brand deals paid for, and Netflix airs a series in January 2022. The rung that breaks is rent and property: former landlord Daniel Fitzgerald sues in January 2023 for more than $300,000 in damage and unpaid rent on the earlier Hollywood Hills home, the Moorpark mansion lists for $5.5 million in February 2024, and the house dissolves in 2024.", "people": "Chase Hudson, Thomas Petrou, Daisy Keech, Alex Warren", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House | https://www.businessinsider.com/hype-house-landlord-danny-fitzgerald-sues-property-damage-unpaid-rent-2023-1 | https://robbreport.com/shelter/homes-for-sale/netflix-hype-house-mansion-for-sale-1235509269/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/03/26/founders-feud-at-hype-house-gets-nasty-an-armed-guard-a-new-lawsuit-and-a-breakaway-group-of-tiktok-stars/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The Moorpark mansion listed in February 2024 and the queue's April 2023 sale date conflict; the August 2024 sale and dissolution date rests on the encyclopaedia entry only." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sway_house", "name": "Sway House", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": 2021, "role": "TikTok content house", "status": "Dissolved", "note": "Michael Gruen's TalentX Entertainment opens the Sway House on January 4, 2020 in a rented 7,800 square foot Bel Air home with Josh Richards, Bryce Hall, Jaden Hossler and Griffin Johnson, later nine members. TalentX takes a cut of deals and launches Ani Energy through the house in July 2020. Parties during lockdown bring a city power shutoff in August 2020. Members leave by December 2020 and the house closes in February 2021, leaving Sway Fitness supplements and a Facebook reality show.", "people": "Josh Richards, Bryce Hall, Michael Gruen, Jaden Hossler, Griffin Johnson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House | https://people.com/tv/tiktok-sway-house-is-officially-over/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "team_10", "name": "Team 10", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": 2021, "role": "Creator collective and management company", "status": "Dissolved", "note": "Jake Paul forms Team 10 in 2016 in a Calabasas rental and raises $1 million for the parent company TeamDom on January 17, 2017. It's Everyday Bro goes platinum in May 2017 but Alissa Violet leaves in early 2017 and the Martinez twins and Tessa Brooks follow, all citing treatment in the house. A move to Beverly Grove brings neighbour complaints that cost Paul his Disney role in July 2017. Members keep leaving and the collective is inactive by 2021. Exit years of the last members are not confirmed.", "people": "Jake Paul", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alissa_Violet | https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/17/social-media-star-jake-paul-raises-1-million-to-become-a-social-media-mogul/ | https://venturebeat.com/media/19-year-old-raises-1-million-for-teamdom-to-monetize-influencers/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "vlog_squad", "name": "Vlog Squad", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Vlog ensemble", "status": "Dormant", "note": "David Dobrik builds the Vlog Squad from 2015 as a rotating cast of Vine friends including Zane Hijazi, Heath Hussar, Jason Nash, Scotty Sire, Toddy Smith and Natalie Mariduena, paid through appearances in his vlogs and their own spin off podcasts. The Views podcast with Nash reaches number two on iTunes in May 2017. In 2021 the Seth Francois assault claim, the Dom Zeglaitis rape report and Jeff Wittek's injury documentary end sponsorships and demonetise Dobrik, and most members go their own way.", "people": "David Dobrik, Jason Nash, Zane Hijazi, Heath Hussar", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlog_Squad | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dobrik | https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-demonetizing-david-dobrik-following-vlog-squad-scandal-2021-3 | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/22/david-dobrik-seatgeek-hellofresh-sponsors-drop-vlog-squad-assault-allegations/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "otk", "name": "OTK (One True King)", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "austin", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Streaming organisation", "status": "Active", "note": "Asmongold, Mizkif, Esfand, Rich Campbell and Tips Out found OTK Media in Austin on October 11, 2020. Starforge Systems PCs launch on August 8, 2022 with Cr1TiKaL, Mythic Talent in February 2023 and the publisher Mad Mushroom in June 2023. Rich Campbell resigns in December 2022 after assault allegations, Asmongold gives up leadership in late 2024 and leaves on February 21, 2025, and WillNeff leaves in May 2025. On October 25, 2025 Emiru accuses Mizkif of assault and abuse; OTK confirms the next day that it had already terminated him and that he holds no stake or role. Emiru, Nmplol, Sodapoppin and Esfand remain co owners.", "people": "Asmongold, Esfand, Mizkif, Sodapoppin, Emiru, Nmplol", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_True_King | https://www.dexerto.com/twitch/otk-comes-out-in-support-of-emiru-and-confirms-mizkifs-termination-3275317/ | https://starforgesystems.com/pages/about-us | https://www.dexerto.com/twitch/asmongold-reveals-that-he-has-officially-left-otk-amid-changes-to-org-3141010/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "clubhouse_bh", "name": "Clubhouse BH", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": 2021, "role": "TikTok content house, publicly traded parent", "status": "Wound down", "note": "Amir Ben Yohanan and Chris Young form West of Hudson Group in January 2020 and open Clubhouse Beverly Hills with Daisy Keech after she leaves the Hype House in March 2020. WOHG buys control of the OTC shell Tongji Healthcare on June 18, 2020, signs a share exchange on August 11, 2020 and renames it Clubhouse Media Group, with Ben Yohanan holding a golden share of super voting preferred stock. The company runs content houses in Southern California and Europe on leases signed in August and September 2020, and Keech sues over ownership within months. Its 10-K for 2022 states that it closed the physical Clubhouses in 2021 and in 2022 chose to focus only on its digital agency and the creator platform Honeydrip, with a going concern warning from its auditor.", "people": "Amir Ben Yohanan, Chris Young, Daisy Keech", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1389518/000149315223010074/form10-k.htm | https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/03/26/founders-feud-at-hype-house-gets-nasty-an-armed-guard-a-new-lawsuit-and-a-breakaway-group-of-tiktok-stars/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "clout_gang", "name": "Clout Gang", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": 2018, "role": "Creator house", "status": "Dissolved", "note": "FaZe Banks, RiceGum and Alissa Violet form Clout Gang in 2017 in the FaZe Clout House in Los Angeles as an answer to Team 10 after Violet's exit. It produces diss tracks and vlogs, never forms a company, and fades by 2018 as members fall out. Founding and end dates are not confirmed.", "people": "Richard Bengtson, Bryan Le, Alissa Violet", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alissa_Violet | https://www.teenvogue.com/story/alissa-violet-moves-into-faze-banks-clout-house", "confidence": "unverified", "flags": [ "No trade or financial source covers Clout Gang's formation or end; Teen Vogue confirms only that Alissa Violet moved into FaZe Banks's Clout House in 2017, and founding and end dates stay unconfirmed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "optic_gaming", "name": "OpTic Gaming", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "dallas", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Esports organisation", "status": "Active", "note": "OpTic starts as a Call of Duty 2 team in 2006 and Hector Rodriguez leads it from 2010, building a YouTube first fan base. Texas Rangers co owner Neil Leibman forms Infinite Esports around it in 2017, Immortals buys that in June 2019, and Rodriguez reacquires the brand in November 2020. Envy Gaming absorbs OpTic in November 2021 and retires its own name in June 2022. OpTic Texas wins Call of Duty world titles in 2024 and 2025.", "people": "Hector Rodriguez", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpTic_Gaming | https://www.gamesindustry.biz/original-founder-re-acquires-optic-gaming | https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/optic-texas/2022/06/27/envy-gaming-retires-its-esports-brand-becomes-optic-gaming/ | https://dallasinnovates.com/optic-gaming-merges-with-envy-gaming-to-form-a-combined-north-texas-esports-powerhouse/ | https://esportsinsider.com/2025/06/optic-texas-cdl-championship-2025-winner", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "envy_gaming", "name": "Envy Gaming", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "dallas", "year": 2007, "end": 2022, "role": "Esports organisation", "status": "Rebranded", "note": "Mike Rufail's Team Envy grows from a 2007 Call of Duty team into a Dallas holding of the Dallas Fuel and Rocket League teams. It merges with OpTic Gaming in November 2021 and retires the Envy name on June 27, 2022, keeping the Fuel. Founding details are not confirmed here.", "people": "Mike Rufail", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpTic_Gaming | https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/optic-texas/2022/06/27/envy-gaming-retires-its-esports-brand-becomes-optic-gaming/ | https://dallasinnovates.com/optic-gaming-merges-with-envy-gaming-to-form-a-combined-north-texas-esports-powerhouse/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tsm", "name": "TSM", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Esports organisation", "status": "Active", "note": "Andy and Dan Dinh start TSM from the SoloMid.net League of Legends blog in September 2009. In June 2021 FTX signs a ten year, $210 million naming deal, the largest in esports, and the team plays as TSM FTX; FTX files for bankruptcy on November 11, 2022 and TSM suspends the deal and drops the logos on November 16, 2022. Riot fines TSM $75,000 in 2022 over Andy Dinh's conduct. TSM sells its LCS slot in 2023, benches Counter Strike at the end of 2024 and exits Valorant on November 3, 2025 after a second place finish at Ascension Americas.", "people": "Andy Dinh, Dan Dinh", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSM_(esports) | https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2022/11/16/tsm-ftx-naming-deal-suspended/ | https://esportsinsider.com/2025/11/tsm-exits-valorant-after-ascension-grand-finals-run", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "cloud9", "name": "Cloud9", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Esports organisation", "status": "Active", "note": "Jack and Paullie Etienne buy a League of Legends roster for under $20,000 in May 2013 and base Cloud9 in Santa Monica. It raises $28 million in 2017 and a $50 million Series B led by Valor Equity Partners on October 15, 2018, when Forbes values it at $310 million, and signs Red Bull, Puma, AT&T and BMW as first esports sponsors. It releases its last Counter Strike players in January 2025, confirms on February 14, 2025 that it is stepping back from the game, and re enters Rainbow Six.", "people": "Jack Etienne", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud9_(esports) | https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2018/10/15/esports-company-cloud9-raises-50-million-in-series-b-funding/ | https://esportsinsider.com/2025/02/cloud-departs-counter-strike-enters-rainbow-six", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "nrg", "name": "NRG Esports", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Esports and content organisation", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Sacramento Kings co owners Andy Miller and Mark Mastrov found NRG in November 2015, adding Shaquille O'Neal and Alex Rodriguez as investors in March 2016. Hector Rodriguez is co CEO from September 2019 to 2020. NRG wins Valorant Champions and the Rocket League world title in 2025. DarkZero Esports, owned by the investment firm Grey Matter Capital, acquires NRG on December 19, 2025 for an undisclosed price; Don Kim is CEO, players and staff stay, and Miller moves to an advisory role.", "people": "Andy Miller, Mark Mastrov", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRG_Esports | https://esports.gg/news/valorant/nrg-darkzero-acquisition/ | https://gamesbeat.com/nrg-esports-has-been-acquired-by-darkzero/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "complexity", "name": "Complexity Gaming", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "dallas", "year": 2003, "end": null, "role": "Esports organisation", "status": "Active", "note": "Jason Lake founds Complexity in 2003 and funds it himself, more than $400,000 by 2007. Jerry Jones and John Goff buy it in November 2017 and move it to The Star in Frisco with a GameStop sponsored training centre in 2019. GameSquare acquires it in 2021 and sells it back to a Lake led group on March 1, 2024 for $10.36 million, mostly seller financed. It leaves Counter Strike 2 in August 2025 for financial reasons.", "people": "Jason Lake", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_Gaming | https://investors.gamesquare.com/news/news-details/2024/GameSquare-Announces-Sale-of-Complexity-Gaming-to-Jason-Lake-and-Global-Esports-Properties-for-US10.36-Million-/default.aspx | https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/jones-family-partners-with-john-goff-makes-landmark-move-into-esports-446206 | https://www.hltv.org/news/42483/complexity-exit-counter-strike-its-been-an-incredibly-difficult-time-economically", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "second_try", "name": "2nd Try LLC", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned production company and streaming service", "status": "Active", "note": "The Try Guys found 2nd Try LLC in June 2018 on leaving BuzzFeed with their brand intact. It produces the channel, podcasts and merchandise, and launches the 2nd Try TV subscription service in May 2024 on Vimeo tools with upfront funding from Spotter to pay for shows and cast. The company produces about 250 long form videos a year, runs 11 series on 2nd Try through the end of 2026 including the whodunit Killer Dinner, and adds a Samsung FAST channel. The subscription gives it predictable revenue alongside YouTube ad share.", "people": "Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, Eugene Lee Yang", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Try_Guys | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/06/21/the-try-guys-leave-buzzfeed-launch-2nd-try-llc/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/06/01/try-guys-spotter-killer-dinner-2nd-try/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/06/05/the-try-guys-tried-making-their-own-streaming-serivce-and-its-working-with-vimeos-tools/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tanacon", "name": "TanaCon", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": 2018, "role": "Creator convention, failed", "status": "Closed", "note": "Tana Mongeau and Michael Weist of Good Times Entertainment stage TanaCon at the Anaheim Marriott Suites on June 22, 2018 as a free rival to VidCon, with about 5,000 tickets issued for a venue rated for roughly 3,000 people. Reports put the crowd outside at up to 15,000, attendees wait for hours in the sun, the fire marshal closes the event on the first afternoon and the second day is cancelled. Weist values the loss at about 700,000 dollars and files Chapter 7 bankruptcy for Good Times on October 17, 2018, telling fans to seek refunds from the ticket vendor and from Mongeau. Shane Dawson's three part documentary makes it a case study and VidCon features Mongeau in July 2019.", "people": "Tana Mongeau, Michael Weist", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanaCon | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/06/22/tana-mongeau-tanacon-venue/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/10/30/michael-weist-bankruptcy-tanacon-documentary/ | https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/video-games/tanacon-what-happened-when-tana-mongeau-vidcon-good-times-tumblr-convention-994948", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Crowd size is reported as 4,000 to 5,000 in some accounts and as roughly 15,000 waiting outside in Tubefilter and Newsweek; no primary count exists." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "cryptozoo", "name": "CryptoZoo", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "puerto_rico", "year": 2021, "end": 2024, "role": "NFT game, failed", "status": "Closed", "note": "Logan Paul announces CryptoZoo in September 2021 as an NFT breeding game. The game never launches, Coffeezilla's December 2022 investigation triggers a class action in February 2023, and Paul promises $1.3 million in refunds in January 2023 with a buyback from January 2024. A judge dismisses all 27 claims against him in October 2025 and Paul sues his former partners.", "people": "Logan Paul, Eduardo Ibanez, Jake Greenbaum", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul | https://www.wrestlinginc.com/2020692/wwe-logan-paul-cryptocurrency-lawsuit-update/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": true, "geo": null, "cityId": "puerto_rico", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dispo", "name": "Dispo", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Photo sharing app", "status": "Active", "note": "Dispo launches as David's Disposable on December 21, 2019 and tops the App Store within a week. It raises a reported 4 million dollars from Seven Seven Six and others in October 2020 and a reported 20 million dollars led by Spark Capital in February 2021 at a reported 200 million dollar valuation. Spark cuts ties on March 22, 2021 over the Vlog Squad allegations and Dobrik leaves the board the same day. The Dobrik free company closes the Series A on June 8, 2021 with Seven Seven Six, Unshackled Ventures and Endeavor. The app remains live on the App Store in 2025 under seller All Summer Long, Inc., with version 4.6.0 released March 20, 2025 and a subscription of up to 59.99 dollars a year, at a much smaller scale than in 2021.", "people": "David Dobrik, Daniel Liss", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispo | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dispo-retro-disposable-camera/id1491684197 | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/22/spark-capital-severs-ties-with-dispo-david-dobrik-departs-company/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/06/08/dispo-closes-series-a-investor-advisors-annie-leibovitz-kevin-durant/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/10/07/david-dobrik-dispo-4-million-seed-round-alexis-ohanian-776/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "beast_games", "name": "Beast Games", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "greenville_nc", "year": 2024, "end": null, "role": "Streaming competition series, Prime Video", "status": "Active", "note": "Beast Games premieres on Prime Video on December 19, 2024 with 1,000 contestants and 10 million dollars in total prizes, and Amazon MGM Studios says it reaches 50 million viewers in 25 days. Prime Video renews it for two more seasons on May 12, 2025. Season two, announced November 20, 2025, runs from January 7 to February 25, 2026 with 200 players split between strong and smart teams competing for 5 million dollars at a set Amazon calls Beast City, whose location the release does not name. Season three tapes a live episode at East Carolina University's Dowdy Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina on May 24, 2026, and Amazon says it expects a late 2026 or early 2027 premiere.", "people": "Jimmy Donaldson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Games_season_2 | https://press.amazonmgmstudios.com/us/en/press-release/prime-video-gives-twoseason-renewal-to-global-hit- | https://press.amazonmgmstudios.com/us/en/press-release/the-lights-are-on-in-beast-city-prime-video-announ | https://www.wral.com/news/state/thousands-show-up-for-beast-games-in-greenville-nc-may-2026/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The prior note's 15 million dollar season two prize pool and Wilmington, Las Vegas, Fiji and Riyadh filming sites are not in the Amazon releases, which state a 5 million dollar pool and do not name locations." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.37, 35.61 ], "cityId": "greenville_nc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "offbrand", "name": "Offbrand", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned production company, closed", "status": "Active", "note": "Ludwig Ahgren, Nick Allen, Nathan Stanz and Brandon Ewing found Offbrand in September 2022 as a studio that makes game shows and events for creators, starting with Juiced hosted by xQc on Twitch on September 30, 2022. It adds Offbrand Games, a publishing arm, in 2024 and its first title Rivals of Aether 2 tops the Steam sales chart in October 2024. On December 18, 2024 Offbrand closes its events production branch, citing the effort each event demands, thin creator demand and a reported 3 million dollar accounting hole, and pays two months of severance. The games publishing business continues as the company's focus.", "people": "Ludwig Ahgren", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/12/18/ludwig-ahgren-close-evens-production-offbrand/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/09/27/ludwig-ahgren-offbrand-creative-studio-xqc-game-show/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/10/24/offbrand-games-rivals-of-aether-2-best-seller-steam/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mogul_moves", "name": "Mogul Moves", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned events and content company", "status": "Active", "note": "Mogul Moves is Ludwig's company for events and second channels, staging Mogul Money Live in July 2022, the Mogul Chessboxing Championship in December 2022 and Ludwig's Streamer Games in August 2024, which wins Best Streamed Event at the Streamer Awards.", "people": "Ludwig Ahgren", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren | https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/12/09/ludwig-mogul-chessboxing-championship-live-event-what-time-december-11/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/09/27/ludwig-ahgren-offbrand-creative-studio-xqc-game-show/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "Mogul Money Live in July 2022 at YouTube Theater and the chessboxing event of December 11, 2022 at the Galen Center are confirmed by Tubefilter, but no trade source retrieved confirms Ludwig's Streamer Games in August 2024 or its Streamer Award, and the 2020 founding year rests on the encyclopaedia alone." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "unwell_network", "name": "Unwell", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned podcast and media network, Alex Cooper", "status": "Active", "note": "Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan found Unwell in August 2023 to build shows for Gen Z audiences around Call Her Daddy, hosting new podcasters, a creative agency and the Unwell Winter Games series. In August 2024 SiriusXM signs a three year deal reported at 125 million dollars that moves Call Her Daddy from Spotify and gives SiriusXM ad sales for the network. In August 2026 Patrick Whitesell's WTSL invests an undisclosed sum at a 500 million dollar valuation; Cooper says seventy million women a month reach Unwell content.", "people": "Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/08/12/alex-cooper-unwell-funding-round-500-million-valuation/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexyork/2024/11/22/talk-aint-cheap-inside-alex-coopers-125-million-deal-to-grow-her-multi-media-empire/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "comedy_mothership", "name": "Comedy Mothership", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "austin", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "Comedy club, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Joe Rogan buys the Ritz at 320 East Sixth Street in downtown Austin in 2022, a 1929 talking picture house that Alamo Drafthouse ran as its flagship from 2007 until its 2021 bankruptcy. Architect Richard Weiss converts it in 2023 and it opens as the Comedy Mothership with two rooms named Fat Man and Little Boy. It anchors the comedy and podcast cluster that follows Rogan's 2020 move from Los Angeles to Austin. Capacity and purchase price are not on the club's site.", "people": "Joe Rogan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_Mothership | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Rogan | https://comedymothership.com/history", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The club's own history page gives 2023 for the opening but not the March date; purchase price and capacity are undisclosed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "quidd", "name": "Quidd", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Digital collectibles app", "status": "Active", "note": "Quidd, a digital collectibles app, pays MrBeast $10,000 in June 2017 for his first sponsorship, which he gives to a homeless man on camera. The video sets the giveaway format that defines the channel, and the sponsor money rather than AdSense is what funds the first stunts.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://x.com/mbram/status/1797625457816519120 | https://shortyawards.com/10th/mrbeast-x-quidd", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "red_bull", "name": "Red Bull", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1987, "end": null, "role": "Energy drink, creator sponsor", "status": "Active", "note": "Red Bull is the most consistent sponsor of streamers and esports. It signs Ninja in June 2018 with a Fortnite all nighter tournament in Chicago and issues a Ninja can in April 2019. Its June 2018 Cloud9 deal makes Red Bull the shirt sponsor of all 14 Cloud9 teams, but it is a return rather than a first: Red Bull had sponsored Cloud9 and Team SoloMid before ending team deals in 2017 while it ran its own Team RB. Ludwig lists himself as a Red Bull athlete in May 2024 and Red Bull carries his athlete page. The company is headquartered in Austria with US operations in Santa Monica.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud9_(esports) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/06/18/ninja-red-bull-fortnite-tournament/ | https://www.redbull.com/us-en/athlete/ludwig-ahgren | https://dotesports.com/business/news/cloud9-red-bull-shirt-sponsor-partnership-24868", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "nike", "name": "Nike", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "portland", "year": 1964, "end": null, "role": "Athletic apparel", "status": "Active", "note": "Nike commissions Casey Neistat's Make It Count film in April 2012, an early creator branded film, and signs Kai Cenat in February 2024, the first major athletic deal for a streamer. Both deals treat the creator as a filmmaker or athlete rather than an ad slot.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Cenat | https://hypebeast.com/2024/2/kai-cenat-nike-partnership-confirmed-announcement | https://adage.com/creativity/work/casey-neistat-makes-it-count/27116/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.68, 45.52 ], "cityId": "portland", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "covergirl", "name": "CoverGirl", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1961, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, Coty", "status": "Active", "note": "CoverGirl names James Charles its first male ambassador in October 2016, ten months after his channel starts, and the deal becomes the template for beauty creator ambassadorships. Coty owns the brand and the campaign runs in print and television as well as on his channel.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles | https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/covergirl-appoints-first-ever-male-ambassador-122143 | https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/things-james-charles-male-ambassador-covergirl/story?id=43219825", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ridge", "name": "Ridge", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Wallet and everyday carry brand, creator equity partner", "status": "Active", "note": "Ridge is founded in 2013 by father and son Daniel and Paul Kane and sells minimalist wallets, rings and luggage from a Los Angeles headquarters, with over four million wallet owners and 40 percent annual growth claimed in 2024. Marques Brownlee starts as a sponsor in 2020 and on February 22, 2024 joins as executive board member, equity investor and chief creative partner, designing collections from April 2024. It is the model where a sponsorship matures into ownership rather than a separate creator brand.", "people": "Daniel Kane, Paul Kane, Marques Brownlee", "source": "https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240222018547/en/Marques-Brownlee-Joins-Ridge-as-Executive-Board-Member-Equity-Investor-and-Chief-Creative-Partner | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridge_(company) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marques_Brownlee", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "bang_energy", "name": "Bang Energy", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "miami", "year": 2012, "end": 2022, "role": "Energy drink brand, creator marketing driven", "status": "Bankrupt", "note": "Jack Owoc's Vital Pharmaceuticals, based in Weston and Pembroke Pines in the Miami metro, launches Bang in 2012 and builds it with TikTok and Instagram creators paid to post with the can. A 293 million dollar Monster verdict in September 2022 pushes it into Chapter 11 on October 10, 2022. Monster buys the assets on July 31, 2023 for 362 million dollars.", "people": "Jack Owoc", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Energy | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_Means_Possible | https://investors.monsterbevcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/monster-beverage-completes-acquisition-bang-energy | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bang-energy-announces-monumental-partnership-with-star-streaming-group-amp-302167438.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": true, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "lancome", "name": "Lancome", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1935, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, L'Oreal", "status": "Active", "note": "Lancome names Michelle Phan its official video makeup artist in 2010, the first major beauty brand deal for a YouTube creator, three years after her first tutorial. The L'Oreal owned brand later launches Em Cosmetics with her in 2013 before she buys it back.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/color-cosmetics/michelle-phan-lancomes-new-video-star-2495548/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dan_gilbert", "name": "Dan Gilbert", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "detroit", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Investor, Cleveland Cavaliers owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Dan Gilbert invests a multimillion dollar sum in 100 Thieves in November 2017, the money that turns Nadeshot's brand into a full esports organisation. Gilbert's Rock Ventures invests from Detroit and the company stays in Los Angeles.", "people": "Dan Gilbert", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The only sources found for the November 2017 Gilbert investment in 100 Thieves (cleveland.com, February 2018; Polygon, December 2017) could not be retrieved through the proxy, so nothing above encyclopaedia grade was confirmed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -83.05, 42.33 ], "cityId": "detroit", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "spark_capital", "name": "Spark Capital", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Venture capital firm", "status": "Active", "note": "Spark Capital leads Dispo's $20 million Series A in February 2021 at a $200 million valuation and severs ties on March 21, 2021 after the Vlog Squad allegations, forfeiting its stake in the process. The exit is the clearest case of venture capital walking away from a creator founded company over conduct.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispo | https://www.axios.com/scoop-david-dobriks-retro-photo-app-dispo-raises-20-million-0a056861-6ea2-46d2-92af-eda697eb179b.html | https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/22/tech/david-dobrik-dispo-stepping-down/index.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dallas_cowboys", "name": "Dallas Cowboys (Jerry Jones)", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "dallas", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "NFL franchise, esports owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Jerry Jones and John Goff buy Complexity Gaming in November 2017 and house it at The Star in Frisco, the Cowboys headquarters, until GameSquare takes it in 2021. The Cowboys are the first NFL franchise to own an esports team outright.", "people": "Jerry Jones, John Goff", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_Gaming | https://complexity.gg/blogs/blog/jason-lake-buys-back-complexity | https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/21309068/dallas-cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-john-goff-buy-majority-stake-complexity-gaming", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "darkzero", "name": "DarkZero Esports", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "las_vegas", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Esports organisation, acquirer", "status": "Active", "note": "DarkZero Esports, the Las Vegas organisation founded in 2018 by private equity investor Zachary Matula, buys NRG's esports operations, teams, staff and brand in an undisclosed cash asset sale that closes on December 1, 2025 and is announced on December 19, 2025. DarkZero chief executive Don Kim runs the combined business under the NRG brand and keeps most staff and all players, while founder Andy Miller becomes an adviser and keeps Full Squad Gaming, NRG's casual gaming division, outside the deal. NRG had raised about 40 million dollars since 2016, and the sale follows its 2025 Valorant Champions and Rocket League world titles. Terms are not disclosed.", "people": "Don Kim", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRG_Esports | https://esportsadvocate.net/2025/12/nrg-sold-to-darkzero-in-undisclosed-asset-sale/ | https://gamesbeat.com/nrg-esports-has-been-acquired-by-darkzero/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -115.14, 36.17 ], "cityId": "las_vegas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "cnn", "name": "CNN", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "atlanta", "year": 1980, "end": null, "role": "News network, acquirer", "status": "Active", "note": "CNN buys Casey Neistat's Beme on November 28, 2016 for a reported $25 million, shuts the app in January 2017 and winds down the unit when Neistat leaves in January 2018. The acquisition is one of the first purchases of a creator founded app by a legacy news network, and none of the product survives.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beme_(company) | https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/cnn-casey-neistat-beme-acquisition-1201927533 | https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/25/cnn-shuts-down-casey-neistats-beme-but-some-of-its-digital-news-tech-will-live-on | https://www.forbes.com/sites/meganhills1/2018/01/25/cnn-and-casey-neistats-usd25-million-deal-has-come-to-an-end/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -84.39, 33.75 ], "cityId": "atlanta", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mixer", "name": "Mixer", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "seattle", "year": 2016, "end": 2020, "role": "Live streaming platform, Microsoft", "status": "Closed", "note": "Matthew Salsamendi and James Boehm launch Beam on 5 January 2016, Microsoft buys it on 11 August 2016 and renames it Mixer in May 2017 inside Xbox in Redmond. On 1 August 2019 Mixer signs Ninja away from Twitch on an exclusive deal reported at 20 to 30 million dollars, then Shroud in October 2019, and Ninja passes 1 million paying subscribers during a free promotion. The audience never follows: Microsoft announces on 22 June 2020 that Mixer will close on 22 July 2020 and hands its community to Facebook Gaming, releasing Ninja and Shroud from contracts valued at up to 30 million dollars each. The rung that breaks is distribution: paying stars without an audience to sell them to. Ninja returns to Twitch in September 2020.", "people": "Matthew Salsamendi, James Boehm", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service) | https://deadline.com/2020/06/microsoft-pulls-plug-on-mixer-teams-with-facebook-gaming-ninja-return-to-twitch-1202966785/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_(gamer)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": true, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "buzzfeed", "name": "BuzzFeed", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Digital media company", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Jonah Peretti and John Johnson start BuzzFeed in New York in 2006 as a viral content lab paid by native advertising, later Tasty video licensing and commerce. NBCUniversal invests 400 million dollars across 2015 and 2016, BuzzFeed buys HuffPost in 2020 and Complex in 2021, and lists through a SPAC in December 2021 at 1.5 billion dollars. It shuts BuzzFeed News on April 20, 2023 with about 180 layoffs, sells Complex in 2024 and First We Feast in December 2024, and falls from 1,700 staff in 2017 to 925 in 2023. On May 27, 2026 Byron Allen's family office completes a 120 million dollar purchase of about 51 percent, paid with 20 million cash and a 100 million dollar note, making Allen chief executive while Peretti runs BuzzFeed AI. The rung that breaks is platform distribution: Facebook traffic that funded the newsroom disappears.", "people": "Jonah Peretti, Byron Allen", "source": "https://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpress/buzzfeed-inc-completes-majority-stake-investment-by-byron | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed | https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/buzzfeed-news-shutting-down-rcna80656 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Try_Guys | https://techcrunch.com/2015/08/18/buzzfeed-nbcuniversal/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "barstool_sports", "name": "Barstool Sports", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "chicago", "year": 2003, "end": null, "role": "Sports and comedy media company, podcasts", "status": "Active", "note": "Dave Portnoy starts Barstool as a free Boston print sheet in September 2003, goes web only in 2007 and builds podcasts, merchandise and gambling partnerships into 90 to 100 million dollars of 2019 revenue. The Chernin Group buys 51 percent in January 2016 at a 10 to 15 million dollar valuation and moves it to New York. Penn National pays 163 million dollars for 36 percent in January 2020 at a 450 million valuation, buys the rest in February 2023 for 388 million, then hands the whole company back to Portnoy for one dollar in August 2023 to clear the way for its ESPN Bet deal. Barstool moves to Chicago, signs a wide ranging Fox Sports deal in July 2025 and a reported eight figure Netflix deal for three video podcasts in December 2025. Call Her Daddy starts here in 2018.", "people": "Dave Portnoy, Erika Ayers Badan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/dave-portnoy-barstool-sports-paid-one-dollar-penn-entertainment-1235692418/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/fox-sports-barstool-sports-dave-portnoy-deal-1236318565/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Portnoy | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -87.63, 41.88 ], "cityId": "chicago", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "talentx", "name": "TalentX Entertainment", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Talent management, Sway House operator", "status": "Dormant", "note": "TalentX Entertainment is the management company through which Michael Gruen creates Sway House on January 4, 2020 with founding members Josh Richards, Bryce Hall and Griffin Johnson, taking a share of the sponsorships and merchandise the house generates. The house grows to nine members, loses its electricity by Los Angeles city order in August 2020 after a pandemic party, fragments by December 2020 and dissolves in February 2021 after Richards and Johnson leave to start the Animal Capital fund. The company's status after 2021 and its founding year are not confirmed.", "people": "Michael Gruen, Warren Lentz", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/28/tiktok-josh-richards-bryce-hall-ani-energy/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "most_valuable_promotions", "name": "Most Valuable Promotions", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "puerto_rico", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Boxing promoter, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian found MVP in 2021 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It promotes Paul vs Tyson on Netflix in November 2024, Taylor vs Serrano III at Madison Square Garden in July 2025 and Paul vs Joshua in Miami in December 2025.", "people": "Jake Paul, Nakisa Bidarian", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Valuable_Promotions | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/03/08/jake-paul-influencer-boxing-mike-tyson-netflix/ | https://www.mostvaluablepromotions.com/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The company site names Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian as its leaders and lists a November 8, 2026 card, and Tubefilter confirms the Netflix partnership for Paul vs Tyson, but no retrieved source confirms the 2021 founding in San Juan, the Taylor vs Serrano III date or Paul vs Joshua in December 2025." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "puerto_rico", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "midnight_society", "name": "Midnight Society", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2021, "end": 2025, "role": "Game studio", "status": "Closed", "note": "Guy Beahm, known as Dr Disrespect, and Robert Bowling co found Midnight Society in December 2021 to build the free to play extraction shooter Deadrop, funded in part by Founders Access Passes sold to fans. The studio removes Beahm on June 24, 2024 over 2017 messages to a minor and strips his likeness from the game. It makes a significant workforce reduction in September 2024 citing unexpected challenges, still promising a 2025 launch, then announces on January 30, 2025 that it is closing after three years and more than 55 developers, that Deadrop will not launch and that it is helping staff find other studios. Refunds for pass holders are unconfirmed at closure. The rung that broke is the founder's exit, which cut off the audience the studio was built to sell to.", "people": "Guy Beahm, Robert Bowling", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr_Disrespect | https://esportsinsider.com/2025/01/deadrop-game-studio-midnight-society-announces-closure | https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/nft-game-dev-midnight-society-makes-significant-layoffs-after-unexpected-challenges", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "lunchly", "name": "Lunchly", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "greenville_nc", "year": 2024, "end": null, "role": "Packaged lunch kit, creator co owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Lunchly launches on September 16, 2024 as a joint venture of MrBeast, Logan Paul and KSI, bundling a Feastables bar and a Prime bottle with pizza, nacho and turkey kits sold at Walmart as a healthier answer to Kraft Heinz's Lunchables. Within a month Rosanna Pansino and other creators post videos of mold on the cheese, the FDA logs more than ten complaints, and Logan Paul responds with the words try harder. Consumer Reports finds in mid 2025 that the kits are not generally healthier than Lunchables and contain concerning lead and phthalate levels. The line nonetheless expands to six varieties by February 2026 and adds entree only packs in January 2026. The co packer is not publicly identified.", "people": "Jimmy Donaldson, Logan Paul, KSI", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunchly | https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/moises-mendez-ii/mrbeast-logan-paul-ksi-lunchly-mold-cheese-explained | https://www.stack3d.com/2026/01/lunchly-entree-only/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.37, 35.61 ], "cityId": "greenville_nc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "unwell_hydration", "name": "Unwell Hydration", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2025, "end": 2026, "role": "Electrolyte drink, creator owned", "status": "Closed", "note": "Alex Cooper announces Unwell Hydration on December 5, 2024 as an electrolyte drink aimed at women, made with Nestle and sold exclusively at Target from January 1, 2025 at 2.49 dollars a bottle, with energy drinks added later in 2025. Bloomberg reports on August 13, 2026 that Unwell Beverage Co. is shutting down after less than two years, with Target selling through remaining stock and a final Halloween run; Nestle has not commented. The rung that broke is the crowded functional drink shelf rather than the podcast audience, and the closure is reported rather than confirmed by the company. The wider Unwell network continues after a reported 500 million dollar investment the same week.", "people": "Alex Cooper", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster) | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/call-her-daddys-alex-cooper-expands-her-empire-with-unwell-hydration-302323287.html | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/podcaster-alex-cooper-is-shutting-down-unwell-beverages | https://fortune.com/2026/08/14/call-her-daddy-alex-cooper-unwell/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "w_by_jake_paul", "name": "W", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2024, "end": null, "role": "Men's body care brand, creator owned, Walmart line", "status": "Active", "note": "W launches in June 2024 as Jake Paul's men's personal care line, sold nationally at Walmart stores and Walmart.com and incubated by his venture firm Anti Fund. W Labs announces on July 23, 2024 that it has raised 14 million dollars across seed and Series A rounds led by Shrug Capital and Anti Fund, at a valuation the company puts above 150 million dollars, with backers including Naomi Osaka, Michael Rubin and Celsius chief executive John Fieldly. The company says it passed 1 million dollars of sales in its first month and targets 50 million in year one, figures that are company claims rather than filings. The manufacturer is not publicly named.", "people": "Jake Paul", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-w-raises-14-million-in-seed-and-series-a-funding-led-by-shrug-capital-and-anti-fund-to-reinvigorate-mens-personal-care-aisle-302203008.html | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/jake-paul-w-products-walmart-mens-bodycare-line-1235954873/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "reale_actives", "name": "Reale Actives", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "miami", "year": 2026, "end": null, "role": "Skincare, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Alix Earle launches Reale Actives on March 31, 2026 after a teaser campaign of social media clues, her first fully owned product after three years of paid partnerships and investments. It opens direct to consumer only with an acne serum at 39 dollars developed with a dermatologist, and is reported to be backed by the venture firm behind Skims. Retail partners and the manufacturer are not confirmed.", "people": "Alix Earle", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alix_Earle | https://www.morningbrew.com/stories/2026/03/31/alix-earle-reale-skincare-launch | https://www.forbes.com/sites/zoyahasan/2026/03/27/alix-earle-has-mastered-marketing-now-she-takes-the-founder-seat/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tone", "name": "Tone", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "atlanta", "year": 2025, "end": null, "role": "Skincare, AMP owned", "status": "Active", "note": "AMP launches Tone in February 2025 with the agency Night as a personal care line of aluminium free deodorant, body wash, cologne, lip balm and lotion rather than skincare, and Target stocks 16 items in stores and online from July 7, 2025, timed to the crew's summer subathon. Target's own announcement names the six members, Kai Cenat, Duke Dennis, Fanum, Agent 00, ChrisNxtDoor and ImDavisss, and it is the first physical product line from a streaming collective to reach a national chain. The manufacturer is not named.", "people": "Fanum, Duke Dennis, Kai Cenat", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_Means_Possible | https://corporate.target.com/news-features/article/2025/07/tone | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/07/07/amp-summer-subathon-target-tone-body-care-creator-line/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -84.39, 33.75 ], "cityId": "atlanta", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "starforge_systems", "name": "Starforge Systems", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "austin", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Prebuilt gaming PCs, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "OTK and Cr1TiKaL launch Starforge Systems on August 8, 2022 with four prebuilt PCs priced from 999 to 3,499 dollars, led by a former Artesian Builds executive after OTK's earlier Artesian partnership collapsed. Fans call the prices gouging and the company cuts them by 100 dollars within days. The company builds by hand in Austin, Texas and sells online, and it is the first hardware company started by a streaming organisation. Revenue is not disclosed.", "people": "Asmongold, Charlie White", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_True_King | https://www.dexerto.com/tech/otk-moistcr1tikal-launch-starforge-systems-1895988/ | https://starforgesystems.com/pages/about-us", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The claim that Starforge is the largest OTK venture by revenue has no source above encyclopaedia grade; no revenue figure is disclosed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "pov_beauty", "name": "POV Beauty", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "boston", "year": 2025, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics, creator co founded", "status": "Active", "note": "Mikayla Nogueira and chief executive Ani Hadjinian launch POV Beauty, formally Point of View, on March 26, 2025 from Boston with five skincare products sold only on its own site, and the company reports 1 million dollars of sales in seven minutes and a sellout of the first run. It is her first owned product after five years of paid reviews, is backed by Imaginary Ventures, adds makeup in November 2025 and enters Sephora on September 3, 2026, its first retail placement. Sales figures are company claims rather than filings.", "people": "Mikayla Nogueira, Ani Hadjinian", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikayla_Nogueira | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mikayla-nogueira-debuts-point-of-view-redefining-beauty-from-every-angle-302412051.html | https://beautymatter.com/articles/pov-beautys-next-viral-moment-is-the-sephora-shelf", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -71.06, 42.36 ], "cityId": "boston", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "joyride", "name": "Joyride Sweets", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": null, "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Low sugar candy, creator co owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Joyride is the Austin, Texas low sugar candy company that Tyler Merrick founded in 2008 as Project 7 and rebranded as Joyride in 2022. Ryan Trahan joins as chief creative officer and, as Forbes reports, co owner in February 2024, launching Sour Strips at 25 dollars a pack with a video that draws 4 million views in a day, and the variety pack reaches 1,300 Target stores in June 2024 after selling out online. The brand uses his audience of about 15 million subscribers as its marketing.", "people": "Ryan Trahan, Cameron Kizer", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Trahan | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/youtube-sensation-ryan-trahan-takes-a-sweet-turn-as-joyrides-chief-creative-officer-launching-first-of-its-kind-sour-strips-and-viral-social-first-ad-campaign-302063175.html | https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamwescott/2024/02/27/ryan-trahan-leaves-sour-new-taste-in-audience-mouth/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Sugar Land, Texas", -95.63, 29.62 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -95.63, 29.62 ], "geoLabel": "Sugar Land, Texas", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Sugar Land, Texas" }, { "id": "cloak", "name": "Cloak", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Gaming apparel, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Markiplier and Jacksepticeye launch Cloak in October 2018 as an apparel brand for gamers; McLoughlin leaves in 2023. The brand sells direct to consumer from Los Angeles and is the first owned product for both creators, six years after each starts on YouTube.", "people": "Mark Fischbach, Sean McLoughlin", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markiplier | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/10/19/jacksepticeye-and-markiplier-team-up-to-launch-clothing-brand-cloak/ | https://x.com/Jacksepticeye/status/1836881600900124895", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "morphe", "name": "Morphe", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2008, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand and retailer, creator collaboration model", "status": "Active", "note": "Morphe is founded in 2008 in Burbank by Chris and Linda Tawil and grows on affiliate codes and creator collaborations: the Jaclyn Hill palette in 2017, the James Charles Sister Collection in November 2018, Jeffree Star's line in its stores from 2018 and Morphe 2 with the D'Amelio sisters in June 2020. General Atlantic invests in 2019 and Forma Brands is formed. Morphe drops Jeffree Star in July 2020 and James Charles in April 2021, revenue falls from about 500 million dollars in 2019 to 295 million in 2021, US stores close on January 6, 2023 and Forma files Chapter 11 six days later. Lenders Jefferies and Cerberus with &Vest buy the business for 690 million dollars. Under chief executive Simon Cowell it sells through Ulta and direct, with sales up 33 percent in May 2025 and a goal of pre bankruptcy revenue within three to five years. The founding details are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Chris Tawil, Linda Tawil, Simon Cowell", "source": "https://www.glossy.co/beauty/morphe-parent-company-forma-brands-files-for-bankruptcy/ | https://www.beautyindependent.com/morphe-execute-big-comeback/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web", "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2008, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ftx", "name": "FTX", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "miami", "year": 2019, "end": 2022, "role": "Crypto exchange, esports sponsor", "status": "Bankrupt", "note": "FTX signs the ten year, $210 million TSM naming deal in June 2021 and collapses into bankruptcy in November 2022, voiding the largest sponsorship in esports. TSM keeps the money already paid and drops the FTX name from its brand.", "people": "Sam Bankman-Fried", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSM_(esports) | https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/sports/esports-name-change-tsm-ftx.html | https://www.dexerto.com/esports/tsm-suspend-210m-ftx-partnership-amid-crypto-exchange-collapse-1986501/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": true, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "walmart", "name": "Walmart", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": null, "year": 1962, "end": null, "role": "Mass retailer, first shelf for creator food and beverage brands", "status": "Active", "note": "Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, outside every metro on this map, runs more than 10,900 stores, and its buying office is the single most important destination for creator packaged goods. Feastables sells on Walmart.com from its January 29, 2022 launch and rolls into stores in September 2022. Prime Hydration+ sticks reach Walmart first in September 2022 at 8.98 dollars a box with a reported 500,000 dollars of first week sales. Chamberlain Coffee's canned lattes launch as a Walmart exclusive in April 2023, Be Happy Snacks popcorn launches exclusively at Walmart on October 26, 2023, W by Jake Paul launches as a Walmart exclusive on June 12, 2024 priced under 10 dollars, and Lunchly kits, snack kits and frozen sandwiches are on Walmart.com by 2026. Happy Dad cites Nielsen data for its Walmart hard seltzer sales. A Walmart placement is where creator attention converts into trucking, warehousing and store labor in places the creator has never visited.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mrbeast-launches-better-for-you-snacking-brand-feastables-301471133.html | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-next-pursuit-w-a-mens-personal-care-brand-designed-to-motivate-guys-to-go-for-the-win-302170460.html | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/damelio-foods-introduces-be-happy-snacks-popcorn-301968173.html | https://www.bevnet.com/news/2023/chamberlain-coffee-enters-rtds-with-walmart-exclusive-launch/ | https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/lunchly | https://corporate.walmart.com/about", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Chamath Palihapitiya's September 2024 post says Lunchly opened at Kroger and Albertsons with Walmart due by January; no release dates the Walmart arrival precisely." ], "pin": [ "Bentonville, Arkansas", -94.21, 36.37 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -94.21, 36.37 ], "geoLabel": "Bentonville, Arkansas", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Bentonville, Arkansas" }, { "id": "target", "name": "Target", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "minneapolis", "year": 1962, "end": null, "role": "Mass retailer, Minneapolis", "status": "Active", "note": "Target, headquartered in Minneapolis, announces a Prime Hydration distribution deal in March 2022, carries ColourPop, Chamberlain Coffee and Morphe, and hosted the Ulta Beauty at Target shop in shop from 2021 until the two companies agreed in August 2025 to end it in August 2026. Target is the second national shelf most creator brands chase after Walmart.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250814511000/en", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -93.27, 44.98 ], "cityId": "minneapolis", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sephora", "name": "Sephora", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 1970, "end": null, "role": "Prestige beauty retailer, LVMH, US HQ San Francisco", "status": "Active", "note": "Sephora, an LVMH chain with its US headquarters in San Francisco, is the shelf that creator beauty brands treat as validation. Selfless by Hyram and Item Beauty both launch there in summer 2021 across roughly 700 stores in 29 countries and both exit in January 2023, ColourPop makes Sephora its first retail partner in 2017, and One/Size by Patrick Starrr sells there from 2020. The 2023 exits show that the Sephora rung can break in under two years when creator affinity does not translate into repeat purchase.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/selfless-by-hyram-item-beauty-by-addison-rae-exit-sephora/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColourPop_Cosmetics", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ulta", "name": "Ulta Beauty", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "chicago", "year": 1990, "end": null, "role": "Beauty retailer, Bolingbrook Illinois", "status": "Active", "note": "Ulta Beauty is headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, in the Chicago metro. Kylie Cosmetics launches in over 1,100 Ulta stores in November 2018, ColourPop enters select Ulta stores in 2018, and Morphe survives its 2023 bankruptcy largely through Ulta and direct sales. Ulta's shop in shop inside Target runs from 2021 to August 2026.", "people": "", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/kylie-cosmetics/ | https://www.beautyindependent.com/morphe-execute-big-comeback/ | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250814511000/en", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -87.63, 41.88 ], "cityId": "chicago", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "amazon", "name": "Amazon", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "seattle", "year": 1994, "end": null, "role": "E commerce and streaming, Seattle", "status": "Active", "note": "Amazon, headquartered in Seattle, is both a shelf and a studio for creator brands. It buys Twitch for about 970 million dollars in cash in a deal announced August 25, 2014, agrees to buy Wondery on December 30, 2020 for an undisclosed price that press put at about 300 million dollars, and invests an undisclosed sum in Spotter in October 2024 to route creators toward Amazon commerce. Prime Video premieres Beast Games on December 19, 2024, reports 50 million viewers in 25 days and renews it for two seasons on May 12, 2025. Feastables, Lunchly and most creator beauty lines sell through the marketplace, and Audible sponsors podcasts and channels.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://press.aboutamazon.com/2014/8/amazon-com-to-acquire-twitch | https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/wondery-to-join-amazon-music | https://press.amazonmgmstudios.com/us/en/press-release/prime-video-gives-twoseason-renewal-to-global-hit- | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/10/30/spotter-amazon-partnership/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 100 million dollar Beast Games licence figure, the Prime ZERO Amazon launch in December 2025, the Tastemade Series E and the Chamberlain and Feastables marketplace listings could not be checked against a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "costco", "name": "Costco", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "seattle", "year": 1983, "end": null, "role": "Warehouse club, Issaquah Washington", "status": "Active", "note": "Costco, headquartered in Issaquah in the Seattle metro, carries Chamberlain Coffee and exclusive Prime Hydration flavors documented through 2026. Its warehouse model takes a creator beverage only after it has proven velocity in grocery and convenience, and a Costco pallet is the largest single order most creator brands ever receive, which is why Prime keeps producing Costco exclusives through its decline.", "people": "", "source": "https://theankler.com/exclusive-inside-emma-chamberlain-coffee-struggles-fundraise/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "seven_eleven", "name": "7-Eleven", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "dallas", "year": 1927, "end": null, "role": "Convenience chain, Irving Texas", "status": "Active", "note": "7-Eleven, Inc. is headquartered in Irving, Texas, runs more than 13,000 stores in the United States and Canada, and added 1,030 Stripes stores in January 2018 and about 3,800 Speedway stores from Marathon Petroleum in May 2021. Feastables reaches every 7-Eleven and Speedway in May 2023 with a Lamborghini sweepstakes, and Feastables' own November 2025 sweepstakes rules still name 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes as participating stores. Convenience is the channel where Prime and Happy Dad compete for cooler doors, and Happy Dad cites Nielsen data ranking it fourth in United States convenience hard seltzer for the 13 weeks to September 6, 2025. Convenience placement is the proof of impulse demand that mass retailers look for.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables | https://corp.7-eleven.com/corp/about | https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/05/25/feastables-are-now-on-shelves-in-every-7-11-and-speedway/ | https://feastables.com/pages/7e-console-sweepstakes-rules", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Prime's presence in 7-Eleven is not confirmed; BevNET's October 2022 report names Walmart, Kroger and Target for its 20,000 doors and 7-Eleven's own site says 1925 rather than 1927 for its founding." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "kroger", "name": "Kroger", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": null, "year": 1883, "end": null, "role": "Grocery chain, Cincinnati Ohio", "status": "Active", "note": "Kroger is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is not one of this map's metros. Prime Hydration reaches roughly 20,000 US retail doors by late 2022 including Kroger banners, and grocery is where creator beverages must earn repeat sales after the launch spike.", "people": "", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/", "confidence": "partial", "pin": [ "Cincinnati", -84.51, 39.1 ], "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -84.51, 39.1 ], "geoLabel": "Cincinnati", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Cincinnati" }, { "id": "walgreens", "name": "Walgreens", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "chicago", "year": 1901, "end": null, "role": "Drugstore chain, Deerfield Illinois", "status": "Active", "note": "Walgreens, founded in 1901 and headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois in the Chicago metro, runs about 8,000 stores across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. It is the second drugstore channel for mass beauty and beverage lines after CVS, and creator beverage brands reach it late in their distribution build. Walgreens.com lists Prime Hydration in Ice Pop, Tropical Punch, Lemonade, Sournova and Strawberry Banana flavours with pickup and same day delivery, so the placement is live even though no launch date is announced.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walgreens | https://corporate.walgreens.com/ | https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/prime-hydration-drink-ice-pop/ID=300438350-product", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -87.63, 41.88 ], "cityId": "chicago", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "asda", "name": "Asda", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1965, "end": null, "role": "UK supermarket, Leeds", "status": "Active", "note": "Asda, formed in the 1960s and headquartered in Leeds, is Prime Hydration's first UK retailer: the brand thanks Asda on June 18, 2022 and shelves empty through the summer, with Yorkshire stores out of stock by August. Aldi, Sainsbury's, Spar and Morrisons follow, so Asda is first rather than exclusive. Prime Hydration UK Ltd's accounts for 2024 show turnover falling from 112.2 million pounds to 32.8 million pounds, a 71 percent drop, and net profit to about 312,000 pounds, and the directors open a strategic review in June 2025. Asda is where the schoolyard frenzy started and where the collapse is measured.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://www.nationalworld.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/prime-hydration-drink-logan-paul-ksi-youtube-uk-3691500 | https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2025/06/23/prime-hydration-profits-slump/ | https://www.marketingweek.com/prime-profits-plummet/ | https://corporate.asda.com/our-story", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The prior note's 48 percent 2024 fall and 71 percent by mid 2025 do not match the Companies House accounts reported by Marketing Week and Grocery Gazette, which put the 71 percent fall in calendar 2024; the 1949 founding date is the Associated Dairies origin rather than Asda's stated 1960s formation." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "aldi", "name": "Aldi", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1946, "end": null, "role": "Discount grocer, Germany, US HQ Batavia Illinois", "status": "Active", "note": "Aldi, a German discounter whose US arm is based in Batavia, Illinois, launches Prime Hydration in the UK on December 29, 2022 as a Special Buy at 1.99 pounds, the placement that triggered queues and resale prices above 10 pounds a bottle. Aldi later becomes a clearance channel as UK Prime demand falls in 2024 and 2025.", "people": "", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dunkin", "name": "Dunkin'", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "boston", "year": 1950, "end": null, "role": "Coffee and doughnut chain, Canton Massachusetts", "status": "Active", "note": "Dunkin', which issues its releases from Canton, Massachusetts and has belonged to Atlanta based Inspire Brands since the 11.3 billion dollar takeover announced October 30, 2020, launches The Charli on September 2, 2020, a cold brew with whole milk and three pumps of caramel swirl built from Charli D'Amelio's regular order. She returns in February 2024 giving Ben Affleck a dance lesson in the Grammys teaser for the DunKings Super Bowl campaign, though she is not in the Super Bowl spot itself. Inspire files confidentially for an IPO in May 2026. The Charli is the template for a sponsorship that becomes a named product without the creator owning anything.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://news.dunkindonuts.com/news/the-charli-dances-onto-the-dunkin-menu | https://news.dunkindonuts.com/news/dunkin-dunkings-super-bowl-commercial-2024 | https://inspirebrands.com/inspire-brands-to-acquire-dunkin-brands-in-11-3-billion-transaction/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -71.06, 42.36 ], "cityId": "boston", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "best_buy", "name": "Best Buy", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "minneapolis", "year": 1966, "end": null, "role": "Electronics retailer, Richfield Minnesota", "status": "Active", "note": "Best Buy, headquartered in Richfield in the Minneapolis metro with more than 1,000 stores in the United States and Canada, is the shelf for creator adjacent hardware and the retail partner that tech creators including Marques Brownlee and Linus Sebastian review against. Its site lists 31 Higround items in 2026, including the Basecamp 75+ at 103.99 dollars and a 100 Thieves Team Issue Basecamp 65HE at 110.99 dollars, so the 100 Thieves keyboard spinout has a live big box placement alongside its direct sales.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Buy | https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=higround | https://corporate.bestbuy.com/about-best-buy/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -93.27, 44.98 ], "cityId": "minneapolis", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "gamestop", "name": "GameStop", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "dallas", "year": 1984, "end": null, "role": "Video game retailer, Grapevine Texas", "status": "Active", "note": "GameStop is headquartered at 625 Westport Parkway in Grapevine, Texas, in the Dallas metro, and is the specialty retail channel for gaming energy products and esports merchandise. G Fuel's own store locator names Target, Walmart, CVS, Amazon, iHerb and Ingles Markets rather than GameStop, so the gaming energy placement here rests on past promotions rather than a current listing, and specific creator brand placements are not confirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameStop | https://investor.gamestop.com/ | https://gfuel.com/pages/store-locator", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The 2019 GameStop sponsorship of Complexity's Frisco performance centre and any G Fuel shelf placement could not be checked against a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tesco", "name": "Tesco", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1919, "end": null, "role": "UK supermarket, Welwyn Garden City", "status": "Active", "note": "Tesco is the UK's largest grocer and the exclusive launch retailer for the Sidemen's Best cereal on March 3, 2024 at 2 pounds a box, and carries XIX Vodka under a national listing. It is the UK equivalent of the Walmart rung for creator packaged goods.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/how-to-buy-sidemen-best-cereal-2568567/ | https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2025/08/15/vodka-xix-carve-brand-sidemen/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "prime_hydration", "name": "Prime Hydration", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "louisville", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Beverage brand, creator co owned, operated by Congo Brands", "status": "Active", "note": "Logan Paul and KSI announce Prime on January 4, 2022 as a hydration drink built with Congo Brands of Louisville, Kentucky, which holds a reported 60 percent while the two creators split the rest. Target signs in March 2022, Asda in June 2022, Walmart takes the Hydration+ sticks exclusive in September 2022 and Aldi UK lists it on December 29, 2022. Sales are about 250 million dollars in 2022 and a reported 1.2 billion in 2023. Refresco builds a dedicated line at Truesdale, Missouri under a 2023 contract, then sues Congo for 67 million dollars in 2024 when no orders arrive. UK sales fall 48 percent in 2024 and 71 percent by mid 2025, US sales fall about 40 percent, and 2025 revenue is projected near 300 million. Congo cuts staff in January 2026, its Australian arm enters administration in July 2026, and the brand pushes Prime Protein and ZERO Hydration to hold shelf space.", "people": "Logan Paul, KSI, Max Clemons, Trey Steiger", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://www.bevnet.com/news/2024/refresco-files-67m-lawsuit-alleging-prime-maker-congo-backed-out-of-production-deal/ | https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/ | https://www.betterretailing.com/congo-brands-redundancies/ | https://medium.com/@TheCapitalReview/prime-hydration-how-logan-paul-and-ksis-billion-dollar-drink-brand-collapsed-0c1807bff68d", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -85.76, 38.25 ], "cityId": "louisville", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "congo_brands", "name": "Congo Brands", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "louisville", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Beverage brand operator and manufacturer, Louisville", "status": "Active", "note": "Congo Brands is the Louisville, Kentucky company co founded by Max Clemons and Trey Steiger that operates Prime Hydration and until 2025 operated Alani Nu, the energy drink founded in 2018 with fitness creator Katy Hearn. Congo handles formulation, co packing contracts, distribution and retail sales for creator fronted beverage brands, which is why Louisville rather than Los Angeles is where Prime's jobs sit. Celsius agrees in February 2025 to buy Alani Nu for 1.8 billion dollars including tax assets and closes on April 1, 2025, with Clemons and Steiger among the sellers. Congo dissolves its field sales organization, cuts jobs across the UK and other countries in January 2026, and its Australian arm enters voluntary administration in July 2026 with about 85,000 Australian dollars in cash against 7.9 million in liabilities. The founding year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Max Clemons, Trey Steiger", "source": "https://ir.celsiusholdingsinc.com/news/news-details/2025/Celsius-Holdings-to-Acquire-Alani-Nu-Creating-a-Leading-Better-For-You-Functional-Lifestyle-Platform/default.aspx | https://www.lanereport.com/179405/2025/02/celsius-acquires-louisville-based-company-alani-nu-for-1-8-billion/ | https://www.betterretailing.com/congo-brands-redundancies/ | https://beerinsights.com/archive-article/57647 | https://www.ibtimes.com.au/congo-brands-australia-administration-financial-struggles-1872092 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alani_Nu", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web", "other web", "other web", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -85.76, 38.25 ], "cityId": "louisville", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "alani_nu", "name": "Alani Nu", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "louisville", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Energy drink and supplement brand, fitness creator founded", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Alani Nu is founded in Louisville in 2018 by fitness creator Katy Hearn, now Katy Schneider, and her husband Haydn Schneider with Congo Brands as operator. It reaches about 595 million dollars of net revenue in 2024, partners with Addison Rae on a Berry Pop flavor in 2022, and is sold to Celsius Holdings in a deal announced February 20, 2025 at 1.8 billion dollars including tax assets, a net 1.65 billion in cash, stock and earn out, closing April 1, 2025. It is one of the largest publicly reported exits for a creator founded beverage and the outcome of the Congo model that Prime does not repeat.", "people": "Katy Schneider, Haydn Schneider", "source": "https://ir.celsiusholdingsinc.com/news/news-details/2025/Celsius-Holdings-to-Acquire-Alani-Nu-Creating-a-Leading-Better-For-You-Functional-Lifestyle-Platform/default.aspx | https://www.cspdailynews.com/beverages/celsius-closes-18-billion-acquisition-alani-nutrition | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alani_Nu", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -85.76, 38.25 ], "cityId": "louisville", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "celsius", "name": "Celsius Holdings", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "miami", "year": 2004, "end": null, "role": "Energy drink company, Alani Nu acquirer, Boca Raton", "status": "Active", "note": "Celsius, headquartered in Boca Raton in Palm Beach County and placed in the Miami metro here for South Florida as a whole, announces in February 2025 that it will buy Alani Nu for 1.8 billion dollars in cash and stock, about 1.65 billion dollars net of tax benefits, and closes in April 2025. Alani Nu is the Louisville brand Katy Hearn launched in 2018 with Congo Brands, the same company behind Prime. PepsiCo holds an 8.5 percent stake bought for 550 million dollars in 2022 and distributes both brands. Congo's founders receive Celsius shares in the deal. The closing month is from press reports.", "people": "John Fieldly, Jaap Mulder", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alani_Nu | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius_Holdings | https://ir.celsiusholdingsinc.com/news/news-details/2025/Celsius-Holdings-to-Acquire-Alani-Nu-Creating-a-Leading-Better-For-You-Functional-Lifestyle-Platform/default.aspx", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "refresco", "name": "Refresco", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": null, "year": 1999, "end": null, "role": "Contract beverage bottler, Truesdale Missouri plant", "status": "Active", "note": "Refresco is a Dutch owned contract bottler whose Truesdale, Missouri plant becomes the documented co packer for Prime Hydration. Under a 2023 three year agreement Congo Brands commits to at least 18.5 million twelve pack cases a year and Refresco installs a dedicated line for Prime's custom bottle, finished in March 2024. Congo never submits orders and Refresco files a 67 million dollar suit in Delaware Chancery Court in 2024. The case shows how a creator brand's demand collapse lands as idle capital equipment in a Missouri town.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.bevnet.com/news/2024/refresco-files-67m-lawsuit-alleging-prime-maker-congo-backed-out-of-production-deal/ | https://www.fooddive.com/news/refresco-prime-lawsuit-drink-hydration-energy-logan-paul-KSI-sued-beverage/723284/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Truesdale, Missouri", -91.12, 38.81 ], "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -91.12, 38.81 ], "geoLabel": "Truesdale, Missouri", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Truesdale, Missouri" }, { "id": "feastables", "name": "Feastables", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "greenville_nc", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Snack brand, creator owned, Beast Industries", "status": "Active", "note": "Jimmy Donaldson incorporates Feastables on July 8, 2021 and launches MrBeast Bar chocolate in January 2022 with Walmart as first retailer, selling about 10 million dollars in the first months. The bars are manufactured in Peru by Machu Picchu Foods SAC. Distribution reaches 7-Eleven and Speedway in May 2023, the UK in July 2023, Canada in April 2024 and India in November 2024. A February 2024 relaunch replaces the logo and formulation and drops the MrBeast Bar name. Gross revenue is a reported 251 million dollars with 20 million profit in 2024, making Feastables the profitable division inside a Beast Industries that lost about 80 million on content the same year. Alexandre Zigliara, formerly of Mondelez and Coca-Cola, is chief executive, and chef Nick DiGiovanni becomes a brand partner in July 2025.", "people": "Jimmy Donaldson, Alexandre Zigliara", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables | https://www.willventures.com/blog/the-usd5-billion-creator-holdco | https://uchc.substack.com/p/inside-feastables-the-business-behind | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/05/06/mrbeast-night-split/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.37, 35.61 ], "cityId": "greenville_nc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "machu_picchu_foods", "name": "Machu Picchu Foods", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2000, "end": null, "role": "Chocolate manufacturer, Lima Peru, makes Feastables bars", "status": "Active", "note": "Machu Picchu Foods SAC is the Peruvian chocolate and cocoa processor that Fernando Guzman founds on October 13, 2000 from the family firm Negusa, with plants in Callao and Pisco and sourcing centres across the Amazon. It is a contract manufacturer that makes Feastables chocolate, which is why the packaging reads Made in Peru, and Gestion reports it exported to 40 countries with 2024 shipments of 371 million dollars while supplying Nestle and Arcor. The relationship means the factory jobs behind the largest creator snack brand sit in Peru rather than in Greenville, North Carolina, where the brand is run. The start date of the Feastables contract is not confirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables | https://www.mpf.com.pe/about-us/ | https://gestion.pe/g-de-gestion/reportaje/esta-es-la-historia-de-machu-picchu-foods-la-segunda-mayor-agroexportadora-de-cacao-que-provee-a-nestle-y-arcor-noticia/ | https://rpp.pe/economia/negocios/machu-picchu-foods-conoce-la-marca-detras-de-los-chocolates-de-mr-beast-y-hablando-huevadas-noticia-1589416", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "beast_industries", "name": "Beast Industries", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "greenville_nc", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Creator holding company, Greenville North Carolina", "status": "Active", "note": "Beast Industries is the Greenville, North Carolina holding company for MrBeast's channels, Feastables, Lunchly, merchandise and new ventures, with over 250 employees by 2023 and a single balance sheet under chief executive Jeffrey Housenbold, formerly of SoftBank. Combined sales are a reported 400 million dollars in 2024, with the content arm losing about 80 million while Feastables earned 20 million. Bloomberg reports in February 2025 that the company seeks about 200 million at a 5 billion dollar valuation, and in January 2026 it raises 200 million from Bitmine at that valuation. It acquires the youth fintech app Step in February 2026 and Housenbold talks publicly about an eventual public listing. Its Beast Games contestants sue in September 2024 and a former employee sues in April 2026.", "people": "Jimmy Donaldson, Jeffrey Housenbold", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/02/27/mrbeast-holding-company-investment-5-billion/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/could-mrbeast-ipo-his-ceo-wants-fans-to-have-a-chance-to-be-owners-of-the-company/ | https://www.willventures.com/blog/the-usd5-billion-creator-holdco | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Industries | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.37, 35.61 ], "cityId": "greenville_nc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "bitmine", "name": "Bitmine Immersion Technologies", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "atlanta", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Cryptocurrency treasury company, Beast Industries investor", "status": "Active", "note": "Bitmine Immersion Technologies, the listed company that holds an ether treasury under chairman Tom Lee, announces a 200 million dollar equity investment in Beast Industries on January 15, 2026, expected to close on January 19, 2026, in a press release filed with its 8-K. The filing gives no valuation; press reports put the round at about 5 billion dollars, a figure MrBeast had said he was seeking, and that figure is reported rather than filed. Beast Industries chief executive Jeff Housenbold ties the money to a coming financial services product. It is the largest single investment in a creator holding company on record and the first from a cryptocurrency treasury vehicle. Bitmine's headquarters city is from secondary sources.", "people": "Tom Lee", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Industries | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1829311/000149315226002335/ex99-1.htm | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-15/mrbeast-nabs-200-million-investment-from-tom-lee-s-bitmine", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The 5 billion dollar valuation appears only in press coverage; Bitmine's 8-K press release states the 200 million dollar amount but no valuation." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -84.39, 33.75 ], "cityId": "atlanta", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mrbeast_burger", "name": "MrBeast Burger", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "orlando", "year": 2020, "end": 2024, "role": "Virtual restaurant brand, licensed creator name", "status": "Wound down", "note": "MrBeast Burger opens in December 2020 as a delivery only brand run by Virtual Dining Concepts out of existing restaurant kitchens under a September 2020 licensing agreement, sells over a million burgers in three months and reaches about 1,700 locations by the end of 2022, with a first physical store at American Dream mall in New Jersey on September 4, 2022. Donaldson sues in the Southern District of New York in July 2023 saying the food was inedible and that he had not received a dime, and VDC countersues for 100 million dollars. He announces in 2024 that the brand will close. The rung that broke was quality control: the creator lent a name to kitchens he did not operate, and the licensing model let VDC collect revenue while his reputation absorbed the complaints. The final settlement terms are not public and the litigation status is unconfirmed as of 2026.", "people": "Jimmy Donaldson, Robert Earl", "source": "https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/mrbeast-sues-virtual-dining-concepts-shut-down-mrbeast-burger | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/mr-beast-sued-burger-company-100-million-1235689127/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/05/06/mrbeast-night-split/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -81.38, 28.54 ], "cityId": "orlando", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "virtual_dining_concepts", "name": "Virtual Dining Concepts", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "orlando", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Virtual restaurant operator, Orlando", "status": "Active", "note": "Virtual Dining Concepts is founded in 2020 in Orlando, Florida by Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl, his son Robbie Earl and Trish Giordano to run celebrity named delivery brands out of other restaurants' kitchens, including MrBeast Burger, Pardon My Cheesesteak with Barstool, FaZe Subs, Tyga Bites and Pauly D's Italian Subs. It is the manufacturer in the MrBeast Burger chain, and after MrBeast sued in 2023 it countersued for 100 million dollars. Chief executive Stephanie Sollers steps down from the board in January 2024.", "people": "Robert Earl, Robbie Earl, Trish Giordano", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Dining_Concepts | https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-segments/virtual-dining-concepts-is-countersuing-mrbeast-for-100-million", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -81.38, 28.54 ], "cityId": "orlando", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "step", "name": "Step", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Youth fintech app, acquired by Beast Industries", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Step is a teen banking and credit building app that Beast Industries acquires in February 2026, announced by Donaldson on February 9, 2026, as the financial services leg of the holding company. The San Francisco Bay Area location is not confirmed in a retrieved source and terms are undisclosed.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/mrbeast-acquires-financial-services-firm-step-through-beast-industries-93CH-4494794", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "chamberlain_coffee", "name": "Chamberlain Coffee", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Coffee brand, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Emma Chamberlain launches Chamberlain Coffee in December 2019 as a mail order bag business and grows it into cold brew packets, canned lattes and matcha sold through Target, Walmart and Costco, with roughly 20 million dollars raised from investors. Revenue is 19 million dollars in 2023 and nearly 22 million in 2024 with a loss blamed on co packer stock shortages and executive turnover, and a fall 2024 fundraise draws investor descriptions of desperation. Chief executive Christopher Gallant leaves and Chamberlain becomes co chief executive with Gustav Langberg Hossy. The company opens its first cafe at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles on January 28, 2025 and a second in Venice in May 2025, forecasting 33 million dollars for 2025 while pulling back from some retail. The roaster is not publicly named.", "people": "Emma Chamberlain, Gustav Langberg Hossy", "source": "https://sprudge.com/internal-documents-dont-paint-a-rosy-picture-of-chamberlain-coffee-309553.html | https://theankler.com/exclusive-inside-emma-chamberlain-coffee-struggles-fundraise/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Chamberlain", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jeffree_star_cosmetics", "name": "Jeffree Star Cosmetics", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, creator owned, direct to consumer", "status": "Active", "note": "Jeffree Star founds Jeffree Star Cosmetics in November 2014 with his remaining savings after his music career ended, launching velour liquid lipsticks online and adding palettes, clothing and accessories. Morphe carries the line from 2018 including a first East Coast store at Garden State Plaza in August 2018, and the November 2019 Conspiracy collection with Shane Dawson is reported to have sold about 35 million dollars at launch. Morphe drops him in July 2020, costing about 22 percent of wholesale sales, and the brand returns to direct sales plus Beautylish and international retailers. Star moves to Wyoming in 2021 and opens Scorpio Logistics in Casper while the Chatsworth warehouse he shares with Killer Merch employs about 125 people. The Conspiracy figure and 2024 to 2026 performance are reported rather than confirmed.", "people": "Jeffree Star", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star | https://www.glossy.co/beauty/jeffree-star-on-his-beauty-business-im-uncancelable/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "killer_merch", "name": "Killer Merch", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Merchandise producer and fulfillment, Chatsworth Los Angeles", "status": "Active", "note": "Killer Merch is founded in 2014 by music industry professionals with Jeffree Star as co owner and runs a five warehouse facility in Chatsworth, Los Angeles that also houses Jeffree Star Cosmetics with about 125 staff. It designs, produces and ships merchandise for about 40 internet personalities including Ninja, Shane Dawson, Cody Ko and Noel Miller, Kevin Hart, Lil Dicky and Fortnite. It closes briefly in March 2020, takes a COVID relief loan in September 2020, and spawns the sister company Scorpio Logistics in Casper, Wyoming. Its 2024 to 2026 status is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Jeffree Star", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch | https://www.acumatica.com/success-stories/erp-system-for-killer-merch-and-jeffree-star-cosmetics/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "scorpio_logistics", "name": "Scorpio Logistics", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": null, "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Fulfillment company, Casper Wyoming", "status": "Active", "note": "Scorpio Logistics is the fulfillment company Jeffree Star opens in Casper, Wyoming in 2021 after moving from Los Angeles, a sister company to Killer Merch that ships for anonymous clients and runs the Star Lounge brand. It is the clearest case on this map of a creator moving warehouse jobs to a low tax state. Current headcount is not confirmed.", "people": "Jeffree Star", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch | https://www.glossy.co/beauty/jeffree-star-on-his-beauty-business-im-uncancelable/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Casper, Wyoming", -106.31, 42.87 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -106.31, 42.87 ], "geoLabel": "Casper, Wyoming", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Casper, Wyoming" }, { "id": "forma_brands", "name": "Forma Brands", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2019, "end": 2023, "role": "Beauty holding company for Morphe, bankrupt 2023", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Forma Brands is the holding company formed around Morphe after General Atlantic's 2019 investment, with brands including Morphe, Morphe 2, Jaclyn Cosmetics and a licensed r.e.m. beauty line for Ariana Grande. It files Chapter 11 in Delaware on January 12, 2023 with liabilities between 500 million and 1 billion dollars, having closed all US Morphe stores a week earlier. Jefferies and Cerberus Capital Management provide 33 million dollars of financing and acquire the wholesale, online and international store business for 690 million dollars, ending the r.e.m. beauty license. The rung that broke was concentration in creator collaborators whose scandals in 2020 and 2021 took sales with them. The San Francisco headquarters is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Simon Cowell", "source": "https://www.glossy.co/beauty/morphe-parent-company-forma-brands-files-for-bankruptcy/ | https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/morphe-s-parent-company-forma-brands-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-206170 | https://www.beautyindependent.com/morphe-execute-big-comeback/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jefferies_cerberus", "name": "Jefferies and Cerberus", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "Lender group that bought Forma Brands out of bankruptcy", "status": "Active", "note": "Jefferies Finance and Cerberus Capital Management, later joined by &Vest, are the lenders who provide 33 million dollars of bankruptcy financing and acquire Forma Brands and Morphe for 690 million dollars in 2023, converting debt into ownership. They keep Simon Cowell as chief executive and run the brand through Ulta and direct sales.", "people": "", "source": "https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/morphe-s-parent-company-forma-brands-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-206170 | https://www.beautyindependent.com/morphe-execute-big-comeback/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "item_beauty", "name": "Item Beauty", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2020, "end": 2023, "role": "Cosmetics brand, creator fronted, incubated by Ipsy", "status": "Closed", "note": "Item Beauty launches in August 2020 as a clean makeup line co created by Addison Rae with Madeby Collective, the incubator inside Ipsy's parent BFA Industries. It enters Sephora in summer 2021 with 11 products priced 14 to 20 dollars, exits Sephora in January 2023 and stops trading a few months later when BFA disbands Madeby Collective. The rung that broke was retail sell through: the audience followed Rae but did not repurchase, and an incubator built on subscription box sampling could not carry a standalone shelf brand.", "people": "Addison Rae", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/selfless-by-hyram-item-beauty-by-addison-rae-exit-sephora/ | https://www.beautyindependent.com/beauty-companies-close-in-house-brand-incubators-unilever-ipsy/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "madeby_collective", "name": "Madeby Collective", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2019, "end": 2023, "role": "Brand incubator inside Ipsy and BFA Industries", "status": "Closed", "note": "Madeby Collective is the in house brand incubator Ipsy establishes in 2019 to develop products for the creators and celebrities in its subscription audience, producing Complex Culture brushes, Item Beauty with Addison Rae in 2020 and Treslúce Beauty with Becky G. BFA Industries disbands it by October 2023, closing Complex Culture and Item Beauty while Treslúce continues at Ulta.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/beauty-companies-close-in-house-brand-incubators-unilever-ipsy/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": true, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ipsy", "name": "Ipsy", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Beauty subscription company, creator founded, BFA Industries", "status": "Active", "note": "Michelle Phan co founds MyGlam in 2011 with Marcelo Camberos and Jennifer Goldfarb in San Mateo, California, launching the monthly bag in September 2012 and renaming it Ipsy. TPG Growth and Sherpa Capital lead a 100 million dollar round in September 2015 at about 800 million, Phan leaves in 2017 to run EM Cosmetics, and Ipsy buys BoxyCharm for 500 million in October 2020 to form BFA Industries, which raises 96 million from TPG in February 2022. Camberos steps down as chief executive in January 2023 for Scott Gilbertson of TPG, the incubator Madeby Collective is closed the same year, and the two boxes are consolidated under the Ipsy name. No sale or new ownership is confirmed through 2026.", "people": "Michelle Phan, Marcelo Camberos, Jennifer Goldfarb, Scott Gilbertson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy | https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaklich/2022/02/22/beauty-for-all-industries-ipsy-boxycharm-lands-96-million-investment-tpg-growth-addison-rae-becky-g/ | https://www.beautyindependent.com/beauty-companies-close-in-house-brand-incubators-unilever-ipsy/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tpg_growth", "name": "TPG Growth", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2007, "end": null, "role": "Growth equity arm of TPG, San Francisco", "status": "Active", "note": "TPG Growth leads Ipsy's 100 million dollar Series B in September 2015 and BFA Industries' 96 million dollar round in February 2022, and supplies Ipsy's chief executive Scott Gilbertson in January 2023. It is the main outside capital behind the creator founded subscription box model.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy | https://www.retaildive.com/news/ipsy-boxycharm-parent-raises-96m-in-funding/619472/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "em_cosmetics", "name": "EM Cosmetics", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, creator owned, formerly L'Oréal", "status": "Active", "note": "L'Oreal launches EM Cosmetics on August 15, 2013 as a line fronted by Michelle Phan and named for her mother, the first major corporate creator beauty brand. It sells below expectations and Ipsy, which Phan co founded, takes the brand from L'Oreal in 2015. Phan relaunches EM on April 17, 2017 with liquid lipsticks and eyeliner sold direct to consumer, and on September 21, 2017 Ipsy agrees to sell the brand to her company Divinium Labs as she leaves Ipsy to run it. The brand remains in operation in 2026, though its headquarters and revenue are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Michelle Phan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170921006157/en/ipsy-Launches-Shopper-and-Reaches-Agreement-to-Sell-EM-Cosmetics-to-Michelle-Phan | https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/michelle-phan-relaunches-em-cosmetics-after-youtube-hiatus-128051 | https://www.happi.com/breaking-news/michelle-phan-acquires-em-cosmetics-from-ipsy/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "kylie_cosmetics", "name": "Kylie Cosmetics", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, celebrity owned, the creator brand template", "status": "Active", "note": "Kylie Jenner is a celebrity rather than a creator, but Kylie Cosmetics is the chain every creator beauty brand copied. Seed Beauty of Oxnard manufactures the first Lip Kits, which sell 15,000 units in under a minute on November 30, 2015 and crash the site, with a company of about twelve employees. Ulta carries the brand from November 2018 in over 1,100 stores, worth an estimated 54.5 million dollars in six weeks. Coty buys 51 percent in November 2019 for 600 million dollars, Coty filings then show trailing revenue of 177 million rather than the claimed 360 million, Seed Beauty sues over trade secrets in 2020, Coty relaunches the line in July 2021 and records 31.4 million in impairments in 2022. Jenner explores buying back Coty's stake in 2023 without a deal, and estimated 2024 revenue is about 339 million.", "people": "Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/kylie-cosmetics/ | https://labusinessjournal.com/retail/kylie-jenner-sells-majority-share-cosmetics-line/ | https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/Seed_Beauty_sues_Coty_and_King_Kylie_over_Kylie_Cosmetics_trade_secrets/167223 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Cosmetics", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web", "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "seed_beauty", "name": "Seed Beauty", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Vertically integrated beauty manufacturer, Oxnard California", "status": "Active", "note": "Seed Beauty is founded by siblings Laura and John Nelson in Oxnard, California, and develops, manufactures and ships beauty products from its own plant, launching ColourPop in 2014 and manufacturing Kylie Cosmetics from 2015 and KKW Beauty from 2017. It sues Coty and Kylie Cosmetics in 2020 over trade secrets after Coty's purchase and later drops the case. Seed is the proof that a fast manufacturer near Los Angeles can turn a social following into a shelf product in months, and its Oxnard plant is where the beauty jobs from that model land.", "people": "Laura Nelson, John Nelson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColourPop_Cosmetics | https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/Seed_Beauty_sues_Coty_and_King_Kylie_over_Kylie_Cosmetics_trade_secrets/167223 | https://www.globalcosmeticsnews.com/seed-beauty-drops-case-against-kkw-and-kylie-cosmetics/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "colourpop", "name": "ColourPop", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, Seed Beauty house brand built on creator collaborations", "status": "Active", "note": "ColourPop is the Seed Beauty house brand that Laura and John Nelson launch in 2014 in Oxnard, made at Spatz Labs, the family contract manufacturer founded by their father that now produces only for Seed brands. It grows by sending free product to YouTube and Instagram creators and running collaborations, including a Zoella collection in February 2019 and a BTS line in July 2022. Sephora becomes its first retailer in November 2017 after three years online only, Ulta follows in 2018 and Target carries it in every store from 2023, where a 9 dollar body glitter is its top seller. It is the manufacturer owned counterpart to the creator owned brands it makes.", "people": "Laura Nelson, John Nelson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColourPop_Cosmetics | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoella | https://www.racked.com/2017/8/7/16107270/colourpop-cosmetics-sephora-where-to-buy | https://www.glossy.co/podcasts/colourpops-vivian-weng-talks-omnichannel-evolution-plus-walmart-tests-beauty-bars-and-clinical-testing-gains-steam/ | https://www.target.com/c/ulta-beauty-at-target/wakse/colourpop/-/N-ueo8rZq643lefk63a", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "happy_dad", "name": "Happy Dad Hard Seltzer", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Hard seltzer brand, creator co owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Happy Dad is announced on Memorial Day 2021 by Nelk's Kyle Forgeard with brothers John and Sam Shahidi, with SteveWillDoIt holding a 15 percent stake, and is headquartered in Newport Beach in Orange County. Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin cans the first runs in April 2021 and California retail begins June 14, 2021 through BevMo, Mission Liquor, Keg N Bottle and GoPuff, expanding to Nevada, Georgia, Florida, Texas, New York and Canada by August. It sells 698,000 twelve packs in 2021, 2.6 million in 2022 and 3.5 million cases in 2024, moves from wine and spirits distributors to Anheuser-Busch affiliated beer wholesalers in early 2025, reaches all 50 states in August 2025 and becomes the first hard seltzer sponsor of The Joe Rogan Experience in September 2025, with more than 230 million cans sold.", "people": "Kyle Forgeard, John Shahidi, Sam Shahidi, Stephen Deleonardis", "source": "https://www.brewbound.com/news/nelk-boys-happy-dad-hard-seltzer-officially-hits-shelves-in-california/ | https://www.brewbound.com/news/last-call-nelk-boys-producing-hard-seltzer-at-minhas-constellation-invests-in-breaking-bad-stars-mezcal-brand/ | https://grokipedia.com/page/happy-dad-hard-seltzer | https://orangecoast.com/ocdining/the-stats-behind-happy-dads-rapid-rise-flavors-sales-and-whats-fueling-the-growth/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "minhas_brewery", "name": "Minhas Craft Brewery", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": null, "year": 1845, "end": null, "role": "Contract brewery, Monroe Wisconsin, first producer of Happy Dad", "status": "Active", "note": "Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin, one of the oldest breweries in the United States, produces the first Happy Dad hard seltzer runs in April 2021 with the Nelk Boys on site for the first canning. It is the physical rung where a Canadian prank channel's audience became Wisconsin brewery shifts. Whether Minhas remains the sole producer in 2026 is not confirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.brewbound.com/news/last-call-nelk-boys-producing-hard-seltzer-at-minhas-constellation-invests-in-breaking-bad-stars-mezcal-brand/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelk", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Monroe, Wisconsin", -89.64, 42.6 ], "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -89.64, 42.6 ], "geoLabel": "Monroe, Wisconsin", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Monroe, Wisconsin" }, { "id": "full_send", "name": "Full Send", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "miami", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Apparel and drop merchandise brand, Nelk", "status": "Active", "note": "Full Send is Nelk's merchandise brand, run on a Supreme style limited drop model and reported to sell close to 100 million dollars of apparel a year. It funds the channel that spawned Happy Dad and the Full Send Podcast, which launches August 4, 2021. Nelk relocates from Los Angeles to Miami. The launch year and revenue figure are reported rather than confirmed.", "people": "Kyle Forgeard, John Shahidi", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelk", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "No company, filing or financial press source found for Full Send's launch year or the reported 100 million dollar annual apparel revenue; only aggregator net worth sites repeat the figure." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sidemen_clothing", "name": "Sidemen Clothing", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Apparel brand, creator collective owned, London", "status": "Active", "note": "Sidemen Clothing launches in 2014 as the merchandise arm of the London based Sidemen, adds an Ellesse collaboration in October 2021, and opens physical stores at Bluewater in Kent in July 2023 and the Bull Ring in Birmingham in October 2024, the latter closing in January 2026. It is the longest running creator apparel line on this map and the cash engine for the group's food and drink ventures.", "people": "KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, Wroetoshaw", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen | https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/youtubers-the-sidemen-launch-first-clothing-store-at-bluewat-290088/ | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/youtubers-sidemens-clothing-store-closes-33274354 | https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/ellesse-unveils-collaboration-with-youtube-group-sidemen/2021102958854", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sides", "name": "Sides", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Chicken restaurant brand, creator collective owned, UK", "status": "Active", "note": "Sides launches in November 2021 as a Sidemen chicken brand developed with Virtual Hero, the virtual brand arm of the Scottish franchisor Hero Brands, and cooked in Reef Technology's delivery only kitchens across London and the UAE. It opens a first counter at Boxpark Wembley in February 2022 with three hour queues, reaches over 80 UK dark kitchens by September 2022 and adds Boxpark Croydon that month, then moves to physical restaurants including Manchester Arndale in 2023. By February 2026 it runs five UK sites and one in Singapore with Hero Brands, closes Merry Hill in 2026 over franchisee problems and plans 15 openings in 2026 including Glasgow, Cardiff and Liverpool plus India, Malaysia and the UAE. It is the UK parallel to MrBeast Burger, built on the same virtual kitchen model before it converted to bricks and mortar.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen | https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2021/11/25/YouTube-s-the-Sidemen-launch-another-virtual-fried-chicken-brand/ | https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/youtuber-led-chicken-chain-sides-000100435.html | https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2022/09/08/YouTube-stars-the-Sidemen-KSI-to-launch-second-Sides-fried-chicken-restaurant-in-Boxpark-Croydon/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "reef_kitchens", "name": "Reef", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "miami", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Dark kitchen operator, Miami, produced Sides", "status": "Active", "note": "Reef Technology, based in Miami, runs delivery only kitchens in car parks and is the operator that cooks the Sidemen's Sides chicken brand from November 2021, when it says 200 sites will open globally by the end of 2022. It is the UK chain's equivalent of Virtual Dining Concepts. The founding year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen | https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2021/11/25/YouTube-s-the-Sidemen-launch-another-virtual-fried-chicken-brand/ | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211109005596/en/Leading-Global-Food-Tech-Platform%C2%A0C3-Announces-Partnership-with-REEF-to-Open-800-Virtual-Restaurants-Through-2025", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "No primary or trade source retrieved for Reef Technology's founding year or for when its Sides kitchen arrangement ended as Sides moved to physical restaurants." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "xix_vodka", "name": "XIX Vodka", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Vodka brand, creator collective owned, UK", "status": "Active", "note": "XIX Vodka is the Sidemen's spirits brand launched in 2021, with national listings at Tesco and Morrisons, a Wetherspoon presence and a 2025 push into flavoured variants, a Gumball 3000 collaboration and comedy night events. Marketing director Phil Neale says in August 2025 that the company is building a drinks brand first and no longer leads with the Sidemen connection, calling famous founders a blessing and a curse. The distiller is not disclosed.", "people": "Phil Neale", "source": "https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2025/08/15/vodka-xix-carve-brand-sidemen/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "best_cereal", "name": "Best Cereal", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2024, "end": null, "role": "Breakfast cereal, creator collective owned, UK", "status": "Active", "note": "Best launches on March 3, 2024 as the Sidemen's cereal, manufactured by Mornflake in Cheshire and sold exclusively at Tesco for 2 pounds a box in Choco Crunch and Caramel Gold, with a share of profits to the charity Magic Breakfast. It is a clean example of a creator brand whose factory, retailer and charity all sit in the UK.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/how-to-buy-sidemen-best-cereal-2568567/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mornflake", "name": "Mornflake", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1675, "end": null, "role": "Cereal manufacturer, Crewe England, makes Best cereal", "status": "Active", "note": "Mornflake is a family owned oat miller and cereal maker in Crewe, Cheshire, that manufactures the Sidemen's Best cereal from its March 2024 launch. The factory is where the Sidemen's audience turns into English milling jobs.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/how-to-buy-sidemen-best-cereal-2568567/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ltt_store", "name": "LTTStore", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Creator merchandise and tools brand, Linus Tech Tips", "status": "Active", "note": "LTTStore is the merchandise brand of Linus Media Group in Surrey, British Columbia, sold through Creator Warehouse, its product subsidiary founded September 17, 2018. Its flagship screwdriver takes three years from a 2020 start under engineering manager Kyle Tharratt to delivery, adapting a Megapro design, and has sold to hundreds of thousands of customers alongside a backpack and desk pads. Linus Sebastian steps down as chief executive on July 1, 2023 for Terren Tong after declining a reported 100 million dollar buyout, the group employs about 120 people in January 2026 and loses longtime staff over pay complaints in early 2026.", "people": "Linus Sebastian, Yvonne Ho, Kyle Tharratt", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Media_Group | https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-story-behind-the-ltt-screwdriver_122781/ | https://www.lttstore.com/pages/about-us", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "creator_warehouse", "name": "Creator Warehouse", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Product design and merchandise subsidiary, Linus Media Group, Surrey BC", "status": "Active", "note": "Creator Warehouse is established on September 17, 2018 as the merchandise and product subsidiary of Linus Media Group in Surrey, British Columbia, with an in house engineering team that designs the LTT screwdriver, backpack and other goods and contracts manufacturing overseas. The screwdriver's final manufacturer is not publicly named. It is the rare creator company that owns product engineering rather than licensing a name.", "people": "Linus Sebastian, Kyle Tharratt", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Media_Group | https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-story-behind-the-ltt-screwdriver_122781/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "seek_discomfort", "name": "Seek Discomfort", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Apparel brand, Yes Theory", "status": "Active", "note": "Seek Discomfort is the apparel brand that the Yes Theory founders Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil and Matt Dahlia launch in May 2018 on the channel's motto, after moving to Venice, California in late 2015 when Snapchat's Vertical Networks paid them to make videos. The brand sells through drops and pop ups from its own site and remains active in 2026. Revenue is not disclosed.", "people": "Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, Matt Dahlia", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Theory | https://www.seekdiscomfort.com/pages/about", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "selfless_by_hyram", "name": "Selfless by Hyram", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": null, "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Skincare brand, creator co owned with The Inkey List", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Selfless by Hyram launches June 24, 2021 as a skincare line by Hyram Yarbro with The Inkey List founders Colette Laxton and Mark Curry, exclusive to Sephora in nearly 700 stores across 29 countries at 20 to 30 dollars, with proceeds shared with Rainforest Trust and other nonprofits. It reaches the UK in March 2022 and Cult Beauty, then exits Sephora in January 2023, which Yarbro attributes to changes in direction. The rung that broke was the Sephora shelf, and the brand survives only at discount online. Its formal closure date is not confirmed.", "people": "Hyram Yarbro, Colette Laxton, Mark Curry", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/selfless-by-hyram-item-beauty-by-addison-rae-exit-sephora/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyram_Yarbro", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Honolulu", -157.86, 21.31 ], "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -157.86, 21.31 ], "geoLabel": "Honolulu", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Honolulu" }, { "id": "inkey_list", "name": "The Inkey List", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Skincare company, London, developed Selfless by Hyram", "status": "Active", "note": "The Inkey List is the London skincare company that Colette Laxton and Mark Curry found in 2018. It develops and produces Selfless by Hyram as a joint venture with Hyram Yarbro from its June 2021 launch, exclusive to Sephora in 29 countries at 20 to 30 dollars a product. The line leaves Sephora by the end of 2022, relaunches at Target in 2023 at lower prices, and in March 2024 Yarbro takes full ownership with distribution handled by BHM, ending The Inkey List's role. It is the manufacturing partner rung in that chain and the rung that broke was pricing at Sephora.", "people": "Colette Laxton, Mark Curry", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyram_Yarbro | https://www.theinkeylist.com/pages/about-us | https://beautymatter.com/articles/hyram-yarbro-buys-brand-from-the-inkey-list", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "halo_beauty", "name": "Halo Beauty", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Beauty supplement brand, creator co founded", "status": "Active", "note": "Tati Westbrook and Clark Swanson found Halo Beauty in February 2018 to sell hair, skin and nail vitamins, earning Westbrook an estimated 1.3 million dollars in 2019. Swanson sues her and her husband in October 2020 for breach of contract and fraudulent inducement, the case settles in July 2024 and Westbrook leaves the company the same month. Her separate Tati Beauty palette line runs from October 2019 to November 2021, and in May 2026 she launches a beverage brand called Unfair Advantage. The rung that broke was the founder partnership rather than the product.", "people": "Tati Westbrook, Clark Swanson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tati_Westbrook | https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/tati-westbrook-settles-lawsuit-leaves-halo-beauty-plans-to-relaunch-beauty-brand/ | https://beautynewsdaily.com/tati-westbrook-launches-unfair-advantage/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "lunar_beauty", "name": "Lunar Beauty", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Manny Gutierrez, known as Manny MUA, founds Lunar Beauty in 2018 after becoming Maybelline's first male ambassador in January 2017, previewing his first product on April 4, 2018 and launching the Life's a Drag palette with 14 shades sold direct. Ulta lists about 20 Lunar Beauty products online in 2026, and the brand operates from Valencia, California. The start of the Ulta placement and 2025 sales are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Manny Gutierrez", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_MUA | https://www.instagram.com/p/BhKvwEch9kE/ | https://www.ulta.com/brand/lunar-beauty", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "one_size", "name": "One/Size", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, creator co founded with Luxury Brand Partners", "status": "Active", "note": "Patrick Starrr co founds One/Size with Luxury Brand Partners, the Miami incubator founded in 2012 behind Oribe and R+Co, after a 2017 MAC collaboration and a 2020 Disney line. It launches on Sephora's site on July 17, 2020 and in 523 Sephora stores in the United States and Canada on July 30, stays Sephora exclusive, and by August 2025 its On 'Til Dawn setting spray tops US makeup rankings by YipitData. WWD reports in September 2025 that the Luxury Brand Partners owned brand's sales are ballooning on shade agnostic products, and in January 2026 it enters Boots in the UK and Sephora across Europe with a reported 35 million pound sales target for the region. Sales figures are not public.", "people": "Patrick Starrr", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Starrr | https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Patrick-starrr-launches-one-size-cosmetics-brand-with-luxury-brand-partners,1232442.html | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250825044307/en/ONESIZE-by-Patrick-Starrr-Tops-U.S.-Makeup-Rankings-with-On-Til-Dawn-Setting-Spray-According-to-YipitData | https://www.pressreader.com/usa/wwd-digital-daily/20250923/281917369244706", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sipmargs", "name": "SipMargs", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "miami", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Canned margarita brand, creator investor", "status": "Active", "note": "SipMargs is a canned sparkling margarita brand in which Alix Earle becomes an investor and brand partner in 2025 alongside Palm Tree Crew, one of a series of creator equity deals that also include her December 2025 investment in Gorgie energy drinks and her own Reale Actives skincare line in March 2026. On May 13, 2026 Sazerac, the Buffalo Trace owner, takes an equity stake and becomes its exclusive distributor for a national rollout. The founding year, Miami location, co packer and the size of Earle's round are not confirmed.", "people": "Alix Earle", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alix_Earle | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sazerac-acquires-equity-stake-and-enters-into-new-distribution-relationship-with-sipmargs-302770914.html | https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/sazerac-invest-cocktail-brand-sipmargs-backed-by-tiktok-star-alix-earle-2026-05-13/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The 3 million dollar 2025 round and the brand's founding year and location have no source above encyclopaedia grade." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "maverick_apparel", "name": "Maverick by Logan Paul", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Apparel brand, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Maverick by Logan Paul launches in 2017 as the merchandise line that funded Paul's move from Vine fame into a business, drawing a naming dispute from an existing Maverick Apparel company that said the confusion hurt its sales. The line is the first rung on the chain that led to Prime in 2022 and Lunchly in 2024. Revenue figures are reported and unconfirmed.", "people": "Logan Paul", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul | https://trademarks.justia.com/875/24/maverick-by-logan-87524862.html | https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/maverick-apparel-sends-demand-letter-vlogger-logan-paul-11085042/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "betr", "name": "Betr", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "miami", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Sports betting and media company, creator co founded", "status": "Active", "note": "Jake Paul co founds Betr in 2022 with Simplebet founder Joey Levy as a micro betting app and sports media company, claiming 50 million dollars of Series A funding, and raises 15 million in March 2024 at a 375 million dollar valuation for about 100 million raised in total. It is the creator brand chain applied to gambling rather than goods. The Miami location is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Jake Paul, Joey Levy", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.sportspro.com/news/betr-funding-round-investment-valuation-jake-paul-sports-betting/ | https://news.bloomberglaw.com/private-equity/jake-pauls-betr-startup-raises-funds-at-375-million-valuation", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "anti_fund", "name": "Anti Fund", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Venture firm, Jake Paul and Logan Paul", "status": "Active", "note": "Anti Fund is the venture firm Geoffrey Woo and Jake Paul co found in 2021 as managing partners. It leads W, Paul's men's personal care brand, alongside Shrug Capital in a 14 million dollar seed and Series A announced in July 2024. On December 3, 2025 it closes an oversubscribed 30 million dollar fund, adds Logan Paul as general partner and reports 65 million dollars under management. On June 18, 2026 it closes Anti Fund Growth I at 100 million dollars, taking the firm past 180 million dollars under management, with a barbell of early stage bets and growth positions in companies such as OpenAI, Anduril and SpaceX. It is the creator capital arm that turns audience into an investment book.", "people": "Jake Paul, Logan Paul", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260618551048/en/Anti-Fund-Closes-Oversubscribed-$100-Million-Growth-Fund-Firm-AUM-Tops-$180-Million | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251203220990/en/Anti-Fund-Closes-Oversubscribed-$30-Million-Fund-Logan-Paul-joins-as-General-Partner-Firm-AUM-Tops-$65-Million | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-w-raises-14-million-in-seed-and-series-a-funding-led-by-shrug-capital-and-anti-fund-to-reinvigorate-mens-personal-care-aisle-302203008.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "be_happy_snacks", "name": "Be Happy Snacks", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "Flavored popcorn brand, creator fronted, D'Amelio Brands", "status": "Active", "note": "Be Happy Snacks launches in October 2023 as the D'Amelio family popcorn line under D'Amelio Brands, named for Dixie's song and sold first through an exclusive window at Walmart stores and online. It does not close: SNAX-Sational Brands takes over manufacturing and distribution in March 2025 and by 2026 the company lists Walmart, Albertsons banners, Costco Business Centers, 7-Eleven and Speedway, with Walmart carrying the range online in September 2026. Charli D'Amelio separates from D'Amelio Brands in a process that begins in March 2025 and completes in November 2025, reported in June 2026 amid a family money dispute, while Dixie and her parents continue the brand. The rung that held was the co manufacturer, not the family.", "people": "Dixie D'Amelio", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://dameliobrands.com/ | https://www.walmart.com/cp/be-happy-snacks/4480897 | https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/charli-damelio-severs-ties-family-snack-business-1800706", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "damelio_footwear", "name": "D'Amelio Footwear", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "Footwear brand, creator family owned", "status": "Dormant", "note": "D'Amelio Footwear launches in May 2023 as a direct to consumer shoe line under D'Amelio Brands, the Los Angeles holding company that raised 6 million dollars of seed money in September 2022 and a further 5 million from Fifth Growth Fund in August 2023, with a Sunset Boulevard billboard, a store at The Grove and a Lulus tie in rather than a wholesale account. It is the family's attempt to own product rather than license the sisters' names to Hollister. By 2026 the company says footwear production has wound down and the brand is transitioning to a new D'AMELIO mark, so it is marked dormant. The rung that broke was repeat purchase without retail placement.", "people": "Charli D'Amelio, Dixie D'Amelio, Marc D'Amelio", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://dameliobrands.com/ | https://www.finsmes.com/2023/08/damelio-brands-receives-5m-investment-from-fifth-growth-fund.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "damelio_brands", "name": "D'Amelio Brands", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Creator family holding company", "status": "Active", "note": "The D'Amelio family announces D'Amelio Brands on September 6, 2022 to own fashion, beauty and lifestyle products outright rather than license the sisters' names, with Marc D'Amelio as chief executive and Richard Rosenblatt as co founder, raising a 6 million dollar seed round from investors including Fanatics chief executive Michael Rubin, Apple's Eddy Cue and UTA, and a 5 million dollar strategic investment from Fifth Growth Fund on August 17, 2023 at a reported 100 million dollar valuation. It launches D'Amelio Footwear in May 2023 and Be Happy Snacks in October 2023, winds down footwear by 2026, and Charli D'Amelio separates from the company between March and November 2025 in a split reported in June 2026. It is the family scale version of Beast Industries.", "people": "Marc D'Amelio, Charli D'Amelio, Dixie D'Amelio", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/damelio-family-announces-the-formation-of-damelio-brands-301617853.html | https://www.finsmes.com/2023/08/damelio-brands-receives-5m-investment-from-fifth-growth-fund.html | https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/charli-damelio-severs-ties-family-snack-business-1800706", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ani_energy", "name": "Ani Energy", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": 2022, "role": "Energy drink brand, creator co founded", "status": "Closed", "note": "Ani Energy is announced on July 28, 2020 by Sway House members Josh Richards and Bryce Hall with TalentX executives and entrepreneurs Evan Burns and Daniel Fine, a 75 milligram caffeine drink launched in late September 2020 direct to consumer during the TikTok house boom. It reaches 400 Walmart stores by August 2021 after smaller retailers sold out, then fades within about two years without a national footprint, the rung that broke being the step from a first Walmart placement to sustained shelf sales, which Prime later managed with Congo Brands. The closure date is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Josh Richards, Bryce Hall", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Richards_(internet_personality) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/28/tiktok-josh-richards-bryce-hall-ani-energy/ | https://cloutnews.com/bryce-hall-and-josh-richards-lifestyle-drink-ani-energy-reaches-walmart-shelves/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "No source confirms when Ani Energy stopped selling; the 2022 end year rests on the brand's silence rather than an announcement." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "myna_snacks", "name": "Myna Snacks", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2023, "end": 2025, "role": "Snack brand, creator owned", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Pokimane launches Myna Snacks on November 13, 2023 with Connect Ventures, selling Midnight Mini Cookies in four packs for 28 dollars and drawing price backlash, which she answers on stream by calling critics broke, and comparisons to a near identical Costco cookie from the same manufacturer, Creations Foods. The brand sells direct without a documented national retailer, adds one more product, and Dexerto reports that stock ran out in October 2025, social posts stopped on October 30, 2025 and chief executive Darcey Macken joined Jones Soda in December 2025, so it is marked dormant. The rung that broke was price against a co packed product.", "people": "Imane Anys", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokimane | https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/pokimanes-snack-company-goes-quiet-after-two-years-3298282/ | https://www.newmanlickstein.com/firm-client-pokimane-launches-line-of-healthy-snacks/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "top_of_the_mornin_coffee", "name": "Top of the Mornin' Coffee", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Coffee brand, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Jacksepticeye announces Top of the Mornin' Coffee on June 15, 2020 with pre orders the same day, owning the company. He relaunches and rebrands it on March 21, 2023 with four coffees, teas and hot chocolate roasted in the United States, sold only on its own site, with 1 percent of sales to Crisis Text Line. The roaster, headquarters and the original Feya Foundation tie are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Sean McLoughlin", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksepticeye | https://www.bevnet.com/news/2023/global-entertainer-and-philanthropist-jacksepticeye-re-introduces-top-of-the-mornin-coffee-brand/ | https://topofthemornincoffee.com/pages/jacksepticeye-coffee", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dragun_beauty", "name": "Dragun Beauty", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Cosmetics brand, creator owned", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Nikita Dragun announces Dragun Beauty in March 2019 as a vegan line aimed at the mainstream and trans markets, launched independently, and it is nominated for a 2020 Streamy in creator product. The brand goes quiet after Dragun's 2022 arrest and its formal closure is not confirmed, so it is marked dormant.", "people": "Nikita Dragun", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Dragun | https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/beauty-grooming/makeup/nikita-dragun-dragun-beauty/ | https://dragun-beauty.com/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "A Dragun Beauty site is live in 2026 but no source confirms whether the brand is trading or dormant after 2022." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sisters_apparel", "name": "Sisters Apparel", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Apparel brand, creator owned", "status": "Dormant", "note": "James Charles launches Sisters Apparel in November 2018 alongside his Morphe Sister Collection palette, selling hoodies and accessories direct to his audience through drops. The apparel line goes dormant after the 2021 allegations that led Morphe to cut ties in April 2021, and the chain shows how a creator apparel line tied to a single collaboration loses its retail anchor when the collaboration ends. Its formal closure is not confirmed.", "people": "James Charles", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "No press or company source above encyclopaedia grade found for Sisters Apparel's November 2018 launch or its current status; a Shopify store using the name is online but its official standing is unverified." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "aeropostale_bethany_mota", "name": "Bethany Mota for Aéropostale", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2013, "end": 2016, "role": "Licensed apparel line at Aéropostale, early creator retail", "status": "Closed", "note": "Aéropostale launches a Bethany Mota clothing, perfume and accessories line in December 2013 with the creator holding creative control and folding fan design ideas into the collection. Forbes reports high prices and margins but the line underperforms and Aéropostale says in June 2014 it has yet to gain traction; the retailer files for bankruptcy in 2016. It is the earliest retailer licensed creator line on this map and the first documented failure of the model. The end year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Bethany Mota", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Mota | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aeropostale-launches-exclusive-collection-with-bethany-mota-234774721.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2014/12/11/bethany-mota-aeropostale-anniversary-collection/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "Aeropostale's December 6, 2013 release and Tubefilter's December 2014 anniversary collection report describe the line as a success, while the note's claim that it underperformed rests on a Forbes report and a June 2014 remark not retrieved; the end year remains unconfirmed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": true, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "zoella_beauty", "name": "Zoella Beauty", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Bath and beauty brand, creator licensed, UK", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Zoella Beauty launches in September 2014 as a bath and body range developed and manufactured by Gloucestershire family firm SLG and sold at Superdrug, called the biggest beauty launch of the year, followed by Zoella Lifestyle homeware in 2016 and a ColourPop collaboration in February 2019. Zoe Sugg directs ZS Beauty Ltd from 2016. The range is no longer on shelves by the mid 2020s and its end date is not confirmed.", "people": "Zoe Sugg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoella | https://www.slgbrands.com/brand/zoella-beauty | https://slg-brands.prowly.com/432783-slg-brands-40-years-of-shaping-beauty-with-edge-imagination | https://metro.co.uk/2014/09/29/if-you-dont-know-who-zoe-sugg-is-shes-the-girl-behind-the-biggest-beauty-launch-of-the-year-4885505/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "juvee", "name": "Juvee", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Energy drink brand, spun out of 100 Thieves", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Nadeshot launches Juvee on October 4, 2022 as 100 Thieves' energy drink, developed with beverage veteran Sam Keene and tested on esports players for 18 months. On November 2, 2023 the org spins it off while cutting about 20 percent of staff to refocus on esports, content and apparel, and in January 2024 it sells Juvee to Sprecher Brewing of Milwaukee for undisclosed terms, with production moving to Sprecher's plant and Keene becoming its beverage marketing chief. Its 2025 retail footprint and sales are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Matthew Haag", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221004005425/en/Meet-Juvee-%E2%80%93-The-Rejuvenating-Energy-Drink-from-Gaming-Superstar-100-Thieves-Founder-Matthew-%E2%80%9CNadeshot%E2%80%9D-Haag | https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/2/23944060/100-thieves-layoffs-esports-apparel-core-juvee | https://esportsinsider.com/2024/01/100-thieves-sells-energy-drink-brand-juvee-to-sprecher-brewing", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "higround", "name": "Higround", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Gaming keyboard brand, acquired by 100 Thieves", "status": "Active", "note": "100 Thieves acquires the Los Angeles keyboard maker Higround on October 13, 2021 as its first acquisition, for undisclosed terms, and sells licensed keyboards and mouse pads through drops. Best Buy carries a Higround brand page with Basecamp keyboards and a Best Buy exclusive Apex Legends model in 2026. Reports of a 2024 sale of Higround are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211013005103/en/100-Thieves-Makes-First-Acquisition-in-its-History-with-Higround-A-Gaming-Peripherals-Company | https://www.bestbuy.com/site/brands/higround/pcmcat1720542519548.c?id=pcmcat1720542519548", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dr_squatch", "name": "Dr. Squatch", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "DTC brand built on creator advertising", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Dr. Squatch is founded in San Diego in 2013 as a natural soap company and grows to about 100 million dollars of annual revenue by 2021 on YouTube and social video advertising, moving its headquarters to Los Angeles. Unilever announces in June 2025 that it will buy the company from Summit Partners for 1.5 billion dollars and closes on November 16, 2025. It is not creator owned, but it is the clearest case of a consumer brand built almost entirely on creator style advertising being absorbed by a legacy company.", "people": "Jack Haldrup", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Squatch | https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2025/unilever-to-acquire-mens-personal-care-brand-dr-squatch/ | https://www.marketscreener.com/news/unilever-plc-completed-the-acquisition-of-dr-squatch-llc-from-summit-partners-l-p-and-others-ce7e5bd2de8ef52d", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "unilever", "name": "Unilever", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1929, "end": null, "role": "Consumer goods conglomerate, London", "status": "Active", "note": "Unilever announces in June 2025 that it will buy Dr. Squatch, the Los Angeles natural soap brand founded in San Diego in 2013 and owned by Summit Partners, for a reported 1.5 billion dollars, and completes the purchase on November 16, 2025. Dr. Squatch is built on YouTube and podcast advertising and creator sponsorships rather than shelf space, and the price is the largest paid for a brand grown that way. Unilever's earlier purchase of Dollar Shave Club in 2016 for 1 billion dollars is the precedent.", "people": "Fernando Fernandez", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Squatch | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Squatch | https://www.beautyindependent.com/beauty-companies-close-in-house-brand-incubators-unilever-ipsy/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "g_fuel", "name": "G Fuel", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "Gaming energy drink, Gamma Labs, Long Island New York", "status": "Active", "note": "G Fuel is launched in 2012 by Gamma Labs of Hauppauge on Long Island, New York, and builds its business on creator flavors and codes, making PewDiePie an ambassador with a lingonberry flavor in January 2019 and sponsoring FaZe Clan, Ninja and dozens of streamers. On June 16, 2022 it fires seven talent managers a day after five of them report founder and chief executive Cliff Morgan for offensive language, and more than 70 creators end partnerships. On November 16, 2023 Kingswood Capital Management and First Bev make an eight figure investment and Bryan Crowley replaces Morgan as chief executive, with the company then listing Los Angeles as its base. In September 2025 a logging out post reads as a shutdown but is a stunt for Formula 2.0, fronted by PewDiePie. Target lists G Fuel cans in 2026.", "people": "Cliff Morgan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Fuel | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231116437732/en/Kingswood-Capital-Management-and-First-Bev-Complete-Investment-in-G-FUEL-Providing-Capital-for-Growth/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/09/04/g-fuel-pewdiepie-new-formula-less-chalk/ | https://kotaku.com/g-fuel-fired-ceo-toxic-influencer-hr-complaint-1849508695", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "No source confirms a GameStop placement for G Fuel; Target's site lists G Fuel cans in 2026 while the GameStop edge remains unverified." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "adidas", "name": "Adidas", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1949, "end": null, "role": "Athletic apparel, Germany, US HQ Portland", "status": "Active", "note": "Adidas, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany with US headquarters in Portland, announces a partnership with Ninja in August 2019, its first with a gaming creator, and releases the Time In Nite Jogger with him on December 18, 2019 as the first product of the deal, followed by an Amber Tint colourway and a ZX Torsion. The end of the partnership is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://news.adidas.com/originals/adidas-and-ninja-launch-collaborative--time-in--nite-jogger/s/eb7f2e86-0fab-4066-8b8e-3aed9549b3e9", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The 2021 end year of the Adidas and Ninja partnership has no retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hugo_boss", "name": "Hugo Boss", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1924, "end": null, "role": "Fashion house, Metzingen Germany", "status": "Active", "note": "Hugo Boss signs Khaby Lame to a multi year partnership in January 2022 for its BeYourOwnBoss campaign alongside Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, at a time when Lame's manager said he earned up to 750,000 dollars a post. Rich Sparkle Holdings later buys Lame's holding company for a reported 975 million dollars in January 2026.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaby_Lame | https://group.hugoboss.com/en/newsroom/news/news-detail/record-breaking-campaign-launch-for-boss-and-hugo | https://fortune.com/2026/01/29/tiktok-influencer-khaby-lame-ai-avatar-deported-trump-creator-economy-975-million-deal/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "honey", "name": "PayPal Honey", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "Browser coupon extension, PayPal, biggest YouTube sponsor of the 2010s", "status": "Active", "note": "Ryan Hudson and George Ruan found Honey in Los Angeles in 2012 and PayPal announces on November 20, 2019 that it will buy the extension for about 4 billion dollars, closing in the first quarter of 2020 with about 17 million monthly users. The budget funds years of YouTube sponsorships with MrBeast, Shane Dawson, PewDiePie and hundreds of others. In December 2024 MegaLag shows the extension replacing creators' affiliate cookies at checkout, and on December 29, 2024 LegalEagle's firm files a class action for Wendover Productions and other creators. Reports in 2025 and 2026 say Google bars the practice, Honey loses millions of Chrome users, the suit is dismissed in November 2025 and refiled in January 2026 and Rakuten drops Honey; those later steps are reported and not yet confirmed in a filing or release retrieved here. The scandal exposed a sponsor that quietly took the affiliate income of the creators it paid.", "people": "Ryan Hudson, George Ruan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_(company) | https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2019-11-20-PayPal-to-Acquire-Honey | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/12/30/legaleagle-honey-lawsuit-wendover-productions-ali-spagnola/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/11/21/honey-shane-dawson-mrbeast-4-billion/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 2025 and 2026 developments (Google policy change in March 2025, loss of about 8 million Chrome users, dismissal in November 2025, refiling in January 2026, Rakuten dropping Honey) could not be verified against a filing, docket or trade article within this pass." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "chipotle", "name": "Chipotle", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 1993, "end": null, "role": "Restaurant chain, Newport Beach California", "status": "Active", "note": "Chipotle, headquartered in Newport Beach, partners with David Dobrik in 2019 on branded content and a Dobrik Burrito, winning a Streamy brand engagement award, and later runs TikTok creator menu campaigns. Newport Beach is in Orange County, outside this map's la definition for a national chain, so the metro is left unset.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dobrik | https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/9th-annual-nominees/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/09/12/david-dobrik-nikkietutrials-fbe-streamys-brand-awards/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "invisalign", "name": "Invisalign", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "phoenix", "year": 1997, "end": null, "role": "Clear aligner brand, Align Technology, Tempe Arizona", "status": "Active", "note": "Invisalign, made by Align Technology of Tempe, Arizona in the Phoenix metro, sponsors Charli D'Amelio from 2020 and releases a limited edition aligner case with her in June 2021, one of a run of deals with the most followed TikTok creator that also includes Dunkin', Morphe and Hollister. The sponsorship is a straight endorsement and produces no creator owned product.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ALIGN-TECHNOLOGY-INC-8316/news/Align-Technology-Introduces-the-Limited-Edition-Charli-D-Amelio-x-Invisalign-Aligner-Case-35668413/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -112.07, 33.45 ], "cityId": "phoenix", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hollister", "name": "Hollister", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "columbus", "year": 2000, "end": null, "role": "Apparel brand, Abercrombie & Fitch, Columbus Ohio", "status": "Active", "note": "Hollister, an Abercrombie & Fitch brand run from New Albany in the Columbus metro, signs Charli and Dixie D'Amelio and launches the co created Social Tourist line in May 2021 under a multi year agreement, and uses Emma Chamberlain for its 2019 swim campaign.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Chamberlain | https://abercrombieandfitchcompany.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/charli-and-dixie-damelio-and-hollister-co-launch-new-fashion/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -82.99, 39.96 ], "cityId": "columbus", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "epic_games", "name": "Epic Games", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "raleigh", "year": 1991, "end": null, "role": "Game developer, Fortnite, Cary North Carolina", "status": "Active", "note": "Epic Games, headquartered in Cary in the Raleigh metro, launches the Fortnite Icon Series with a Ninja skin in January 2020, turning a creator into in game merchandise sold for V-Bucks, and later adds skins for other streamers. Killer Merch in Chatsworth produces Fortnite physical merchandise. The Icon Series is the digital version of the retail placement rung: the creator's likeness becomes a product without a factory.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://www.fortnite.com/news/icon-series | https://www.ign.com/articles/fortnite-gets-a-ninja-skin-based-on-the-streamer", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "No source above a business directory confirms that Killer Merch of Chatsworth produces Fortnite merchandise or when that began." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -78.64, 35.78 ], "cityId": "raleigh", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "maybelline", "name": "Maybelline", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1915, "end": null, "role": "Mass cosmetics brand, L'Oréal, New York", "status": "Active", "note": "Maybelline, a L'Oréal mass cosmetics brand based in New York, makes Manny MUA its first male ambassador for Big Shot mascara in 2017, only the second time a beauty brand had chosen a male spokesperson. The deal is the sponsorship rung that preceded his own Lunar Beauty line in 2018 and is the template for legacy beauty brands hiring YouTube makeup creators before those creators launch competing lines.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_MUA | https://fashionista.com/2017/01/manny-gutierrez-maybelline-male-ambassador | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/maybellines-first-male-brand-ambassador-manny-gutierrez-961124/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "cerave", "name": "CeraVe", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Skincare brand, L'Oréal, New York", "status": "Active", "note": "CeraVe, a L'Oréal skincare brand run from New York, partners with Hyram Yarbro in 2020 after his TikTok and YouTube skincare reviews drove sellouts of its drugstore cleansers, one of the first cases of an unpaid creator recommendation moving a legacy brand's sales before a contract existed. The deal precedes his own Selfless by Hyram line with The Inkey List in June 2021.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyram_Yarbro | https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/cerave-clean-skin-care-drug-store-cleanswer-tiktok-skincare-by-hyram-gen-z/ | https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/18/business/cerave-loreal-tiktok", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "youtube", "name": "YouTube", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Video platform, Google owned", "status": "Active", "note": "YouTube launches in February 2005 from San Mateo and Google buys it in November 2006 for 1.65 billion dollars, moving it to San Bruno. The YouTube Partner Program opens in 2007 and is the first rung of almost every creator career on this map, paying a 55 percent share of ad revenue through Google AdSense. The Shorts Fund starts in 2021 as a 100 million dollar pool and is replaced in February 2023 by Shorts ad revenue sharing at 45 percent to creators. In February 2024 CEO Neal Mohan reports more than 70 billion dollars paid to creators, artists and media companies over the prior three years, with more than three million channels in the programme. YouTube marks its twentieth anniversary in February 2025 and in 2025 to 2026 leans on podcasts, television viewing and AI dubbing, remaining the largest single payer in the creator economy.", "people": "Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, Jawed Karim, Neal Mohan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube | https://www.forbes.com.au/news/innovation/youtube-70-billion-creator-payments/ | https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/2024-us-youtube-impact-report/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "youtube_partner_program", "name": "YouTube Partner Program", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2007, "end": null, "role": "Ad revenue share programme, the original creator payout rail", "status": "Active", "note": "The YouTube Partner Program starts in 2007 as an invitation only ad revenue share for a handful of channels and opens broadly in 2012, paying creators 55 percent of ad revenue through Google AdSense. It is the rail that first turns attention into income for MrBeast, PewDiePie, Smosh and Rhett and Link, and the model that every later platform fund copies or reacts to. Thresholds rise to 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in 2018, and a lower tier for fan funding features arrives in 2023. Shorts ad revenue sharing joins the programme in February 2023. YouTube reports more than three million participating channels in 2024 and more than 70 billion dollars paid across 2021 to 2023.", "people": "", "source": "https://ppc.land/youtube-partner-program-explained/ | https://www.forbes.com.au/news/innovation/youtube-70-billion-creator-payments/ | https://www.adweek.com/social-marketing/over-2m-creators-worldwide-now-participate-in-the-youtube-partner-program/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "twitch", "name": "Twitch", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Live streaming platform, Amazon owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Twitch spins out of Justin.tv in San Francisco and launches on 6 June 2011. The Partner Program follows in July 2011, sharing ad and subscription revenue with large streamers, and the Affiliate Program in April 2017 opens subscriptions and Bits to small channels. Amazon buys Twitch on 25 August 2014 for 970 million dollars in cash. Ninja builds the first mainstream streaming career here before leaving for Mixer in 2019 and returning in 2020. Twitch introduces Partner Plus with a 70/30 split in June 2023 and tiered splits in January 2024, lays off about 400 staff in March 2023 and about 500 in January 2024, and CEO Dan Clancy says the business has never been profitable. Kick's 95/5 split pulls xQc and others away from 2023. In 2025 to 2026 Twitch remains the largest live platform for gaming and the launch pad for Kai Cenat and AMP.", "people": "Justin Kan, Emmett Shear, Dan Clancy", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_(service) | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/twitch-ceo-dan-clancy-announces-layoff-as-business-is-not-profitable | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/twitch-partner-plus-70-percent-revenue-split-streamers-1235645488", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tiktok", "name": "TikTok", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Short form video platform, ByteDance and TikTok USDS joint venture", "status": "Active", "note": "ByteDance launches Douyin in September 2016 and TikTok internationally in September 2017, buys musical.ly in November 2017 and merges it into TikTok in August 2018, giving the app its US teen base and a Culver City headquarters. The Creator Fund opens in July 2020 with 200 million dollars and a pledged 1 billion dollars, pays pennies per thousand views, and is replaced by the Creativity Program in 2023 and the Creator Rewards Program in 2024, which pay only on videos longer than one minute. Congress passes a divest or ban law in April 2024 and the app goes dark for hours in January 2025. On 22 January 2026 the TikTok USDS Joint Venture closes with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX holding 15 percent each and ByteDance 19.9 percent, ending the ban risk for US creators. TikTok Shop, launched in September 2023, is the platform's main creator commerce rail.", "people": "Zhang Yiming, Shou Zi Chew, Alex Zhu", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok | https://www.contentgrip.com/tiktok-us-deal-oracle/ | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/tiktok-us-joint-venture-deal-close-date-oracle-silver-lake-1236612315/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "instagram", "name": "Instagram", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Photo and short video platform, Meta owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Instagram launches in October 2010 and Facebook announces on April 9, 2012 that it will buy it for approximately 1 billion dollars in cash and Facebook shares, closing in September 2012 and moving it to Menlo Park. Instagram never runs a broad ad revenue share for feed posts, so its creators earn through brand sponsorships rather than platform payouts; that gap is what builds the influencer marketing industry and the affiliate rails such as LTK and ShopMy. Reels launches in August 2020 to copy TikTok, and Meta's 1 billion dollar creator pledge of July 14, 2021 funds Reels Play bonuses that end in March 2023. Affiliate tools arrive in June 2021, invitation only Reels bonuses return in 2024 and 2025, and the Edits video app launches on April 22, 2025. Instagram passes 3 billion monthly users in September 2025 and remains the primary sponsorship platform for creators such as Alix Earle and Emma Chamberlain.", "people": "Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, Adam Mosseri", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram | https://about.fb.com/news/2012/04/facebook-to-acquire-instagram/ | https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/instagram-now-has-3-billion-monthly-active-users-will-test-features-to-help-users-control-their-feeds | https://about.fb.com/news/2021/07/investing-1-billion-dollars-in-creators/ | https://creators.instagram.com/blog/edits-video-creation-app", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "facebook", "name": "Facebook", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2004, "end": null, "role": "Social network, Meta Platforms", "status": "Active", "note": "Facebook is founded in Cambridge in February 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park. It acquires Instagram in 2012 and becomes Meta Platforms in 2021. Facebook opens in stream ads to video creators in 2017, launches Stars tipping in 2019 to 2020, and on July 14, 2021 pledges 1 billion dollars in creator bonuses across Facebook and Instagram through 2022. Facebook Gaming absorbs Mixer's community when Microsoft closes that service in July 2020. On October 2, 2024 Meta folds in stream ads, Ads on Reels and the performance bonus into a single Facebook Content Monetization programme. Meta says Facebook pays creators nearly 3 billion dollars in 2025, up 35 percent, and on March 18, 2026 launches Creator Fast Track, guaranteeing 1,000 to 3,000 dollars a month for three months to creators arriving from other platforms. Facebook matters less to young creators than Instagram or TikTok but is the largest single bonus payer among Meta's apps.", "people": "Mark Zuckerberg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram | https://about.fb.com/news/2024/10/monetize-content-facebooks-new-streamlined-program/ | https://about.fb.com/news/2021/07/investing-1-billion-dollars-in-creators/ | https://about.fb.com/news/2026/03/creator-fast-track-grow-your-audience-earn-money-on-facebook/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "meta_creator_bonuses", "name": "Meta creator bonuses and Reels Play", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Bonus programmes on Facebook and Instagram", "status": "Active", "note": "Meta announces in July 2021 that it will pay creators more than 1 billion dollars in bonuses through the end of 2022 across Facebook and Instagram, including Reels Play bonuses of up to 35,000 dollars a month tied to Reels views. The bonuses are invitation only and opaque, and Meta winds Reels Play down in March 2023. Invitation only bonuses on Instagram return in 2024 and 2025, and Facebook combines its programmes into Content Monetization in October 2024. The pledge is the model Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube Shorts answer with their own funds. The end date for the current Instagram bonus rounds is unconfirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms | https://about.fb.com/news/2021/07/investing-1-billion-dollars-in-creators/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "Meta's July 14, 2021 announcement confirms the 1 billion dollar pledge through the end of 2022 and the Reels bonus, but the 35,000 dollar monthly cap, the March 2023 wind down of Reels Play, the 2024 and 2025 invitation only rounds and the October 2024 Content Monetization consolidation rest on the encyclopaedia alone in this pass." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "snapchat", "name": "Snapchat", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Messaging and short video platform, Snap Inc", "status": "Active", "note": "Snapchat launches in September 2011 from Stanford and Snap Inc is headquartered in Santa Monica, listing on the NYSE in March 2017. Spotlight launches on November 23, 2020 as a TikTok style feed paying more than 1 million dollars a day to viral posters, moving to a monthly pool in 2021, and Snap Stars can share revenue from Stories ads. Snapchat Plus subscriptions arrive in June 2022. On February 17, 2026 Snap announces Creator Subscriptions, letting fans pay a monthly price set within Snap recommended tiers for subscriber only Snaps and Stories, starting as an alpha with select US creators on February 23, 2026 and expanding to Canada, the UK and France. Spotlight is the platform's payout rail but Snap does not publish cumulative creator totals, which stays unconfirmed.", "people": "Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat | https://investor.snap.com/news/news-details/2020/Snap-Inc.-Launches-Spotlight-a-New-Entertainment-Platform-for-User-Generated-Content-within-Snapchat/default.aspx | https://newsroom.snap.com/snapchat-launches-creator-subscriptions | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/02/18/snapchat-creator-subscriptions-launch-monetization/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "x_twitter", "name": "X (Twitter)", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "austin", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Social platform, xAI and SpaceX owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Twitter launches in 2006 in San Francisco, buys Vine in October 2012 for a reported 30 million dollars and closes it in January 2017 after refusing to pay its top creators. Elon Musk completes his 44 billion dollar purchase in October 2022 and renames the company X in July 2023. Ads revenue sharing for Premium subscribers launches in July 2023 and switches to engagement based payouts in October 2024. On March 28, 2025 Musk announces that xAI has acquired X in an all stock deal valuing X at 33 billion dollars and the combination at 113 billion dollars, and SpaceX acquires xAI on February 2, 2026 in a deal reported at 1.25 trillion dollars for the combined company, the sixth ownership change for the platform. Headquarters move from San Francisco to Bastrop, Texas near Austin. Linda Yaccarino serves as CEO from June 2023 until July 2025.", "people": "Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_(service) | https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/28/elon-musk-says-xai-has-acquired-x-in-deal-that-values-social-media-site-at-33-billion.html | https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/02/elon-musk-spacex-acquires-xai-data-centers-space-merger/ | https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/twitter-just-shut-down-vine-4-years-after-buying-it-30-million-174301/ | https://www.fox7austin.com/news/elon-musk-x-headquarters-move-bastrop-texas", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "vine", "name": "Vine", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2012, "end": 2017, "role": "Six second looping video platform, Twitter owned", "status": "Closed", "note": "Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll found Vine in New York in June 2012 and Twitter buys it four months later for 30 million dollars, launching the app on 24 January 2013. Vine creates the first short form video stars, among them Logan Paul, King Bach, Zach King, Liza Koshy and David Dobrik, but never builds a payout programme. In late 2015 nearly twenty top creators meet Vine executives and ask for 1.2 million dollars each to post twelve original videos a month; Vine declines, the stars stop posting and move to YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. Twitter announces the shutdown on 27 October 2016 and closes the app on 17 January 2017. The rung that breaks is the payout rung: attention with no rail to income. Hofmann later launches Byte, and Jack Dorsey's Divine successor app with the Vine archive opens in April 2026.", "people": "Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov, Colin Kroll", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_(service) | https://www.mic.com/articles/157977/inside-the-secret-meeting-that-changed-the-fate-of-vine-forever", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": true, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "patreon", "name": "Patreon", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Membership platform, creator subscriptions", "status": "Active", "note": "Musician Jack Conte and Sam Yam launch Patreon in San Francisco in May 2013 so fans can pay creators monthly, and it is paying creators from launch. Patreon raises 47 million dollars by 2016, buys Memberful in 2018, and reaches a 4 billion dollar valuation with a 155 million dollar round in April 2021. It cuts 13 percent of staff in 2020 and 2021 and 17 percent in September 2022, closing Dublin and Berlin offices. The take rate moves to 10 percent for new creators in 2025. Patreon passes 10 billion dollars paid to creators in August 2025 with more than 25 million paid memberships and about 2 billion dollars a year flowing to creators, podcasts alone earning 472 million dollars in 2024. It remains private in 2026.", "people": "Jack Conte, Sam Yam", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon | https://www.axios.com/2025/08/05/patreon-10-billion-creator-economy-ai | https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/patreon-4-billion-valuation-new-funding-1234945159/amp", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "substack", "name": "Substack", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Newsletter and subscription publishing platform", "status": "Active", "note": "Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie and Jairaj Sethi found Substack in San Francisco in 2017 and it pays writers from launch, keeping 10 percent of subscription revenue. Andreessen Horowitz leads a 15.3 million dollar Series A in 2019 and a 65 million dollar round in 2021 at a 650 million dollar valuation. Substack Pro pays advances to recruited writers in 2021 and 2022, including a reported 250,000 dollars to Matthew Yglesias. Paid subscriptions grow from 500,000 in 2021 to 4 million in November 2024 and 5 million in March 2025. In July 2025 Substack raises 100 million dollars at a 1.1 billion dollar valuation led by a16z with The Chernin Group, BOND, Skims founder Jens Grede and Klutch founder Rich Paul. Substack TV launches in January 2026. Heather Cox Richardson is its largest individual publication.", "people": "Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, Jairaj Sethi", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substack | https://www.axios.com/2025/07/17/substack-newsletter-funding-creator-economy", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "spotify", "name": "Spotify", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Audio and video streaming platform, Stockholm with US office in New York", "status": "Active", "note": "Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon found Spotify in Stockholm in April 2006, launch in 2008, reach the US in July 2011 and list on the NYSE in April 2018. In February 2019 Spotify buys Gimlet and Anchor for a combined 337 million dollars, making Anchor its creator hosting rail. It licenses The Joe Rogan Experience in May 2020 for a reported 100 million dollars and renews in 2024 for a reported 250 million dollars, and signs Call Her Daddy in 2021 for a reported 60 million dollars. Spotify for Creators replaces Spotify for Podcasters in November 2024 and the Spotify Partner Program begins paying video podcasters on 2 January 2025 in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Spotify turns its first annual profit in 2024 and reports 290 million Premium subscribers in February 2026.", "people": "Daniel Ek, Martin Lorentzon", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotify | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/spotify-acquire-paid-gimlet-anchor-340-million-1203140881/ | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-01-02/the-spotify-partner-program-is-here-offering-new-ways-for-creators-to-monetize-in-the-us-uk-canada-and-australia/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "spotify_for_creators", "name": "Spotify for Creators (Anchor)", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Podcast hosting and monetisation rail, formerly Anchor", "status": "Rebranded", "note": "Michael Mignano and Nir Zicherman found Anchor in New York in 2015 as free podcast hosting, and by 2019 it powers about 40 percent of new podcasts. Spotify buys it in February 2019 alongside Gimlet for a combined 337 million dollars. Anchor becomes Spotify for Podcasters in 2023 and Spotify for Creators in November 2024, and the Spotify Partner Program launched on 2 January 2025 pays hosts for Premium video engagement and ads. Mignano leaves Spotify in 2022 for Lightspeed. Cumulative payouts through the Partner Program are not disclosed.", "people": "Michael Mignano, Nir Zicherman", "source": "https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/spotify-acquire-paid-gimlet-anchor-340-million-1203140881/ | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-11-13/spotify-unveils-uninterrupted-video-podcasts-audience-driven-payments-and-the-new-spotify-for-creators-platform/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "kick", "name": "Kick", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Live streaming platform, Easygo and Stake.com founders, Melbourne", "status": "Active", "note": "Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, founders of the crypto casino Stake.com, launch Kick from Melbourne in December 2022, months after Twitch bans gambling streams. Kick pays creators 95 percent of subscription revenue against Twitch's 50 percent and adds a Creator Incentive Program paying hourly for streamed hours. In June 2023 it signs xQc to a two year deal reported at 70 million dollars with incentives up to 100 million dollars, then Amouranth, Adin Ross and Hikaru Nakamura. Kick has no outside investors and is owned through Easygo Entertainment. It sponsors the Sauber Formula One team in 2025. The August 2025 death of French streamer Jean Pormanove during a livestream brings French legal action and Kick restricts gambling monetisation and adds age verification.", "people": "Ed Craven, Bijan Tehrani", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_(service) | https://www.revenuememo.com/p/who-owns-kick | https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2023/07/15/kick-vs-twitch-inside-streamings-billion-dollar-death-match-xqc-amouranth-ed-craven-stake/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "rumble", "name": "Rumble", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "tampa", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Video platform, Nasdaq listed", "status": "Active", "note": "Chris Pavlovski founds Rumble in Toronto in October 2013 as a YouTube alternative that shares revenue with small creators, and later moves headquarters to Longboat Key, Florida near Tampa. It lists on Nasdaq in September 2022 through a SPAC merger with CF Acquisition Corp VI. Conservative creators including Dan Bongino, Russell Brand and Dr Disrespect sign exclusive deals, Dr Disrespect joining on November 25, 2024. Rumble announces a 775 million dollar strategic investment from Tether on December 20, 2024, filed as an 8-K exhibit; it closes on February 7, 2025 with 250 million dollars of new money and a 525 million dollar self tender. Rumble reports 95.5 million dollars of 2024 revenue and 68 million monthly users in the fourth quarter of 2024, then 100.6 million dollars of 2025 revenue and 52 million monthly users in the fourth quarter of 2025, with an agreement to acquire Northern Data AG and its GPUs expected to close in 2026. The stock's 2024 run makes Pavlovski a billionaire in January 2025. In 2026 Pavlovski publicly signals interest in the collapsing StreamElements before Razer buys its assets in July 2026.", "people": "Chris Pavlovski", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(company) | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1830081/000121390024111292/ea022562201ex99-1_rumble.htm | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/03/25/3048745/0/en/Rumble-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2024-Results.html | https://www.rum.group/blog/rumble-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2025-results/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/07/31/gamer-lifestyle-brand-razer-acquires-streamer-platform-streamelements/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -82.46, 27.95 ], "cityId": "tampa", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "cameo", "name": "Cameo", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "chicago", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Personalised celebrity video marketplace", "status": "Active", "note": "Steven Galanis, Martin Blencowe and Devon Townsend launch Cameo in Chicago on 15 March 2017 and pay talent 75 percent of each booking plus all tips, so creators earn from day one. Pandemic demand drives a 100 million dollar Series C in March 2021 at a 1 billion dollar valuation, and Cameo buys the celebrity merch platform Represent from CustomInk in 2021 to bundle gifts. Demand collapses after lockdowns: Cameo cuts 87 staff in May 2022, more in November 2022 and 80 in July 2023, leaving fewer than 50 from a peak near 400, and its valuation is marked down to about 100 million dollars. Valor Equity leads a 28 million dollar round in March 2024. Cameo runs near breakeven in 2025 to 2026 with a TikTok integration, CameoX self serve creators and Cameo for Business.", "people": "Steven Galanis, Martin Blencowe, Devon Townsend", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_(website) | https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/18/cameo-layoffs-celebrity-greeting | https://sacra.com/c/cameo/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -87.63, 41.88 ], "cityId": "chicago", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "linkedin", "name": "LinkedIn", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2003, "end": null, "role": "Professional network, Microsoft owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Reid Hoffman founds LinkedIn in December 2002 and launches it in May 2003 from Mountain View, later Sunnyvale. Microsoft buys it in December 2016 for 26.2 billion dollars. LinkedIn courts creators with Creator Mode in 2021 and a Creator Accelerator paying 15,000 dollar grants, then removes Creator Mode in 2024 without ever launching an ad revenue share, so business creators monetise through newsletters, courses and sponsorships off platform. In June 2026 LinkedIn launches a creator marketplace connecting businesses with professional topic creators. The grant programme details are not confirmed in a retrieved source and unconfirmed.", "people": "Reid Hoffman", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn | https://news.linkedin.com/2017/microsoft-completes-acquisition-of-linkedin | https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/08/microsoft-officially-closes-its-26-2b-acquisition-of-linkedin/ | https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/415735/linkedin-launches-first-creator-marketplace.html | https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedins-removing-creator-mode-option/706585/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The Creator Accelerator 15,000 dollar grant programme is not confirmed in any retrieved primary or trade source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "amazon_live", "name": "Amazon Live", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "seattle", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Live shopping platform inside Amazon", "status": "Active", "note": "Amazon Live launches in 2019 as a livestream shopping feed inside the Amazon app and site, later carried on Freevee, Prime Video and Fire TV as a channel. Creators earn through Amazon Influencer Program commissions on products sold during and after streams rather than a direct payout. Amazon closes its TikTok style Inspire feed in February 2025 while keeping Live, which in 2026 is positioned as a core part of its creator strategy with Amazon Marketing Cloud measurement. Amazon does not disclose Live sales or creator earnings.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company) | https://logie.ai/news/amazon-live-in-2026/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "musical_ly", "name": "musical.ly", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2014, "end": 2018, "role": "Lip sync video app, merged into TikTok", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang launch musical.ly from Shanghai in August 2014 with a Santa Monica office, pivoting from an education app to 15 second lip sync clips. It reaches 90 million users by June 2016 and 200 million by May 2017, creating the first generation of US teen video stars. ByteDance buys the company on 10 November 2017 for a reported price of up to 1 billion dollars and merges it into TikTok on 2 August 2018, migrating all accounts. musical.ly never runs a creator payout programme; its stars earn through brand deals and later TikTok. Zhu becomes head of product for TikTok.", "people": "Alex Zhu, Luyu Yang", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.ly | https://www.mobileworldlive.com/old_latest-stories/muscal-ly-and-tiktok-come-together/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/musically-owner-bytedance-merges-app-tiktok-1131630/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The up to 1 billion dollar purchase price is press reported only; retrieved trade sources confirm the November 2017 acquisition and the August 2, 2018 merger into TikTok but not the price." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "byte", "name": "Byte", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2020, "end": 2023, "role": "Six second video app, Vine successor", "status": "Closed", "note": "Vine co founder Dom Hofmann announces a successor in December 2017, names it Byte in November 2018 and launches on 24 January 2020 in more than 40 countries. Byte promises a partner programme that pays creators directly, learning from Vine's failure, but the early pool is shut in August and applied to later programmes. Clash App acquires Byte in January 2021 and merges the two into Clash, later renamed Huddles, which relaunches in October 2021 and is discontinued on 3 May 2023. The rung that breaks is audience: TikTok already owns the format by the time Byte launches. Byte's New York base is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Dom Hofmann", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huddles_(app) | https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/08/vine-co-founder-plans-to-launch-successor-byte-in-spring-2019/amp/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "clubhouse", "name": "Clubhouse", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Social audio app", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Paul Davison and Rohan Seth launch Clubhouse in San Francisco in March 2020 as invitation only audio rooms. Andreessen Horowitz leads a 12 million dollar Series A in May 2020, a Series B at 1 billion dollars in January 2021 and a Series C at about 4 billion dollars in April 2021 as Elon Musk and Oprah appear. The Creator First accelerator pays selected creators 5,000 dollars a month in 2021 and Stripe payments launch in April 2021, but the app never builds a durable payout rail. Downloads collapse after Twitter Spaces and other copies launch, and in April 2023 Clubhouse lays off more than half its staff. The rung that breaks is retention: attention that never converts into recurring income for hosts. The app still operates in 2026 at a fraction of its peak.", "people": "Paul Davison, Rohan Seth", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clubhouse_(app) | https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/27/clubhouse-layoffs-app-reached-4-billion-valuation-during-pandemic.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "triller", "name": "Triller", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": 2026, "role": "Short video app and events group, delisted", "status": "Wound down", "note": "Triller launches in July 2015 as a music video editing app, becomes a social network after a 2016 sale to Carnegie Technologies, and takes a majority investment from Ryan Kavanaugh's Proxima Media in 2019 with headquarters in Los Angeles. It surges to number one in the App Store in 2020 during the first TikTok ban threat and signs Charli D'Amelio and other TikTok stars, but former employees say true monthly users were under 2.5 million against a claimed 100 million. Universal pulls its catalogue in February 2021 over unpaid royalties, a SPAC with SeaChange fails in 2022, and Triller merges with Hong Kong fintech AGBA in October 2024. Nasdaq delists Triller Group on 30 December 2025 for missed filings, and its online services stop working by August 2026. The rung that breaks is honest audience data followed by unpaid partners.", "people": "Ryan Kavanaugh, Mahi de Silva, Sean Kim", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triller_(app) | https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/triller-booted-from-nasdaq-after-missing-financial-filing-deadlines/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "vessel", "name": "Vessel", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2015, "end": 2016, "role": "Early access subscription video platform", "status": "Closed", "note": "Former Hulu executives Jason Kilar and Richard Tom launch Vessel in San Francisco on 21 January 2015 with about 132 million dollars of funding. Subscribers pay 3 dollars a month to see creator videos 72 hours before YouTube, and Vessel pays creators a subscription share plus ads that it says beats YouTube rates; Shane Dawson, Rhett and Link's Good Mythical Morning and Linus Tech Tips sign on. Audiences do not move for a three day window. Verizon acquires Vessel on 26 October 2016 and shuts the service on 31 October 2016, folding the team into its go90 video product. The rung that breaks is audience: creators cannot carry viewers to a paywall. Tom becomes go90 CTO and Kilar leaves.", "people": "Jason Kilar, Richard Tom", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vessel_(website) | https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/verizon-acquires-vessel-shut-down-1201901681/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2016/10/27/vessel-sunset-service-acquisition-verizon/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": true, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "beme", "name": "Beme", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2014, "end": 2018, "role": "Video sharing app and news studio, Casey Neistat co founded", "status": "Closed", "note": "Casey Neistat and Matt Hackett found Beme in New York in 2014 as an unedited video sharing app and raise about 6 million dollars by May 2016. CNN buys Beme in November 2016 for a reported 25 million dollars despite zero revenue, closes the app on 31 January 2017 and keeps the team to build a youth news brand from CNN's Atlanta center. Beme News launches on YouTube in 2017. On 25 January 2018 Neistat and Hackett leave and CNN folds Beme into CNN Digital Studios, with the channel ending in August 2019. The rung that breaks is product: a creator's audience does not transfer to a corporate news product.", "people": "Casey Neistat, Matt Hackett", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beme_(company) | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/casey-neistat-cnn-departure-beme-1202676621/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": true, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "quibi", "name": "Quibi", "kind": "platform", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": 2020, "role": "Mobile short form streaming service", "status": "Closed", "note": "Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman raise 1.75 billion dollars for Quibi in Los Angeles and launch on 6 April 2020 with ten minute Hollywood produced episodes. The service tracks toward 2 million subscribers against a 7.4 million forecast and has about 500,000 at the end. Quibi announces its closure on 21 October 2020 and shuts on 1 December 2020, and Roku buys all 75 programmes in January 2021 for less than 100 million dollars. The rung that breaks is audience: paying studios instead of creators produces content nobody shares. Quibi is the counter example on this map to platforms that pay creators first.", "people": "Jeffrey Katzenberg, Meg Whitman", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quibi | https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/21/quibi-to-shut-down-after-just-6-months.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "google_adsense", "name": "Google AdSense", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2003, "end": null, "role": "Ad network and the payment rail behind YouTube payouts", "status": "Active", "note": "Google launches AdSense in June 2003 after buying Applied Semantics, paying content partners 68 percent of ad revenue. Every YouTube Partner Program payment since 2007 is settled through an AdSense account, which makes AdSense the oldest payout rail in the creator economy. By 2005 it is about 15 percent of Google's revenue and by 2021 more than 38 million sites use it. AdSense moves display publishers to per impression payment in 2024. It is headquartered with Google in Mountain View.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_AdSense | https://ppc.land/youtube-clarifies-adsense-payment-timeline-in-creator-community-faq/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "linktree", "name": "Linktree", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Link in bio platform, Melbourne", "status": "Active", "note": "Alex Zaccaria, Anthony Zaccaria and Nick Humphreys build Linktree in Melbourne in 2016 to solve Instagram's single bio link, and it grows to 8 million users by 2020 and 50 million by May 2024. Airtree and Insight lead a 10.7 million dollar Series A in 2020, Index and Coatue a 45 million dollar Series B in 2021 and a 110 million dollar round in 2022 at a 1.3 billion dollar valuation. Linktree cuts 17 percent of staff in 2022 and 27 percent in June 2023 while shifting hiring to the US. In 2024 it launches a social commerce programme paying creators 12 to 15 percent commissions from more than 2,000 brands and estimates users drive 6 billion dollars a year in sales. It counts about 70 million members in 2026.", "people": "Alex Zaccaria, Anthony Zaccaria, Nick Humphreys", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linktree | https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/22/linktree-surpasses-50m-users-rolls-out-beta-social-commerce-program/ | https://www.forbes.com.au/news/investing/necessary-linktree-sacks-27-of-its-workforce/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "beacons", "name": "Beacons", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Creator storefront and link in bio platform", "status": "Active", "note": "Neal Jean, Jesse Zhang and Greg Luppescu found Beacons in San Francisco in 2019 as a mobile first link in bio page that adds Stripe payments, email capture and invoicing. It raises 6.2 million dollars by 2021 and later rounds, charges free users a 9 percent fee on sales and paid tiers 10 to 50 dollars a month. Beacons competes with Linktree and Stan as creators turn bio links into storefronts, adding brand outreach and AI tools in 2024 to 2025. Revenue after 2021 is not disclosed.", "people": "Neal Jean, Jesse Zhang, Greg Luppescu", "source": "https://sacra.com/c/beacons/ | https://beacons.ai/i/about-us", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "stan_store", "name": "Stan Store", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Creator storefront for digital products and coaching", "status": "Active", "note": "John Hu and Vitalii Dodonov found Stan in 2020 after Hu monetised his TikTok audience while at Stanford, and the company is based in Los Angeles. Stan charges 29 or 99 dollars a month with no transaction fee, so creators keep the whole sale, and more than half of volume is digital downloads priced 4 to 30 dollars. Forerunner leads a 5 million dollar seed in 2022, the only institutional round. Creators pass 100 million dollars in sales and Stan reaches an estimated 35 million dollars of recurring revenue at the end of 2025 and 40 million dollars by April 2026, launching the Stanley AI posting agent as growth slows from 93 percent to 24 percent.", "people": "John Hu, Vitalii Dodonov", "source": "https://sacra.com/c/stan/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriafeng/2025/08/12/this-startup-helps-creators-sell-classes-coaching-and-more-to-their-fans/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "teachable", "name": "Teachable", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Online course platform, Hotmart owned", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Ankur Nagpal launches Teachable in New York in 2013 as Fedora and raises 12.5 million dollars from Accomplice, Naval Ravikant and Learn Capital. By March 2020 course creators have earned half a billion dollars on the platform, half of it in the prior year. Brazil's Hotmart acquires Teachable on 16 March 2020 for a reported price of about 250 million dollars and keeps the New York and Durham offices. Nagpal later founds the retirement platform Carry, sold in April 2026. Teachable remains a Hotmart brand in 2026 competing with Kajabi and Skillshare for creator courses.", "people": "Ankur Nagpal", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/edtech-notches-a-win-as-teachable-is-acquired-by-hotmart/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2026/04/15/teachable-founder-ankur-nagpals-retirement-and-investing-platform-carry-is-acquired/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "shopify", "name": "Shopify", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "E commerce platform, Ottawa", "status": "Active", "note": "Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake build Shopify in Ottawa in 2006 from their snowboard shop software and list on the NYSE and TSX in May 2015. Shopify is the storefront under most creator owned brands on this map, from Feastables to MrBeast merch, and its Collabs product from 2022 lets merchants pay creators affiliate commissions. It serves more than 5 million merchants, processes 292 billion dollars of merchandise in 2024 with 57 percent from the US, and reports 11.56 billion dollars of 2025 revenue. In January 2026 it launches the Universal Commerce Protocol for AI agents.", "people": "Tobias Lütke, Harley Finkelstein", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopify | https://www.shopify.com/news/shopify-q4-2025-financial-results | https://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1594805/000159480526000006/0001594805-26-000006-index.htm | https://www.shopify.com/collabs", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Shopify's February 11, 2026 results release and 8-K confirm about 11.6 billion dollars of 2025 revenue and investment in the Universal Commerce Protocol, but the 292 billion dollar 2024 GMV, the 57 percent US share, the 5 million merchant count and the January 2026 protocol launch date were not confirmed in a retrieved page." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "spring", "name": "Spring (Teespring)", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Creator merch platform, Amaze owned", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Walker Williams and Evan Stites Clayton start Teespring in Providence in August 2011 after selling 400 shirts to save a bar, raise 20 million dollars from Andreessen Horowitz in January 2014 and 35 million dollars from Khosla in November 2014, and move to San Francisco. Teespring lays off its Providence staff in 2015 and 2016, is rescued by YouTube's merch shelf integration in 2018, and Chris Lamontagne becomes CEO in 2019. It rebrands to Spring on 1 February 2021. Amaze Software buys Spring on 8 November 2022 with 5.5 million creator stores. Suppliers including alphabroder sue for unpaid bills in 2023 and creators report delayed payouts, the rung that breaks being working capital. Amaze Holdings operates the Teespring marketplace in 2025 to 2026 as a public company.", "people": "Walker Williams, Evan Stites Clayton, Chris Lamontagne", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teespring | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fast-growing-amaze-acquires-spring-in-landmark-deal-to-accelerate-creator-commerce-301672108.html | https://members.asicentral.com/news/newsletters/promogram/september-2023/alphabroder-suing-company-formerly-known-as-teespring-for-633k", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "fanjoy", "name": "Fanjoy", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": 2023, "role": "Creator merch company", "status": "Bankrupt", "note": "Chris Vaccarino founds Fanjoy in 2014 and it becomes the merch partner for Jake Paul, David Dobrik, Addison Rae and Colleen Ballinger, selling through its own site and retail partners such as Urban Outfitters. Fanjoy files for Chapter 11 in the Northern District of Georgia in August 2023 listing 100 to 199 creditors, owing more than 1 million dollars to suppliers and screen printers and reported sums to creators including 86,000 dollars to Elyse Myers and 94,500 dollars to GeorgeNotFound. The rung that breaks is the creator payment rung, as creators move to their own Shopify stores after the pandemic. Its original Los Angeles base and later status are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Chris Vaccarino", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/08/16/merch-creator-economy-company-fanjoy-bankrupt-elyse-myers-george-not-found/ | https://members.asicentral.com/news/newsletters/promogram/august-2023/merch-firm-fanjoy-files-for-bankruptcy-owes-over-1m-to-suppliers-and-screen-printers", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "represent", "name": "Represent", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Celebrity merch campaign platform", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Represent launches in Los Angeles in 2014 running limited edition merch campaigns for celebrities and causes. CustomInk buys it in February 2016 and keeps production in its Virginia plants. By 2021 Represent has shipped more than 4 million products and raised more than 300 million dollars for charity. Cameo acquires Represent from CustomInk in 2021 for undisclosed terms to bundle merch with video shout outs, keeping CustomInk as fulfilment partner. Represent's standalone status in 2026 is unconfirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/cameo-represent-acquisition-celebrity-merchandise-1235095819/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_Ink | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CustomInk", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "fourthwall", "name": "Fourthwall", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Creator storefront and merch platform", "status": "Active", "note": "Teespring co founder Walker Williams, Will Baumann and Eli Valentin found Fourthwall in Los Angeles in 2019 as a creator owned storefront with memberships, print on demand from facilities in the US, Mexico, Europe and Asia, and no listing fees. It is venture backed and serves more than 200,000 creators on about 31,000 sites. In August 2025 Fourthwall trims the free plan to 50 listings and adds a 19 dollar a month paid tier. It is the successor rail many YouTubers move to after Spring and Fanjoy fail.", "people": "Walker Williams, Will Baumann, Eli Valentin", "source": "https://payhip.com/hub/what-is-fourthwall/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/wiwillia/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ltk", "name": "LTK (rewardStyle)", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "dallas", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Creator affiliate commerce platform", "status": "Active", "note": "Fashion blogger Amber Venz Box and Baxter Box found rewardStyle in Dallas in 2011 so she could charge retailers for the sales her posts drive, and launch the LIKEtoKNOW.it app in 2014. The company rebrands as LTK in 2021 when SoftBank invests 300 million dollars at a 2 billion dollar valuation. LTK connects more than 250,000 creators to 7,000 retailers, has paid creators at least 2.7 billion dollars in commissions, and counts 240 women creators who became millionaires. It is the affiliate rail that Instagram's lack of a payout programme created, competing with ShopMy and Amazon's Influencer Program in 2025 to 2026.", "people": "Amber Venz Box, Baxter Box", "source": "https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/13/how-amber-venz-box-turned-fashion-blog-into-billion-dollar-company-ltk.html | https://dallasinnovates.com/dallas-tech-fashion-innovator-rewardstyle-rebrands-as-ltk/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "amazon_associates", "name": "Amazon Associates", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "seattle", "year": 1996, "end": null, "role": "Affiliate programme, the oldest commission rail", "status": "Active", "note": "Amazon launches Associates in 1996, paying websites a commission for referred sales, and it becomes the default affiliate rail for bloggers and later YouTubers such as Marques Brownlee's product links. Commissions range from 1 to 20 percent by category and are cut sharply in April 2020. The Amazon Influencer Program of 2017 extends Associates to social creators with storefronts and onsite video. In 2025 Amazon bars brands from collecting both the Brand Referral Bonus and Associates commissions on the same sale.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company) | https://www.advertisepurple.com/amazon-influencer-program-how-it-works-2025/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "amazon_influencer", "name": "Amazon Influencer Program", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "seattle", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Creator storefront and shoppable video programme", "status": "Active", "note": "Amazon launches the Influencer Program in 2017 as a branch of Associates giving approved social creators an amazon.com/shop storefront, shoppable video on product pages and Amazon Live access. Creators earn 1 to 20 percent commissions by category and onsite commissions when Amazon surfaces their videos, with reported earnings of 2,000 to 4,000 dollars a month from about 1,100 videos. Approval depends on engagement rather than a published follower minimum. Amazon closes the Inspire feed in February 2025 but keeps the programme, and in 2026 it is the main rail for product review creators.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.advertisepurple.com/amazon-influencer-program-how-it-works-2025/ | https://logie.ai/news/amazon-live-in-2026/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "stir", "name": "Stir", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2020, "end": 2023, "role": "Creator revenue splitting and payments tool", "status": "Closed", "note": "Joseph Albanese and Kushal Byatnal launch Stir in October 2020 to consolidate creator income and split revenue between collaborators, with a 4 million dollar seed from Homebrew, Casey Neistat, Chad Hurley, Cameo's Steven Galanis, Jack Conte, Mythical and Michael Mignano. Andreessen Horowitz leads a Series A in February 2021 at a 100 million dollar valuation, and Stir launches Pay for brand deal invoicing and Stir for Managers that year with Freddie Wong, Mythical and Airrack as customers. Stir winds down in 2023 as creator fintech demand proves thin; the rung that breaks is distribution to enough paying creators. The 2023 shutdown and San Francisco base are unconfirmed.", "people": "Joseph Albanese, Kushal Byatnal", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/10/20/stir-raises-4-million-casey-neistat-chad-hurley-others/ | https://www.theinformation.com/articles/andreessen-horowitz-wins-deal-for-creator-economy-startup-stir-at-100-million-valuation | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/05/14/startup-stir-launches-pay-creators-collect-brand-deals/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "creative_juice", "name": "Creative Juice", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "austin", "year": 2020, "end": 2024, "role": "Creator banking and funding startup", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Sima Gandhi, formerly of Plaid, and Ezra Cooperstein, former president of Night Media, found Creative Juice in 2020 and announce it in March 2021 with a 5 million dollar seed from Inspired Capital, Index, Slow Ventures and Box Group plus MrBeast, Graham Stephan, Scooter Braun and Justin Kan. Juice Funds lets creators invest in other creators, with MrBeast committing up to 2 million dollars in 25,000 to 250,000 dollar cheques. The company raises about 25 million dollars in total and is acquired by business bank Rho on 1 July 2024. PitchBook lists an Austin address; the original Los Angeles base is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Sima Gandhi, Ezra Cooperstein", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/24/creative-juice-funds-mrbeast-youtuber-investment/ | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/463316-77", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "streamlabs", "name": "Streamlabs", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Streaming software and tipping rail, Logitech owned", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Tom Maneri, Ali Moiz and Murtaza Hussain launch TwitchAlerts in San Francisco in 2014 so streamers can show and collect tips on screen, renaming it Streamlabs in 2016 and building Streamlabs OBS. Logitech acquires it on 26 September 2019 for 89 million dollars in cash plus earn out. Streamlabs adds Crossclip, Willow tipping links and Streamlabs Charity, and drops the OBS name in November 2021 after the open source project objects. It remains Logitech's creator software arm in 2026; a reported 2026 data breach claim is unconfirmed.", "people": "Tom Maneri, Ali Moiz, Murtaza Hussain", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamlabs | https://www.techcrunch.com/2019/09/27/logitech-acquires-popular-game-streaming-tool-streamlabs-for-around-89m", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "streamelements", "name": "StreamElements", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2016, "end": 2026, "role": "Streamer tools and sponsorship platform, Tel Aviv, sold to Razer", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Or Perry and co founders launch StreamElements in Tel Aviv in 2016 with overlays, chatbots, tip jars and a sponsorship marketplace, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 leads a 100 million dollar Series B in September 2021 for 111 million dollars raised in total. Three rounds of layoffs follow from 2022, the last cutting more than 35 percent, and staff fall from 200 to 72 by May 2026 as the company warns creators it may shut down within 30 days. Rumble's Chris Pavlovski signals interest before Razer buys the assets from holding company Live Momentum on 31 July 2026 for undisclosed terms, keeping the platform running for its 2.6 million daily creators and winding down SEPay by the end of 2026. The rung that breaks is revenue against a SoftBank sized cost base.", "people": "Or Perry", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/07/31/gamer-lifestyle-brand-razer-acquires-streamer-platform-streamelements/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/09/22/streamelements-softbank-investment-100-million/ | https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1xjtrs22", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "whop", "name": "Whop", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Digital product and community marketplace", "status": "Active", "note": "Steven Schwartz, Cameron Zoub and Jack Sharkey found Whop in New York in 2021 as a marketplace for paid Discord communities, courses and software. It raises a 17 million dollar Series A, then in February 2026 Tether invests 200 million dollars at a 1.6 billion dollar valuation. Whop reports 4 billion dollars of annual commerce across 145 countries, 300 million dollars of monthly sales, 22 million users and more than 650 sellers who have earned 1 million dollars, with about 120 staff. Its clipping campaigns, which pay creators per view for reposting content, are a distinct 2025 to 2026 payout rail.", "people": "Steven Schwartz, Cameron Zoub, Jack Sharkey", "source": "https://fortune.com/2026/06/14/gen-z-founder-steven-schwartz-whop-platform-minted-650-millionaires-wants-work-be-fun-money-worries-obsolete/ | https://wearerockwater.com/tether-invests-in-whop/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tiktok_shop", "name": "TikTok Shop", "kind": "retailer", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "In app marketplace with creator affiliate commissions", "status": "Active", "note": "TikTok Shop soft launches in the US in July 2023 and formally in September 2023, letting creators tag products and earn affiliate commissions on videos and livestreams. US shops grow from 4,450 to more than 231,000 by July 2025 and creators earning from sales from 11,800 to 184,000, with pre recorded creator videos driving 66 percent of sales. Momentum Works estimates US merchandise volume above 9 billion dollars in 2024, and monthly US volume reaches about 1.1 billion dollars by July 2025 with sales up 120 percent year on year. It is the fastest growing retail rung for creator brands in 2025 to 2026 and survives the January 2026 joint venture unchanged.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/topics/digital-commerce/social-commerce/two-years-in-tiktok-shop-is-a-commercial-powerhouse-a-look-at-the-numbers | https://thelowdown.momentum.asia/press-release-tiktok-shop-in-the-u-s-achieves-explosive-growth-in-2024-surpassing-us9-billion-gmv/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "bytedance", "name": "ByteDance", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "TikTok parent, Beijing", "status": "Active", "note": "ByteDance buys Shanghai based musical.ly, the lip sync app that had 90 million registered users and the top US teen audience by mid 2016, in November 2017 for a reported price of up to 1 billion dollars, and folds it into TikTok on August 2, 2018, moving accounts, content and followers across. The purchase gives TikTok its American creator base. In January 2026 the US business is placed in TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, announced by the venture on January 23, 2026, with Silver Lake, Oracle and MGX as managing investors holding 15 percent each, ByteDance keeping 19.9 percent, and the remaining 35.1 percent spread across a consortium including Michael Dell's family office, Vastmere Strategic Investments, an affiliate of Susquehanna, Alpha Wave, Revolution, Dragoneer and General Atlantic affiliates, a Milner foundation vehicle and Xavier Niel's NJJ Capital.", "people": "Zhang Yiming, Alex Zhu", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.ly | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.ly | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok | https://www.wsj.com/articles/lip-syncing-app-musical-ly-is-acquired-for-as-much-as-1-billion-1510278123 | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/musically-shutdown-tiktok-bytedance-1202893205/ | https://newsroom.tiktok.com/announcement-from-the-new-tiktok-usds-joint-venture-llc?lang=en", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "google", "name": "Google", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 1998, "end": null, "role": "YouTube owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Google buys YouTube in October 2006 for 1.65 billion dollars in stock, the purchase that makes every later creator business possible. In May 2012 it takes a 35 million dollar equity stake in Machinima, its first open investment in a content company. In October 2016 it buys FameBit, a Santa Monica marketplace matching brands to YouTube creators, for an undisclosed sum, renames it YouTube BrandConnect in 2020 and folds it into YouTube's own tools. Google's pattern is to buy the rail and let creators own the audience.", "people": "Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_AdSense | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc. | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312506206884/dex991.htm | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312506238320/dex991.htm | https://techcrunch.com/2012/05/21/machinima-youtube-35m/ | https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/11/google-acquires-famebit-to-connect-youtube-creators-with-brands/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/06/16/youtube-rebrands-famebit-to-brandconnect-taps-lori-sobel/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The Kin Community edge (YouTube original channels funding, October 2011) could not be checked because the Tubefilter original channels list did not load; it rests on the encyclopaedia." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "microsoft", "name": "Microsoft", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "seattle", "year": 1975, "end": null, "role": "Xbox owner, Mixer acquirer", "status": "Active", "note": "Microsoft buys Seattle streaming startup Beam in August 2016 for an undisclosed sum, months after it won TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield, and rebrands it Mixer in May 2017. In 2019 it signs Ninja from Twitch from August 1 and Shroud in October on exclusive contracts reported in the tens of millions of dollars. Concurrent viewers fall despite more hours streamed. On June 22, 2020 Microsoft announces Mixer will close on July 22, 2020, releases the streamers from their contracts and hands users to Facebook Gaming. It is the clearest case of a platform buying creators without buying an audience.", "people": "Satya Nadella, Phil Spencer", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn | https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2016/08/11/microsoft-acquires-beam/ | https://www.geekwire.com/2020/microsoft-shutters-mixer-game-streaming-platform-will-partner-facebook-gaming/ | https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/08/microsoft-officially-closes-its-26-2b-acquisition-of-linkedin/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2019/08/01/twitchs-biggest-star-ninja-joins-microsofts-mixer-in-exclusive-programming-deal/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "verizon", "name": "Verizon", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1983, "end": null, "role": "Telecom, go90 era digital media investor", "status": "Active", "note": "Verizon buys 24.5 percent of AwesomenessTV in April 2016 for 159 million dollars, valuing it at 650 million dollars, alongside a 180 million dollar multi year content deal for its go90 mobile video service, and the same month its joint venture with Hearst buys Complex Networks. go90 closes in June 2018, AwesomenessTV is sold to Viacom for about 50 million dollars in July 2018, and Complex goes to BuzzFeed in 2021. Verizon writes off its media strategy and sells Yahoo and AOL to Apollo in 2021.", "people": "Lowell McAdam, Hans Vestberg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks | https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/verizon-acquires-vessel-shut-down-1201901681/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://digiday.com/media/go90-or-bust-how-awesomenesstvs-fate-was-tied-to-verizon/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "customink", "name": "Custom Ink", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": null, "year": 2000, "end": null, "role": "Custom apparel printer, Fairfax, Virginia", "status": "Active", "note": "Marc Katz founds Custom Ink in 2000 in Fairfax, Virginia, growing it to about 500 million dollars of revenue, 800 staff and 42 showrooms. It buys the Los Angeles celebrity merch platform Represent in February 2016 and sells it to Cameo in 2021 while continuing as Represent's production and fulfilment partner.", "people": "Marc Katz", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_Ink | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CustomInk | https://www.customink.com/documents/press/customink-represent.pdf | https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/cameo-represent-acquisition-celebrity-merchandise-1235095819/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Fairfax, Virginia", -77.31, 38.85 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.31, 38.85 ], "geoLabel": "Fairfax, Virginia", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Fairfax, Virginia" }, { "id": "amaze", "name": "Amaze Holdings", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Creator commerce software company, owner of Spring", "status": "Active", "note": "Amaze Software, based in Newport Beach, buys Spring and its 5.5 million creator stores on 8 November 2022 and later becomes the public company Amaze Holdings, operating the Teespring marketplace with Adobe Express and India expansion partnerships in 2025 to 2026. Its founding year and the public listing route are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Aaron Day", "source": "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fast-growing-amaze-acquires-spring-in-landmark-deal-to-accelerate-creator-commerce-301672108.html | https://seekingalpha.com/pr/20199435-amaze-unveils-rebranded-website-and-unified-user-experience-for-the-creator-led-commerce-era", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "razer", "name": "Razer", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Gaming hardware company, Irvine and Singapore", "status": "Active", "note": "Razer, dual headquartered in Irvine and Singapore, acquires the assets of the collapsing streamer tools platform StreamElements from Live Momentum on 31 July 2026 for undisclosed terms and says it will keep the platform running alongside its creator programmes and hardware.", "people": "Min-Liang Tan", "source": "https://www.razer.com/newsroom/company-news/streamelements-acquisition | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/07/31/gamer-lifestyle-brand-razer-acquires-streamer-platform-streamelements/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hotmart", "name": "Hotmart", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Brazilian digital product platform, Belo Horizonte", "status": "Active", "note": "Hotmart, a Brazilian course and digital product platform founded in 2011, acquires New York's Teachable on 16 March 2020 for a reported price of about 250 million dollars, its first major US purchase, and keeps Teachable as a separate brand.", "people": "João Pedro Resende", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/edtech-notches-a-win-as-teachable-is-acquired-by-hotmart/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "softbank", "name": "SoftBank Vision Fund", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Growth investor, Tokyo", "status": "Active", "note": "SoftBank's Vision Funds make two of the largest creator economy growth bets. Vision Fund participates in Cameo's 100 million dollar round in March 2021 at a 1 billion dollar valuation, then marks the stake down to 100 million dollars in 2022 as Cameo lays off most of its staff. Vision Fund 2 leads Spotter's 2022 round at a reported 1.7 billion dollar valuation, before Spotter's 2025 layoffs. Both bets are priced at the pandemic peak.", "people": "Masayoshi Son", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_(website) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/22/spotter-studio-shutdown-layoffs/ | https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/13/how-amber-venz-box-turned-fashion-blog-into-billion-dollar-company-ltk.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/09/22/streamelements-softbank-investment-100-million/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_(website) | https://startupfundraising.com/library/articles/aaron-debevoise", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tether", "name": "Tether", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Stablecoin issuer turned investor, El Salvador", "status": "Active", "note": "Tether, issuer of the USDT stablecoin, deploys profits into creator platforms, investing a reported 775 million dollars in Rumble in December 2024 and 200 million dollars in Whop in February 2026 at a 1.6 billion dollar valuation. The Rumble figure is from press reports.", "people": "Paolo Ardoino", "source": "https://wearerockwater.com/tether-invests-in-whop/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(company)", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "heather_cox_richardson", "name": "Heather Cox Richardson", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "boston", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Historian and newsletter writer, Letters from an American", "status": "Active", "note": "Boston College historian Heather Cox Richardson starts Letters from an American on Facebook in September 2019 and moves it to Substack, where in December 2020 the New York Times reports she is the most successful individual author of a paid publication on the platform, with subscription revenue estimated above 1 million dollars a year. It reaches 1.3 million readers in January 2024 and 2.5 million Substack subscribers plus 3.2 million Facebook followers in July 2025, when TIME names her to its 100 Creators list as the most subscribed writer on Substack. She writes from Maine.", "people": "Heather Cox Richardson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Cox_Richardson | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/27/business/media/heather-cox-richardson-substack-boston-college.html | https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299128/heather-cox-richardson/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -71.06, 42.36 ], "cityId": "boston", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "matt_yglesias", "name": "Matthew Yglesias", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": null, "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Writer, Slow Boring newsletter", "status": "Active", "note": "Vox co founder Matthew Yglesias announces on November 13, 2020 that he is leaving Vox to launch Slow Boring on Substack for editorial independence, reportedly with a Substack Pro advance. By October 2024 Business Insider reports Slow Boring brings in more than 1 million dollars a year, of which Substack takes 10 percent, making him one of the platform's highest earners. He writes from Washington, DC. The advance and revenue figures are from press reports.", "people": "Matthew Yglesias", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Yglesias | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/substack-and-medias-groupthink-problem/617102/ | https://www.businessinsider.com/matt-yglesias-substack-million-dollars-interview-2024-10", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The reported 250,000 dollar Substack Pro advance and the 1.4 million dollar annual figure could not be confirmed in a retrieved source; Business Insider reports only more than 1 million dollars a year." ], "pin": [ "Washington, DC", -77.04, 38.91 ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.04, 38.91 ], "geoLabel": "Washington, DC", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Washington, DC" }, { "id": "xqc", "name": "xQc", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "austin", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Streamer, former Overwatch pro", "status": "Active", "note": "Félix Lengyel, xQc, becomes Twitch's most watched streamer after an Overwatch League career, then signs with Kick in June 2023 on a two year non exclusive deal reported at 70 million dollars with incentives up to 100 million dollars, the largest streaming contract to that date. He streams from Texas; the Austin base is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Félix Lengyel", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_(service) | https://www.pcgamer.com/xqc-scores-unbelievable-dollar100-million-deal-to-start-streaming-on-kick/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "machinima", "name": "Machinima", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2000, "end": 2019, "role": "Multi channel network, gaming", "status": "Closed", "note": "Machinima starts in January 2000 as Hugh Hancock's site for game engine films and becomes, under Allen DeBevoise in Los Angeles, the first gaming multi channel network on YouTube, passing one billion monthly views in December 2011 with more than 5,000 partner channels paid from a share of YouTube advertising. Google takes a 35 million dollar equity stake in May 2012, Warner Bros. leads 18 million in 2014 and adds 24 million in 2015, then buys the company outright on November 17, 2016. AT&T's purchase of Time Warner puts Machinima under Otter Media, which sets every video on the channel to private on January 18, 2019, laying off 81 staff and moving partner contracts to Fullscreen. The rung that breaks is the ad share model: perpetual contracts, an FTC settlement over undisclosed paid endorsements in 2015 and a catalogue that a corporate parent judged worthless. The archive is never restored.", "people": "Hugh Hancock, Allen DeBevoise, Chad Gutstein", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc. | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/machinima-staff-layoffs-otter-media-1203126271/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/01/16/machinima-creators-joining-fullscreen/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "maker_studios", "name": "Maker Studios", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": 2017, "role": "Multi channel network", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Maker Studios starts in 2009 in Culver City among YouTube creators including Danny Zappin, Lisa Donovan, Ben Donovan, Scott Katz, Kassem Gharaibeh and Philip DeFranco as a network taking a cut of partners' YouTube ad revenue. By June 2012 it reports 1.1 billion monthly views across more than 1,000 channels and closes a 36 million dollar round led by Time Warner Investments. Disney agrees on March 24, 2014 to pay 500 million dollars with earnouts to 950 million; Maker misses the targets and the final price settles at a reported 675 million. Digiday reports 370 million dollars of 2015 ad revenue with only 70 million sold directly, which is the rung that breaks: the business is YouTube's, not Maker's. Disney cuts the roster from tens of thousands of channels to about 300, drops PewDiePie in February 2017 and folds Maker into Disney Digital Network on May 2, 2017.", "people": "Danny Zappin, Lisa Donovan, Ben Donovan, Scott Katz, Ynon Kreiz", "source": "https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/press-releases/the-walt-disney-company-to-acquire-maker-studios-the-leading-network-of-online-video-content/ | https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/disney-maker-studios/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios | https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/disney-maker-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "fullscreen", "name": "Fullscreen", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": 2020, "role": "Multi channel network and creator tools", "status": "Wound down", "note": "George Strompolos leaves the YouTube Partner Program team he helped build and founds Fullscreen in Los Angeles in January 2011 as a network that pairs ad share with software for channel management. The Chernin Group invests in May 2011, and in the autumn of 2014 Chernin's Otter Media joint venture with AT&T takes control; the same year Fullscreen buys Rooster Teeth and ScrewAttack. The roster includes Grace Helbig, the Fine Brothers and Tyler Oakley. A subscription app launched in 2016 closes in January 2018, Otter Media absorbs the remaining equity and Strompolos steps back in September 2018. Machinima's partners are handed to Fullscreen in January 2019, then WarnerMedia's November 2020 layoffs remove most of the team and end Fullscreen as an operating company; the brand disappears from AT&T's portfolio over the following year. The rung that breaks is ownership by a telecom that does not want an MCN.", "people": "George Strompolos", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullscreen_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/11/10/warnermedia-fullscreen-layoffs/ | https://grokipedia.com/page/Fullscreen_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "defy_media", "name": "Defy Media", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": 2018, "role": "Digital studio and multi channel network", "status": "Closed", "note": "Defy Media forms in October 2013 by merging Alloy Digital, owner of Smosh and Clevver, with Break Media, with ABS Capital, Wellington, Lionsgate and Viacom as shareholders. It runs a roughly 50 channel network that keeps ten percent of partners' AdSense, sells brand deals and produces originals, employing about 400 people at its peak. Screen Junkies and The Escapist are sold in July 2018, and on November 6, 2018 creditors freeze the accounts and the Beverly Hills office is closed the same day, with about 80 staff receiving WARN notices as they are laid off. Creators including MatPat, Chris Stuckmann and Ryland Adams report September and October ad payments never arrive; MatPat later puts the total owed at 1.7 million dollars. Smosh goes to Mythical in February 2019 and Clevver to Hearst. The rung that breaks is the pass through of platform money, which the network spent before paying out.", "people": "Matt Diamond, Keith Richman", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defy_Media | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/defy-medias-shutdown-provokes-class-action-lawsuit-complaints-late-creator-payments-1160929 | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/08/06/20-years-of-youtube-2019-matpat-matthew-patrick-defy-media-mcn-collapse/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "awesomenesstv", "name": "AwesomenessTV", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2012, "end": 2025, "role": "Teen focused multi channel network and studio", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Brian Robbins and Joe Davola launch AwesomenessTV in July 2012 as a YouTube channel and network for teen audiences, paid at first by YouTube ad share and brand integrations. DreamWorks Animation buys it in May 2013 for 33 million dollars plus earnouts, and the company buys Big Frame for 15 million in April 2014. Hearst pays 81.25 million for 25 percent in December 2014 and Verizon pays 159 million for 24.5 percent in April 2016, a 650 million dollar valuation tied to a 180 million dollar content commitment for the go90 app. When go90 fails and Comcast absorbs DreamWorks, Viacom buys the whole company in July 2018 for a reported 50 million dollars with layoffs. Robbins leaves in February 2017 and later runs Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures. Awesomeness merges with Nickelodeon's live action unit in 2021 and, after the Skydance merger, is folded into Paramount Television Studios in October 2025.", "people": "Brian Robbins, Joe Davola", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/viacom-awesomenesstv-deal-value-dreamworkstv-nbcu-1202889801/ | https://digiday.com/media/go90-or-bust-how-awesomenesstvs-fate-was-tied-to-verizon/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "stylehaul", "name": "StyleHaul", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": 2019, "role": "Fashion and beauty multi channel network", "status": "Closed", "note": "Stephanie Horbaczewski founds StyleHaul in Los Angeles in 2011 with Allen and Aaron DeBevoise of Machinima as a beauty and fashion network that pools women creators' YouTube ad inventory and sells it to cosmetics brands. RTL Group buys a majority for about 107 million dollars in 2014 and the rest in June 2017. The network claims about 5,000 creators including Cameron Dallas and Ashley Tisdale, yet in March 2019 RTL announces the closure of the US office with about 65 layoffs, scraps a plan to run the roster from Europe and shuts the company entirely in May 2019, releasing creators on July 31. In July 2019 its former finance vice president Dennis Blieden is indicted for embezzling 22 million dollars, part of it spent on poker. The rung that breaks is thin margin on resold ad inventory under a parent that no longer wants the exposure.", "people": "Stephanie Horbaczewski, Aaron DeBevoise", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/05/29/stylehaul-scraps-shift-total-shutdown/ | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/stylehaul-shuts-down-us-operations-layoffs-1203170341/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/07/12/stylehaul-vp-of-finance-indicted-embezzlement/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StyleHaul", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "broadbandtv", "name": "BBTV (BroadbandTV)", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Multi channel network and rights management", "status": "Active", "note": "Shahrzad Rafati founds BroadbandTV in Vancouver in 2005 with software that identifies fan uploads of rights holders' video and monetises them, signing the NBA in 2009 and Sony Pictures. It grows into a network taking a share of YouTube ad revenue from creator channels, and RTL Group buys 51 percent in 2013 for 36 million US dollars. By 2019 it reaches 575 million monthly viewers. The company lists on the TSX on October 28, 2020 at 16 Canadian dollars raising 172 million, as RTL sells its stake for a reported 120 million US dollars. The shares fall below one dollar by 2023 amid a dispute over withheld creator revenue, and on January 10, 2024 Rafati and Hamed Shahbazi take it private at 0.375 Canadian dollars a share, a 98 percent loss from the IPO. It operates privately in 2026.", "people": "Shahrzad Rafati, Hamed Shahbazi", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BroadbandTV_Corp | https://www.biv.com/news/entertainment-media-sports/vancouvers-bbtv-goes-dark-8294894 | https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/rtl-group-sells-broadbandtv-stake-ipo-1234817663", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "collective_digital_studio", "name": "Collective Digital Studio", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": 2017, "role": "Multi channel network", "status": "Rebranded", "note": "Collective Digital Studio spins out of the Los Angeles management firm The Collective in 2011 under Reza Izad and Michael Green as a network that packages creators such as Rhett and Link, Lilly Singh and Epic Rap Battles for brand deals and YouTube ad share. ProSiebenSat.1 buys a majority in 2015 for a reported 83 million dollars and merges it in 2017 with its Berlin network Studio71, which becomes the surviving brand.", "people": "Reza Izad, Michael Green, Adam Wescott", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71 | https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/04/21/prosiebensat-1-sells-studio71-us-to-fixated/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "studio71", "name": "Studio71", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Multi channel network and podcast network", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Studio71 begins in Berlin in September 2013 as ProSiebenSat.1's German language MCN, absorbs Collective Digital Studio in 2017 and sells 30 percent to TF1 and Mediaset the same year while running its American business from Los Angeles. It pays creators a share of YouTube advertising, sells brand integrations, syndicates video to Facebook and Snapchat and builds one of the ten largest US podcast networks. The business posts 246 million euros of 2025 revenue, and on April 21, 2026 ProSiebenSat.1 sells the North American operation to Fixated, an Eldridge backed Los Angeles talent and production company, for an undisclosed sum, giving Fixated a network of more than 1,000 creators; the German operation stays with ProSieben. Grace Helbig moves from Fullscreen to Studio71 in November 2017.", "people": "Reza Izad, Sebastian Weil, Adam Boorstin", "source": "https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/04/21/prosiebensat-1-sells-studio71-us-to-fixated/ | https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/studio71-acquired-fixated-digital-creators-1236723701/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71 | https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "big_frame", "name": "Big Frame", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": 2014, "role": "Multi channel network and talent management", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Sarah Penna and Steve Raymond found Big Frame in Los Angeles in 2011 as a boutique network and management firm for YouTube creators, paid through ad share and brand campaigns, and build it to more than 300 channels with 39 million subscribers including Tyler Oakley, MysteryGuitarMan and Jimmy Tatro. AwesomenessTV, then owned by DreamWorks Animation, announces on April 2, 2014 that it will buy Big Frame for 15 million dollars in cash plus assumed debt, with the founders staying on. The roster folds into the AwesomenessTV network and the Big Frame name disappears within DreamWorks.", "people": "Sarah Penna, Steve Raymond", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2014/04/02/awesomenesstv-big-frame-15-million-in-cash/ | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140402006086/en/AwesomenessTV-Acquire-YouTube-MCN-Big-Frame", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jukin_media", "name": "Jukin Media", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "User generated video licensing and channels", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Jonathan Skogmo, Aldo Carrascoso and Josh Entman start Jukin in a West Hollywood apartment in 2009, finding viral clips, licensing them from the people who shot them for a fee or revenue share and reselling them to broadcasters and advertisers. The clip library funds owned channels FailArmy, People Are Awesome and The Pet Collective, and by 2021 Jukin has paid creators more than 30 million dollars on 8.6 million dollars of venture funding. Trusted Media Brands, owner of Reader's Digest, buys the company on August 12, 2021 for an undisclosed price; the brands continue under TMB.", "people": "Jonathan Skogmo, Josh Entman, Lee Essner", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/08/12/jukin-media-acquired-trusted-media-brands/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukin_Media", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mitu", "name": "mitú", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2012, "end": 2020, "role": "Latino digital media company and network", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Beatriz Acevedo, Doug Greiff and Roy Burstin found mitú in Los Angeles in 2012 as a Latino YouTube network, later a Facebook video publisher, raising about 52 million dollars from Upfront Ventures, Verizon Ventures, WPP and others and claiming 91 million monthly viewers. In 2019 creators such as Superholly document unpaid network earnings and the company lays off staff; Latido Networks buys it in February 2020 for undisclosed terms and keeps the brand running. The rung that breaks is Facebook's pivot away from publisher video.", "people": "Beatriz Acevedo, Doug Greiff, Roy Burstin", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/02/21/mitu-acquired-by-latido-networks/ | https://www.billboard.com/pro/latido-networks-acquires-mitu/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "whistle_sports", "name": "Team Whistle", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Sports creator network and media company", "status": "Acquired", "note": "John West launches Whistle Sports in New York in 2014 as a network bundling sports creators, with Dude Perfect and F2 Freestylers as anchor partners, funded by Sky, NBC Sports, Liberty Global, Snap and athletes including Derek Jeter and Peyton Manning. Renamed Team Whistle, it sells brand campaigns and distributes across 1,655 channels claiming 629 million followers. Eleven Sports buys it on March 29, 2021 for an undisclosed sum, and DAZN completes its takeover of Eleven and Whistle in February 2023, where it continues as a creator and brand studio.", "people": "John West, Michael Cohen", "source": "https://www.aser.com/news/eleven-sports-acquires-team-whistle | https://deadline.com/2023/02/sports-streamer-dazn-eleven-group-takeover-team-whistle-1235260324/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "kin_community", "name": "Kin Community", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Women's lifestyle creator network", "status": "Active", "note": "Michael Wayne's DECA launches Kin Community in October 2011 as one of YouTube's funded original channels, then pivots to selling advertising for women lifestyle creators when YouTube declines follow on money. It manages The Ellen Show's channel for Warner Bros. from 2013, builds Kin Studios for branded content in 2015 and raises 13.5 million dollars in 2016 from Emil Capital, TEGNA and Corus. It operates in 2024 with celebrity led series for Tia Mowry and Adrienne Bailon; whether it still trades in 2026 is unconfirmed.", "people": "Michael Wayne, Chris Kimbell", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_Community | https://grokipedia.com/page/kin_community", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "frederator", "name": "Frederator Networks", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "Animation multi channel network", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Fred Seibert, producer of Adventure Time and The Fairly OddParents, founds Frederator Networks in New York in 2012 around Channel Frederator, an animation only network on YouTube with 450 million monthly views and 2,800 channels by October 2016, and Cartoon Hangover, which funds shorts such as Bravest Warriors. Rainmaker Entertainment announces on October 25, 2016 that it will buy Frederator Networks for 17 million Canadian dollars in shares to form Wow Unlimited Media. Genius Brands, now Kartoon Studios, announces on October 27, 2021 that it will buy Wow for a reported 53 million dollars and closes on April 7, 2022, when Channel Frederator claims more than 1 billion advertiser supported monthly views. The network continues as a Kartoon Studios subsidiary.", "people": "Fred Seibert", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederator_Networks | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/10/25/1323774/0/en/Rainmaker-Entertainment-Announces-Agreement-for-a-Transformative-Transaction-with-Frederator-Networks-and-Ezrin-Hirsh-Entertainment.html | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/4/7/2418560/0/en/Genius-Brands-Completes-Acquisition-of-WOW-Unlimited-Media-Inc-Creating-Global-Animation-and-Streaming-Powerhouse.html | https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/genius-brands-wow-unlimited-media-acquire-andy-heyward-1235099096/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "omnia_media", "name": "Omnia Media", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": 2020, "role": "Gaming multi channel network", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Omnia Media runs a Los Angeles YouTube network paid by ad share on partner channels, with more than 650 creators in music, gaming and style and 550 million monthly views when Blue Ant Media of Toronto invests on April 1, 2014 and becomes its exclusive sales representative. Blue Ant later takes control and on February 20, 2018 renames Omnia's production arm Blue Ant Digital Studios for Facebook Watch originals while the Omnia Media network brand continues. Blue Ant Media Solutions sells Omnia to Enthusiast Gaming in a deal that closes on August 30, 2020 for 18.25 million shares, 11 million Canadian dollars in cash and a 5.75 million dollar vendor note, when Omnia manages more than 1,000 channels and about 3.2 billion monthly views.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnia_Media | https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/blue-ant-media-invests-in-youtube-network-omnia-media-delivering-over-550-million-views-monthly-514016221.html | https://blueantmedia.com/2018/02/blue-ant-media-rebrands-omnia-medias-production-arm-to-blue-ant-digital-studios/ | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/31/2086182/0/en/Enthusiast-Gaming-Closes-Acquisition-of-Omnia-Forming-Largest-Gaming-Media-Esports-and-Entertainment-Platform-in-North-America.html", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The map needs an enthusiast_gaming to omnia_media acquisition edge for the August 30, 2020 purchase from Blue Ant Media Solutions, confirmed by the Enthusiast Gaming closing release." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "zefr", "name": "Zefr", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Rights management and brand safety software", "status": "Active", "note": "Zach James and Rich Raddon found Zefr in Los Angeles in 2009 as MovieClips, licensing studio film clips on YouTube, sell Movieclips.com to Fandango in 2014 and turn the rights matching technology into RightsID and ChannelID, services that let brands claim, track and advertise against fan uploaded video. On July 19, 2019 Zefr sells RightsID and ChannelID, which earned more than 40 million dollars of revenue in 2018, to Vobile Group for a reported 90 million dollars, and keeps its BrandID contextual advertising platform. It operates in 2026 as a brand suitability measurement vendor for YouTube, TikTok and Meta.", "people": "Zach James, Rich Raddon", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BroadbandTV_Corp | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/07/19/zefr-rightsid-channelid-vobile-group-deal/ | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/zefr-sells-youtube-copyright-channel-management-vobile-90-million-1203272400/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "revelmode", "name": "Revelmode", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": 2017, "role": "Creator sub network within Maker Studios", "status": "Closed", "note": "PewDiePie launches Revelmode in January 2016 with Maker Studios as a sub network of gaming creators including Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, carrying merchandise, charity drives and original series inside Disney's network. When Disney drops PewDiePie on February 13, 2017 over videos widely described as antisemitic, Maker closes Revelmode with him, ending the only creator led label Disney ever ran.", "people": "Felix Kjellberg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/03/20/pewdiepie-revelmode-shutdown-worst-consequence/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/02/14/disney-maker-studios-drops-pewdiepie-youtube-axes-scare-pewdiepie-anti-semitic-controversy/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "jellysmack", "name": "Jellysmack", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Creator catalog licensing and media company", "status": "Active", "note": "Michael Philippe, Robin Sabban and Swann Maizil found Jellysmack in Paris in 2016 with owned channels such as Oh My Goal and Gamology, then build a program that takes creators' YouTube back catalogues, re edits them for Facebook and Snapchat and splits the revenue, signing MrBeast in 2021. SoftBank leads a 2021 round at a reported valuation above one billion dollars and the company moves its headquarters to Los Angeles. Layoffs follow in 2022, and in October 2024 it cuts staff and scales back the Meta creator program to concentrate on owned content. It buys Law&Crime from Dan Abrams in October 2023 and Court TV from Scripps on February 9, 2026, operating in 2026 as a cable and digital news owner rather than a creator services firm. Founding and SoftBank details are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Michael Philippe, Robin Sabban, Swann Maizil", "source": "https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41443429/softbank-backed-jellysmack-restructures-lays-off-employees-and-scales-back-creator-program-on-me | https://thedesk.net/2026/02/scripps-sells-court-tv-to-lawcrime-owner-jellysmack/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "spotter", "name": "Spotter", "kind": "mcn", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Creator catalog financing and monetisation", "status": "Active", "note": "Aaron DeBevoise, who ran Machinima with his uncle and co founded StyleHaul, starts Spotter in Culver City in 2019 to pay creators cash up front for the future ad revenue of their existing YouTube videos, giving them capital to hire editors and producers. It raises 762 million dollars in total, including a 200 million dollar Series D led by SoftBank in February 2022 at a 1.7 billion dollar valuation, and reports partners including MrBeast, Dude Perfect, The Try Guys, Kinigra Deon and Jordan Matter. By 2026 it positions itself as a broker of creator TV to advertisers, holding a second annual Showcase in New York in March 2026 and reporting that its top 40 creators release 250 long form episodes a month.", "people": "Aaron DeBevoise", "source": "https://realscreen.com/2026/03/25/spotters-aaron-debevoise-on-the-present-and-future-of-creator-tv/ | https://startupfundraising.com/library/articles/aaron-debevoise | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/22/spotter-studio-shutdown-layoffs/ | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-18/startup-that-bet-on-youtube-stars-misses-financial-goals-slashes-staff", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "electric_monster", "name": "Electric Monster Media (ZATV)", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": 2025, "role": "Digital media roll up", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Electric Monster Media grows out of Little Monster Media, founded in 2016 by former Channel Frederator executives Matt Gielen and Jake Krengel with Mark Robertson and Josh Zimmerman, and is backed by Metropolitan Partners Group, Heroic Ventures, Creator Capital and Together Venture Partners. It buys legacy YouTube brands and on November 18, 2021 acquires React Media, the Fine brothers' company, for an undisclosed sum in its fifth deal; about 25 React staff join and the Fine brothers step away. On January 6, 2025 Brat TV acquires Electric Monster and the combined company is renamed ZATV under Brat's Rob Fishman as chief executive. Prices are undisclosed.", "people": "Rob Fishman", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/React_Media | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/11/18/react-media-fine-brothers-acquired-electric-monster-media/ | https://digitalmediawire.com/digital-studio-brat-tv-acquires-electric-monster-rebrands-as-zatv/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "otter_media", "name": "Otter Media", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": 2019, "role": "Digital media holding company, Chernin and AT&T joint venture", "status": "Dissolved", "note": "Otter Media launches in April 2014 with 500 million dollars pledged by AT&T and The Chernin Group. It buys a controlling stake in Fullscreen in the autumn of 2014 in a deal valued by the press at 200 million to 300 million dollars, gains Rooster Teeth through that purchase, takes full control of Ellation and Crunchyroll in January 2018, and invests in Gunpowder & Sky and Hello Sunshine. AT&T buys out Chernin in August 2018 for a reported 1 billion dollars and dissolves Otter into WarnerMedia Entertainment on May 31, 2019. Crunchyroll is later sold to Sony's Funimation for 1.175 billion dollars in August 2021, the one asset in that portfolio that, on the reported figures, returned more than it cost.", "people": "Peter Chernin, Tony Goncalves", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otter_Media | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-chernin-j-v-otter-media-buys-out-remaining-fullscreen-crunchyroll-owners-1202675621/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otter_Media | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/12/05/otter-media-layoffs-reorganization-rooster-teeth-fullscreen-machinima/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "rooster_teeth", "name": "Rooster Teeth", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "austin", "year": 2003, "end": 2024, "role": "Digital studio, animation and podcast network", "status": "Closed", "note": "Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Gus Sorola, Jason Saldaña and Joel Heyman start Rooster Teeth in Austin on April 1, 2003 with Red vs. Blue, a Halo machinima paid for by DVD sales and a subscription later called FIRST. It grows into Achievement Hunter, RWBY, RTX from 2011 and Funhaus, hired from Machinima in 2015. Fullscreen buys it in November 2014 for an undisclosed sum, passing it to Otter Media, AT&T and Warner Bros. Discovery. WBD announces the closure on March 6, 2024, with about 150 employees losing jobs and operations ending May 15; The Roost podcast network goes to Night and RWBY to Viz Media in July 2024. Burns' Box Canyon Productions buys the brand and remaining assets on February 5, 2025 and relaunches the site on August 7, 2025 with new shows. The rung that breaks is a conglomerate parent measuring a subscription studio against streaming scale.", "people": "Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Gus Sorola", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/rooster-teeth-shutting-down-warner-bros-discovery-1235931953/ | https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rooster-teeth-is-back-from-the-dead-with-one-of-its-original-founders-in-charge/1100-6529268/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": true, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mythical", "name": "Mythical Entertainment", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned studio, Rhett and Link", "status": "Active", "note": "Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal incorporate Rhett and Link Inc. in 2009 and rename it Mythical Entertainment in 2017, running Good Mythical Morning from a Burbank studio with YouTube advertising, brand integrations, merchandise and the Mythical Kitchen channel as income; the flagship passes 3,000 episodes and 19.5 million subscribers by March 2026. Mythical buys Smosh out of Defy Media's collapse in February 2019 for a reported ten million dollars and sells majority control back to Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla in June 2023 at what it calls a significant multiple, keeping a minority. A five million dollar Mythical Accelerator fund launched in July 2021 backs creators such as Jarvis Johnson. Long time chief creative officer Stevie Wynne Levine leaves in March 2026 and the duo move from WME to CAA in 2025.", "people": "Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal, Stevie Wynne Levine, Brian Flanagan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythical_Entertainment | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/inside-rhett-links-10-million-deal-smosh-1192233 | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/rhett-and-link-sign-caa-leave-wme-1236452022/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "clevver", "name": "Clevver", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Pop culture news channels", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Clevver grows inside Alloy Digital and Defy Media as a Los Angeles pop culture news brand with hosts Joslyn Davis, Erin Robinson and Lily Marston, funded by YouTube ad share and sponsorships. Defy's collapse on November 6, 2018 puts its staff out of work the same day, and a former Clevver producer files the WARN Act class action a week later. Hearst Magazines buys the channels in February 2019 and relaunches them from a Santa Monica Airport studio with the original hosts; Hearst still lists Clevver in its entertainment division. Founding year is approximate.", "people": "Joslyn Davis, Erin Robinson, Lily Marston", "source": "https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/hearts-buys-clevver-defy-media-shutdown-1203141570/ | https://www.hearst.com/clevver", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "collegehumor", "name": "CollegeHumor", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 1999, "end": 2023, "role": "Comedy website and video studio", "status": "Rebranded", "note": "Ricky Van Veen and Josh Abramson start CollegeHumor in 1999, IAC buys it in 2006 for 26 million dollars and it becomes a Los Angeles sketch studio funded by display and video advertising. On January 8, 2020 IAC sells it to chief creative officer Sam Reich for no cash plus a retained minority, laying off more than 100 people and leaving seven staff days before the pandemic. The brand is retired in September 2023 in favour of Dropout.", "people": "Ricky Van Veen, Josh Abramson, Sam Reich", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/08/iac-sells-collegehumor/ | https://www.fastcompany.com/91136741/dropout-rebrand-collegehumor-sam-reich", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dropout", "name": "Dropout", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned comedy streaming service", "status": "Active", "note": "CollegeHumor launches Dropout in September 2018 as a subscription service for its sketches, Game Changer and the live tabletop show Dimension 20. After IAC hands the company to Sam Reich in January 2020 with seven employees, Dropout replaces advertising with subscriptions at 5.99 dollars a month, doubles subscribers in 2023 to the mid or high six figures, turns profitable that year and draws about 85 percent of revenue from subscribers with 27 full time staff and project based talent. The company adopts the Dropout name in September 2023 and continues from Los Angeles as the standing example of a creator media company that survived by leaving the ad market.", "people": "Sam Reich", "source": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91136741/dropout-rebrand-collegehumor-sam-reich", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "nebula", "name": "Nebula", "kind": "platform", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned subscription video platform", "status": "Active", "note": "Dave Wiskus's Standard Broadcast launches Nebula on May 23, 2019 with a group of educational YouTubers as an alternative to the MCN, paying member creators a share of subscription revenue and giving them equity rather than taking a cut of their YouTube ads. CuriosityStream buys a minority stake in September 2021 at a valuation above 50 million dollars and bundles the two services. Nebula reports 680,000 subscribers in December 2023 across 175 creators and adds Nebula First early releases, Nebula News and a film unit; it is run from New York and Denver.", "people": "Dave Wiskus", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_(streaming_service) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/09/21/youtube-creator-owned-nebula-curiosity-stream-investment/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "watcher", "name": "Watcher Entertainment", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned digital studio", "status": "Active", "note": "Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej and Steven Lim leave BuzzFeed, where they made Unsolved, and found Watcher in Los Angeles in late 2019 with backing from Neuro, Boba Guys and YouTube co founder Steve Chen, funded by YouTube advertising, Patreon and merchandise. On April 19, 2024 they announce that all shows will move behind a six dollar a month WatcherTV paywall; the channel loses more than 50,000 subscribers in a day and on April 22 the company reverses to a one month early window before free YouTube release. Watcher continues on 8 to 13 million monthly views with Ghost Files and Mystery Files, and spins out a travel channel in May 2025.", "people": "Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej, Steven Lim", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/04/22/watcher-subscription-service/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watcher_Entertainment", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "corridor_digital", "name": "Corridor Digital", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned visual effects studio", "status": "Active", "note": "Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer, school friends from Minnesota, incorporate Corridor Digital in Los Angeles on October 9, 2009 and build two YouTube channels, Corridor and Corridor Crew, past 17 million combined subscribers on ad share, brand deals with Puget Systems and a paid membership site. They produce the Battlefield series Rush and the YouTube Premium series Lifeline and employ nine people in 2019.", "people": "Sam Gorski, Niko Pueringer", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corridor_Digital | https://www.tubefilter.com/2016/08/25/corridor-digital-rush-go90-battlefield/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Tubefilter confirms the Battlefield series Rush with Studio71 and Go90 in 2016, but the October 9, 2009 incorporation date, the 2019 headcount of nine, the Puget Systems deal and the subscriber and view figures were not confirmed above encyclopaedia grade in this pass." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "the_ringer", "name": "The Ringer", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Sports and culture site and podcast network", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Bill Simmons founds The Ringer in 2016 after leaving ESPN, funding it with HBO backing, advertising and a podcast network built around The Bill Simmons Podcast. Spotify agrees on February 5, 2020 to buy it for up to 196 million dollars in cash, and Simmons stays as head of podcast innovation while Spotify shifts the network toward video podcasts.", "people": "Bill Simmons", "source": "https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/spotify-acquires-the-ringer-196-million-cash-bill-simmons-1203502471/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "gimlet", "name": "Gimlet Media", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2014, "end": 2023, "role": "Narrative podcast studio", "status": "Closed", "note": "Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber launch Gimlet in Brooklyn in August 2014, recording the company's own fundraising as the podcast StartUp, then producing Reply All, Homecoming and Crimetown on advertising and licensing. It raises 1.5 million dollars in seed money, a 6 million Series A in 2015 and a 15 million Series B from Stripes in 2017. Spotify announces its purchase on February 6, 2019 for 230 million dollars; staff unionise a month later and win a contract in 2021. Reply All ends June 22, 2022, Lieber and Blumberg leave that year, and on June 5, 2023 Spotify folds Gimlet and Parcast into Spotify Studios with 200 job cuts. The rung that breaks is a narrative studio whose costs the platform would not carry once exclusives stopped adding subscribers.", "people": "Alex Blumberg, Matt Lieber", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimlet_Media | https://defector.com/gimlet-medias-story-was-always-going-to-end-like-this", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": true, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "wondery", "name": "Wondery", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": 2025, "role": "Podcast network", "status": "Dissolved", "note": "Hernan Lopez, former Fox International Channels chief, founds Wondery in West Hollywood in 2016 with 20th Century Fox seed money, building Dirty John, Dr. Death and Business Wars into a top five publisher with 40 million monthly downloads by 2018 and selling the shows to television. Amazon announces the purchase on December 30, 2020 at a reported 300 million dollars, closing February 2021, with Jen Sargent as chief executive. In August 2025 Amazon breaks the company up: narrative shows go to Audible, video to Amazon's creator group, about 110 people are laid off and Sargent leaves, with the Wondery name kept only for celebrity shows such as Armchair Expert and New Heights.", "people": "Hernan Lopez, Jen Sargent", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wondery | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/inside-amazon-wondery-restructure-steve-boom-1236478955/ | https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/04/amazon-cuts-some-wondery-podcast-jobs-as-part-of-audio-business-reorg.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "crooked_media", "name": "Crooked Media", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Political podcast network", "status": "Active", "note": "Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, former Obama staffers, launch Crooked Media in Los Angeles in January 2017 with Pod Save America, funded by advertising, live tours and merchandise. By 2022 it runs more than two dozen podcasts with about 88 staff, signs a multi year deal in March 2022 giving SiriusXM exclusive global ad sales, takes investment from Soros Fund Management and hires Lucinda Treat, formerly of Vice, as its first chief executive.", "people": "Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor", "source": "https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/crooked-media-siriusxm-podcast-deal-1235212034/ | https://www.insideradio.com/free/new-ceo-and-investor-for-crooked-media-it-also-takes-over-siriusxm-channel-through-election/article_a659c74e-4105-11ed-af70-1fa67729fe03.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "call_her_daddy", "name": "Call Her Daddy", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Podcast", "status": "Active", "note": "Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn start Call Her Daddy in 2018 and Barstool signs it on a three year contract paying 75,000 dollars a year plus bonuses as downloads jump from 12,000 to two million in two months. A public contract fight in spring 2020 ends with Cooper as sole host, then an exclusive Spotify deal in June 2021 reported at 60 million dollars and a move to SiriusXM in August 2024 under a 125 million dollar agreement. The show averages about ten million listeners an episode and anchors Unwell.", "people": "Alex Cooper", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy | https://www.axios.com/2024/08/20/call-her-daddy-siriusxm-alex-cooper", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "joe_rogan_experience", "name": "The Joe Rogan Experience", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "austin", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Podcast", "status": "Active", "note": "Joe Rogan and Brian Redban start the show as a livestream on December 24, 2009, monetised through ads read by Rogan and YouTube, reaching 190 million monthly downloads by 2019. Spotify's exclusive deal announced May 2020 is reported at 100 million and later 200 million dollars, and Rogan moves the studio to Austin. In February 2024 a new deal reported at up to 250 million dollars ends exclusivity and returns full episodes to YouTube and Apple.", "people": "Joe Rogan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joe_Rogan_Experience | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/joe-rogan-renews-spotify-deal-not-exclusive-1235895424/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "kinda_funny", "name": "Kinda Funny", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned games media company", "status": "Active", "note": "Greg Miller, Colin Moriarty, Nick Scarpino and Tim Gettys leave IGN and launch Kinda Funny on January 4, 2015 in San Francisco, funded first by a Patreon that reaches about 35,000 dollars a month within weeks, then YouTube ads, sponsors and merchandise. It joins Rooster Teeth's Let's Play network in March 2016; Moriarty resigns in March 2017 and the company continues with daily shows and its own games awards through 2025.", "people": "Greg Miller, Nick Scarpino, Tim Gettys", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinda_Funny | https://www.polygon.com/2015/1/5/7494815/greg-miller-quits-ign-for-new-venture/ | https://www.gamesindustry.biz/kinda-funnys-colin-moriarty-resigns-following-controversial-tweet", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The figure of about 35,000 dollars a month on Patreon within weeks of launch is not confirmed in a retrieved source; Polygon and GamesIndustry.biz confirm only that the January 2015 launch was Patreon funded." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tastemade", "name": "Tastemade", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "Food and travel video network", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Larry Fitzgibbon, Joe Perez and Steven Kydd, all from Demand Media, found Tastemade in Santa Monica in June 2012 as a network of food creators and later a studio with its own streaming and FAST channels, paid by sponsors such as Walmart and Kellogg's. It raises about 115 million dollars from Redpoint, Scripps, Goldman Sachs and Amazon. On March 12, 2025 Wonder, Marc Lore's food delivery company that owns Grubhub, buys it for about 90 million dollars to feed shoppable cooking video into its app.", "people": "Larry Fitzgibbon, Joe Perez, Steven Kydd", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/12/food-delivery-startup-wonder-acquires-media-company-tastemade-for-90m/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastemade", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "first_media", "name": "First Media", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Social video publisher, So Yummy and Blossom", "status": "Active", "note": "First Media, the Los Angeles company behind the BabyFirst children's channel, builds Facebook native brands So Yummy, Blossom and Blusher into more than 239 million combined followers, selling performance marketing, shoppable content and retail products through Amazon and Target, with So Yummy and Blossom streaming on Roku from 2021. Founding year and founder names are unconfirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://first.media/ | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-medias-so-yummy-tv-and-blossom-now-available-on-the-roku-platform-301364602.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "the_young_turks", "name": "TYT Network", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2002, "end": null, "role": "Online news network", "status": "Active", "note": "Cenk Uygur, Ben Mankiewicz and Dave Koller start The Young Turks on Sirius in February 2002, move to YouTube in 2005 and build TYT Network in Los Angeles on viewer subscriptions, reported as a third of about 3 million dollars of 2013 revenue, plus YouTube ads. It raises a 4 million dollar convertible note in 2014, 4.25 million dollars from individual investors in 2015 and 2 million dollars by crowdfunding in 2016, then 20 million dollars on August 8, 2017 led by 3L Capital with Greycroft, e.ventures and Jeffrey Katzenberg's WndrCo, planning to double staff from about 100. It lays off staff and retires its entertainment shows in August 2018 and runs on YouTube with Ana Kasparian as co host.", "people": "Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Turks | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/08/08/the-young-turks-20-million-funding-jeffrey-katzenberg-wndrco/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/08/28/the-young-turks-network-lays-off-staff-retires-entertainment-shows/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "rogue_rocket", "name": "Rogue Rocket", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Creator owned news company, Philip DeFranco", "status": "Active", "note": "Philip DeFranco, a Maker Studios co founder who sold his show to Revision3 in 2013 and left Group Nine in May 2017, launches Rogue Rocket on April 22, 2019 as an independent news channel and site funded by his Patreon, DeFranco Elite, which earns about 50,000 dollars a month by 2019, plus sponsorships. He later becomes chief creator officer of Fourthwall.", "people": "Philip DeFranco", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_DeFranco | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/07/01/philip-defranco-new-channel-rogue-rocket/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Tubefilter reports the Rogue Rocket YouTube channel going live on July 1, 2019 with more than 30 staff, while the note gives April 22, 2019 as the launch; the Patreon figure of about 50,000 dollars a month and the Fourthwall role were not confirmed above encyclopaedia grade." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "complex_networks", "name": "Complex Networks", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2002, "end": null, "role": "Youth culture media company, ComplexCon", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Marc Ecko starts Complex in 2002 as a magazine promoting his streetwear brand; Rich Antoniello turns it into a digital publisher with Hot Ones, ComplexCon from 2016 and brand deals with Nike and Adidas, and the print edition ends in 2017. Verizon and Hearst buy it in 2016 through a joint venture, BuzzFeed buys it in June 2021 for 300 million dollars in cash and stock, and on February 21, 2024 BuzzFeed sells it to the live shopping platform NTWRK for 108.6 million dollars while cutting 16 percent of its own staff. Complex runs under NTWRK in 2026 with ComplexCon expanding to Hong Kong.", "people": "Marc Ecko, Rich Antoniello, Aaron Levant", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/buzzfeed-sells-complex-ntwrk-layoffs-1235918498/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "first_we_feast", "name": "First We Feast (Hot Ones)", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2012, "end": null, "role": "Food video studio, Hot Ones", "status": "Acquired", "note": "First We Feast grows inside Complex as a food vertical whose show Hot Ones, hosted by Sean Evans, becomes a YouTube talk show franchise with hot sauce products. BuzzFeed keeps it when selling Complex, then sells it in December 2024 for 82.5 million dollars in cash to a group led by a Soros Fund Management affiliate that includes Evans and producer Chris Schonberger.", "people": "Chris Schonberger, Sean Evans", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/hot-ones-sold-buzzfeed-soros-fund-sean-evans-first-we-feast-investors-1236246915/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "vice_media", "name": "Vice Media", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1994, "end": 2023, "role": "Youth media company", "status": "Bankrupt", "note": "Suroosh Alvi, Shane Smith and Gavin McInnes start Vice as a Montreal magazine in 1994 and move it to Brooklyn in 2001, growing on branded content, Vice News for HBO and cable channel Viceland with Disney, A&E, Fox and TPG money that values it at 5.7 billion dollars in June 2017. Profit never arrives; Vice files for Chapter 11 on May 15, 2023 and lenders Fortress, Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital buy the assets for 350 million dollars. In February 2024 chief executive Bruce Dixon stops publishing on Vice.com and lays off several hundred staff, leaving Vice Studios, Pulse Films and Vice TV. In 2025 the company relaunches a quarterly print magazine and rebuilds Vice News under Fortress ownership. The rung that breaks is venture priced growth on branded content revenue that never matched the valuation.", "people": "Shane Smith, Suroosh Alvi, Bruce Dixon", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Media | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/vice-media-closes-sale-post-bankruptcy-investors-fortress-soros-monroe-1235683295/ | https://fortune.com/2024/02/23/vice-media-shutting-vice-com-laying-off-several-hundred-staff", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": true, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "group_nine", "name": "Group Nine Media", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2016, "end": 2022, "role": "Digital publisher holding company", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Ben Lerer forms Group Nine in New York in October 2016 by merging Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo and Discovery's Seeker, with Discovery investing 100 million dollars for the largest stake, and buys PopSugar in 2019. It sells platform native video to advertisers with more than 415 staff. Vox Media agrees to buy it on December 13, 2021 in an all stock deal that closes February 22, 2022, folding the brands into Vox.", "people": "Ben Lerer", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_Nine_Media | https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/vox-group-nine-merger-1235132383/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "the_dodo", "name": "The Dodo", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Animal video publisher", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Izzie Lerer launches The Dodo in New York in January 2014 as an animal stories site and it becomes Group Nine's most watched Facebook video brand, with Group Nine citing more than 250 million social followers and 6 billion monthly video views across its brands in December 2021. Vox Media announces on December 14, 2021 that it will acquire Group Nine, whose shareholders take about a quarter of the combined company, and the deal closes in early 2022; The Dodo then sells sponsorships and licensed pet content inside Vox. Vox includes The Dodo in a 4 percent staff cut on November 30, 2023. Vox Media itself is sold in May 2026 to James Murdoch for a reported sum above 300 million dollars, and The Dodo's place in the split up group is unconfirmed.", "people": "Izzie Lerer", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_Nine_Media | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/vox-media-group-nine-media-merger-deal-1235061767/ | https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=282785 | https://www.thewrap.com/vox-media-layoffs-the-dodo/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "Vox Media's May 2026 sale to James Murdoch and the later sale of other Vox brands to Penske Media are reported by Aftermath, which does not say where The Dodo lands; the brand's current owner needs confirmation." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "fixated", "name": "Fixated", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Creator management and production company", "status": "Active", "note": "Fixated, a Los Angeles talent management and content production company backed by Eldridge Industries, buys Studio71's North American business from ProSiebenSat.1 on April 21, 2026, taking on a network of more than 1,000 creators. Founding year is approximate.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/04/21/prosiebensat-1-sells-studio71-us-to-fixated/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ntwrk", "name": "NTWRK", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Livestream shopping company, Complex owner", "status": "Active", "note": "NTWRK, the Los Angeles livestream shopping app founded by Aaron Levant in 2018, buys Complex from BuzzFeed in February 2024 for 108.6 million dollars and merges the two under the Complex name, bringing back Noah Callahan-Bever as chief content officer. Complex had been bought by a Verizon and Hearst joint venture in April 2016 and by BuzzFeed in June 2021. NTWRK keeps ComplexCon, which moves to Las Vegas and adds a Hong Kong edition in 2024.", "people": "Aaron Levant", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/buzzfeed-sells-complex-ntwrk-layoffs-1235918498/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "rtx", "name": "RTX", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "austin", "year": 2011, "end": 2023, "role": "Rooster Teeth fan convention", "status": "Closed", "note": "Rooster Teeth starts RTX in Austin in 2011 as a fan convention that grows to tens of thousands of attendees; the tenth edition goes virtual as RTX At Home in September 2020 and live events return in 2022. The last Austin edition runs July 7 to 9, 2023 as the finale of the company's twentieth anniversary, before Warner Bros. Discovery announces on March 6, 2024 that it is closing Rooster Teeth and its roughly 150 staff.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/29/rooster-teeth-rtx-at-home/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/07/03/smosh-rooster-teeth-podcast-network-joins-rtx/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/03/06/rooster-teeth-shutting-down/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Sydney and London editions and peak attendance figures are not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": true, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "complexcon", "name": "ComplexCon", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "las_vegas", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Streetwear and culture festival", "status": "Active", "note": "Complex launches ComplexCon in 2016 as a sneaker, music and creator festival with brand drops, and under NTWRK ownership it moves to the Las Vegas Convention Center, holding its 2024 edition there on November 16 and 17. The October 2025 Las Vegas edition draws a record 70,000 attendees across more than 1 million square feet with 400 brands and hosts the return of Verzuz with Cash Money against No Limit. A third Hong Kong edition is set for early 2026, and the tenth anniversary festival returns to Los Angeles on October 3 and 4, 2026 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena with Playboi Carti and Ken Carson headlining.", "people": "Aaron Levant", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/complexcon-2025-draws-record-breaking-70-000-attendees-in-las-vegas--the-largest-in-event-history-302600618.html | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/00pium-takes-over-complexcon-2026-as-playboi-carti-and-ken-carson-headline-the-festivals-10-year-anniversary-in-los-angeles-302803405.html | https://complexcon.com/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The Long Beach years and the exact year of the Las Vegas move are not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -115.14, 36.17 ], "cityId": "las_vegas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "matpat", "name": "MatPat", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Game Theory creator, Theorist Media", "status": "Active", "note": "Matthew Patrick starts Game Theory in 2011, builds Theorist Media and, as a Defy Media partner, says the November 2018 collapse cost him and fellow creators 1.7 million dollars, calling the MCN model a Ponzi scheme in a January 2019 video that becomes the epitaph of the MCN era. He retires from hosting in 2024.", "people": "Matthew Patrick", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/08/06/20-years-of-youtube-2019-matpat-matthew-patrick-defy-media-mcn-collapse/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "cameron_dallas", "name": "Cameron Dallas", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Vine and YouTube creator", "status": "Active", "note": "Cameron Dallas rises on Vine in 2013 with six second comedy clips, moves his audience to YouTube and Instagram, and is represented within StyleHaul's roster of fashion and beauty creators until the network closes in 2019, alongside acting work and a Netflix series.", "people": "Cameron Dallas", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/05/29/stylehaul-scraps-shift-total-shutdown/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hearst", "name": "Hearst", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1887, "end": null, "role": "Media conglomerate, digital minority investor", "status": "Active", "note": "Hearst buys 25 percent of AwesomenessTV from DreamWorks Animation in December 2014 for 81.25 million dollars, valuing it at 325 million dollars, and in April 2016 forms a joint venture with Verizon that buys Complex Networks. It also invests in Beautycon during the same period. Both AwesomenessTV and Complex are sold on within five years at lower valuations. Hearst keeps the practice of taking minority stakes in youth media rather than operating it.", "people": "Steven Swartz", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/hearts-buys-clevver-defy-media-shutdown-1203141570/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "vox_media", "name": "Vox Media", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Digital publisher, Group Nine acquirer", "status": "Active", "note": "Vox Media announces an all stock purchase of Group Nine Media on December 13, 2021 and closes it on February 22, 2022, absorbing NowThis, Thrillist, The Dodo, Seeker and PopSugar. Group Nine had raised 100 million dollars from Discovery in 2016 and further rounds of 40 million dollars in 2017 and 50 million dollars in 2019. The merger consolidates two of the social video publishers built on Facebook distribution after that traffic fell away.", "people": "Jim Bankoff", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_Nine_Media | https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/vox-group-nine-merger-1235132383/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "fortress", "name": "Fortress Investment Group", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1998, "end": null, "role": "Credit investor, owner of Vice", "status": "Active", "note": "Fortress Investment Group, a New York credit investor, leads the lender group with Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital that buys Vice Media out of bankruptcy for 350 million dollars in June 2023 and owns it through the 2024 layoffs and the 2025 relaunch of Vice News.", "people": "", "source": "https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/vice-media-closes-sale-post-bankruptcy-investors-fortress-soros-monroe-1235683295/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "trusted_media_brands", "name": "Trusted Media Brands", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1922, "end": null, "role": "Reader's Digest parent, Jukin owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Trusted Media Brands, the New York parent of Reader's Digest, buys Jukin Media in August 2021 for an undisclosed price. Jukin, founded in 2009 in a West Hollywood apartment by Jonathan Skogmo, licenses viral clips and runs FailArmy, The Pet Collective and World's Funniest. The purchase gives a magazine publisher a library of user generated video and a licensing business that pays clip owners.", "people": "Bonnie Kintzer", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukin_Media | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/08/12/jukin-media-acquired-trusted-media-brands/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "latido_networks", "name": "Latido Networks", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Latino digital media group", "status": "Active", "note": "Latido Networks, the Los Angeles owner of Latido Music, VidaPrimo and reVolver Podcasts, buys mitú in February 2020 on undisclosed terms and keeps the brand as a separate publisher aimed at Latino audiences in the United States.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/02/21/mitu-acquired-by-latido-networks/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dazn", "name": "DAZN", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Sports streaming group, London", "status": "Active", "note": "DAZN, the London sports streaming group backed by Len Blavatnik, agrees in 2022 to buy Eleven Sports and completes the takeover of Eleven and Team Whistle in February 2023, adding a creator and social studio to its streaming business.", "people": "", "source": "https://deadline.com/2023/02/sports-streamer-dazn-eleven-group-takeover-team-whistle-1235260324/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "wonder", "name": "Wonder", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Food delivery company, Marc Lore", "status": "Active", "note": "Marc Lore's Wonder, a New York food delivery company that owns Grubhub and Blue Apron, buys Tastemade for about 90 million dollars on March 12, 2025 to put shoppable cooking video inside the mealtime app it is building.", "people": "Marc Lore", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/12/food-delivery-startup-wonder-acquires-media-company-tastemade-for-90m/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "allen_media_group", "name": "Allen Media Group", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 1993, "end": null, "role": "Byron Allen's media company", "status": "Active", "note": "Byron Allen's Los Angeles media company, owner of The Weather Channel and Entertainment Studios, buys about 51 percent of BuzzFeed through his family office for 120 million dollars, closing May 27, 2026, and Allen becomes chairman and chief executive.", "people": "Byron Allen", "source": "https://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpress/buzzfeed-inc-completes-majority-stake-investment-by-byron", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "iac", "name": "IAC", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1995, "end": null, "role": "Internet holding company", "status": "Active", "note": "Barry Diller's IAC buys CollegeHumor in 2006 for 26 million dollars, funds it through years of losses, and sells it to Sam Reich in January 2020 for no cash while keeping a minority stake after more than a dozen buyers walk away.", "people": "Barry Diller", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/08/iac-sells-collegehumor/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "curiosity_stream", "name": "CuriosityStream", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Documentary streaming service", "status": "Active", "note": "CuriosityStream, the documentary streaming service founded by John Hendricks, buys a minority stake in Nebula in September 2021 at a valuation above 50 million dollars and bundles the two subscriptions for its members.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/09/21/youtube-creator-owned-nebula-curiosity-stream-investment/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "kartoon_studios", "name": "Kartoon Studios (Genius Brands)", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Children's animation company", "status": "Active", "note": "Genius Brands, Andy Heyward's children's animation company now called Kartoon Studios, agrees on October 27, 2021 to buy Toronto listed Wow Unlimited Media, parent of Mainframe Studios and Frederator Networks, in a stock deal reported at about 53 million dollars, and closes the purchase on April 7, 2022. Wow brought 64.2 million dollars of 2021 revenue; Frederator's animation MCN, with more than 1 billion advertiser supported monthly views, stays a subsidiary.", "people": "Andy Heyward", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederator_Networks | https://ir.kartoonstudios.com/press-releases/detail/1159/genius-brands-completes-acquisition-of-wow-unlimited-media | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1355848/000168316822002514/genius_ex9902.htm | https://deadline.com/2021/10/genius-brands-frederator-wow-unlimited-animation-1234863270/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "blue_ant_media", "name": "Blue Ant Media", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Toronto media company", "status": "Active", "note": "Blue Ant Media, Michael MacMillan's Toronto television and digital group, takes a minority stake in Los Angeles YouTube network Omnia Media on April 1, 2014, becoming exclusive sales representative for its 550 million monthly views, later takes control, and on February 20, 2018 renames Omnia's production arm Blue Ant Digital Studios while the Omnia network and its Arcade Cloud gaming channel keep their names. The date Blue Ant moved from minority to control is not confirmed in a primary source.", "people": "Michael MacMillan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnia_Media | https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/blue-ant-media-invests-in-youtube-network-omnia-media-delivering-over-550-million-views-monthly-514016221.html | https://blueantmedia.com/2018/02/blue-ant-media-rebrands-omnia-medias-production-arm-to-blue-ant-digital-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 2018 Blue Ant release renames only Omnia's production arm, not the whole network, and no primary source was found for when Blue Ant moved from minority to controlling ownership." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "box_canyon_productions", "name": "Box Canyon Productions", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "austin", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "Burnie Burns's production company, Rooster Teeth brand owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Box Canyon Productions, the company of Rooster Teeth co founder Burnie Burns, buys the Rooster Teeth brand and remaining assets from Warner Bros. Discovery in February 2025, nine months after the studio closed. It brings the name back to its founder in Austin without the staff, the Stage 5 lease or the RWBY and Roost assets that were sold separately in 2024.", "people": "Burnie Burns, Ashley Jenkins", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/rooster-teeth-burnie-burns-acquires-box-canyon-1236298181/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "viz_media", "name": "Viz Media", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 1986, "end": null, "role": "Anime and manga publisher", "status": "Active", "note": "Viz Media, the San Francisco anime and manga publisher owned by Shueisha and Shogakukan, buys the RWBY franchise from Warner Bros. Discovery in July 2024 after Rooster Teeth's closure, keeping the animated series alive outside its original studio.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://www.viz.com/press-releases/v/1006730 | https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-07-05/viz-media-acquires-rwby-series-will-explore-production-of-new-chapters/.212886", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "breeze", "name": "Breeze", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Creator financing firm", "status": "Active", "note": "Breeze, a creator financing firm, provides the capital that lets Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla buy majority control of Smosh from Mythical in June 2023, one of the first founder buybacks of a YouTube brand funded by creator lending.", "people": "", "source": "https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "uta", "name": "United Talent Agency (Digital)", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 1991, "end": null, "role": "Talent agency, digital and creators division", "status": "Active", "note": "UTA is founded in 1991 in Beverly Hills and builds one of the first Hollywood digital departments, taking a ten percent commission on the brand deals, book contracts, tours and film work it packages for creators. It launches the Keywords Press imprint for internet entertainers in May 2014, signs Emma Chamberlain in July 2018 when she is seventeen, signs Charli and Dixie D'Amelio in January 2020, Kai Cenat in February 2023 and Alix Earle in March 2023, and pairs agency work with management by buying Digital Brand Architects in February 2019. The agency intermediates between creators and studios, publishers and brands, and in 2024 opens a dedicated creator office for its digital clients. As of 2026 the division is still expanding, with DBA adding four hires in 2025 and new creator signings through 2025 and 2026.", "people": "Jeremy Zimmer, Brent Weinstein, Ali Berman, Raina Penchansky", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Talent_Agency | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/07/23/uta-signs-emma-chamberlain/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/twitch-kai-cenat-uta-1235327872/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/05/uta-acquires-dba-youtube-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "wme", "name": "WME (WME Group)", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 1898, "end": null, "role": "Talent agency, digital department, Endeavor's core agency", "status": "Active", "note": "William Morris Endeavor is the agency arm of Endeavor and takes commission on film, television, touring, publishing and brand work. Its digital department signs Logan Paul in July 2021 when he leaves CAA, signs Dixie D'Amelio with IMG Models in 2024, signs Doug DeMuro in November 2023, and signs Smosh in January 2026 to move the channel into film and television. The ownership rung shifts underneath the agency: Silver Lake announces a take private of Endeavor in April 2024 at 27.50 dollars a share, valuing the company at 13 billion dollars, and closes on March 24, 2025, after which IMG, Professional Bull Riders and On Location are sold to TKO for 3.25 billion dollars and the company is renamed WME Group in 2026 with Ari Emanuel as executive chairman.", "people": "Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell, Richard Weitz, Christian Muirhead", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WME_Group | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/07/29/logan-paul-signs-with-wme-leaving-caa/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/01/16/roundup-alix-earle-smosh-awesome-games-done-quick/ | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/dixie-damelio-signs-wme-img-models-1236142585/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "caa", "name": "Creative Artists Agency (Creators)", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 1975, "end": null, "role": "Talent agency, creators division", "status": "Active", "note": "CAA is founded in 1975 by five agents who leave William Morris, moves to Century City in 2007 and is majority owned by Groupe Artemis after a 7 billion dollar deal that closes in September 2023, replacing TPG's 53 percent stake. It represents Logan Paul until he leaves for WME in July 2021, absorbs ICM Partners for 750 million dollars in June 2022, and in 2025 hires digital media veteran Greg Goodfried to build out its creators division. In June 2026 CAA and TPG form Compound Creative Holdings with 250 million dollars to invest in, operate or acquire businesses founded by online creators, which turns the agency from a commission taker into an owner of creator businesses.", "people": "Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, Richard Lovett, Greg Goodfried", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Artists_Agency | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/caa-creators-division-greg-goodfried-1236438436/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/07/29/logan-paul-signs-with-wme-leaving-caa/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "icm_partners", "name": "ICM Partners", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 1975, "end": 2022, "role": "Talent agency, merged into CAA", "status": "Acquired", "note": "ICM is formed in 1975 in Century City from the merger of International Famous Agency and Creative Management Associates and runs a branded entertainment division for endorsements and product placement. In June 2018 it forms a joint venture with esports talent agency Evolved to reach gaming creators, and in March 2020 it pairs with the TikTok management firm TalentX. CAA announces the purchase in September 2021 and, after a Department of Justice review that adds about six months, closes it in late June 2022 at a reported value of about 750 million dollars; roughly 425 agents and staff join CAA and about 105 ICM positions are eliminated, so the agency's creator work is absorbed into CAA's division.", "people": "Chris Silbermann", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICM_Partners | https://www.crestview.com/system/uploads/fae/file/asset/190/Creative_Artists_Agency_Acquires_ICM_Partners.pdf | https://deadline.com/2022/06/caa-completes-acquisition-icm-partners-1235051289/ | https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/icm-partners-evolved-1202845991/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "compound_creative_holdings", "name": "Compound Creative Holdings", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2026, "end": null, "role": "Creator business holding company, CAA and TPG", "status": "Active", "note": "Compound Creative Holdings is formed on June 10, 2026 by CAA and Integrated Media Company, the TPG owned media investor, with 250 million dollars to acquire, operate and grow businesses founded by online content creators. Tucker Brown is managing partner and an executive committee of CAA's Kevin Huvane, Jim Burtson and Maya Ho and IMC's Jon Miller, Ori Winitzer and Ben Loffredo oversees it; it runs separately from CAA Creators, the agency's representation arm. It is the agency world's answer to creator holding companies, turning agency relationships into equity positions in creator brands. Portfolio companies are not yet named as of September 2026.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Artists_Agency | https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/caa-tpg-250-million-compound-creative-holding-company-acquire-creator-businesses-1236771598/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/06/10/caa-tpg-new-company-250-million-creator-economy-investment/amp/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "silver_lake", "name": "Silver Lake", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 1999, "end": null, "role": "Private equity firm, owner of Endeavor and WME", "status": "Active", "note": "Silver Lake is a Menlo Park private equity firm that becomes Endeavor's controlling shareholder and on April 2, 2024 announces a take private at 27.50 dollars a share, a 13 billion dollar equity value and 25 billion dollar consolidated enterprise value, with Mubadala, Michael Dell's DFO Management, Lexington Partners, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and CPP Investments alongside. The deal closes on March 24, 2025, and the same day the representation businesses, WME, 160over90, IMG Licensing and Pantheon Media Group, are renamed WME Group under Mark Shapiro as president and managing partner with Ari Emanuel as executive chairman. Endeavor's IMG events, PBR and On Location go to TKO for 3.25 billion dollars in a separate deal.", "people": "Egon Durban", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WME_Group | https://www.silverlake.com/endeavor-announces-completion-of-acquisition-by-silver-lake/ | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250303663576/en/Silver-Lake-To-Close-Endeavor-Transaction-On-March-24th-At-$27.50 | https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/02/private-equity-firm-silver-lake-to-take-entertainment-company-endeavor-private-at-27point50-a-share.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "digital_brand_architects", "name": "Digital Brand Architects (DBA)", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Creator management company, UTA subsidiary", "status": "Acquired", "note": "DBA is founded in 2010 by Kendra Bracken-Ferguson and Karen Robinovitz to manage fashion and beauty bloggers, and is paid a management commission on the brand deals and licensing it negotiates. Under chief executive Raina Penchansky it manages more than 140 creators by 2019, including Manny MUA, Laura Lee, Patrick Starrr, Aimee Song and Emily Schuman, and owns Digital Brand Products for merchandise licensing and the Dear Media podcast studio. UTA acquires DBA in February 2019 for an undisclosed sum and keeps it as a standalone unit with its leadership in place. DBA is still hiring in 2025, adding four managers, and remains the management layer beneath UTA's agency business.", "people": "Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Karen Robinovitz, Raina Penchansky", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/05/uta-acquires-dba-youtube-talent/ | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/digital-brand-architects-dba-hires-allison-hahn-kylie-frink-gloria-green-juliet-noble-1236580055/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dear_media", "name": "Dear Media", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "la", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Podcast network for female creators, DBA spinout", "status": "Active", "note": "Dear Media is a female focused podcast studio launched in 2018 out of Digital Brand Architects and is owned by DBA at the time UTA buys the management company in February 2019. It sells host read advertising against shows from lifestyle creators and brings podcasting into the DBA management stack. Its later ownership structure after 2019 is not confirmed here.", "people": "Michael Bosstick, Raina Penchansky", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/05/uta-acquires-dba-youtube-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "night_media", "name": "Night", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Creator management and holding company", "status": "Active", "note": "Reed Duchscher founds Night Media in 2015 while running brand deals at Dude Perfect, taking a management commission on sponsorships and later equity in the businesses it helps build. He begins working with MrBeast in February 2018 and signs him in January 2019; Night partners on MrBeast Burger in 2020 and co creates Feastables in January 2022. It forms the 100 million dollar Night Capital with The Chernin Group in September 2022, acquires LFM Management with Kai Cenat and AMP in August 2023, buys The Roost podcast network from Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2024 and Bottle Rocket Management in November 2024. MrBeast ends the exclusive relationship in May 2024 after Duchscher declines to move to Greenville and run Feastables full time. Night buys Experiential Supply Co in October 2025 and raises 70 million dollars in February 2026 to build, operate and acquire businesses in internet culture. It starts in Dallas, sits in Austin during the MrBeast years and lists Santa Monica as its office by 2026.", "people": "Reed Duchscher, Ezra Cooperstein", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/05/06/mrbeast-night-split/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/02/17/night-70-million-funding-round/ | https://www.night.co/news | https://www.semafor.com/article/05/05/2024/youtube-star-mr-beast--management-company-night-media", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "night_capital", "name": "Night Capital", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Venture fund, Night and The Chernin Group joint venture", "status": "Active", "note": "Night Capital is launched in September 2022 as a 100 million dollar investment vehicle funded by The Chernin Group and run alongside Night's management business, following the 20 million dollar Night Ventures fund of 2021. It invests in consumer and creator businesses and gives Night's management clients a capital rung beside the commission rung.", "people": "Reed Duchscher, Ezra Cooperstein", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/tag/night-media/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "lfm_management", "name": "LFM Management", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": null, "end": 2023, "role": "Streamer management company, absorbed by Night", "status": "Acquired", "note": "LFM Management is the firm run by John Nelson that manages Kai Cenat and the AMP collective, taking a commission on Cenat's Twitch and brand income as he becomes the platform's most subscribed streamer in 2023. Night acquires LFM in August 2023 and Nelson continues to manage Cenat inside Night while UTA handles his agency work. The founding year is not confirmed.", "people": "John Nelson", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/tag/night-media/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/twitch-kai-cenat-uta-1235327872/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "bottle_rocket_management", "name": "Bottle Rocket Management", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": 2024, "role": "YouTube talent management company, absorbed by Night", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Bottle Rocket Management is founded by Chas Lacaillade in Los Angeles to manage YouTube creators on commission, with a roster that includes Safiya Nygaard and Cold Ones. Night acquires the firm on November 25, 2024 and Lacaillade and his clients move into Night's management group. The founding year and terms are not confirmed.", "people": "Chas Lacaillade", "source": "https://www.night.co/news | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "the_roost", "name": "The Roost Podcast Network", "kind": "collective", "lane": "attention", "metro": "austin", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Podcast network, formerly Rooster Teeth, owned by Night", "status": "Active", "note": "The Roost is the podcast network spun out of Rooster Teeth in Austin, selling host read and programmatic advertising across shows including This Past Weekend with Theo Von, the H3 Podcast, The Philip DeFranco Show and The Yard. When Warner Bros. Discovery shuts Rooster Teeth in 2024 it sells The Roost to Night in April 2024 for an undisclosed sum, and the network becomes Night's owned media business. Burnie Burns separately revives the Rooster Teeth name in February 2025. The 2020 launch year is not confirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/04/09/night-media-acquires-the-roost-rooster-teeth-podcast-network/ | https://deadline.com/2025/02/rooster-teeth-revived-burnie-burns-warner-bros-discovery-1236279317/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "underscore_talent", "name": "Underscore Talent", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Creator management company", "status": "Active", "note": "Underscore Talent launches in January 2021 in Los Angeles when Studio71 co founders Michael Green, Reza Izad and Dan Weinstein reunite, joined by partners Austin Mayster, Linnea Toney and Megan Brown. It sells a 360 degree management service paid by commission on brand partnerships, e commerce, publishing and production, and reports millions of dollars of deals with Clinique and Verizon within months of launch. The founding roster includes the LaBrant Family, the Royalty Family, Alex Wassabi and Kati Morton, while the founders' earlier Studio71 clients include Rhett and Link, Lilly Singh and Smosh. By 2026 it runs comedy, adult animation and theatrical divisions, hiring Lital Spitzer in April 2026 to formalize the theatrical arm.", "people": "Michael Green, Reza Izad, Dan Weinstein", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/ | https://www.underscoretalent.com/about | https://deadline.com/2026/04/underscore-talent-hires-lital-spitzer-theatrical-division-1236875540/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "select_management", "name": "Select Management Group", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Creator management company", "status": "Active", "note": "Select Management Group is founded in 2011 in Los Angeles by Scott Fisher and Adam Wescott to manage digital talent for a commission on ambassador deals, touring, books and consumer products, with a SelectNext arm for original content. It merges with Lisa Filipelli's Flip Management on August 10, 2018 under the parent company Third Act and opens a New York office. By 2026 it reports more than 500 creators, a team of over 50 with about 25 managers, partners Lisa Filipelli, Amy Neben, Brittany Maxwell and Caroline Nardilla, and promotes four and hires two in March 2026. A documented link to Sway House is not found; that house is run by TalentX Entertainment.", "people": "Scott Fisher, Adam Wescott, Lisa Filipelli, Amy Neben", "source": "https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-agency-news/select-management-group-and-flip-merge-to-form-top-management-company-for-digital-talent/ | https://www.select.co/company | https://deadline.com/2026/03/select-management-group-promotes-four-hires-two-1236742662/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "flip_management", "name": "Flip Management", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": 2018, "role": "Creator management company, merged into Select", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Flip Management is founded in 2017 by Emmy nominated manager Lisa Filipelli to represent digital creators, and merges into Select Management Group on August 10, 2018, with Filipelli becoming a Select partner. The combined firm keeps the Select name.", "people": "Lisa Filipelli", "source": "https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-agency-news/select-management-group-and-flip-merge-to-form-top-management-company-for-digital-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "long_haul_management", "name": "Long Haul Management", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": 2024, "role": "Creator management company, acquired by Wasserman", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Dan Levitt founds Long Haul Management in 2013 to manage YouTube and sports creators for a commission, building a roster that includes MatPat and the Theorist channels, streetball creator The Professor, Madden player MMG, Tristan Jass, Gameranx and Cam Wilder. After a fifteen month sale process advised by RockWater, Wasserman acquires the firm on September 4, 2024 and folds the roster into its creators division. A link to Emma Chamberlain is not found in sources.", "people": "Dan Levitt", "source": "https://the.team/news/the-team-acquires-long-haul-management/ | https://wearerockwater.com/case_studies/long-haul-management/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "wasserman", "name": "The Team (formerly Wasserman)", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2002, "end": null, "role": "Sports, music and entertainment agency with creators division", "status": "Rebranded", "note": "Wasserman is founded in 2002 by Casey Wasserman in Los Angeles as a sports and music agency and adds a creators division through the September 2024 acquisition of Long Haul Management. After the founder appears in the Epstein files, the agency is put up for sale and renames itself The Team, styled with a dot between the words, on March 9, 2026, while artists including Chappell Roan depart the music division. Operations span 27 countries and more than 66 cities.", "people": "Casey Wasserman", "source": "https://variety.com/2026/film/news/wasserman-agency-rebrands-the-team-1236682723/ | https://the.team/news/the-team-acquires-long-haul-management/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "a3_artists_agency", "name": "A3 Artists Agency (Abrams Artists)", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 1977, "end": 2024, "role": "Talent agency with digital division, closed", "status": "Closed", "note": "Abrams Artists Agency opens in 1977 and is taken over in 2018 by Adam Bold, who renames it A3 Artists Agency in 2019 and builds a large digital and alternative division that represents creators for commission. In January 2024 Bold sells only the digital and alternative divisions to Gersh, moving 25 agents and 45 staff, and leaves the other seven divisions and more than 100 employees without a plan. Staff begin interviewing elsewhere, partners Brian Cho and Robert Attermann sue Bold but have already given up control rights, and the agency announces in February 2024 that it is ceasing operations after 46 years. The rung that breaks is the sale of the profitable digital business apart from the rest of the agency.", "people": "Adam Bold, Harry Abrams, Brian Cho, Robert Attermann", "source": "https://wearerockwater.com/a3-shuts-down/ | https://deadline.com/2024/02/a3-artists-agency-ceasing-operations-adam-bold-1235820994/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/a3-artists-agency-shuts-down-1235821430/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "gersh", "name": "The Gersh Agency", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 1949, "end": null, "role": "Talent agency, buyer of A3's digital division", "status": "Active", "note": "Gersh is a Beverly Hills talent agency that buys A3 Artists Agency's digital and alternative divisions in January 2024, taking on 25 agents and 45 staff and their creator rosters. The purchase gives Gersh a creator practice overnight and precipitates the closure of the rest of A3 the following month.", "people": "Bob Gersh, David Gersh", "source": "https://wearerockwater.com/a3-shuts-down/ | https://deadline.com/2024/02/a3-artists-agency-ceasing-operations-adam-bold-1235820994/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "loaded", "name": "Loaded", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Gaming and streamer management company", "status": "Active", "note": "Brandon Freytag starts Loaded after leaving Twitch, where he had begun by sending five dollar donations to LIRIK and Summit1g, and builds a management company that sells sponsorships, creative and merchandising for streamers on commission. Alex Garfield's Popdog invests and holds Loaded from 2018 until the two separate in 2022. Loaded re signs Ninja and signs DrLupo and CouRage in March 2019, and its agents negotiate Ninja's exclusive move to Mixer in August 2019 and Shroud's in October 2019, both of whom return to Twitch in 2020 after Mixer closes. Coral Tree Partners leads a 20 million dollar round in April 2022 as Josh Swartz becomes chief executive, and Loaded acquires GG Talent Group in March 2024, bringing its roster to roughly 125 creators alongside its Open World brand consultancy. The founding year and Los Angeles base are not confirmed.", "people": "Brandon Freytag, Josh Swartz, Alex Garfield", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/03/07/ninja-drlupo-courage-talent-management-loaded/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2022/04/06/gamer-management-agency-loaded-reloads-with-20m-investment-new-leadership-team/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/03/12/loaded-gg-talent-group-acquisition/ | https://mein-mmo.de/en/former-twitch-employees-are-behind-million-dollar-deals-for-shroud-and-ninja,458629/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "gg_talent_group", "name": "GG Talent Group", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": null, "year": 2020, "end": 2024, "role": "Gaming talent management, acquired by Loaded", "status": "Acquired", "note": "GG Talent Group is founded in 2020 by Eric Harper and Angela Harper to manage more than 90 gaming creators including Forsen and MissMikkaa, whose channels generate 167.2 million hours of Twitch watch time in 2023. Loaded acquires the firm in March 2024 for an undisclosed sum.", "people": "Eric Harper, Angela Harper", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/03/12/loaded-gg-talent-group-acquisition/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Naperville, Illinois", -88.15, 41.79 ], "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -88.15, 41.79 ], "geoLabel": "Naperville, Illinois", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Naperville, Illinois" }, { "id": "gleam_futures", "name": "Gleam Futures", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2010, "end": 2024, "role": "UK creator management company, Dentsu owned", "status": "Wound down", "note": "Dominic Smales founds Gleam Futures in London in 2010 to manage the first wave of British YouTubers, taking commission on brand deals, books and product lines for Zoella, Alfie Deyes, Tanya Burr, Pixiwoo, Marcus Butler and Caspar Lee, and brokering Zoella's Penguin book deal and Zoella Beauty launch in 2014. It reports 5.5 million dollars of revenue when Dentsu Aegis buys a majority stake on June 20, 2017, and Dentsu becomes sole owner in 2020. Smales departs in 2021, and in January 2024 Dentsu closes the talent management arm and folds the remaining influencer marketing work into Dentsu Creative UK. The rung that breaks is the management business itself, as the creators it made famous outgrow a commission model inside an advertising holding company.", "people": "Dominic Smales", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/06/20/dentsu-aegis-network-invests-gleam-futures/ | https://hellopartner.com/2024/01/22/gleam-futures-shuts-down-talent-management-arm-shifts-focus-to-influencer-marketing/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Sugg", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": true, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "viral_nation", "name": "Viral Nation", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Influencer marketing agency and talent firm", "status": "Active", "note": "Joe Gagliese and Mathew Micheli found Viral Nation in 2014 in Mississauga outside Toronto as a talent agency for creators and grow it into a firm that is part talent agency and part marketing agency, paid by commission on its roster of about 330 creators and by fees from roughly 1,000 corporate clients including Tim Hortons, Hasbro, Canon, Anheuser-Busch and Microsoft. It launches its CreatorOS software in 2020 and in 2022 raises 250 million dollars from Todd Boehly's Eldridge and John Ruffolo's Maverix, 150 million up front and 100 million over eighteen months, at a 650 million dollar valuation on about 100 million dollars of prior year revenue. It acquires analytics firm MediaKits, is ranked on Deloitte's Fast 500 in 2023 and 2025, and launches a SocialAI platform in 2026.", "people": "Joe Gagliese, Mathew Micheli, Anthony Gagliese", "source": "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-influencer-marketing-firm-viral-nation-raises-250-million/ | https://www.viralnation.com/about-us | https://finance.yahoo.com/news/viral-nation-acquires-influencer-analytics-141900158.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "eldridge", "name": "Eldridge Industries", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": null, "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Holding company, Todd Boehly", "status": "Active", "note": "Eldridge Industries is Todd Boehly's Greenwich, Connecticut holding company. With Maverix Private Equity it invests 250 million dollars in Viral Nation in 2022 at a 650 million dollar valuation, the largest single check into an influencer marketing agency at the time.", "people": "Todd Boehly", "source": "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-influencer-marketing-firm-viral-nation-raises-250-million/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Greenwich, Connecticut", -73.63, 41.03 ], "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -73.63, 41.03 ], "geoLabel": "Greenwich, Connecticut", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Greenwich, Connecticut" }, { "id": "influential", "name": "Influential", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "las_vegas", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Influencer marketing company, Publicis subsidiary", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Ryan Detert founds Influential in Las Vegas in 2014 as a data driven marketplace that is paid campaign fees by brands to identify, contract and measure creators, and it grows to a network of 3.5 million creators including 90 percent of those with more than a million followers and more than 300 brand clients. Publicis Groupe announces on July 26, 2024 that it is buying the company for a reported 500 million dollars, calling it the largest influencer marketing company by revenue, and closes in late August 2024 with Detert staying as chief executive. Publicis adds Captiv8 in May 2025 to give Influential a global software layer anchored by Epsilon's identity data.", "people": "Ryan Detert", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/07/26/publicis-just-spent-500-million-on-creator-led-marketing-with-acquisition-of-influential/ | https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/vegas-influencer-marketing-company-to-be-acquired-in-500m-deal-3102681/ | https://www.marketingdive.com/news/publicis-groupe-acquires-influential-influencer-marketing/722520/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicis", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web", "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -115.14, 36.17 ], "cityId": "las_vegas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "whalar", "name": "Whalar", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Creator and social agency, Accenture subsidiary", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Neil Waller and James Street found Whalar in London in 2016 after winning an entrepreneurship contest, and build a creator agency paid campaign fees by brands, with New York and Los Angeles as its US hubs. The parent Whalar Group grows to seven companies: the Whalar agency, the Sixteenth management company under Danny Lowney, the Foam talent operating system, Moby Ventures, the Umi Games studio, Business of Creativity and The Lighthouse creator campus. By 2026 Whalar has run more than 600 million dollars of creator campaigns. Accenture announces on June 8, 2026 that it is acquiring the Whalar agency and its more than 170 staff for Accenture Song, closing July 31, 2026, while Whalar Group keeps Sixteenth, Foam, Moby Ventures, The Lighthouse and Business of Creativity and signs a three year partnership with Accenture Song.", "people": "Neil Waller, James Street, Emma Harman, Jo Cronk", "source": "https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2026/accenture-to-acquire-leading-creator-and-social-agency-whalar-from-whalar-group | https://whalargroup.com/our-story/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sixteenth", "name": "Sixteenth", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Creator management company, Whalar Group", "status": "Active", "note": "Sixteenth is the 360 degree creator management company founded by Danny Lowney inside Whalar Group, with UK operations in London and a US arm led by RJ Larese, paid by commission on client deals. It is retained by Whalar Group when Accenture buys the Whalar agency in 2026. The founding year is not confirmed.", "people": "Danny Lowney, RJ Larese", "source": "https://whalargroup.com/our-story/ | https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2026/accenture-to-acquire-leading-creator-and-social-agency-whalar-from-whalar-group", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "the_lighthouse", "name": "The Lighthouse", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "Creator campus, Whalar Group", "status": "Active", "note": "The Lighthouse is a physical campus for creators and their teams to learn, make and belong, built by Whalar Group and led by chief executive Jonathan Goss, with locations in Los Angeles and London. It gives a creator agency a real estate rung: studio space, workshops and membership rather than only campaign fees. The opening year is not confirmed.", "people": "Jonathan Goss", "source": "https://whalargroup.com/our-story/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "accenture", "name": "Accenture (Accenture Song)", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1989, "end": null, "role": "Consulting group, buyer of Whalar", "status": "Active", "note": "Accenture, headquartered in Dublin, runs its marketing services under Accenture Song and announces the purchase of the Whalar creator agency on June 8, 2026, closing July 31, 2026 for undisclosed terms. The deal marks the entry of a consulting firm into creator campaigns alongside the advertising holding companies.", "people": "", "source": "https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2026/accenture-to-acquire-leading-creator-and-social-agency-whalar-from-whalar-group", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "obviously", "name": "Obviously", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Influencer marketing agency, WPP subsidiary", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Mae Karwowski and Maxime Domain found Obviously in New York in 2014 as a technology enabled creator marketing agency paid campaign fees by brands including Google, Ford, Ulta Beauty and Amazon, with offices in San Francisco and Paris and nearly 100 staff. Adweek ranks it the second fastest growing influencer marketing agency in the US in 2019. WPP acquires the firm on March 27, 2023 for undisclosed terms and places it inside VMLY&R, a week after buying the UK agency Goat.", "people": "Mae Karwowski, Maxime Domain", "source": "https://www.wpp.com/en/news/2023/03/wpp-acquires-social-influencer-marketing-agency-obviously", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "wpp", "name": "WPP", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1985, "end": null, "role": "Advertising holding company", "status": "Active", "note": "WPP is the London advertising holding company that buys the UK creator agency Goat in March 2023 and the New York agency Obviously on March 27, 2023, folding both into its VMLY&R and GroupM networks as creator budgets move from experiment to line item.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.wpp.com/en/news/2023/03/wpp-acquires-social-influencer-marketing-agency-obviously", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mediakix", "name": "Mediakix", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2011, "end": 2020, "role": "Influencer marketing agency, acquired by Stadiumred", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Evan Asano founds Mediakix in Los Angeles in 2011, running paid creator campaigns for brands and publishing research on the industry, and by 2020 it has produced more than 20,000 sponsored placements across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitch. Its 2017 experiment, in which two fake Instagram accounts with purchased followers receive real sponsorship offers, becomes the standard citation for follower fraud in creator marketing. Stadiumred Group announces on March 25, 2020 that it has acquired Mediakix as its fifth deal in two years and takes over back office and financial decisions. Within months the founder, all executives and most staff leave, creators report unpaid fees of 2,000 to 6,500 dollars each, and Stadiumred chief executive Claude Zdanow says Mediakix will run no campaigns until the creators are paid. The rung that broke is the acquirer's cash.", "people": "Evan Asano", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediakix | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stadiumred-group-adds-mediakix-to-its-agency-collective-301029273.html | https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemcneal/these-influencers-say-a-popular-marketing-agency-owes-them", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "BuzzFeed News and Business Insider report the 2020 payment dispute and suspension of campaigns, but the exact suspension date and whether Mediakix has since dissolved or paid the creators could not be confirmed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "stadiumred_group", "name": "Stadiumred Group", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2007, "end": null, "role": "Marketing holding company", "status": "Active", "note": "Stadiumred Group is a New York marketing collective founded in 2007 with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Dallas, Miami and Amsterdam. On March 25, 2020 it acquires the Santa Monica creator marketing agency Mediakix, founded in 2011 by Evan Asano, its fifth acquisition in two years, absorbing back office and financial decisions while Asano stays chief executive and the agency keeps its name and campaign work alongside sister shops Creative Riff, Gyrosity Projects, MagicBullet Media and SevenBlue. Terms are not disclosed.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediakix | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stadiumred-group-adds-mediakix-to-its-agency-collective-301029273.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "izea", "name": "IZEA Worldwide", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "orlando", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Creator sponsorship marketplace, public company", "status": "Active", "note": "Ted Murphy launches PayPerPost in Orlando in 2006, the first marketplace that pays bloggers per sponsored post, and renames it IZEA, which lists publicly and trades on Nasdaq. It is paid a take rate on marketplace transactions and managed campaign fees from brands, and it publishes annual creator pricing data. Murphy steps down after eighteen years when board member Patrick Venetucci becomes chief executive on September 9, 2024, and the company sells its Australian unit Hoozu in December 2024. IZEA reports 31.2 million dollars of 2025 revenue, down from 35.9 million, but swings from an 18.9 million dollar loss to break even, and enters 2026 with 50.9 million dollars of cash, no debt and a stated appetite for acquisitions, buying FeaturedUsers in 2026.", "people": "Ted Murphy, Patrick Venetucci", "source": "https://izea.com/press-releases/izea-reports-q4-2025-revenue | https://www.tipranks.com/news/press-releases/izea-appoints-digital-leader-patrick-venetucci-as-chief-executive-officer | https://izea.com/press-releases/izea-acquires-featuredusers/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -81.38, 28.54 ], "cityId": "orlando", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "famebit", "name": "FameBit", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": 2020, "role": "Creator sponsorship marketplace, acquired by Google", "status": "Rebranded", "note": "Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski found FameBit in Santa Monica in 2013 as a self serve marketplace where brands post requests and YouTube creators pitch sponsored videos for a negotiable fee, with FameBit keeping ten percent of each transaction. Google acquires the company on October 11, 2016 to bring brand deals inside YouTube. On June 16, 2020 YouTube renames it YouTube BrandConnect under Lori Sobel and shuts the self serve program, ending the open marketplace model that made FameBit the first stop for small creators seeking their first paid deal.", "people": "Agnes Kozera, David Kierzkowski", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_BrandConnect | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/06/16/youtube-rebrands-famebit-to-brandconnect-taps-lori-sobel/amp/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "youtube_brandconnect", "name": "YouTube BrandConnect", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "YouTube's in house brand deal program", "status": "Active", "note": "YouTube BrandConnect is the June 2020 rebrand of FameBit into a full service matchmaking unit inside YouTube, paid by brands for campaigns and measured through Google Ads. Google layoffs in 2023 cut the influencer marketing team and the full service model is judged too resource intensive, so YouTube pivots back toward self serve tools, and in March 2025 relaunches BrandConnect as a hub integrated with Google Ads accounts and measurement for both long form and Shorts. The 2023 cuts are the rung that ends the white glove version.", "people": "Lori Sobel", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/03/20/youtube-influencer-marketing-new-brand-connect-hub/amp/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_BrandConnect", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tagger_media", "name": "Tagger Media", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": 2023, "role": "Influencer marketing software, acquired by Sprout Social", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Pete Kennedy and Dave Dickman found Tagger Media in Santa Monica in 2015 as subscription software that lets brands and agencies discover creators, run campaigns, analyze competitors and measure return, connecting millions of creator profiles to billions of social data points. Sprout Social acquires the company on August 3, 2023 for approximately 140 million dollars in cash and folds it into its social management suite as Sprout Social Influencer Marketing.", "people": "Pete Kennedy, Dave Dickman", "source": "https://investors.sproutsocial.com/news/news-details/2023/Sprout-Social-Acquires-Tagger-Media/default.aspx | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprout_Social", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sprout_social", "name": "Sprout Social", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "chicago", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Social media management software, Tagger owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Chicago based Sprout Social buys Tagger Media, a Santa Monica creator marketing and discovery platform, in August 2023 for about 140 million dollars, adding creator search and campaign measurement to its enterprise social suite. The purchase is a public software company buying the influencer marketing data layer rather than an agency. Price is from Sprout's announcement as reported by trade press.", "people": "Ryan Barretto", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprout_Social | https://investors.sproutsocial.com/news/news-details/2023/Sprout-Social-Acquires-Tagger-Media/default.aspx", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -87.63, 41.88 ], "cityId": "chicago", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mavrck", "name": "Mavrck", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "boston", "year": 2014, "end": 2023, "role": "Influencer marketing platform, merged into Later", "status": "Rebranded", "note": "Lyle Stevens and Sean Naegeli found Mavrck in Boston in 2014 as subscription software for enterprise brands to recruit, manage and pay creators and brand ambassadors. Summit Partners invests 120 million dollars in December 2021 and a further 135 million in April 2022, part of which funds the acquisition of the Vancouver scheduling company Later on April 29, 2022. The combined business drops the Mavrck name in 2023 and operates as Later. The 2023 date for the rename is not confirmed.", "people": "Lyle Stevens, Sean Naegeli", "source": "https://betakit.com/later-acquired-by-us-influencer-marketing-platform-mavrck/ | https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news36179.htm", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -71.06, 42.36 ], "cityId": "boston", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "later", "name": "Later", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Social scheduling and influencer marketing platform", "status": "Active", "note": "Later begins in Vancouver in 2013 as Latergramme, an Instagram scheduling tool founded by Cindy Chen, Ian MacKinnon, Roger Patterson and Matt Smith, and grows to nearly seven million creators and small businesses paying subscriptions for scheduling, link in bio and analytics. Mavrck acquires it on April 29, 2022 using part of a 135 million dollar Summit Partners round, and the merged company takes the Later name with offices in Vancouver, Boston and Denver, pairing a creator facing tool with an enterprise influencer marketing platform.", "people": "Cindy Chen, Ian MacKinnon, Roger Patterson, Matt Smith, Scott Sutton", "source": "https://betakit.com/later-acquired-by-us-influencer-marketing-platform-mavrck/ | https://www.summitpartners.com/news/later-and-mavrck-unite-to-help-brands-and-influencers-drive-predictable-performance-through-social", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "summit_partners", "name": "Summit Partners", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "boston", "year": 1984, "end": null, "role": "Growth equity firm", "status": "Active", "note": "Summit Partners is a Boston growth equity firm that invests 120 million dollars in Mavrck in December 2021 and a further 135 million dollars in April 2022, funding the purchase of Later and the creation of the combined Later platform.", "people": "", "source": "https://betakit.com/later-acquired-by-us-influencer-marketing-platform-mavrck/ | https://www.summitpartners.com/companies/later", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -71.06, 42.36 ], "cityId": "boston", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "creatoriq", "name": "CreatorIQ", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Enterprise creator marketing software", "status": "Active", "note": "Igor Vaks founds CreatorIQ in Culver City in 2014 as subscription software that lets enterprise brands such as Disney, Airbnb, Amazon, Unilever and Sephora run paid creator programs, with a database of about 23 million creator profiles. It raises 40 million dollars on September 21, 2021 and the same day buys Tribe Dynamics, the earned media measurement company, for approximately 70 million dollars in cash and stock, serving about 500 customers. In December 2025 it reports that customers activated 70 percent more campaigns and paid creators 79 percent more year over year, and it remains independent as of 2026.", "people": "Igor Vaks", "source": "https://dot.la/creatoriq-buys-tribe-dynamics-2655065907.html | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251209260125/en/CreatorIQ-Customers-Diversified-Creator-Led-Investment-and-Growth-in-2025-Activating-70-More-Campaigns-and-Increasing-Creator-Payments-79-YoY", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tribe_dynamics", "name": "Tribe Dynamics", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2012, "end": 2021, "role": "Earned media value measurement, acquired by CreatorIQ", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Tribe Dynamics is a San Francisco company that measures earned media value from creator mentions for beauty and fashion brands. CreatorIQ acquires it on September 21, 2021 for approximately 70 million dollars in cash and stock and keeps the brand as a standalone product. The founding year is not confirmed.", "people": "Conor Begley, Jon Namnath", "source": "https://dot.la/creatoriq-buys-tribe-dynamics-2655065907.html", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "grin", "name": "Grin", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": null, "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Creator management software for direct to consumer brands", "status": "Active", "note": "Brandon Brown founds Grin in Sacramento in 2017 with his brothers as subscription software that lets direct to consumer brands such as Mejuri, Allbirds and Warby Parker recruit creators, ship product, track affiliate sales and pay out. It raises 145 million dollars across seven rounds, closing a 110 million dollar Series B led by Lone Pine Capital on October 13, 2021 at a 910 million dollar valuation, and grows to 480 staff. The rung that bends is headcount: Grin lays off 60 people in December 2022, more in March 2023 and April 2024, the Brown brothers exit in 2024 with Ryan Debenham becoming chief executive, and the founders launch the AI search startup Search Party in October 2025. Grin adds social listening and an affiliate hub in March 2025 and opens self serve access in January 2026.", "people": "Brandon Brown, Ryan Brown, Ryan Debenham", "source": "https://grin.co/news/grin-the-worlds-only-creator-management-platform-110million-series-b/ | https://www.trueup.io/co/grin-marketing/layoffs | https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-meets-pr-grin-founders-131616166.html | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260127539452/en/GRIN-Opens-Instant-Self-Serve-Access-to-Its-Creator-Marketing-Platform", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Sacramento", -121.49, 38.58 ], "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "other web", "trade or financial press", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -121.49, 38.58 ], "geoLabel": "Sacramento", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Sacramento" }, { "id": "lone_pine_capital", "name": "Lone Pine Capital", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": null, "year": 1997, "end": null, "role": "Hedge fund and growth investor", "status": "Active", "note": "Lone Pine Capital is a Greenwich, Connecticut investment firm that leads Grin's 110 million dollar Series B in October 2021 at a 910 million dollar valuation, alongside BOND, Imaginary Ventures and creator investors including The Chainsmokers.", "people": "", "source": "https://grin.co/news/grin-the-worlds-only-creator-management-platform-110million-series-b/", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Greenwich, Connecticut", -73.63, 41.03 ], "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -73.63, 41.03 ], "geoLabel": "Greenwich, Connecticut", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Greenwich, Connecticut" }, { "id": "captiv8", "name": "Captiv8", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2015, "end": 2025, "role": "Influencer marketing platform, Publicis subsidiary", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Krishna Subramanian and Sunil Verma found Captiv8 in San Mateo, raising seed funding in April 2016, and build subscription software with a network of 15 million creators that brands use to run and measure campaigns across 120 countries. Publicis Groupe acquires the company on May 21, 2025 for undisclosed terms and pairs it with Influential and Epsilon's identity data to form a single influencer marketing offering. The founding year is not confirmed.", "people": "Krishna Subramanian, Sunil Verma", "source": "https://www.publicisgroupe.com/en/news/press-releases/publicis-groupe-acquires-captiv8-to-build-the-world-s-most-powerful-connected-influencer-platform | https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/20/captiv8-seed-funding/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicis", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dentsu", "name": "Dentsu", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1901, "end": null, "role": "Advertising holding company", "status": "Active", "note": "Dentsu is the Tokyo advertising group whose Dentsu Aegis Network buys a majority stake in Gleam Futures on June 20, 2017 and takes full ownership in 2020, then closes Gleam's talent management arm in January 2024 and folds the remaining work into Dentsu Creative UK.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/06/20/dentsu-aegis-network-invests-gleam-futures/ | https://hellopartner.com/2024/01/22/gleam-futures-shuts-down-talent-management-arm-shifts-focus-to-influencer-marketing/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "founders_fund", "name": "Founders Fund", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Venture capital firm", "status": "Active", "note": "Founders Fund is the San Francisco venture firm that joins StepStone Group, House Capital, K5 Global and PagsGroup in Night's 70 million dollar round announced February 17, 2026, backing a creator management firm's plan to own operating businesses in internet culture.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/02/17/night-70-million-funding-round/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tpg", "name": "TPG Capital", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 1992, "end": null, "role": "Private equity firm", "status": "Active", "note": "TPG holds a 53 percent stake in CAA until Groupe Artemis buys control in September 2023, and in June 2026 returns as CAA's partner through Integrated Media Company, its media investment vehicle, in Compound Creative Holdings, a 250 million dollar company announced June 10, 2026 to acquire, operate and grow creator founded businesses. The 2014 to 2023 CAA stake and the Artemis price rest on press coverage.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Artists_Agency | https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/caa-tpg-250-million-compound-creative-holding-company-acquire-creator-businesses-1236771598/ | https://deadline.com/2026/06/caa-tpg-launch-creator-economy-company-compound-creative-1236953040/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The CAA stake edge (53 percent, sold to Groupe Artemis in September 2023 for a reported 7 billion dollars) was not checked against a primary or trade source in this pass." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "reed_duchscher", "name": "Reed Duchscher", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Executive, founder of Night", "status": "Active", "note": "Reed Duchscher works as an NFL agent, then runs brand deals and monetization at Dude Perfect, and founds Night Media in 2015 while still there. He begins advising MrBeast in February 2018 and manages him until May 2024, sits on the Feastables board from 2021 and co creates the brand in January 2022, and co develops the TONE personal care line with AMP members that lands in Target. After the MrBeast split he turns Night into a holding company, buying The Roost, Bottle Rocket and Experiential Supply Co and raising 70 million dollars in February 2026.", "people": "Reed Duchscher", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/02/17/night-70-million-funding-round/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ryan_detert", "name": "Ryan Detert", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "las_vegas", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Executive, founder of Influential", "status": "Active", "note": "Ryan Detert founds Influential in Las Vegas in 2014 and stays as chief executive after Publicis Groupe buys the company for a reported 500 million dollars in 2024, then oversees its combination with Captiv8 in 2025.", "people": "Ryan Detert", "source": "https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/vegas-influencer-marketing-company-to-be-acquired-in-500m-deal-3102681/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -115.14, 36.17 ], "cityId": "las_vegas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "chas_lacaillade", "name": "Chas Lacaillade", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2014, "end": null, "role": "Executive, founder of Bottle Rocket Management", "status": "Active", "note": "Chas Lacaillade founds Bottle Rocket Management in Los Angeles to manage YouTube creators and sells the firm to Night on November 25, 2024, joining Night's management leadership with his clients. His earlier career and the founding year are not confirmed.", "people": "Chas Lacaillade", "source": "https://www.night.co/news | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dan_weinstein", "name": "Dan Weinstein", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2007, "end": null, "role": "Executive, co founder of Collective Digital Studio and Underscore Talent", "status": "Active", "note": "Dan Weinstein co founds Collective Digital Studio in 2007, stays through its 2015 sale to ProSiebenSat.1 and the Studio71 merger, leaves in fall 2020 and co founds Underscore Talent in January 2021 to manage creators rather than run a network.", "people": "Dan Weinstein", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "reza_izad", "name": "Reza Izad", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2007, "end": null, "role": "Executive, co founder of Collective Digital Studio and Underscore Talent", "status": "Active", "note": "Reza Izad co founds Collective Digital Studio in 2007 and serves as chief executive of Studio71 after the ProSiebenSat.1 deal, leaves in fall 2020 and co founds Underscore Talent in January 2021 with Dan Weinstein and Michael Green.", "people": "Reza Izad", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2007, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "brandon_freytag", "name": "Brandon Freytag", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Executive, founder of Loaded", "status": "Active", "note": "Brandon Freytag works at Twitch, begins by sending five dollar donations to LIRIK and Summit1g, leaves to found Loaded and negotiates the Mixer deals for Ninja and Shroud in 2019. He becomes chief creator monetization officer when Josh Swartz takes over as chief executive in April 2022.", "people": "Brandon Freytag", "source": "https://mein-mmo.de/en/former-twitch-employees-are-behind-million-dollar-deals-for-shroud-and-ninja,458629/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2022/04/06/gamer-management-agency-loaded-reloads-with-20m-investment-new-leadership-team/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dominic_smales", "name": "Dominic Smales", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Executive, founder of Gleam Futures", "status": "Active", "note": "Dominic Smales founds Gleam Futures in London in 2010, manages Zoella from her early YouTube years and sells a majority stake to Dentsu Aegis in June 2017, staying as chief executive until he steps down in 2021, three years before Dentsu closes the talent arm.", "people": "Dominic Smales", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/06/20/dentsu-aegis-network-invests-gleam-futures/ | https://hellopartner.com/2024/01/22/gleam-futures-shuts-down-talent-management-arm-shifts-focus-to-influencer-marketing/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "michael_gruen", "name": "Michael Gruen", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Executive, founder of TalentX Entertainment", "status": "Active", "note": "Michael Gruen, an NBA agent at 15, co founds TalentX Entertainment in late January 2020 with Warren Lentz, Jason Wilhelm, Tal Fishman and Josh Richards and serves as its vice president of talent. TalentX creates the Sway House in Los Angeles in January 2020, housing Josh Richards, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson and others, allies with ICM Partners in March 2020 and pacts with ReKTGlobal in May 2020. The collective disbands in February 2021 and ReKTGlobal acquires TalentX on March 9, 2021 for undisclosed terms, taking Gruen and about 17 staff into its ReKTX division. In February 2021 Gruen and Richards launch the Gen Z studio CrossCheck with Mark Wahlberg, and ICM agent Chris Sawtelle joins it as co president in September 2021.", "people": "Michael Gruen", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/02/19/talentx-management-company-tiktok-youtube-jason-wilhelm-michael-gruen-tal-fishman-josh-richards-warren-lentz/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/09/esports-firm-rektglobal-acquires-talentx-entertainment/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/02/23/josh-richards-michael-gruen-mark-wahlberg-crosscheck-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "ted_murphy", "name": "Ted Murphy", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "orlando", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Executive, founder of IZEA", "status": "Active", "note": "Ted Murphy founds PayPerPost in Orlando in 2006 and leads the company as IZEA for eighteen years until September 9, 2024, when board member Patrick Venetucci becomes chief executive and Murphy and president Ryan Schram depart.", "people": "Ted Murphy", "source": "https://www.tipranks.com/news/press-releases/izea-appoints-digital-leader-patrick-venetucci-as-chief-executive-officer", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -81.38, 28.54 ], "cityId": "orlando", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "evolved_talent", "name": "Evolved Talent Agency", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Esports and gaming talent agency", "status": "Active", "note": "Evolved Talent Agency, led by co founder and chief executive Ryan Morrison, a video game lawyer, represents esports players and gaming creators such as Surefour, Apollo and StellaChuu for commission. On June 17, 2018 it forms a joint venture with ICM Partners that gives the Hollywood agency a route into gaming talent and gives Evolved's clients ICM's wider opportunities. Its founding year and current roster are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Ryan Morrison", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICM_Partners | https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/icm-partners-evolved-1202845991/ | https://esportsinsider.com/2018/06/icm-evolved-partnership", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "No retrieved source confirms Evolved's 2016 founding year or its status after CAA absorbed ICM in 2022." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "experiential_supply_co", "name": "Experiential Supply Co", "kind": "agency", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": null, "end": 2025, "role": "Experiential and live events agency, acquired by Night", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Experiential Supply Co is a live events and experiential agency that Night acquires on October 13, 2025 as it adds owned service businesses around its creator roster, giving its clients an in house producer for tours, activations and fan events. The founder, founding year and headquarters are not confirmed.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.night.co/news", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "featuredusers", "name": "FeaturedUsers", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "orlando", "year": null, "end": 2012, "role": "Creator marketing tool, acquired by IZEA", "status": "Acquired", "note": "FeaturedUsers is a Twitter follower marketplace that IZEA buys on December 10, 2012 in a cash and stock transaction, one of the early consolidation moves in sponsored social media, and folds into its Orlando operation. The founding year and price are not disclosed.", "people": "", "source": "https://izea.com/press-releases/izea-acquires-featuredusers/ | https://izea.com/press-releases/izea-reports-q4-2025-revenue", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -81.38, 28.54 ], "cityId": "orlando", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "disney", "name": "The Walt Disney Company", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 1923, "end": null, "role": "Media conglomerate, Maker Studios acquirer", "status": "Active", "note": "Disney announces the purchase of Maker Studios on March 24, 2014 for 500 million dollars up front with earnouts that could lift the price to 950 million dollars if the network hit performance targets. The targets are missed and the total paid settles at roughly 675 million dollars. Layoffs, executive departures and a cull of the partner base from about 60,000 channels to roughly 1,000 follow. On May 2, 2017 Maker is folded into the newly formed Disney Digital Network in Culver City, which functions as a social marketing arm rather than a talent network and is wound down by 2019. The deal is the reference case for a studio paying a multi channel network price for audience it could not own.", "people": "Bob Iger, Ynon Kreiz", "source": "https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-to-acquire-maker-studios-the-leading-network-of-online-video-content/ | https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/disney-maker-studios/ | https://techcrunch.com/2014/03/24/disney-maker-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "warner_bros_discovery", "name": "Warner Bros. Discovery", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2022, "end": null, "role": "Media conglomerate, inherited Rooster Teeth and Machinima", "status": "Active", "note": "Warner Bros. Discovery forms in April 2022 when Discovery merges with AT&T's WarnerMedia, inheriting the Otter Media digital portfolio that AT&T assembled between 2014 and 2018. Its predecessor Warner Bros. had invested 18 million dollars in Machinima in 2014 and 24 million dollars in 2015, bought it outright in November 2016, then closed it on February 1, 2019 with 81 layoffs and its YouTube library set to private. Warner Bros. Discovery announces the closure of Rooster Teeth on March 6, 2024 and shuts it on May 15, 2024, with roughly 150 employees in Austin losing their jobs. RWBY goes to Viz Media in July 2024, The Roost podcast network to Night in April 2024, and the Rooster Teeth brand to Burnie Burns's Box Canyon Productions in February 2025.", "people": "David Zaslav", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc. | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/rooster-teeth-shutting-down-warner-bros-discovery-1235931953/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2022, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "at_t", "name": "AT&T", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "dallas", "year": 1983, "end": null, "role": "Telecom, Otter Media joint venture partner then owner", "status": "Active", "note": "AT&T and The Chernin Group form Otter Media in April 2014 as a 50:50 joint venture with 500 million dollars of committed capital to buy and build online video companies. Otter takes control of Fullscreen in the autumn of 2014, and with it Rooster Teeth, and builds Crunchyroll through Ellation. In August 2018, two months after closing its Time Warner purchase, AT&T buys out Chernin's stake for a reported figure of about 1 billion dollars and folds Otter into WarnerMedia on May 31, 2019. Fullscreen's network business ceases on October 31, 2021 and the rest passes to Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022. AT&T ends the period with none of the creator assets it paid for.", "people": "John Stankey, Tony Goncalves", "source": "https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otter_Media | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullscreen_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "chernin_group", "name": "The Chernin Group", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Media investment firm, TCG", "status": "Active", "note": "Peter Chernin's firm is the most consistent institutional buyer of creator businesses across the period. Chernin advises and invests in Fullscreen from its 2011 founding and takes control in September 2014 through Otter Media, the joint venture with AT&T formed that year with a pledge of upwards of 500 million dollars. It buys a majority of Crunchyroll in December 2013, buys 51 percent of Barstool Sports on January 7, 2016 at a valuation Dave Portnoy puts at 10 million to 15 million dollars, and sells Otter Media to AT&T on August 7, 2018 for a reported 1 billion dollars. It seeds Substack in a 2 million dollar round in May 2018 and returns for the 100 million dollar round reported on July 17, 2025 at a 1.1 billion dollar valuation. Barstool is sold to Penn in stages between 2020 and 2023. Its Whalar involvement is unconfirmed.", "people": "Peter Chernin, Jesse Jacobs, Mike Kerns", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substack | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullscreen_(company) | https://awfulannouncing.com/2016/chernin-group-buys-majority-stake-barstool-sports-worth-millions.html | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/ | https://deadline.com/2014/09/peter-chernin-att-otter-media-buy-fullscreen-838491/ | https://www.axios.com/substack-raises-2-million-newsletters-media-636cbbe5-7cf3-4a0d-884a-9c5aa959b323.html | https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/business/substack-fundraising-social-network.html", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The Night Capital and Night Media edges (100 million dollar commitment, September 2022) were not confirmed against a primary or trade source in this pass." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "paramount", "name": "Paramount Skydance", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Media conglomerate, Viacom successor", "status": "Active", "note": "Viacom buys VidCon in February 2018 for an undisclosed sum and AwesomenessTV in July 2018 for about 50 million dollars, a 92 percent drop from Awesomeness's 650 million dollar valuation two years earlier. Viacom and CBS merge in December 2019 to form ViacomCBS, renamed Paramount Global in 2022. Paramount hires a bank to sell VidCon in 2024 and closes the sale to Informa in August 2024 with no price disclosed. The Skydance merger, valued at about 8 billion dollars, closes in August 2025 and the company becomes Paramount Skydance. Awesomeness is absorbed into Paramount Television Studios in October 2025, ending it as a standalone label.", "people": "Bob Bakish, David Ellison", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VidCon | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/09/05/vidcon-sale-paramount-global-informa/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "comcast_nbcu", "name": "Comcast NBCUniversal", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "philadelphia", "year": 1963, "end": null, "role": "Cable and media conglomerate, BuzzFeed investor", "status": "Active", "note": "NBCUniversal invests 200 million dollars in BuzzFeed in August 2015 and another 200 million dollars in November 2016, taking a stake in the company that housed Tasty and later Complex Networks. In 2016 Comcast buys DreamWorks Animation, which brings a controlling stake in AwesomenessTV that is sold to Viacom two years later. BuzzFeed goes public by SPAC in December 2021 and trades far below the price NBCUniversal paid. Comcast spins its cable networks into Versant Media Group, a separation completed in January 2026, while NBCUniversal keeps the studio, Peacock and the broadcast network.", "people": "Brian Roberts, Steve Burke", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2015/08/18/buzzfeed-nbcuniversal/ | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-21/nbcuniversal-makes-another-200-million-investment-in-buzzfeed | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joecornell/2026/01/06/comcast-completes-spin-off-of-versant-media-group/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -75.17, 39.95 ], "cityId": "philadelphia", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "versant", "name": "Versant Media Group", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2026, "end": null, "role": "Cable network spin off from Comcast", "status": "Active", "note": "Versant Media Group is the cable network company Comcast separates from NBCUniversal, with the spin off completed in January 2026. It holds the cable channels and digital brands that Comcast no longer wanted inside the studio and streaming business. Its relevance to the creator map is as the destination for the cable side of the group that once financed BuzzFeed.", "people": "Mark Lazarus", "source": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/joecornell/2026/01/06/comcast-completes-spin-off-of-versant-media-group/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "prosieben", "name": "ProSiebenSat.1 Media", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2000, "end": null, "role": "German broadcaster, Collective Digital Studio acquirer", "status": "Active", "note": "ProSiebenSat.1, based in Unterfoehring near Munich, takes a 20 percent stake in Beverly Hills multi channel network Collective Digital Studio in March 2014, then on July 8, 2015 merges it with its Berlin network Studio71, founded in September 2013, and pays a reported 83 million dollars for 75 percent of the combined company at a 240 million dollar valuation, the founders keeping 25 percent. The merged network drops the Collective name and becomes Studio71 on January 27, 2016. In January 2017 TF1 and Mediaset buy 30 percent of Studio71. In December 2017 Studio71 and more than 15 other companies are merged into Red Arrow Studios, renamed Seven.One Studios in November 2022. The 2015 price is from press coverage and is not confirmed in a primary filing.", "people": "Thomas Ebeling, Reza Izad", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProSiebenSat.1_Media | https://www.tubefilter.com/2015/07/08/pro-sieben-sat-collective-digital-studio/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/collective-digital-studio-rebrands-as-859844/ | https://variety.com/2015/digital/global/prosieben-collective-digital-studio-acquisition-1201535844/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The TF1 and Mediaset 30 percent purchase in January 2017 and the Red Arrow to Seven.One Studios rename rest on the encyclopaedia; no primary release was retrieved in this pass." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "coty", "name": "Coty Inc.", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 1904, "end": null, "role": "Beauty conglomerate, Kylie Cosmetics majority owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Coty buys 51 percent of Kylie Cosmetics in November 2019 for 600 million dollars, valuing the brand at about 1.2 billion dollars. Six months later Forbes reports that the brand's revenue had been overstated, and Coty later takes an impairment on the investment. Kylie Cosmetics relaunches in 2021 with reformulated products and remains on Ulta shelves. Reports in August 2023 say Jenner explored buying the stake back. Coty runs a portfolio review and sale process for parts of its consumer beauty business in 2025 and 2026; whether the Kylie stake changes hands in that process is unconfirmed as of September 2026.", "people": "Sue Nabi, Kylie Jenner", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Cosmetics | https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/08/31/kylie-jenner-reportedly-in-talks-to-re-buy-51-stake-in-cosmetics-brand-she-sold-to-coty/ | https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/analysis-coty-q2-26-financial-coty-curated", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "publicis", "name": "Publicis Groupe", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1926, "end": null, "role": "Advertising holding company, Influential acquirer", "status": "Active", "note": "Paris based Publicis buys Influential, the Las Vegas creator marketing platform founded in 2014 by Ryan Detert, in July 2024 for a reported price of about 500 million dollars, the largest purchase of an influencer marketing company at the time. Influential's claimed reach is a database of more than 3.5 million creators and roughly 90 percent of the top creators in its categories. Publicis follows with Captiv8 in 2025, folding both into its Publicis Media data stack. The 500 million dollar figure is from press reports rather than a disclosed price.", "people": "Arthur Sadoun, Ryan Detert", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicis | https://www.publicisgroupe.com/en", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sirius_xm", "name": "SiriusXM", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2008, "end": null, "role": "Satellite radio and podcast company", "status": "Active", "note": "SiriusXM becomes the deepest pocket for creator audio after Spotify pulls back. It buys Stitcher from Scripps in October 2020, 99% Invisible in April 2021, and Conan O'Brien's Team Coco digital assets in May 2022 for a reported 150 million dollars. On January 29, 2024 it signs SmartLess away from Amazon in a multi year deal reported at more than 100 million dollars. On August 20, 2024 it signs Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy and the Unwell Network to a multi year agreement for exclusive distribution and audio and video ad sales, with exclusive content starting in 2025; the release gives no figure and the 125 million dollar, three year value is reported. Its Crooked Media involvement is unconfirmed. The pattern is licensing rather than ownership: the creator keeps the IP and SiriusXM buys exclusive distribution and advertising.", "people": "Jennifer Witz, Scott Greenstein", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius_XM | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy | https://investor.siriusxm.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2096/siriusxm-inks-new-multi-year-agreement-with-alex-cooper | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/smartless-podcast-moves-to-siriusxm-1235809670/ | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-29/-smartless-podcast-leaves-amazon-for-100-million-siriusxm-deal", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The Team Coco 150 million dollar price and the 2022 Crooked Media ad sales deal rest on reported figures no retrieved primary or trade page confirmed in this pass." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2008, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "team_coco", "name": "Team Coco", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Conan O'Brien digital media company", "status": "Acquired", "note": "Conan O'Brien and his executive producer Jeff Ross build Team Coco from 2010, when O'Brien moves from NBC to TBS, so that they control how the show's digital clips reach fans; the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend launches in 2018 and anchors a podcast network. SiriusXM announces on May 23, 2022 that it has acquired Team Coco, its podcast network and digital media business, with O'Brien on a five year talent agreement to keep hosting and to produce a Team Coco comedy channel. The price is undisclosed in the release and reported by Variety at 150 million dollars, one of the largest single creator audio deals.", "people": "Conan O'Brien, Jeff Ross", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius_XM | https://investor.siriusxm.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1815/siriusxm-acquires-team-coco-and-its-acclaimed-podcast-conan | https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/siriusxm-conan-obrien-team-coco-podcast-1235275077/ | https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/how-team-coco-became-a-podcasting-powerhouse/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "penn_entertainment", "name": "Penn Entertainment", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "philadelphia", "year": 1972, "end": null, "role": "Casino operator, Barstool owner 2020 to 2023", "status": "Active", "note": "Penn National Gaming, based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, agrees in January 2020 and closes on February 20, 2020 the purchase of 36 percent of Barstool Sports for about 163 million dollars, 135 million dollars in cash and 28 million dollars in non voting convertible preferred stock, valuing Barstool at 450 million dollars, with Chernin keeping 36 percent and employees 28 percent. In February 2023 it pays about 388 million dollars for the rest. On August 8, 2023 it sells 100 percent of Barstool back to Dave Portnoy for non compete covenants and the right to 50 percent of the gross proceeds of any future sale, because a ten year ESPN Bet deal, 1.5 billion dollars in cash plus about 500 million dollars in warrants, requires it to drop the brand. Penn's total outlay of about 551 million dollars buys three years of Barstool Sportsbook marketing.", "people": "Jay Snowden, Dave Portnoy", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Entertainment | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports | https://investors.pennentertainment.com/news-releases/news-release-details/penn-national-gaming-completes-acquisition-36-interest-barstool | https://investors.pennentertainment.com/news-releases/news-release-details/penn-entertainment-and-espn-enter-long-term-exclusive-strategic | https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/penn-entertainment-buys-remainder-of-barstool-sports-for-388-million/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -75.17, 39.95 ], "cityId": "philadelphia", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "loreal", "name": "L'Oreal", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1909, "end": null, "role": "Beauty conglomerate, Em Cosmetics launch partner", "status": "Active", "note": "L'Oreal launches EM Cosmetics by Michelle Phan on August 15, 2013, the first mass beauty line built around a YouTube creator, from its Paris headquarters and New York US base after nearly three years of development. The line underperforms because its prices, upwards of 50 dollars a product, sit above Phan's audience, and in October 2015 L'Oreal USA sells the brand to Ipsy, the subscription company Phan co founded in 2011. Phan relaunches EM on April 17, 2017 as a direct to consumer brand with ten products, and on September 22, 2017 her company Divinium Labs buys the brand outright from Ipsy as she leaves Ipsy. The deal is the template that Coty's Kylie purchase and Estee Lauder's later creator lines follow.", "people": "Michelle Phan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://fr.fashionnetwork.com/news/L-oreal-usa-se-separe-de-em-cosmetics-la-marque-de-la-youtubeuse-michelle-phan,582220.html | https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Michelle-phan-acquires-em-cosmetics-from-ipsy,871531.html | https://www.racked.com/2017/4/10/15185246/michelle-phan-giving-up-youtube-em-cosmetics", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "a16z", "name": "Andreessen Horowitz", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Venture capital firm", "status": "Active", "note": "Andreessen Horowitz, based in Menlo Park, is the venture firm that names the creator economy as a thesis in 2021 and puts money behind the rails rather than the creators. It leads Substack's 15.3 million dollar Series A announced July 16, 2019 and its 65 million dollar Series B in 2021, then joins the 100 million dollar round at a 1.1 billion dollar valuation reported on July 17, 2025 with BOND and The Chernin Group. It leads Clubhouse's 12 million dollar Series A in May 2020 at a 100 million dollar valuation and the Series B announced January 24, 2021 at about 1 billion dollars; Clubhouse reaches 4 billion dollars in April 2021 and cuts half its roughly 200 staff on April 27, 2023. Its Stir investment is unconfirmed.", "people": "Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andrew Chen", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreessen_Horowitz | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substack | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clubhouse_(app) | https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/07/email-newsletter-platform-substack-nabs-15-3-million-in-funding/ | https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-clubhouse/ | https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/27/clubhouse-layoffs-app-reached-4-billion-valuation-during-pandemic.html | https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/business/substack-fundraising-social-network.html", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The Stir Series A (February 2021) and Teespring Series A (January 2014) edges were not confirmed against any primary or trade page in this pass; the Substack 65 million dollar Series B date and round also rest on the encyclopaedia." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "other web", "other web", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "slow_ventures", "name": "Slow Ventures", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2011, "end": null, "role": "Venture capital firm with a dedicated creator fund", "status": "Active", "note": "Slow Ventures, with offices in San Francisco, New York and Boston, raises a 60 million dollar Creator Fund in December 2024 led by partner Megan Lightcap with Sam Lessin, buying minority stakes of roughly 10 percent in the holding companies of established creators for checks of 1 million to 3 million dollars rather than funding platforms. The thesis is that a creator with a durable niche audience is a small media company with venture returns. Named portfolio creators in 2025 and 2026 press could not be confirmed against a source fetched for this file and are left out.", "people": "Sam Lessin, Megan Lightcap, Kevin Colleran", "source": "https://slow.co/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/12/09/slow-ventures-creator-fund-60-million-megan-lightcap/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "highmount_capital", "name": "Highmount Capital", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2021, "end": null, "role": "Private investment firm, Dude Perfect backer", "status": "Active", "note": "Highmount Capital, a private investment firm, puts more than 100 million dollars of growth capital into Dude Perfect in 2024, the largest single check into a creator group at the time, in exchange for a minority stake and a conventional corporate structure. The money funds the group's first chief executive, former NBA social and digital content head Andrew Yaffe, appointed October 2, 2024, new channels and presenters, a touring plan and streaming app, and the 3 million dollar DPHQ3 headquarters unveiled in Frisco, Texas in January 2025. Founding details of the firm and the exact timing of the investment within 2024 are from secondary sources.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude_Perfect | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/dude-perfect-ceo-andrew-yaffe-nba-1236166359/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tiger_global", "name": "Tiger Global Management", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2001, "end": null, "role": "Hedge fund and growth investor", "status": "Active", "note": "Tiger Global, run by Chase Coleman from 9 West 57th Street in New York, leads Patreon's 155 million dollar Series F in April 2021 at a 4 billion dollar valuation, the high water mark for a creator payment rail, and the same month joins DST in Clubhouse's Series C at about 4 billion dollars. Patreon cuts 17 percent of staff in September 2022 and from August 4, 2025 charges new creators a flat 10 percent instead of the 8 or 12 percent tiers. The Patreon round details are from press coverage rather than a filing.", "people": "Chase Coleman", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Global_Management | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon | https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/16/patreon-will-increase-the-cut-it-takes-from-new-creators/ | https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/27/clubhouse-layoffs-app-reached-4-billion-valuation-during-pandemic.html", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "No page confirming the April 2021 Patreon Series F (155 million dollars at 4 billion dollars) could be retrieved in this pass; the figures rest on press reports cited by the encyclopaedia." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2021, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "thrive_capital", "name": "Thrive Capital", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Venture capital firm, Patreon Series B lead", "status": "Active", "note": "Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital leads Patreon's 30 million dollar Series B in January 2016, taking the platform's total raised to 47.1 million dollars and funding its move from musicians and YouTubers into podcasts. Whether Thrive has backed Substack is unconfirmed.", "people": "Josh Kushner", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon | https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/19/patreon-gains-30-million-series-b-funding-experiencing-major-growth/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "index_ventures", "name": "Index Ventures", "kind": "investor", "lane": "capital", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 1996, "end": null, "role": "Venture capital firm, Patreon Series A lead", "status": "Active", "note": "Index Ventures leads Patreon's 15 million dollar Series A in June 2014, the first institutional round for a membership rail built by a YouTube musician, from its San Francisco and London offices. The round follows 2.1 million dollars of seed money raised in August 2013 and precedes Thrive Capital's Series B.", "people": "Danny Rimer", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon | https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/23/patreon-raises-15-million-series-a-revamps-site-to-showcase-artist-content/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "gamesquare", "name": "GameSquare Holdings", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "dallas", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Gaming and esports holding company, Frisco", "status": "Active", "note": "GameSquare, based at 6775 Cowboys Way in Frisco, Texas, agrees in October 2023 to buy FaZe Holdings for about 17 million dollars in stock and closes on March 8, 2024, sixteen months after FaZe listed by SPAC at a 725 million dollar valuation, with a 10 million dollar private placement and a 6 million dollar Goff Jones backstop alongside. In May 2024 it splits FaZe into FaZe Esports, which it keeps, and FaZe Media, in which DraftKings co founder Matt Kalish buys 49 percent for 11 million dollars and co founder Richard Bengtson takes a stake. GameSquare sells its last 25.5 percent of FaZe Media to Gigamoon Media and the FaZe founders as of April 1, 2025 at a 39.2 million dollar valuation. Bengtson steps down as FaZe chief executive in July 2025, and in late December 2025 most of FaZe Media's creators leave rather than sign with Kalish's HardScope agency, leaving FaZe Esports as the active brand. GameSquare's 2025 pivot to a cryptocurrency treasury strategy is outside the scope of this map.", "people": "Justin Kenna", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan | https://investors.gamesquare.com/news/news-details/2024/GameSquare-Announces-Completion-of-Faze-Clan-Acquisition/default.aspx | https://investors.gamesquare.com/news/news-details/2025/GameSquare-Accelerates-Growth-of-Gaming-and-Esports-Experiences-Business-and-Divests-Remaining-Stake-of-FaZe-Media/default.aspx | https://investors.gamesquare.com/news/news-details/2024/GameSquare-Announces-Sale-of-Complexity-Gaming-to-Jason-Lake-and-Global-Esports-Properties-for-US10.36-Million-/default.aspx | https://esportsadvocate.net/2025/12/faze-media-experiences-hard-reset/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "logitech", "name": "Logitech", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1981, "end": null, "role": "Peripherals maker, Streamlabs owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Logitech, headquartered in Lausanne with its US base in San Jose, buys Streamlabs on September 26, 2019 for 89 million dollars in cash plus up to 29 million dollars in earnouts. Streamlabs began in 2014 as TwitchAlerts, a fork of OBS with on screen tipping alerts, and became the default streaming console for Twitch creators. Under Logitech it adds Crossclip, Melon and Streamlabs Charity, and in November 2021 faces a creator boycott over copied marketing and misuse of the OBS name, which it settles by renaming products. The deal ties a hardware company to the software layer where streamers collect tips.", "people": "Bracken Darrell, Ali Moiz", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamlabs | https://news.logitech.com/press-releases/news-details/2019/Logitech-Agrees-To-Acquire-Streamlabs-Adding-Streaming-Tools-to-its-Gaming-Offering/default.aspx | https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/27/logitech-acquires-popular-game-streaming-tool-streamlabs-for-around-89m", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "monster_beverage", "name": "Monster Beverage", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 2002, "end": null, "role": "Energy drink company, Corona, California", "status": "Active", "note": "Monster wins a 293 million dollar false advertising verdict against Bang Energy maker Vital Pharmaceuticals in September 2022, and Vital files for Chapter 11 on October 10, 2022 after talks with Keurig Dr Pepper fail. Monster buys Vital's assets out of bankruptcy on July 31, 2023 for 362 million dollars, taking the Bang brand and the Phoenix, Arizona plant opened in 2019. Bang moves to Coca-Cola distribution and is still sold with eleven flavors in 2026.", "people": "Rodney Sacks, Hilton Schlosberg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Energy | https://investors.monsterbevcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/monster-beverage-completes-acquisition-bang-energy | https://www.foodbev.com/news/monster-completes-bang-energy-acquisition", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "informa", "name": "Informa", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 1998, "end": null, "role": "Events and publishing group, London, VidCon owner", "status": "Active", "note": "Informa, the London listed events company with 3.19 billion dollars of 2023 revenue, buys VidCon from Paramount Global in August 2024 through its Fan Expo HQ division, which also runs Toronto Comic Con and the Game Developers Conference. No price is disclosed. It keeps VidCon at the Anaheim Convention Center for the June 2025 edition, with YouTube as title sponsor for its 20th anniversary, and the June 25 to 27, 2026 edition, and says it wants to take the event international without giving concrete plans.", "people": "Stephen Carter", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/09/05/vidcon-sale-paramount-global-informa/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/06/12/vidcon-2025-informa-plans-vidcon-international-creator-business-development-meet-and-greet/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "vidcon", "name": "VidCon", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2010, "end": null, "role": "Online video convention, Anaheim", "status": "Active", "note": "Hank and John Green hold the first VidCon on July 9 to 11, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles with about 1,400 attendees. It moves to the Anaheim Convention Center in 2012, reaches 75,000 attendees in 2018 and 2019 and about 55,000 in 2023 and 2024. Viacom buys it in February 2018 for an undisclosed price; Paramount sells it to Informa in August 2024, also undisclosed. The 2025 edition on June 19 to 21 has YouTube as title sponsor and inducts Hank Green, Rhett and Link and Grace Helbig into its Hall of Fame; the 2026 edition on June 25 to 27 inducts Markiplier, Philip DeFranco, Michelle Phan and Cassey Ho. International editions in Amsterdam, London, Melbourne, Singapore and Abu Dhabi are inactive; Mexico City continues.", "people": "Hank Green, John Green, Jim Louderback", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VidCon | https://www.bizbash.com/experiential-marketing/vidcon-2026-see-the-creative-booths-lounges-and-activations-from-this-year-s-event", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2010, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "anaheim_convention_center", "name": "Anaheim Convention Center", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 1967, "end": null, "role": "Convention venue, Anaheim", "status": "Active", "note": "The Anaheim Convention Center opens in 1967 across from Disneyland and, per Visit Anaheim, now covers 1.8 million square feet on 53 acres with more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space, 352,000 square feet of meeting space and a 7,500 seat arena, the largest exhibit facility on the West Coast. It hosts VidCon every year from 2012 apart from the two pandemic cancellations, with the fifteenth flagship edition set for June 25 to 27, 2026 under Informa's ownership. In June 2018 the Anaheim Marriott Suites across the resort district is the site of TanaCon's collapse.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaheim_Convention_Center | https://www.visitanaheim.org/meetings/anaheim-convention-center/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/12/09/vidcon-2026-june-25-anaheim-convention-center-tickets/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Visit Anaheim states over 1 million square feet of exhibit space and the center's own site 1.6 million, against the prior note's 813,000; the 2015 to 2017 expansion dates are not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2012, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "playlist_live", "name": "Playlist Live", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "orlando", "year": 2011, "end": 2023, "role": "Creator fan convention, Orlando", "status": "Closed", "note": "Playlist Live holds its first convention in 2011 at the Orlando World Center Marriott, organised by Orlando merchandising company AKT Enterprises, and grows into the East Coast counterpart to VidCon, selling out its tenth edition in May 2017 with more than 13,000 guests and 500 creators. A Washington edition runs in 2015. The 2022 edition is the last: the 2023 Orlando event is cancelled and the organisers say the event will not continue.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playlist_Live | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/04/28/playlist-live-orlando-sells-out-13000-attendees/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2013/03/20/playlist-live/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 2023 cancellation, the May 19, 2023 trademark cancellation and the Rapid Cat organiser name could not be checked; Tubefilter names AKT Enterprises as organiser." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2011, "failed": true, "geo": [ -81.38, 28.54 ], "cityId": "orlando", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "twitchcon", "name": "TwitchCon", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "san_diego", "year": 2015, "end": null, "role": "Twitch creator and fan convention", "status": "Active", "note": "The first TwitchCon runs September 25 and 26, 2015 at Moscone Center in San Francisco with about 20,000 attendees. It rotates through San Diego, Long Beach, San Jose and Las Vegas, with San Diego Convention Center as the main North American site since 2016. The 2024 San Diego edition draws 23,000 and the October 2025 edition returns to San Diego, where an assault on streamer Emiru on the first day forces chief executive Dan Clancy to admit security failures. TwitchCon San Diego 2026 is set for November 13 to 15 at the San Diego Convention Center. The European edition runs at Rotterdam Ahoy in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and Twitch announces Berlin for May 22 and 23, 2027.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TwitchCon | https://www.twitchcon.com/ | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/step-into-the-spotlight-at-twitchcon-2025-with-yamaha-pro-audio-302579103.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/20/emiru-assaulted-twitchcon-2025/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 2015 and 2024 attendance figures rest on the prior note; the 11,500 Rotterdam figure is not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2015, "failed": false, "geo": [ -117.16, 32.72 ], "cityId": "san_diego", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "streamy_awards", "name": "Streamy Awards", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "Online video awards show", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Tubefilter's Drew Baldwin, Brady Brim-DeForest, Marc Hustvedt, Joshua Cohen and Jamison Tilsner hold the first Streamys on March 28, 2009 at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles. After a poorly received 2010 show Tubefilter brings in Dick Clark Productions, now owned by Penske Media, to rebuild the ceremony, which later runs at the Beverly Hilton and Hollywood Palladium. MrBeast wins Creator of the Year in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The thirteenth annual show in 2023 is the last listed on streamys.org, no ceremony is held in 2024 or 2025 and no 2026 date is announced as of September 2026.", "people": "Drew Baldwin, Joshua Cohen, Marc Hustvedt", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamy_Awards | https://www.streamys.org/about/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "beautycon", "name": "Beautycon", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Beauty creator festival", "status": "Active", "note": "Beautycon begins in 2013 as a Los Angeles meetup for beauty YouTubers and under chief executive Moj Mahdara raises from Hearst and Bethany Mota before a 9 million dollar Series A in March 2017 from A+E Networks, Live Nation and Main Street Advisors, running festivals in Los Angeles, New York and London. It lays off staff in 2020 when live events stop, and Richelieu Dennis's Essence Ventures acquires it. As of 2026 Beautycon sits in Sundial Media & Technology Group's portfolio with Essence, Refinery29 and Afropunk, and beautycon.com's latest listed event is 2023.", "people": "Moj Mahdara, Richelieu Dennis", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautycon_Media | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/03/21/beautycon-media-series-a-funding-round/ | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ad-council-announces-sundial-media-groups-kirk-mcdonald-as-board-chair-302815990.html | https://www.beautycon.com/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The Essence Ventures acquisition year, the 2022 relaunch and any 2024 to 2026 festival could not be confirmed; the site's last listed event is 2023." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "primary or company", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "summer_in_the_city", "name": "Summer in the City", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2009, "end": null, "role": "YouTube convention, London", "status": "Dormant", "note": "Summer in the City starts in 2009 as a free gathering of British YouTubers in a London park and grows into a ticketed convention at Alexandra Palace and then ExCeL London, drawing British creators including Zoella in its 2013 and 2014 editions. It pauses in 2020 and no full scale edition has been confirmed since; by 2026 its web address redirects to the Megacon Live pop culture shows, which list no Summer in the City date. Its founders and venue history could not be confirmed against a fetched source.", "people": "Tom Burns, Liam Dryden", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_in_the_City_(convention)", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "No source above encyclopaedia grade was retrieved; sitc-event.co.uk now redirects to megaconlive.com, which lists no Summer in the City edition for 2025 or 2026." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": 2009, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "youtube_space_la", "name": "YouTube Space LA", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2013, "end": 2021, "role": "Free production studio for creators, Playa Vista", "status": "Closed", "note": "YouTube Space LA opens in 2013 in Playa Vista, minutes from Los Angeles International Airport, giving creators above a subscriber threshold free sound stages, equipment and classes. The Spaces programme runs about nine years, adding London, Tokyo, New York, Berlin, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai, Toronto and Dubai; Mumbai, Toronto and Dubai close in 2019. All remaining sites close in 2020 for the pandemic, and on February 18, 2021 chief business officer Robert Kyncl says the seven left, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rio and Tokyo, will not reopen in favour of pop ups and virtual programming. The Hughes hangar detail is not in a retrieved source.", "people": "Liam Collins", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Space | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/02/18/youtube-shutters-7-remaining-youtube-spaces-globally/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "youtube_space_ny", "name": "YouTube Space New York", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "nyc", "year": 2014, "end": 2021, "role": "Free production studio for creators, Chelsea Market", "status": "Closed", "note": "YouTube Space New York opens in 2014 as a 20,000 square foot studio on the sixth floor of Chelsea Market, where Google also holds offices. It offers the same free stages and workshops as Los Angeles and closes permanently under the February 18, 2021 announcement.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Space | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/02/18/youtube-shutters-7-remaining-youtube-spaces-globally/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 2014 opening, 20,000 square feet and Chelsea Market sixth floor location are not in a retrieved source; only the February 18, 2021 permanent closure is confirmed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": true, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "hype_house_moorpark", "name": "Hype House mansion, Moorpark", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": 2024, "role": "Creator house", "status": "Closed", "note": "After two rented houses in Los Angeles, the Hype House collective moves in 2020 to a Spanish style mansion in Moorpark in Ventura County with a pool, outdoor gym and spa, valued at about 5 million dollars. The landlord sues in January 2023 for 300,000 dollars in unpaid rent and damage, Thomas Petrou announces on April 6, 2023 that the group will leave, and the house is sold in August 2024. The Netflix series filmed there premieres January 7, 2022.", "people": "Thomas Petrou, Chase Hudson, Alex Warren", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_House | https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/01/05/netflix-hype-huose-series-lil-huddy-nikita-dragun-trailer/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/03/30/daisy-keech-moves-files-suit-hype-house/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The January 2023 landlord suit for 300,000 dollars, Thomas Petrou's April 6, 2023 exit announcement and the August 2024 sale could not be checked; only the 5 million dollar mansion and the January 7, 2022 Netflix premiere are confirmed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "team_10_house", "name": "Team 10 house", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": 2019, "role": "Creator house, Beverly Grove then Calabasas", "status": "Closed", "note": "Jake Paul's Team 10 rents a West Hollywood area house from May 2016 at 17,495 dollars a month with a 40,000 dollar deposit, where a July 2017 KTLA segment airs neighbours' complaints about pranks, crowds and noise and neighbours weigh a class action. Owner Cobra Acquisitions sues him for 2.5 million dollars on April 24, 2018 over pool burns, dead landscaping and broken cabinets, and a second landlord suit follows in July 2018. Team 10 moves in late 2017 to a Calabasas mansion reported at 6.9 million dollars, where the mayor denounces a July 2020 pandemic party; Paul lists it for 7 million dollars in January 2021 as he moves to Miami. The collective dissolves through 2018 and its accounts go quiet by September 2019.", "people": "Jake Paul", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/04/24/jake-paul-lawsuit-former-landlord/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/07/18/jake-paul-neighbors/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/01/29/miami-move-jake-paul-lists-mansion-7-million/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "Tubefilter places the rented house in West Hollywood while the prior note says Beverly Grove; the Calabasas price is reported, not filed." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sway_house_bel_air", "name": "Sway House, Bel Air", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": 2021, "role": "TikTok creator house", "status": "Closed", "note": "TalentX Entertainment's Michael Gruen opens Sway House in January 2020 in a Los Angeles mansion for Josh Richards, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson and Jaden Hossler, later adding Noah Beck and Blake Gray. Hall and Hossler are arrested on drug charges in May 2020, the city cuts the house's power, water and gas in August 2020 after pandemic parties that Mayor Eric Garcetti calls a nightclub in the hills, and prosecutors charge Hall and Gray. Sway LA formally disbands in February 2021, and ReKTGlobal buys TalentX in March 2021, folding Gruen, Richards and about 17 staff into a new ReKTX division.", "people": "Michael Gruen, Josh Richards, Bryce Hall", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/08/21/sway-house-parties-covid-utilities/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/09/esports-firm-rektglobal-acquires-talentx-entertainment/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "Tubefilter describes the mansion as Hollywood Hills while the prior note and other press say Bel Air; the 7,800 square foot figure is not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "clout_house", "name": "Clout House", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": 2020, "role": "FaZe Clan creator house, Los Angeles", "status": "Closed", "note": "FaZe Clan opens the Clout House in Los Angeles in 2017 for its YouTube side, FaZe Banks, RiceGum, Alissa Violet and later Sommer Ray, in a mansion neighbouring the FaZe House; the two leases together cost 83,500 dollars a month. In November 2018 FaZe runs three Los Angeles houses and hires a house manager for them. The Clout House era ends in March 2020 when FaZe consolidates into a single 10 bedroom mansion once rented by Justin Bieber at a reported 80,000 dollars a month.", "people": "Richard Bengtson, Alissa Violet", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/11/02/faze-clan-hiring-house-manager/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/03/10/faze-clan-teases-new-los-angeles-mansion/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "faze_clan_house", "name": "FaZe House, Hollywood Hills", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": 2020, "role": "Esports and creator house", "status": "Closed", "note": "FaZe Clan moves its members from New York to a rented Los Angeles mansion around 2016, filming vlogs and Call of Duty content there before adding the neighbouring Clout House in 2017; the pair cost 83,500 dollars a month and a third house follows by November 2018. In March 2020 FaZe leaves both for one 10 bedroom, 16 bathroom mansion formerly rented by Justin Bieber, listed at 10 million dollars and leased at a reported 80,000 dollars a month, ahead of its 2022 SPAC listing. Exact lease dates for the first house are not in a fetched source.", "people": "Thomas Oliveira, Richard Bengtson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/03/10/faze-clan-teases-new-los-angeles-mansion/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/11/02/faze-clan-hiring-house-manager/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": true, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "100_thieves_cash_app_compound", "name": "100 Thieves Cash App Compound", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Esports and apparel headquarters, Culver City", "status": "Active", "note": "100 Thieves opens the Cash App Compound in Los Angeles on January 23, 2020, a 15,000 square foot building with esports training rooms, streaming studios, apparel design offices, headquarters and a retail storefront, named under what it calls the most comprehensive sponsorship in esports. It is funded by 60 million dollars of venture capital from Drake, Scooter Braun, Dan Gilbert and Sequoia, with a later round reported at a 460 million dollar valuation in December 2021. Layoffs follow in 2022 and 2023 and the Higround keyboard and Juvee drink units are spun out; Higround still sells 100 Thieves Team Issue keyboards through Best Buy in 2026. Whether the organisation still occupies the building is unconfirmed.", "people": "Matthew Haag, John Robinson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/01/23/100-thieves-opens-compound-training-streaming-retail/ | https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=higround", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The Culver City location, the December 2021 valuation and the dated layoff rounds are not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mrbeast_studios_greenville", "name": "MrBeast studios, Greenville", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "greenville_nc", "year": 2018, "end": null, "role": "Production campus and headquarters", "status": "Active", "note": "Jimmy Donaldson builds his production operation in his home town of Greenville, North Carolina rather than Los Angeles, occupying a growing set of warehouses and office buildings that house sets for videos, Feastables and Beast Games development. Beast Industries, run by former SoftBank partner Jeffrey Housenbold, reportedly reaches 400 million dollars of 2024 sales and seeks funding at a 5 billion dollar valuation in February 2025; Bitmine Immersion Technologies announces a 200 million dollar equity investment on January 15, 2026 and carries the stake at 180 million dollars in August 2026. Beast Games season three tapes at East Carolina University's stadium in Greenville on May 24, 2026. Headcount, square footage and 2025 to 2026 expansion are not in a fetched source.", "people": "Jimmy Donaldson", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Industries | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitmine-immersion-technologies-bmnr-announces-200-million-investment-in-beast-industries-302662082.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/02/27/mrbeast-holding-company-investment-5-billion/ | https://www.witn.com/2026/04/30/tickets-available-live-taping-beast-games-season-3-ecus-dowdy-ficklen-stadium/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The 250 employee figure and the 5 billion dollar valuation for the Bitmine round are reported, not filed; Bitmine's release gives no valuation." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2018, "failed": false, "geo": [ -77.37, 35.61 ], "cityId": "greenville_nc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dude_perfect_hq_frisco", "name": "Dude Perfect HQ, Frisco", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "dallas", "year": 2025, "end": null, "role": "Headquarters and studio, DPHQ3", "status": "Active", "note": "Dude Perfect announces in October 2024 a headquarters at 15900 Gateway Drive off the Dallas North Tollway in Frisco, Texas, described at announcement as a 3 million dollar, 36,000 square foot building with a production studio that chief executive Andrew Yaffe, hired from the NBA that month, says will be open to other creators. Forbes reports the opened headquarters in January 2025 at 5 million dollars and 80,000 square feet, and the first Trick Shot World Championship follows in February 2025. The building is the physical form of the group's shift from a YouTube channel to a company with a hired chief executive, paid for out of Highmount Capital's 2024 investment of more than 100 million dollars. The two sets of figures are both reported and are not reconciled in a company statement.", "people": "Andrew Yaffe, Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude_Perfect | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/10/31/could-dude-perfects-dallas-hq-be-the-new-youtube-space/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/04/09/dude-perfect-100-million-funding-deal-highmount-capital/ | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2025/01/16/the-next-chapter-of-dude-perfect-inside-their-5-million-headquarters/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The October 2024 announcement (Tubefilter) gives 3 million dollars and 36,000 square feet; Forbes reports the opened headquarters in January 2025 at 5 million dollars and 80,000 square feet, and the DPHQ3 name and the sports features are not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "rooster_teeth_austin_studios", "name": "Rooster Teeth Stage 5, Austin Studios", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "austin", "year": 2014, "end": 2024, "role": "Production studio", "status": "Closed", "note": "Rooster Teeth, founded in Austin in 2003, moves into Stage 5 at Austin Studios, the city owned film complex on the old Mueller airport site, in 2014 and produces Red vs. Blue, RWBY and its podcasts there with about 150 staff plus dozens of contractors by 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery announces the closure on March 6, 2024 with general manager Jordan Levin citing shifts in monetisation, and winds the company down over the following months. Night buys The Roost podcast network, with 47 shows and 20 million monthly downloads, on April 9, 2024; RWBY goes to Viz Media in July 2024 and Burnie Burns's Box Canyon Productions revives the brand in February 2025.", "people": "Matt Hullum, Burnie Burns", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/03/06/rooster-teeth-shutting-down/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/04/09/night-media-acquires-the-roost-rooster-teeth-podcast-network/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The May 15, 2024 final day and the two year lease detail are not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2014, "failed": true, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "mythical_burbank", "name": "Mythical Entertainment studio, Burbank", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2016, "end": null, "role": "Production studio and headquarters", "status": "Active", "note": "Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal run Mythical Entertainment from Burbank, where Good Mythical Morning and Ear Biscuits are produced. Mythical buys Smosh out of the Defy Media collapse on February 22, 2019 in what is called the first creator to creator acquisition, and sells majority control back to Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla on June 20, 2023 with Breeze Financial funding the purchase, keeping a minority stake while Smosh stays in its own 17,000 square foot Burbank facility. A 5 million dollar Mythical Accelerator fund launched in July 2021 takes stakes in creators including Jarvis Johnson, Daniel Thrasher and The Sorry Girls, with Gwen Miller hired to lead it in December 2023. Mythical's own building size and opening year are not in a fetched source.", "people": "Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythical_Entertainment | https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/06/20/anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-buy-smosh/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/22/smosh-acquired-by-rhett-and-link/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/07/20/rhett-and-link-5-million-accelerator-investment-jarvis-johnson/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2016, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "twitch_hq_sf", "name": "Twitch headquarters, 350 Bush Street", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2019, "end": null, "role": "Corporate headquarters", "status": "Active", "note": "Twitch opens its tower at 350 Bush Street in San Francisco in 2019, built behind the preserved facade of the San Francisco Curb Exchange. Amazon, which announced its roughly 970 million dollar cash purchase of Twitch on August 25, 2014, cuts about 400 Twitch jobs in March 2023 under new chief executive Dan Clancy, more in October 2023 before TwitchCon, and about 500, roughly 35 percent of staff, on January 10, 2024, leaving the building well below capacity. Any 2025 or 2026 lease change is unconfirmed.", "people": "Dan Clancy", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_(service) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/01/10/twitch-amazon-layoffs-500-jobs-cut-dan-clancy/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/03/20/amazon-twitch-layoffs/ | https://press.aboutamazon.com/2014/8/amazon-com-to-acquire-twitch", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 185,000 square feet and August 2019 move in date are not in a retrieved source; Twitch's own blog blocks retrieval." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2019, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tiktok_culver_city", "name": "TikTok US headquarters, Culver City", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "US headquarters", "status": "Active", "note": "TikTok bases its US operations in Culver City from 2020 in offices that hold trust and safety, creator partnerships and advertising staff. From January 22, 2026 the US business belongs to TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, in which Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX each hold 15 percent and ByteDance 19.9 percent, with the remainder spread across the Dell family office, Vastmere Strategic Investments, Alpha Wave, Revolution and other investors. Adam Presser is chief executive and a seven member board with an American majority includes Shou Chew, Egon Durban and Oracle's Kenneth Glueck. The street address and the venture's headquarters are not in a retrieved source.", "people": "Adam Presser", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok | https://www.silverlake.com/news/tiktok-usds-joint-venture-llc-established-in-compliance-with-u-s-regulatory-requirements | https://usdsjv.tiktok.com/", "confidence": "partial", "flags": [ "The prior note's 35.1 percent combined Dell and Vastmere share is not in the joint venture release, which lists those holders without percentages." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "youtube_san_bruno", "name": "YouTube headquarters, San Bruno", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2006, "end": null, "role": "Corporate headquarters", "status": "Active", "note": "YouTube moves to San Bruno in 2006 after Google's 1.65 billion dollar purchase and expands across the surrounding office park, buying the Bayhill office centre for 215 million dollars in January 2016 and occupying about 1 million square feet by 2019. An August 2018 plan backed by the city council would take the campus to 2.4 million square feet with 440,000 square feet of new offices, 1,000 homes and a hotel over more than a decade. It is where partner programme, creator policy and monetisation decisions are made. The 901 Cherry Avenue address is not in a retrieved source.", "people": "Neal Mohan", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/08/07/youtube-plans-to-majorly-expand-san-bruno-hq-get-support-from-local-council/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2016/01/20/youtube-bayhill-office-center-215-million/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2006, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "patreon_sf", "name": "Patreon headquarters, San Francisco", "kind": "venue", "lane": "places", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Corporate headquarters", "status": "Active", "note": "Patreon is headquartered in San Francisco from its founding in May 2013 by Jack Conte and Sam Yam. It raises 155 million dollars at a 4 billion dollar valuation in April 2021, then lays off 80 people, 17 percent of staff, on September 14, 2022 and closes its Dublin and Berlin offices. In June 2025 it announces a flat 10 percent fee for creators joining after August 4, 2025, replacing 8 and 12 percent plans, and in April 2026 reports 629 million dollars of podcast revenue for 2025, up 33 percent, from 47,000 earning podcasters and 7.6 million paid podcast memberships.", "people": "Jack Conte, Sam Yam", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/about | https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/09/14/patreon-layoffs-economic-slowdown-jack-conte-ceo/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/06/18/patreon-taking-larger-cut-new-users-earnings-10-percent/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/04/08/patreon-podcasts-annual-revenue-629-million/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 80 million user figure for April 2026 is not in a retrieved source." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "la", "name": "Los Angeles", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "la", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Los Angeles is where the creator economy's intermediaries concentrate: Maker, Fullscreen, Machinima, StyleHaul and Collective Digital Studio all form and are absorbed here, Disney Digital Network sits in Culver City, YouTube Space LA in Playa Vista, TikTok in Culver City, the Streamys and VidCon in Anaheim. The creator houses of 2017 to 2021 and the Burbank studios of Mythical, Smosh and Rooster Teeth's owners are here too.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VidCon | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "nyc", "name": "New York", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "nyc", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "New York holds the buyers rather than the creators: Coty, SiriusXM, Hearst, Verizon, Tiger Global, Thrive, Vox Media and Trusted Media Brands write the checks, and BuzzFeed, Complex, Group Nine and Barstool in its Chernin years are built here. YouTube Space New York occupied 20,000 square feet of Chelsea Market from 2014 to 2021.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Space", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -74.0, 40.71 ], "cityId": "nyc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sf_bay", "name": "San Francisco Bay Area", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "The Bay Area supplies the rails: YouTube in San Bruno, Twitch at 350 Bush Street, Patreon, Substack and Clubhouse in San Francisco, Google and Andreessen Horowitz on the Peninsula, Streamlabs and Index Ventures. Twitch's 2023 and 2024 layoffs of about 900 people and Patreon's 2022 cuts are the local job losses of the creator downturn.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_(service) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "miami", "name": "Miami", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "miami", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Miami stands here for South Florida, from Weston and Pembroke Pines, where Bang Energy was built on paid creator posts before its 2022 bankruptcy, to Boca Raton in Palm Beach County, where Celsius closed its 1.8 billion dollar Alani Nu purchase in 2025. Creators including Alix Earle and Dave Portnoy have based themselves here, and the metro is the goods and capital side of the map rather than the studio side.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Energy | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius_Holdings", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "austin", "name": "Austin", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "austin", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Austin hosts Rooster Teeth at Stage 5 of Austin Studios from 2014 until Warner Bros. Discovery closes it in May 2024 with about 150 jobs lost, Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership from March 2023, the OTK streaming collective, and Box Canyon Productions, which buys the Rooster Teeth brand back in February 2025.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_Mothership", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dallas", "name": "Dallas", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "dallas", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Dallas and its northern suburbs hold Dude Perfect's 3 million dollar DPHQ3 in Frisco, unveiled January 2025 after Highmount Capital's 100 million dollar investment, GameSquare's Frisco headquarters that bought FaZe Clan for 17 million dollars, AT&T's headquarters that funded Otter Media, and the talent agency Night and shopping platform LTK, which other clusters map.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude_Perfect | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -96.8, 32.78 ], "cityId": "dallas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "atlanta", "name": "Atlanta", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "atlanta", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Atlanta is the origin of the AMP collective around Kai Cenat and the listed home of Bitmine, whose 200 million dollar investment in Beast Industries in January 2026 at a 5 billion dollar valuation is the largest single creator holding company check on the map. Film tax credits make it a production base but no creator studio campus is verified here.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Industries", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -84.39, 33.75 ], "cityId": "atlanta", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "chicago", "name": "Chicago", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "chicago", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Chicago is home to Cameo, founded in March 2017 and valued at 1 billion dollars by SoftBank in 2021 before shrinking to 33 staff by July 2023, to Sprout Social, which bought Tagger Media for about 140 million dollars in 2023, and to Barstool Sports' current listed headquarters after Dave Portnoy bought it back from Penn for 1 dollar in August 2023.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_(website) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -87.63, 41.88 ], "cityId": "chicago", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "greenville_nc", "name": "Greenville, NC", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "greenville_nc", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Greenville, a city of about 90,000 in eastern North Carolina, is the headquarters of Beast Industries, where MrBeast's studios, Feastables and Beast Games teams employ more than 250 people as of 2023 in warehouses and offices rather than a Los Angeles lot. The January 2026 Bitmine round values the company at 5 billion dollars, making this the highest valued creator company in this dataset outside a major metro.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Industries", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -77.37, 35.61 ], "cityId": "greenville_nc", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "louisville", "name": "Louisville", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "louisville", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Louisville is where Congo Brands turns creator names into beverage companies: Alani Nu with Katy Hearn from 2018, sold to Celsius for 1.8 billion dollars in 2025, and Prime with Logan Paul and KSI from January 2022, which reached a reported 1.2 billion dollars of sales in 2023 before falling. The jobs are in brand management, logistics and co packing coordination rather than in a bottling plant of Congo's own.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alani_Nu", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -85.76, 38.25 ], "cityId": "louisville", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "las_vegas", "name": "Las Vegas", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "las_vegas", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Las Vegas is the base of Influential, the creator marketing platform Publicis bought in 2024 for a reported 500 million dollars, the current site of ComplexCon under NTWRK, and an occasional TwitchCon host city. Its convention space makes it the fallback venue for creator events that outgrow Anaheim and San Diego.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicis", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -115.14, 36.17 ], "cityId": "las_vegas", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "seattle", "name": "Seattle", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "seattle", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Seattle is where Amazon and Microsoft decide creator platform fates: Amazon paid 970 million dollars for Twitch in 2014 and about 300 million dollars for Wondery in 2020 and restructured Wondery with 110 layoffs in August 2025, while Microsoft bought Seattle startup Beam in 2016, ran it as Mixer, signed Ninja and Shroud in 2019 and closed it on July 22, 2020.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wondery", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -122.33, 47.61 ], "cityId": "seattle", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "boston", "name": "Boston", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "boston", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Boston is where Dave Portnoy started Barstool Sports as a free newspaper in 2003 before The Chernin Group moved it to New York in 2016, and it holds one of Slow Ventures' offices. No creator studio or manufacturing site in this cluster is anchored there.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports | https://slow.co/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -71.06, 42.36 ], "cityId": "boston", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "philadelphia", "name": "Philadelphia", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "philadelphia", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Philadelphia is the headquarters of Comcast, which put 400 million dollars into BuzzFeed in 2015 and 2016 and completed the Versant cable spin off in January 2026, and the nearest metro to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where Penn Entertainment ran its 551 million dollar Barstool purchase and 1 dollar resale between 2020 and 2023.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Entertainment | https://techcrunch.com/2015/08/18/buzzfeed-nbcuniversal/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -75.17, 39.95 ], "cityId": "philadelphia", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "orlando", "name": "Orlando", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "orlando", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Orlando hosted Playlist Live from March 2011, the East Coast creator convention that peaked above 13,000 attendees in 2020 and ended after its 2022 edition when the 2023 event was cancelled and the trademark lapsed in May 2023. Virtual Dining Concepts, mapped by the goods cluster, is also based here.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playlist_Live", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -81.38, 28.54 ], "cityId": "orlando", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "phoenix", "name": "Phoenix", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "phoenix", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Phoenix holds the manufacturing plant that Vital Pharmaceuticals opened in 2019 to make Bang Energy, the creator marketed drink that went bankrupt in October 2022. Monster Beverage acquired the plant with the brand on July 31, 2023 for 362 million dollars, so the jobs stayed in Phoenix under a new owner.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Energy", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -112.07, 33.45 ], "cityId": "phoenix", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "portland", "name": "Portland", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "portland", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Portland appears through apparel and footwear brands and the creators they sponsor rather than through an acquirer or venue in this cluster. No capital or places node in this file is headquartered there, and the metro is defined so that other clusters can attach goods and creator nodes to it.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -122.68, 45.52 ], "cityId": "portland", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "raleigh", "name": "Raleigh", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "raleigh", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Raleigh is the state capital and research hub nearest to Greenville, North Carolina, and the metro where Beast Industries' logistics and hiring spill over as the company grows past 250 employees. No node in this cluster is headquartered there.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -78.64, 35.78 ], "cityId": "raleigh", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "detroit", "name": "Detroit", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "detroit", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Detroit is on the map through Dan Gilbert, the Cleveland Cavaliers owner and Detroit developer whose November 2017 investment seeded 100 Thieves, and through automotive brand sponsorships of creators. No capital or places node in this cluster is headquartered there, and the metro is defined so other clusters can attach nodes to it.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -83.05, 42.33 ], "cityId": "detroit", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "minneapolis", "name": "Minneapolis", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "minneapolis", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Minneapolis is the headquarters of Target, the retailer that carries creator brands mapped by the goods cluster. No capital or places node in this cluster is anchored there; the metro is defined so other clusters can attach nodes to it.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -93.27, 44.98 ], "cityId": "minneapolis", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "san_diego", "name": "San Diego", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "san_diego", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "San Diego Convention Center is the main North American home of TwitchCon, hosting it repeatedly since 2016 including the 2024 edition with 23,000 attendees and the 2025 edition. Dr. Squatch, sold to Unilever for a reported 1.5 billion dollars in 2025, was founded here in 2013 before moving to Los Angeles.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TwitchCon | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Squatch", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -117.16, 32.72 ], "cityId": "san_diego", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "columbus", "name": "Columbus", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "columbus", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Columbus appears through retail and logistics companies that carry creator goods rather than through an acquirer or venue in this cluster. No capital or places node in this file is headquartered there, and the metro is defined so that other clusters can attach goods and retail nodes to it.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus,_Ohio", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -82.99, 39.96 ], "cityId": "columbus", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "tampa", "name": "Tampa", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "tampa", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Tampa appears through Florida based creators and sports media rather than through an acquirer or venue in this cluster. No capital or places node in this file is headquartered there, and the metro is defined so that other clusters can attach creator and goods nodes to it.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa,_Florida", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": [ -82.46, 27.95 ], "cityId": "tampa", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "abroad", "name": "Outside the United States", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "abroad", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro", "status": "Active", "note": "Foreign capital and events that shape the US creator economy: ProSiebenSat.1 in Munich, RTL in Luxembourg, L'Oreal and Publicis in Paris, Unilever and Informa in London, SoftBank in Tokyo, ByteDance in Beijing, Logitech in Lausanne, BBTV in Vancouver, musical.ly in Shanghai, TwitchCon Europe in Rotterdam, Summer in the City in London and Creator Ventures in London. Beast Games is shot outside the United States.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.ly | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TwitchCon", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "dreamworks", "name": "DreamWorks Animation", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "la", "year": 1994, "end": 2016, "role": "Studio, acquirer of AwesomenessTV", "status": "Acquired", "note": "DreamWorks Animation announces on May 1, 2013 that it is buying AwesomenessTV, Brian Robbins's YouTube network of 55,000 channels and 14 million subscribers, for 33 million dollars up front plus earnouts of up to 117 million dollars tied to 2014 and 2015 earnings, the first Hollywood studio purchase of a YouTube network. Comcast agrees in April 2016 to buy DreamWorks Animation for 3.8 billion dollars and AwesomenessTV passes to NBCUniversal before Viacom buys it in 2018. Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks co founder, later founds Quibi.", "people": "Jeffrey Katzenberg", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AwesomenessTV | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DreamWorks_Animation | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dreamworks-animation-acquires-awesomenesstv-205586911.html | https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/28/comcast-to-acquire-dreamworks-animation-for-3-8-billion/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "rtl_group", "name": "RTL Group", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2000, "end": null, "role": "European broadcaster, MCN investor", "status": "Active", "note": "RTL Group of Luxembourg is the European broadcaster that bets earliest on multi channel networks. It buys 51 percent of BroadbandTV in Vancouver for 36 million US dollars in June 2013 and takes control of StyleHaul in Los Angeles in November 2014 for a reported 107 million dollars. StyleHaul shuts its US operations and lays off about 65 people in March 2019, then confirms a total shutdown in May 2019. RTL sells its BBTV stake for a reported 120 million dollars as BBTV lists in Toronto in October 2020. Both bets are closed or exited within seven years.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTL_Group | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StyleHaul | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BroadbandTV_Corp | https://www.bertelsmann.com/en/media/news/rtl-group-to-acquire-majority-in-online-video-network-stylehaul.html | https://variety.com/2013/digital/global/rtl-takes-control-of-broadbandtv-with-36-mil-investment-1200501849/ | https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/rtl-group-sells-broadbandtv-stake-ipo-1234817663 | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/stylehaul-shuts-down-us-operations-layoffs-1203170341/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference", "general reference", "primary or company", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "forvr_mood", "name": "Forvr Mood", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2020, "end": null, "role": "Candle and self care brand, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Jackie Aina launches Forvr Mood on August 10, 2020 with four candles, headbands and silk pillowcases sold direct to consumer, after a pre order on August 4, and Sephora carries the brand from July 22, 2021. It is the product step in a beauty career that starts on YouTube in 2009. The manufacturing chain is not disclosed.", "people": "Jackie Aina", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Aina | https://www.nylon.com/beauty/jackie-ainas-forevr-mood-brand-is-her-first-step-out-of-the-beauty-world | https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/jackie-aina-forvr-mood-sephora-launch/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2020, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "teddy_fresh", "name": "Teddy Fresh", "kind": "brand", "lane": "goods", "metro": "la", "year": 2017, "end": null, "role": "Apparel brand, creator owned", "status": "Active", "note": "Ethan and Hila Klein launch Teddy Fresh in November 2017 as a streetwear line designed by Hila, sold direct to consumer from Los Angeles and promoted through the h3h3 channels and podcast. It is the owned product step of a channel that began as reaction comedy in 2011.", "people": "Ethan Klein, Hila Klein", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Klein | https://www.whowhatwear.com/teddy-fresh-hila-klein | https://people.com/hila-klein-on-teddy-fresh-and-the-h3-podcast-8401365", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2017, "failed": false, "geo": [ -118.24, 34.05 ], "cityId": "la", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "vobile", "name": "Vobile Group", "kind": "acquirer", "lane": "capital", "metro": "abroad", "year": 2005, "end": null, "role": "Content protection company, Hong Kong listed", "status": "Active", "note": "Vobile Group, a content protection and rights technology company listed in Hong Kong with operations in California, buys Zefr's RightsID and ChannelID businesses on July 19, 2019 for a reported 90 million dollars, taking the creator facing rights matching services and leaving Zefr with its brand suitability platform.", "people": "", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/07/19/zefr-rightsid-channelid-vobile-group-deal/ | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/zefr-sells-youtube-copyright-channel-management-vobile-90-million-1203272400/", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": null, "cityId": "abroad", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sprecher_brewing", "name": "Sprecher Brewing", "kind": "manufacturer", "lane": "goods", "metro": null, "year": 1985, "end": null, "role": "Brewery and beverage maker, Milwaukee", "status": "Active", "note": "Sprecher Brewing of Glendale, Wisconsin, a craft brewery and soda maker founded in 1985, buys the Juvee energy drink brand from 100 Thieves in January 2024 for undisclosed terms and moves production to its own plant, which is where the jobs behind a Los Angeles esports organisation's beverage line now sit.", "people": "", "source": "https://esportsinsider.com/2024/01/100-thieves-sells-energy-drink-brand-juvee-to-sprecher-brewing", "confidence": "verified", "pin": [ "Milwaukee", -87.91, 43.04 ], "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -87.91, 43.04 ], "geoLabel": "Milwaukee", "cityId": null, "metroLabel": "Milwaukee" }, { "id": "kevin_crowder", "name": "Kevin Crowder", "kind": "creator", "lane": "attention", "metro": "miami", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Economic development consultant and creator", "status": "Active", "note": "Kevin Crowder spends fifteen years as Economic Development Director for the City of Miami Beach through the South Beach transformation, starts the BusinessFlare® brand in 2013 and forms the company in Miami in 2018 as an economic development consulting firm, and builds three YouTube native channels on top of the practice: The Music Cities™ from 2025, which uses heavy metal to teach placemaking, music scenes and entrepreneurship, Music Cities Radio from 2025 for discovery, and Street Economics® Television from 2026, which carries the same lessons to a pure economic development audience. The order is the reverse of most paths on this map: the professional practice and the client work come first and pay first, the channels come after and are run as a media entity pursuing festival press credentials, and the owned products are the consulting engagements, the Street Economics® intelligence platform and the books. The audience for the metal content and the audience for the economic development content are treated as one audience. Details are as stated by the owner and are not independently verified.", "people": "Kevin Crowder", "source": "https://www.youtube.com/@themusiccitiespodcast | https://themusiccities.com | https://streeteconomics.ai", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "businessflare", "name": "BusinessFlare®", "kind": "firm", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "miami", "year": 2013, "end": null, "role": "Economic development consulting firm", "status": "Active", "note": "BusinessFlare® is the Miami based economic development consulting firm whose brand Kevin Crowder starts in 2013 and whose company he forms in 2018, with offices in Miami, Stuart, New Port Richey and Delray Beach, working on CRA plans, tax increment modeling, economic and fiscal impact studies and public private partnership advisory for municipalities and developers across Florida. On this map it is the intermediary that turns the channels' attention into paid work rather than into packaged goods, and it is the parent that spins out Street Economics®. Details are as stated by the owner.", "people": "Kevin Crowder, Alicia Alleyne", "source": "https://businessflare.net", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2013, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "the_music_cities", "name": "The Music Cities™", "kind": "channel", "lane": "attention", "metro": "miami", "year": 2025, "end": null, "role": "YouTube channel and media entity, heavy metal and economic development", "status": "Active", "note": "The Music Cities™ is a YouTube native channel started in 2025 that uses heavy metal to teach placemaking, music scenes and entrepreneurship, with a subscriber base in the low six figures and a stated positioning as the most subscribed economic development channel on YouTube. Japanese metal coverage carries the channel: a Nemophila interview passes 150,000 views in its first twelve days and the channel builds working press relationships with Metal Blade UK and Earsplit PR, a recurring 3 Questions interview series, a Friday chart, a companion discovery channel called Music Cities Radio, merchandise that touring bands wear on the road, and the Japanese Metal Family Tree reference at japan.themusiccities.com. YouTube is the first platform and the first rail; Patreon and a merchandise store follow. Details are as stated by the owner.", "people": "Kevin Crowder", "source": "https://www.youtube.com/@themusiccitiespodcast | https://themusiccities.com | https://japan.themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "street_economics_tv", "name": "Street Economics® Television", "kind": "channel", "lane": "attention", "metro": "miami", "year": 2026, "end": null, "role": "YouTube channel, economic development audience", "status": "Active", "note": "Street Economics® Television is the YouTube native channel started in 2026 under Street Economics® with about 16,000 subscribers whose stated purpose is to carry The Music Cities™ lessons to an economic development audience that would not watch heavy metal content on its own. Videos co upload across The Music Cities™, Music Cities Radio and this channel. It is not run as a referrer to the Street Economics® tools. Details are as stated by the owner.", "people": "Kevin Crowder", "source": "https://streeteconomics.com | https://www.youtube.com/@themusiccitiespodcast", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "street_economics", "name": "Street Economics®", "kind": "tool", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "miami", "year": 2023, "end": null, "role": "AI economic intelligence platform", "status": "Active", "note": "Street Economics® is the AI economic intelligence platform spun out of BusinessFlare® in 2023, publishing free Detections at streeteconomics.com and running the Site Truth parcel level site reading app for Miami-Dade County and the three tier ECOSINT reporting pipeline at streeteconomics.ai. It is the owned product on the Crowder path: the channels build attention, the firm converts it into engagements, and the platform packages the method as a tool. Details are as stated by the owner.", "people": "Kevin Crowder, Alicia Alleyne", "source": "https://streeteconomics.com | https://streeteconomics.ai", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2023, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "music_cities_radio", "name": "Music Cities Radio", "kind": "channel", "lane": "attention", "metro": "miami", "year": 2025, "end": null, "role": "YouTube channel, music discovery station", "status": "Active", "note": "Music Cities Radio is the YouTube native discovery channel started in 2025 alongside The Music Cities™. It runs as a station off control playlists and eight themed blocks, including Japanese discovery, women in metal, foreign language metal, a Miami metal scene block and a Wacken block of the owner's own festival footage, with a nightly curated card posted to Facebook and Instagram. Videos co upload across the three channels. Details are as stated by the owner.", "people": "Kevin Crowder", "source": "https://www.youtube.com/@themusiccitiespodcast | https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2025, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "musiccitiesconcerts", "name": "musiccitiesconcerts.com", "kind": "media", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "miami", "year": 2026, "end": null, "role": "Web property, concert listings and scene references", "status": "Active", "note": "musiccitiesconcerts.com is The Music Cities™ web property on Netlify for concert listings and scene references, and the family of sites that includes the Japanese Metal Family Tree at japan.themusiccities.com and this map. It is the owned web layer under the channels. The launch year is as stated by the owner.", "people": "Kevin Crowder", "source": "https://musiccitiesconcerts.com | https://japan.themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "primary or company", "primary or company" ], "sourceTier": "primary or company", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": [ -80.19, 25.77 ], "cityId": "miami", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "monica_khan", "name": "Monica Khan", "kind": "person", "lane": "intermediaries", "metro": "sf_bay", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Creator economy executive and advisor", "status": "Active", "note": "Monica Khan moves from Wall Street into digital media and holds creator facing roles at YouTube, Meta and IGN before becoming Executive Vice President of Creator Experience at Spotter, the Culver City company that pays YouTube creators cash up front for the future revenue of their back catalogues. She leaves Spotter and by 2024 is a senior advisor to McKinsey and Company, founder of Creator Revolution and co founder of Creator Gold and Bay Area Creator Economy, advising creators on running their channels as businesses. She is the map's example of the executive path between platform, network and advisory practice, and she advises The Music Cities™ channels in 2026. Dates of each role are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Monica Khan", "source": "https://www.adweek.com/contributor/monica-khan/ | https://www.creatoriq.com/blog/earned-podcast-ep-143-monica-khan-spotter-youtube-creator-experience", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press", "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2024, "failed": false, "geo": [ -122.27, 37.6 ], "cityId": "sf_bay", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "creator_gold", "name": "Creator Gold", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "austin", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Creator gathering at SXSW", "status": "Active", "note": "Creator Gold is the creator economy gathering co founded by Monica Khan and held during SXSW in Austin, bringing creators and the executives who fund and advise them into one room. The Music Cities™ is invited for the 2027 edition. Founding year and format are as stated by the owner and are not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "people": "Monica Khan", "source": "https://www.adweek.com/contributor/monica-khan/", "confidence": "partial", "sourceTiers": [ "trade or financial press" ], "sourceTier": "trade or financial press", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2026, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "sxsw", "name": "SXSW", "kind": "event", "lane": "places", "metro": "austin", "year": 1987, "end": null, "role": "Festival and conference, Austin", "status": "Active", "note": "South by Southwest starts in Austin in March 1987 as a music festival and adds film and interactive tracks in 1994, becoming the annual meeting point for platforms, brands and creators every March. The 2027 edition is set for March 15 to 21 in Austin. Creator Gold runs alongside it.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_by_Southwest | https://www.sxsw.com/about/", "confidence": "verified", "flags": [ "The 1994 film and interactive start and the Penske Media stake are not on the fetched SXSW page." ], "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "other web" ], "sourceTier": "other web", "wikiOnly": false, "placeYear": 2005, "failed": false, "geo": [ -97.74, 30.27 ], "cityId": "austin", "geoLabel": null }, { "id": "puerto_rico", "name": "Puerto Rico", "kind": "metro", "lane": "places", "metro": "puerto_rico", "year": null, "end": null, "role": "Metro cluster", "status": "Active", "note": "Logan Paul and Jake Paul base themselves in Dorado and San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Act 60 tax incentives apply, and Most Valuable Promotions is founded in San Juan in 2021. The creators are here; Prime is run from Louisville and the boxing lands in Texas, New York, Miami and on Netflix.", "people": "", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Valuable_Promotions", "confidence": "verified", "sourceTiers": [ "general reference", "general reference" ], "sourceTier": "general reference", "wikiOnly": true, "placeYear": null, "geo": null, "cityId": "puerto_rico", "geoLabel": null } ], "edges": [ { "s": "hype_house", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019 to 2020", "note": "Charli D'Amelio joins at founding in December 2019 and leaves in May 2020 with a UTA deal and Super Bowl commercial already done.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hype_house", "t": "dixie_damelio", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019 to 2020", "note": "Dixie D'Amelio is an early member and leaves with her sister in May 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hype_house", "t": "addison_rae", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019 to 2020", "note": "Addison Rae joins in December 2019 and leaves within months after signing with WME.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison_Rae", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hype_house", "t": "chase_hudson", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019 to 2021", "note": "Chase Hudson co founds the house and uses it to launch his Interscope music career.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_Hudson", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chase_hudson", "t": "hype_house", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2019 to 2024", "note": "Hudson is a co founder of the Hype House.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "thomas_petrou", "t": "hype_house", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2019 to 2024", "note": "Petrou co founds and manages the house until dissolution.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hype_house", "t": "clubhouse_bh", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020", "note": "Daisy Keech leaves the Hype House in March 2020 and co founds Clubhouse Beverly Hills.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hype_house", "t": "sway_house", "rel": "influence", "years": "2020", "note": "Sway House opens a month after the Hype House as TalentX's version of the model, which the press covers as a clone.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "team_10", "t": "hype_house", "rel": "influence", "years": "2019", "note": "The Hype House follows the Team 10 model of a rented Los Angeles house and shared audience, a lineage the founders and press acknowledge.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hype_House", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "sway_house", "t": "josh_richards", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Richards co founds the house and leaves it with Ani Energy, TalentX and a Triller role.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sway_house", "t": "bryce_hall", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Hall moves in on January 4, 2020 and leaves when the house closes in February 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Hall", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "josh_richards", "t": "sway_house", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Richards is a co founder of the Sway House.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "talentx", "t": "sway_house", "rel": "agency", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "TalentX Entertainment creates, funds and manages the Sway House.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "josh_richards", "t": "talentx", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Richards co founds TalentX with Michael Gruen.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Richards_(internet_personality)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "josh_richards", "t": "ani_energy", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to 2022", "note": "Richards co founds Ani Energy, announced July 28, 2020 with a late September launch, and it reaches 400 Walmart stores by August 2021.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/28/tiktok-josh-richards-bryce-hall-ani-energy/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Richards_(internet_personality)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "bryce_hall", "t": "ani_energy", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to 2022", "note": "Hall is named as a co founder of Ani Energy at its July 2020 announcement.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/07/28/tiktok-josh-richards-bryce-hall-ani-energy/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Richards_(internet_personality)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jake_paul", "t": "team_10", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2016 to 2021", "note": "Jake Paul founds Team 10 and on January 17, 2017 announces a 1 million dollar round for its parent TeamDom led by Danhua Capital with Gary Vaynerchuk among the investors.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/17/social-media-star-jake-paul-raises-1-million-to-become-a-social-media-mogul/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "team_10", "t": "alissa_violet", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2016 to 2017", "note": "Violet lives in the Team 10 house from August 2016 and leaves in early 2017 to a solo career.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alissa_Violet", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "team_10", "t": "clout_gang", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "Clout Gang forms around Alissa Violet and RiceGum after their split from Team 10.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alissa_Violet", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "faze_clan", "t": "clout_gang", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "FaZe Banks hosts Clout Gang at the FaZe Clout House in Los Angeles.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "david_dobrik", "t": "vlog_squad", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2015 to present", "note": "Dobrik creates and controls the Vlog Squad as the cast of his vlogs.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlog_Squad", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ksi", "t": "sidemen", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2013 to 2026", "note": "KSI is a founding member with an equal share until he leaves on May 31, 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sidemen", "t": "ksi", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2013 to 2026", "note": "The Sidemen audience underwrites KSI's music, boxing and Prime launch.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "nadeshot", "t": "hundred_thieves", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2016 to present", "note": "Nadeshot founds 100 Thieves and serves as CEO until December 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadeshot", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "optic_gaming", "t": "nadeshot", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2010 to 2015", "note": "Nadeshot builds his audience as OpTic's Call of Duty captain before leaving in April 2015.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadeshot", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dan_gilbert", "t": "hundred_thieves", "rel": "equity", "years": "2017", "note": "Gilbert invests a multimillion dollar sum in November 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hundred_thieves", "t": "juvee", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to 2024", "note": "100 Thieves launches Juvee on October 4, 2022, spins it off on November 2, 2023 and sells it to Sprecher Brewing in January 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves | https://esportsinsider.com/2024/01/100-thieves-sells-energy-drink-brand-juvee-to-sprecher-brewing", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hundred_thieves", "t": "higround", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "100 Thieves acquires the keyboard maker Higround in October 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "asmongold", "t": "otk", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to 2025", "note": "Asmongold co founds OTK in October 2020, steps back from leadership in late 2024 and confirms his full exit on February 21, 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmongold | https://www.dexerto.com/twitch/asmongold-reveals-that-he-has-officially-left-otk-amid-changes-to-org-3141010/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "otk", "t": "asmongold", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020 to 2025", "note": "OTK is the vehicle for Asmongold's Starforge and Mythic Talent ventures.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_True_King", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "otk", "t": "starforge_systems", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "OTK and Cr1TiKaL launch Starforge Systems, an Austin PC builder, on August 8, 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_True_King | https://starforgesystems.com/pages/about-us", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "kai_cenat", "t": "amp", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Kai Cenat joins AMP in 2020 and is one of its owners.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_Means_Possible", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "amp", "t": "kai_cenat", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Fanum recruits Cenat into AMP in 2020, the base for his Twitch career.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Cenat", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "amp", "t": "tone", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "AMP launches the personal care line Tone with Night in February 2025 and Target carries 16 items from July 7, 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_Means_Possible | https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/body-care/kai-cenat-amp-twitch-stream-target-launch-tone-fragrance-1237965885/ | https://corporate.target.com/news-features/article/2025/07/tone", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "bang_energy", "t": "amp", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2024", "note": "Bang Energy, by then owned by Monster and based in Corona, California, announces on June 7, 2024 that the six AMP members become ambassadors and creative leads, the largest brand partnership in Bang's history; an AMP flavor, Bang Any Means Orange, follows.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Any_Means_Possible | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bang-energy-announces-monumental-partnership-with-star-streaming-group-amp-302167438.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "nike", "t": "kai_cenat", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Kai Cenat confirms a Nike partnership on stream in February 2024, reported as the first Nike deal for a streamer.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Cenat | https://hypebeast.com/2024/2/kai-cenat-nike-partnership-confirmed-announcement", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "smosh", "t": "ian_hecox", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2005 to present", "note": "Hecox's career is Smosh from 2005 through the buyback.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "smosh", "t": "anthony_padilla", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2005 to 2017", "note": "Padilla leaves Smosh in June 2017 and builds a solo interview channel.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Padilla", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ian_hecox", "t": "smosh", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2005 to present", "note": "Hecox co founds Smosh in 2005 and with Padilla buys majority ownership back from Mythical Entertainment, announced June 20, 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "anthony_padilla", "t": "smosh", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2005 to present", "note": "Padilla co founds Smosh, leaves in June 2017 and returns as co owner when he and Hecox buy the brand back from Mythical Entertainment, announced June 20, 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Padilla | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mythical", "t": "smosh", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019 to 2023", "note": "Mythical Entertainment buys Smosh in February 2019 after Defy Media collapses and keeps a minority after 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/inside-rhett-links-10-million-deal-smosh-1192233", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "rhett_and_link", "t": "mythical", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2009 to present", "note": "Rhett and Link own Mythical Entertainment, which buys Smosh out of the Defy Media collapse in February 2019 for a reported sum under $10 million in cash and sells it back to Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox in June 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhett_%26_Link | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythical_Entertainment | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/inside-rhett-links-10-million-deal-smosh-1192233", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "try_guys", "t": "second_try", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "The Try Guys found 2nd Try LLC on leaving BuzzFeed in June 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Try_Guys | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/06/21/the-try-guys-leave-buzzfeed-launch-2nd-try-llc/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "buzzfeed", "t": "try_guys", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2014 to 2018", "note": "The Try Guys start as BuzzFeed staff in September 2014 and leave with the brand in 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Try_Guys", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "barstool_sports", "t": "alex_cooper", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018 to 2021", "note": "Barstool buys Call Her Daddy in 2018 and Cooper leaves for Spotify in 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "barstool_sports", "t": "josh_richards", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Richards co hosts BFFs with Dave Portnoy at Barstool.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Richards_(internet_personality)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dave_portnoy", "t": "barstool_sports", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2004 to present", "note": "Dave Portnoy founds Barstool in 2004 and regains 100 percent ownership from Penn Entertainment on August 8, 2023 in exchange for restrictive covenants and a 50 percent share of any future sale proceeds to Penn.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Portnoy | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/921738/000110465923088855/tm2323045d1_8k.htm", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chernin_group", "t": "barstool_sports", "rel": "equity", "years": "2016", "note": "The Chernin Group buys a majority of Barstool on January 7, 2016 at a valuation Portnoy puts at 10 million to 15 million dollars, adding Mike Kerns and Jesse Jacobs to the board.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Portnoy | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports | https://awfulannouncing.com/2016/chernin-group-buys-majority-stake-barstool-sports-worth-millions.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "penn_entertainment", "t": "barstool_sports", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2020 to 2023", "note": "Penn closes its 163 million dollar purchase of 36 percent on February 20, 2020, pays about 388 million dollars for the rest in February 2023, then returns the company to Portnoy on August 8, 2023 for non compete covenants and half of any future sale proceeds.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Portnoy | https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/dave-portnoy-barstool-sports-paid-one-dollar-penn-entertainment-1235692418/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Entertainment | https://investors.pennentertainment.com/news-releases/news-release-details/penn-entertainment-and-espn-enter-long-term-exclusive-strategic", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "alex_cooper", "t": "unwell_network", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Alex Cooper co founds and owns Unwell with Matt Kaplan.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/08/12/alex-cooper-unwell-funding-round-500-million-valuation/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "alex_cooper", "t": "unwell_hydration", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2025 to 2026", "note": "Unwell Hydration launches at Target on January 1, 2025 with Nestle; Bloomberg reports in August 2026 that the beverage business is shutting down.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster) | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/podcaster-alex-cooper-is-shutting-down-unwell-beverages", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "unwell_network", "t": "alix_earle", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Hot Mess with Alix Earle launches on the Unwell Network in September 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alix_Earle", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "alex_cooper", "t": "spotify", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "Spotify announces exclusivity on June 15, 2021, effective July 21, 2021, for a reported $60 million over three years, before Alex Cooper moves to SiriusXM for 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-06-15/call-her-daddy-is-making-it-exclusive-with-spotify/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "alex_cooper", "t": "sirius_xm", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "SiriusXM signs Alex Cooper on August 20, 2024 to a multi year deal reported at 125 million dollars, with exclusive content starting in 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Cooper_(podcaster) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/08/20/alex-cooper-signs-exclusive-deal-sirius-xm-call-her-daddy/ | https://investor.siriusxm.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2096/siriusxm-inks-new-multi-year-agreement-with-alex-cooper", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "joe_rogan", "t": "spotify", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Spotify announces a multi year exclusive licence on May 19, 2020, with the show arriving September 1, 2020, for a figure reported first at $100 million and later at $200 million; the February 2, 2024 renewal is multi year, non exclusive and reported at $250 million.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Rogan | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotify | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-02-02/the-art-of-podcasting-with-joe-rogan-and-his-new-multiyear-spotify-partnership/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "joe_rogan", "t": "comedy_mothership", "rel": "event", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Rogan opens the Comedy Mothership in Austin in March 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Rogan", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "emma_chamberlain", "t": "spotify", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2023 to 2026", "note": "Anything Goes becomes a Spotify exclusive in February 2023 and pauses in April 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Chamberlain", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "feastables", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Feastables launches chocolate bars in January 2022 with about $10 million in early sales.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "beast_industries", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Jimmy Donaldson owns Beast Industries, the Greenville holding company for his channels, Feastables and Beast Games.", "source": "https://forgeglobal.com/beast-industries_ipo/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Industries", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "mrbeast_burger", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to 2023", "note": "MrBeast Burger launches with Virtual Dining Concepts in November 2020 and ends in a 2023 lawsuit.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "lunchly", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Lunchly launches in September 2024 with KSI and Logan Paul.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunchly", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ksi", "t": "lunchly", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "KSI co founds Lunchly in September 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunchly", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "logan_paul", "t": "lunchly", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Logan Paul co founds Lunchly in September 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunchly", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "beast_games", "rel": "event", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Donaldson creates and hosts Beast Games, filmed at Beast City in Greenville for season two.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Games_season_2", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "amazon", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "MrBeast licenses Beast Games to Amazon MGM Studios in a deal he puts at 100 million dollars, released December 19, 2024, on which he says he lost tens of millions.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Games_season_2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "quidd", "t": "mrbeast", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2017", "note": "Quidd approaches MrBeast in spring 2017 and pays 10,000 dollars for the first sponsored video, which he gives to a homeless man on camera; Quidd's chief executive Michael Bramlage confirms the 10,000 dollar fee and the Shorty Awards entry records over 100,000 dollars given away across the series.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://x.com/mbram/status/1797625457816519120", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "airrack", "rel": "influence", "years": "2021 to 2022", "note": "Airrack competes in MrBeast's Creator Games in December 2021 and joins FaZe at MrBeast's invitation in November 2022, building on the challenge format.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airrack", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "faze_clan", "t": "airrack", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2022 to 2025", "note": "Airrack joins FaZe Clan in November 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airrack", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "logan_paul", "t": "prime_hydration", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Prime launches in January 2022 and reaches a reported $1.2 billion in first year sales before a 42 percent decline by 2025.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/07/22/prime-hydration-sales-decline-year-over-year-creator-product/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ksi", "t": "prime_hydration", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "KSI co founds Prime with Logan Paul in January 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "logan_paul", "t": "maverick_apparel", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "Maverick Media files the Maverick by Logan Paul clothing trademark on July 12, 2017; New York's Maverick Apparel sends a cease and desist on January 4, 2018 claiming confusion hurt its sales.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul | https://trademarks.justia.com/875/24/maverick-by-logan-87524862.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "logan_paul", "t": "cryptozoo", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "Paul launches CryptoZoo in September 2021 and funds refunds from 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jake_paul", "t": "betr", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Paul and Joey Levy co found Betr Holdings in 2022; on March 6, 2024 it raises 15 million dollars led by Harmony Partners and 10X Capital at a 375 million dollar valuation.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/betr-adds-15-million-in-strategic-equity-financing-to-further-accelerate-its-sports-gaming-and-media-businesses-302081356.html | https://www.sportspro.com/news/betr-funding-round-investment-valuation-jake-paul-sports-betting/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jake_paul", "t": "most_valuable_promotions", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Paul co founds MVP with Nakisa Bidarian in 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Valuable_Promotions", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jake_paul", "t": "w_by_jake_paul", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "W launches at Walmart in June 2024 and announces 14 million dollars of seed and Series A funding on July 23, 2024 at a valuation above 150 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-w-raises-14-million-in-seed-and-series-a-funding-led-by-shrug-capital-and-anti-fund-to-reinvigorate-mens-personal-care-aisle-302203008.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "emma_chamberlain", "t": "chamberlain_coffee", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Chamberlain launches the brand in December 2019 and becomes co chief executive after 2024.", "source": "https://sprudge.com/internal-documents-dont-paint-a-rosy-picture-of-chamberlain-coffee-309553.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jeffree_star", "t": "jeffree_star_cosmetics", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2014 to present", "note": "Star founds the brand in November 2014 with his remaining savings and opens its first retail store, selling makeup and yak meat, in Casper, Wyoming in July 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star | https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/07/18/jeffree-star-store-grand-opening-makeup-and-meat-cosmetics/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "michelle_phan", "t": "ipsy", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2011 to 2017", "note": "Phan co founds MyGlam in 2011, renamed Ipsy in 2012; Ipsy raises $100 million in September 2015 and she leaves in 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://techcrunch.com/2015/09/14/makeup-subscription-delivery-service-ipsy-raises-100m", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "michelle_phan", "t": "em_cosmetics", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2013 to present", "note": "Phan fronts EM Cosmetics from 2013, relaunches it on April 17, 2017 and agrees to buy it from Ipsy through Divinium Labs on September 21, 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170921006157/en/ipsy-Launches-Shopper-and-Reaches-Agreement-to-Sell-EM-Cosmetics-to-Michelle-Phan", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "lancome", "t": "michelle_phan", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2010", "note": "WWD reports on February 19, 2010 that Lancome has made Phan its video makeup artist.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/color-cosmetics/michelle-phan-lancomes-new-video-star-2495548/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "addison_rae", "t": "item_beauty", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to 2023", "note": "Rae co creates Item Beauty with Madeby Collective, Ipsy's incubator, in August 2020; Beauty Independent reports the incubator closing and the line winding down.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison_Rae | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tiktok-star-addison-rae-launches-item-beauty-301104293.html", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dixie_damelio", "t": "be_happy_snacks", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Be Happy Snacks launches in October 2023 under D'Amelio Brands and continues with Dixie after Charli's 2025 exit.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_D%27Amelio | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/damelio-foods-introduces-be-happy-snacks-popcorn-301968173.html | https://dameliobrands.com/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "charli_damelio", "t": "damelio_footwear", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2023 to 2025", "note": "D'Amelio Footwear launches in May 2023; the company says production has wound down and Charli separates from D'Amelio Brands in November 2025.", "source": "https://wwd.com/footwear-news/shoe-industry-news/charli-dixie-damelio-footwear-brand-tiktok-1237702480/ | https://dameliobrands.com/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "charli_damelio", "t": "damelio_brands", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to 2025", "note": "Charli co owns D'Amelio Brands from September 2022 until a separation that begins in March 2025 and completes in November 2025.", "source": "https://wwd.com/footwear-news/shoe-industry-news/charli-dixie-damelio-footwear-brand-tiktok-1237702480/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/charli-damelio-severs-ties-family-snack-business-1800706", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dunkin", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2020 to 2024", "note": "Dunkin' launches The Charli on September 2, 2020 and brings D'Amelio back in February 2024 to coach Ben Affleck in the Grammys teaser for the DunKings Super Bowl campaign.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D'Amelio | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://news.dunkindonuts.com/news/dunkin-dunkings-super-bowl-commercial-2024", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "nelk", "t": "happy_dad", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Happy Dad is co founded in 2021 by CEO Sam Shahidi, John Shahidi and Nelk's Kyle Forgeard and is brewed at Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelk | https://grokipedia.com/page/happy-dad-hard-seltzer | https://happydad.com/pages/about-us", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "nelk", "t": "full_send", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "Full Send is Nelk's merchandise brand with reported annual apparel sales near 100 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelk", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sidemen", "t": "sides", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Sides launches in November 2021 through Reef kitchens with Hero Brands and runs six restaurants by February 2026 with 15 more planned.", "source": "https://everything-pr.com/sidemen-the-youtube-collective-that-built-a-british-creator-holding-company | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen | https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/youtuber-led-chicken-chain-sides-000100435.html", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sidemen", "t": "xix_vodka", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "XIX Vodka launches in October 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSI | https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2025/08/15/vodka-xix-carve-brand-sidemen/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sidemen", "t": "best_cereal", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Best cereal launches in 2024 and is stocked at Tesco.", "source": "https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/how-to-buy-sidemen-best-cereal-2568567/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "linus_sebastian", "t": "ltt_store", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2016 to present", "note": "Sebastian and Yvonne Ho own Linus Media Group and its LTTStore brand.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Sebastian | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Media_Group", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "linus_sebastian", "t": "creator_warehouse", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2016 to present", "note": "Creator Warehouse is founded September 17, 2018 as Linus Media Group's product subsidiary.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Sebastian | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Media_Group", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "yes_theory", "t": "seek_discomfort", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "The Yes Theory founders launch Seek Discomfort in May 2018 and run it from Los Angeles.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Theory | https://www.seekdiscomfort.com/pages/about", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "snapchat", "t": "yes_theory", "rel": "payout", "years": "2015 to 2016", "note": "Snapchat's Vertical Networks pays Yes Theory to move from Montreal to Venice, California and make videos in late 2015, and a Yes Theory series runs on Snapchat Discover.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Theory | https://yestheory.com/about/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hyram_yarbro", "t": "selfless_by_hyram", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Yarbro co creates Selfless by Hyram with The Inkey List, launching June 24, 2021 in 663 Sephora stores across 20 countries.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyram_Yarbro | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/06/08/hyram-yarbro-launching-selfless-skincare-brand-sephora/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tati_westbrook", "t": "halo_beauty", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to 2024", "note": "Westbrook co founds Halo Beauty in February 2018; Swanson's suit filed October 20, 2020 is dismissed with prejudice on July 31, 2024 after a settlement and she announces on August 1, 2024 that she and her husband are leaving Halo Beauty.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tati_Westbrook | https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/tati-westbrook-settles-lawsuit-leaves-halo-beauty-plans-to-relaunch-beauty-brand/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "manny_mua", "t": "lunar_beauty", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Lunar Beauty launches in 2018 with the Life's a Drag palette.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_MUA", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "patrick_starrr", "t": "one_size", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "One/Size launches with Luxury Brand Partners on Sephora's site on July 17, 2020 and in 523 stores on July 30, 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Starrr | https://onesizebeauty.com/pages/about-us | https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Patrick-starrr-launches-one-size-cosmetics-brand-with-luxury-brand-partners,1232442.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jackie_aina", "t": "forvr_mood", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Forvr Mood launches in August 2020, co founded by Jackie Aina and Denis Asamoah, selling fragrance, candles and gift sets.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Aina | https://forvrmood.com/pages/about", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "james_charles", "t": "sisters_apparel", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Charles launches Sisters Apparel in November 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "covergirl", "t": "james_charles", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2016 to 2017", "note": "CoverGirl names James Charles its first male ambassador on October 11, 2016, announced with Katy Perry.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles | https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/covergirl-appoints-first-ever-male-ambassador-122143", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "morphe", "t": "james_charles", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2018 to 2021", "note": "Morphe launches the James Charles Sister Collection in November 2018 and cuts ties in April 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Charles", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "morphe", "t": "jeffree_star", "rel": "retail", "years": "2018 to 2020", "note": "Morphe stocks Jeffree Star Cosmetics from 2018 and drops the brand in July 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "pokimane", "t": "myna_snacks", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2023 to 2025", "note": "Pokimane launches Myna Snacks on November 13, 2023; it goes quiet in October 2025 with no stock and no posts.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokimane | https://www.dexerto.com/twitch/pokimane-explains-why-her-cookie-brand-quietly-disappeared-3345636/ | https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/pokimanes-snack-company-goes-quiet-after-two-years-3298282/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jacksepticeye", "t": "top_of_the_mornin_coffee", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "McLoughlin founds and owns Top of the Mornin' Coffee, announced June 15, 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksepticeye", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jacksepticeye", "t": "cloak", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to 2023", "note": "McLoughlin co founds Cloak on October 19, 2018 and states in September 2024 that he left the company over a year earlier.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksepticeye | https://x.com/Jacksepticeye/status/1836881600900124895", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "markiplier", "t": "cloak", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Fischbach co founds Cloak on October 19, 2018 with nine gender neutral items priced 35 to 80 dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markiplier | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/10/19/jacksepticeye-and-markiplier-team-up-to-launch-clothing-brand-cloak/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "nikita_dragun", "t": "dragun_beauty", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Dragun launches Dragun Beauty independently on March 25, 2019 as a vegan line; a brand site remains online in 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Dragun | https://www.glossy.co/beauty/dragun-beauty-is-on-hiatus-as-nikita-dragun-debuts-onlyfans-account/ | https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/beauty-grooming/makeup/nikita-dragun-dragun-beauty/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ethan_klein", "t": "teddy_fresh", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "Hila Klein founds and designs Teddy Fresh in 2017, launching in November 2017 from Los Angeles with licensed collaborations including Magic: The Gathering by 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Klein | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/10/25/hila-klein-h3h3-productions-teddy-fresh/ | https://people.com/hila-klein-on-teddy-fresh-and-the-h3-podcast-8401365", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "bethany_mota", "t": "aeropostale_bethany_mota", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "Aeropostale launches Mota's line in December 2013 and Forbes reports it underperforms.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Mota", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "zoella", "t": "zoella_beauty", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2014 to present", "note": "Sugg fronts Zoella Beauty from its September 2014 Superdrug launch, developed and made by SLG Brands of Cheltenham, which says the range grew to about 20 million pounds across more than 200 lines.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Sugg | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoella | https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10276906 | https://slg-brands.prowly.com/432783-slg-brands-40-years-of-shaping-beauty-with-edge-imagination", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "casey_neistat", "t": "beme", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2015 to 2018", "note": "Casey Neistat co founds Beme in 2014, sells it to CNN in November 2016 for a reported $25 million; the app closes January 31, 2017 and CNN folds the unit when he leaves in January 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beme_(company) | https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/cnn-casey-neistat-beme-acquisition-1201927533", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "cnn", "t": "beme", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "CNN buys Beme on November 28, 2016 for a reported 25 million dollars, shuts the app in January 2017 and closes the Beme News unit on January 25, 2018 when Casey Neistat and Matt Hackett leave.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beme_(company) | https://www.inc.com/zoe-henry/beme-sold-to-cnn-reported-25-million-presidential-election.html | https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/25/cnn-shuts-down-casey-neistats-beme-but-some-of-its-digital-news-tech-will-live-on", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "nike", "t": "casey_neistat", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2012", "note": "Nike commissions Make It Count for the FuelBand launch and Neistat spends the budget travelling the world; the film is released in April 2012.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat | https://adage.com/creativity/work/casey-neistat-makes-it-count/27116/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "david_dobrik", "t": "dispo", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2019 to 2021", "note": "Dobrik co founds Dispo and steps down from the company and its board on March 22, 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispo | https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/21/spark-capital-decides-to-sever-all-ties-with-david-dobriks-dispo-app-weeks-after-leading-investment | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/22/spark-capital-severs-ties-with-dispo-david-dobrik-departs-company/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "spark_capital", "t": "dispo", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "Spark leads a reported 20 million dollar Series A in February 2021 and severs ties on March 22, 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispo | https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/22/tech/david-dobrik-dispo-stepping-down/index.html | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/02/25/david-dobrik-dispo-reportedly-raises-20-million-200-million-valuation/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "alix_earle", "t": "sipmargs", "rel": "equity", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "Earle invests in SipMargs in 2025 and Sazerac takes an equity stake with exclusive distribution on May 13, 2026; the reported 3 million dollar round is unconfirmed.", "source": "https://www.fooddive.com/news/sazerac-stake-sipmargs-alix-earle/820231/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alix_Earle | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sazerac-acquires-equity-stake-and-enters-into-new-distribution-relationship-with-sipmargs-302770914.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "alix_earle", "t": "reale_actives", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "Earle launches the acne skincare brand Reale Actives direct to consumer on March 31, 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alix_Earle | https://www.morningbrew.com/stories/2026/03/31/alix-earle-reale-skincare-launch", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ridge", "t": "marques_brownlee", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Brownlee joins Ridge as board member and chief creative partner in February 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marques_Brownlee | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240222018547/en/Marques-Brownlee-Joins-Ridge-as-Executive-Board-Member-Equity-Investor-and-Chief-Creative-Partner", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ludwig", "t": "mogul_moves", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Mogul Moves is Ludwig's events and content company.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ludwig", "t": "offbrand", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022", "note": "Ludwig co founds Offbrand in September 2022 and closes its events branch in December 2024; the games publishing arm continues.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/12/18/ludwig-ahgren-close-evens-production-offbrand/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "ludwig", "t": "youtube", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "Ludwig signs a YouTube Gaming exclusive in November 2021 that ends on November 30, 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "red_bull", "t": "ludwig", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Ludwig states on May 22, 2024 that he is a Red Bull athlete and Red Bull carries his athlete profile.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren | https://x.com/LudwigAhgren/status/1793134297458872477", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "red_bull", "t": "ninja", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Red Bull signs Ninja in June 2018 alongside a Fortnite tournament in Chicago and issues a Ninja can in April 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/06/18/ninja-red-bull-fortnite-tournament/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "red_bull", "t": "cloud9", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Red Bull becomes shirt sponsor of all 14 Cloud9 teams in June 2018, resuming a relationship it had ended in 2017 while it ran its own Team RB; it is not Red Bull's first esports team deal.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud9_(esports) | https://dotesports.com/business/news/cloud9-red-bull-shirt-sponsor-partnership-24868", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ninja", "t": "mixer", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2019 to 2020", "note": "Ninja streams exclusively on Mixer from August 1, 2019 in a reported multi million dollar deal until the platform closes in July 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "shroud", "t": "mixer", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2019 to 2020", "note": "shroud follows Ninja to Mixer in October 2019 and returns to Twitch in August 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_(gamer)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ninja", "t": "shroud", "rel": "influence", "years": "2019", "note": "shroud moves to Mixer following Ninja's lead, as his biography records.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_(gamer)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "cloud9", "t": "shroud", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2014 to 2018", "note": "shroud plays Counter Strike for Cloud9 from August 2014 and retires to stream in April 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_(gamer)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "faze_clan", "t": "tfue", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018 to 2020", "note": "Tfue joins FaZe in 2018, sues in May 2019 over a contract that keeps 80 percent of branded revenue and settles in 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tfue", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "gamesquare", "t": "faze_clan", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "GameSquare buys FaZe Holdings for about 17 million dollars in stock, closing March 8, 2024, and divests its last 25.5 percent of FaZe Media as of April 1, 2025 at a 39.2 million dollar valuation.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan | https://investors.gamesquare.com/news/news-details/2025/GameSquare-Accelerates-Growth-of-Gaming-and-Esports-Experiences-Business-and-Divests-Remaining-Stake-of-FaZe-Media/default.aspx", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "gamesquare", "t": "complexity", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "GameSquare buys Complexity from the Jones and Goff families in 2021 and sells it to Jason Lake's Global Esports Properties on March 1, 2024 for 10.36 million dollars, 750,000 dollars at closing and a 9.61 million dollar three year seller note.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_Gaming | https://investors.gamesquare.com/news/news-details/2024/GameSquare-Announces-Sale-of-Complexity-Gaming-to-Jason-Lake-and-Global-Esports-Properties-for-US10.36-Million-/default.aspx", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dallas_cowboys", "t": "complexity", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2017 to 2021", "note": "Jerry Jones and John Goff buy a majority of Complexity in November 2017 and move it to The Star in Frisco; GameSquare buys the company from the Jones and Goff families in 2021 and sells it back to founder Jason Lake's Global Esports Properties on March 1, 2024 for 10.36 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_Gaming | https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/jones-family-partners-with-john-goff-makes-landmark-move-into-esports-446206 | https://complexity.gg/blogs/blog/jason-lake-buys-back-complexity", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "gamestop", "t": "complexity", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019", "note": "GameStop sponsors the Complexity performance centre in Frisco in 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_Gaming", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "envy_gaming", "t": "optic_gaming", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021 to 2022", "note": "Envy Gaming and OpTic Gaming merge in November 2021 to form OpTic Texas, and Envy retires its own brand on June 27, 2022, keeping the Dallas Fuel name, with Hector Rodriguez as president and Mike Rufail as chief gaming officer.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpTic_Gaming | https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/optic-texas/2022/06/27/envy-gaming-retires-its-esports-brand-becomes-optic-gaming/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "darkzero", "t": "nrg", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "DarkZero acquires NRG's esports assets in an undisclosed cash deal that closes on December 1, 2025 and is announced on December 19, 2025; Full Squad Gaming stays with Andy Miller.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRG_Esports | https://esports.gg/news/valorant/nrg-darkzero-acquisition/ | https://gamesbeat.com/nrg-esports-has-been-acquired-by-darkzero/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "ftx", "t": "tsm", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2021 to 2022", "note": "FTX signs a ten year, 210 million dollar naming rights deal with TSM in June 2021; TSM suspends the partnership effective immediately on November 16, 2022 as FTX collapses into bankruptcy, strips the FTX name from its brand and jerseys, and the deal does not resume.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSM_(esports) | https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2022/11/16/tsm-ftx-naming-deal-suspended/ | https://www.dexerto.com/esports/tsm-suspend-210m-ftx-partnership-amid-crypto-exchange-collapse-1986501/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "highmount_capital", "t": "dude_perfect", "rel": "equity", "years": "2024", "note": "Highmount Capital invests more than 100 million dollars in Dude Perfect in 2024, before the October 2, 2024 appointment of Andrew Yaffe as chief executive.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude_Perfect | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-dude-perfect-100m-investment-highmount-1235868550/ | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/dude-perfect-ceo-andrew-yaffe-nba-1236166359/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "dr_disrespect", "t": "midnight_society", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "Beahm co founds Midnight Society in December 2021 and is removed on June 24, 2024; the studio closes in January 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr_Disrespect | https://gamesbeat.com/midnight-society-shuts-down-and-kills-dead-drop-game/ | https://esportsinsider.com/2025/01/deadrop-game-studio-midnight-society-announces-closure", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dr_disrespect", "t": "rumble", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Rumble announces on November 25, 2024 that Beahm streams exclusively for Rumble and leads its gaming category; YouTube remonetises him on January 31, 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr_Disrespect | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/11/25/2986683/0/en/Dr-Disrespect-Will-Lead-Rumble-Gaming-Join-Rumble-Premium.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tana_mongeau", "t": "tanacon", "rel": "event", "years": "2018", "note": "Mongeau stages TanaCon in Anaheim on June 22, 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanaCon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "vidcon", "t": "tanacon", "rel": "influence", "years": "2018", "note": "TanaCon is staged as a rival to VidCon after VidCon declines to feature Mongeau.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanaCon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "shane_dawson", "t": "tanacon", "rel": "event", "years": "2018", "note": "Dawson appears at TanaCon and produces the three part documentary on its failure.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanaCon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "target", "t": "shane_dawson", "rel": "retail", "years": "2015 to 2020", "note": "Target carries Dawson's two Simon & Schuster books until removing them in late June 2020, reported by WWD alongside Morphe's pause on the Conspiracy collection.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Dawson | https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/target-morphe-shane-dawson-books-makeup-jeffree-star-1203663161/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ryan_trahan", "t": "joyride", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Trahan becomes chief creative officer and reported co owner of Joyride on February 15, 2024 and its Sour Strips reach 1,300 Target stores in June 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Trahan | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/youtube-sensation-ryan-trahan-takes-a-sweet-turn-as-joyrides-chief-creative-officer-launching-first-of-its-kind-sour-strips-and-viral-social-first-ad-campaign-302063175.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mikayla_nogueira", "t": "pov_beauty", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "POV Beauty launches direct to consumer on March 26, 2025 with a reported 1 million dollars of sales in seven minutes and reaches Sephora in September 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikayla_Nogueira | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mikayla-nogueira-debuts-point-of-view-redefining-beauty-from-every-angle-302412051.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "pewdiepie", "t": "jacksepticeye", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "A 2013 PewDiePie shoutout grows Jacksepticeye sixfold in four days and Revelmode signs him in January 2016.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksepticeye", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "ryan_trahan", "rel": "influence", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Trahan's charity challenge series follow the MrBeast format of stunt plus giveaway, which the press notes; Trahan's own statement is not confirmed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Trahan", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tana_mongeau", "t": "cody_ko", "rel": "influence", "years": "2024", "note": "Mongeau's May 2024 allegation ends Ko's TMG Studios role in July 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody_Ko", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tati_westbrook", "t": "james_charles", "rel": "influence", "years": "2019", "note": "Westbrook's Bye Sister video in May 2019 costs Charles three million subscribers in four days.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tati_Westbrook", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "shane_dawson", "t": "jeffree_star", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018 to 2020", "note": "Dawson's 2018 documentary series leads to the joint Conspiracy palette and Morphe's 2020 exit from both.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Dawson", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "team_10", "t": "jake_paul", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "It's Everyday Bro, released through Team 10 in May 2017, goes platinum and reaches the Hot 100.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tana_mongeau", "t": "jake_paul", "rel": "event", "years": "2019", "note": "MTV films their unlicensed Las Vegas wedding in July 2019 for pay per view.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tana_Mongeau", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "congo_brands", "t": "prime_hydration", "rel": "equity", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Congo Brands holds a reported 60 percent of Prime and operates the brand from Louisville.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "congo_brands", "t": "prime_hydration", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Congo Brands formulates Prime and manages its contract bottlers and distribution.", "source": "https://www.bevnet.com/news/2024/refresco-files-67m-lawsuit-alleging-prime-maker-congo-backed-out-of-production-deal/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "refresco", "t": "prime_hydration", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2023 to 2024", "note": "Refresco sues Congo Brands and Prime Hydration in Delaware Chancery in July 2024 for at least 67.7 million dollars over a three year take or pay deal to bottle Prime Hydration in custom 16.9 ounce bottles at its Truesdale, Missouri plant, at least 18.5 million cases a year, alleging Congo refused a final test run after the line was finished in March 2024; Congo says the agreement terminated on November 15, 2023. Chancery dismisses for lack of equity jurisdiction on January 16, 2025 and transfers the case to Delaware Superior Court, which on August 28, 2025 dismisses the declaratory count but lets the breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims proceed.", "source": "https://www.bevnet.com/news/2024/refresco-files-67m-lawsuit-alleging-prime-maker-congo-backed-out-of-production-deal/ | https://law.justia.com/cases/delaware/superior-court/2025/n25c-02-503-emd-ccld.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "target", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Target announces a Prime distribution deal in March 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "walmart", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Prime Hydration+ stick packs arrive first at Walmart in September 2022 at 8.98 dollars a box, with Vitamin Shoppe following; BevNET reports about 500,000 dollars of Walmart sales in the first week. Walmart also lists the bottles.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://www.bevnet.com/news/2022/logan-pauls-prime-hydration-looks-to-powders-energy-drinks-international-expansion/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "asda", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Asda becomes Prime's first UK retailer in June 2022 and the site of the sellouts; Aldi, Sainsbury's and Spar follow within weeks, so the deal is first mover rather than exclusive.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink) | https://www.nationalworld.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/prime-hydration-drink-logan-paul-ksi-youtube-uk-3691500", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "aldi", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Aldi UK lists Prime on December 29, 2022 at 1.99 pounds as a Special Buy.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "kroger", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Prime reaches about 20,000 US doors by late 2022 including Kroger.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "costco", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Costco carries exclusive Prime flavors through 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink)", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "amazon", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Prime's ZERO Hydration line launches on Amazon US in December 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_(drink)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "congo_brands", "t": "alani_nu", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2018 to 2025", "note": "Congo Brands operates and produces Alani Nu from its 2018 founding until the Celsius sale.", "source": "https://ir.celsiusholdingsinc.com/news/news-details/2025/Celsius-Holdings-to-Acquire-Alani-Nu-Creating-a-Leading-Better-For-You-Functional-Lifestyle-Platform/default.aspx", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "congo_brands", "t": "alani_nu", "rel": "equity", "years": "2018 to 2025", "note": "Congo co founders Max Clemons and Trey Steiger are sellers in the Alani Nu sale.", "source": "https://ir.celsiusholdingsinc.com/news/news-details/2025/Celsius-Holdings-to-Acquire-Alani-Nu-Creating-a-Leading-Better-For-You-Functional-Lifestyle-Platform/default.aspx", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "celsius", "t": "alani_nu", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "Celsius announces the purchase of Alani Nu for 1.8 billion dollars in cash and stock in February 2025.", "source": "https://www.cspdailynews.com/beverages/celsius-closes-18-billion-acquisition-alani-nutrition | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alani_Nu", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "alani_nu", "t": "addison_rae", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2022", "note": "Alani Nu releases a Berry Pop flavor with Addison Rae in 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison_Rae", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "lunchly", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Each Lunchly kit ships with a Prime bottle.", "source": "https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/moises-mendez-ii/mrbeast-logan-paul-ksi-lunchly-mold-cheese-explained", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "beast_industries", "t": "feastables", "rel": "equity", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Feastables sits inside Beast Industries and is its profitable division with a reported 20 million dollars of 2024 profit.", "source": "https://www.willventures.com/blog/the-usd5-billion-creator-holdco", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "machu_picchu_foods", "t": "feastables", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Peruvian business press identifies Machu Picchu Foods as the maker of Feastables chocolate in June 2025; the company's own site does not name the client.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables | https://gestion.pe/g-de-gestion/reportaje/esta-es-la-historia-de-machu-picchu-foods-la-segunda-mayor-agroexportadora-de-cacao-que-provee-a-nestle-y-arcor-noticia/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "feastables", "t": "walmart", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Walmart.com carries the MrBeast Bar at 2.98 dollars from the January 29, 2022 launch alongside feastables.com and Gopuff; store shelves follow in September 2022 with a vegan cookie at 4.48 dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mrbeast-launches-better-for-you-snacking-brand-feastables-301471133.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "feastables", "t": "seven_eleven", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Feastables is on shelves in every 7-Eleven and Speedway from May 25, 2023, and its November 2025 sweepstakes rules list 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes as participating retailers.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables | https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/05/25/feastables-are-now-on-shelves-in-every-7-11-and-speedway/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "feastables", "t": "target", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Feastables reaches Target and other mass retailers after the Walmart launch; the placement year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "feastables", "t": "lunchly", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Each Lunchly kit ships with a Feastables bar.", "source": "https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/moises-mendez-ii/mrbeast-logan-paul-ksi-lunchly-mold-cheese-explained", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "bitmine", "t": "beast_industries", "rel": "equity", "years": "2026", "note": "Bitmine invests 200 million dollars in Beast Industries, announced January 15, 2026 and closing January 19, 2026, at a reported valuation of about 5 billion dollars that the 8-K exhibit does not state.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1829311/000149315226002335/ex99-1.htm", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "beast_industries", "t": "step", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2026", "note": "Beast Industries acquires the fintech app Step in February 2026 for undisclosed terms.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "beast_industries", "t": "lunchly", "rel": "equity", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Lunchly is a joint venture of Beast Industries with Logan Paul and KSI.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/02/27/mrbeast-holding-company-investment-5-billion/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "lunchly", "t": "walmart", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Lunchly launches in late September 2024 with Kroger and Albertsons named as first stockists and Walmart and Target announced to follow; Walmart.com lists ten Lunchly kits, snack kits and Lil Sammies frozen sandwiches at 2.96 to 6.84 dollars by 2026. The co packer is not identified.", "source": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/mr-beast-logan-paul-team-lunchly-lunchables-competitor-1236003924/ | https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/lunchly", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "mrbeast_burger", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2020 to 2024", "note": "Donaldson licenses his name to Virtual Dining Concepts under a September 2020 agreement with royalty provisions he says never paid him.", "source": "https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/mrbeast-sues-virtual-dining-concepts-shut-down-mrbeast-burger", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "virtual_dining_concepts", "t": "mrbeast_burger", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2020 to 2024", "note": "VDC operates MrBeast Burger out of partner restaurant kitchens, reaching about 1,700 locations by end of 2022.", "source": "https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/mrbeast-sues-virtual-dining-concepts-shut-down-mrbeast-burger", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "virtual_dining_concepts", "t": "faze_clan", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2021", "note": "VDC runs FaZe Subs as a licensed virtual brand for FaZe Clan; the year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Dining_Concepts", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "virtual_dining_concepts", "t": "dave_portnoy", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2021", "note": "VDC runs Pardon My Cheesesteak with Barstool Sports; the year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Dining_Concepts", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "amazon", "t": "mrbeast", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Prime Video premieres Beast Games on December 19, 2024 and renews it for seasons two and three on May 12, 2025; Donaldson's statements about losses are his own and not in the Amazon releases.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast | https://press.amazonmgmstudios.com/us/en/press-release/prime-video-gives-twoseason-renewal-to-global-hit-", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "honey", "t": "mrbeast", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019 to 2024", "note": "Honey is among MrBeast's largest recurring sponsors before the December 2024 exposé; the years are approximate.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/11/21/honey-shane-dawson-mrbeast-4-billion/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chamberlain_coffee", "t": "target", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Target carries Chamberlain Coffee; the year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://theankler.com/exclusive-inside-emma-chamberlain-coffee-struggles-fundraise/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chamberlain_coffee", "t": "walmart", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Chamberlain Coffee launches a four flavour canned oat and almond latte line as a Walmart exclusive in April 2023 at 2.98 dollars a can, in stores and on Walmart.com.", "source": "https://theankler.com/exclusive-inside-emma-chamberlain-coffee-struggles-fundraise/ | https://www.bevnet.com/news/2023/chamberlain-coffee-enters-rtds-with-walmart-exclusive-launch/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chamberlain_coffee", "t": "costco", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Costco carries Chamberlain Coffee.", "source": "https://theankler.com/exclusive-inside-emma-chamberlain-coffee-struggles-fundraise/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hollister", "t": "emma_chamberlain", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019", "note": "Chamberlain models Hollister's 2019 swim collection.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Chamberlain", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "jeffree_star", "t": "killer_merch", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2014 to present", "note": "Star is co owner of Killer Merch.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "killer_merch", "t": "jeffree_star_cosmetics", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2014 to present", "note": "Killer Merch's Chatsworth warehouses house and fulfill Jeffree Star Cosmetics with about 125 staff.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jeffree_star_cosmetics", "t": "scorpio_logistics", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "Star opens Scorpio Logistics in Casper, Wyoming after moving from Los Angeles in 2021.", "source": "https://www.glossy.co/beauty/jeffree-star-on-his-beauty-business-im-uncancelable/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "killer_merch", "t": "ninja", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Killer Merch produces Ninja merchandise; the start year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "killer_merch", "t": "shane_dawson", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Killer Merch produces Shane Dawson merchandise including the Conspiracy collection.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jeffree_star_cosmetics", "t": "morphe", "rel": "retail", "years": "2018 to 2020", "note": "Morphe stores carry Jeffree Star Cosmetics from 2018, about 22 percent of wholesale, until Morphe drops him in July 2020.", "source": "https://www.glossy.co/beauty/jeffree-star-on-his-beauty-business-im-uncancelable/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "shane_dawson", "t": "jeffree_star_cosmetics", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2019", "note": "The Conspiracy collection with Shane Dawson launches in November 2019 with reported launch sales of about 35 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "morphe", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2020", "note": "Morphe launches the Morphe 2 line with Charli and Dixie D'Amelio in June 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "morphe", "t": "dixie_damelio", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2020", "note": "Morphe 2 launches with Dixie D'Amelio in June 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "forma_brands", "t": "morphe", "rel": "equity", "years": "2019 to 2023", "note": "Forma Brands is the holding company for Morphe until the 2023 bankruptcy sale.", "source": "https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/morphe-s-parent-company-forma-brands-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-206170", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jefferies_cerberus", "t": "forma_brands", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2023", "note": "Jefferies and Cerberus acquire Forma Brands out of Chapter 11 for 690 million dollars.", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/morphe-execute-big-comeback/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "morphe", "t": "ulta", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Ulta and direct sales carry Morphe after the 2023 US store closures.", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/morphe-execute-big-comeback/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "morphe", "t": "target", "rel": "retail", "years": "2021 to 2026", "note": "Morphe sells through the Ulta Beauty at Target shop in shop, which ends in August 2026.", "source": "https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250814511000/en", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "madeby_collective", "t": "item_beauty", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2020 to 2023", "note": "Ipsy's incubator develops and supplies Item Beauty until it is disbanded in 2023.", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/beauty-companies-close-in-house-brand-incubators-unilever-ipsy/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ipsy", "t": "madeby_collective", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Ipsy establishes Madeby Collective as its brand incubator in 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "item_beauty", "t": "sephora", "rel": "retail", "years": "2021 to 2023", "note": "Item Beauty enters Sephora in summer 2021 and exits in January 2023.", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/selfless-by-hyram-item-beauty-by-addison-rae-exit-sephora/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tpg_growth", "t": "ipsy", "rel": "equity", "years": "2015 to present", "note": "TPG Growth leads a 100 million dollar round in September 2015 and a 96 million dollar round in February 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy | https://www.retaildive.com/news/ipsy-boxycharm-parent-raises-96m-in-funding/619472/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "loreal", "t": "em_cosmetics", "rel": "equity", "years": "2013 to 2015", "note": "L'Oreal launches and owns EM Cosmetics from August 2013 until it sells the brand to Ipsy in October 2015; Phan buys it from Ipsy in September 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://fr.fashionnetwork.com/news/L-oreal-usa-se-separe-de-em-cosmetics-la-marque-de-la-youtubeuse-michelle-phan,582220.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ipsy", "t": "em_cosmetics", "rel": "equity", "years": "2015 to 2017", "note": "Ipsy holds EM Cosmetics from the 2015 L'Oreal exit until it agrees to sell the brand to Phan's Divinium Labs on September 21, 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170921006157/en/ipsy-Launches-Shopper-and-Reaches-Agreement-to-Sell-EM-Cosmetics-to-Michelle-Phan", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "seed_beauty", "t": "kylie_cosmetics", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2015 to 2019", "note": "Seed Beauty manufactures Kylie Cosmetics from the November 2015 Lip Kit launch through the Coty deal.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/kylie-cosmetics/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "seed_beauty", "t": "colourpop", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2014 to present", "note": "Seed Beauty makes ColourPop at Spatz Labs in Oxnard, the family contract manufacturer that now produces only for Seed's brands.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColourPop_Cosmetics | https://www.glossy.co/podcasts/colourpops-vivian-weng-talks-omnichannel-evolution-plus-walmart-tests-beauty-bars-and-clinical-testing-gains-steam/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "coty", "t": "kylie_cosmetics", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019", "note": "Coty buys 51 percent of Kylie Cosmetics for 600 million dollars in November 2019.", "source": "https://labusinessjournal.com/retail/kylie-jenner-sells-majority-share-cosmetics-line/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "kylie_cosmetics", "t": "ulta", "rel": "retail", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Kylie Cosmetics launches in over 1,100 Ulta stores in November 2018.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/kylie-cosmetics/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "colourpop", "t": "sephora", "rel": "retail", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "Sephora announces ColourPop in August 2017 and stocks it from November 2017, the brand's first retail partner after three years online only.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColourPop_Cosmetics | https://www.racked.com/2017/8/7/16107270/colourpop-cosmetics-sephora-where-to-buy", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "colourpop", "t": "ulta", "rel": "retail", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "ColourPop enters Ulta in 2018 according to brand president Vivian Weng.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColourPop_Cosmetics | https://www.glossy.co/podcasts/colourpops-vivian-weng-talks-omnichannel-evolution-plus-walmart-tests-beauty-bars-and-clinical-testing-gains-steam/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "colourpop", "t": "target", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "ColourPop enters every Target store in 2023 through the Ulta Beauty at Target shops; Target lists the brand online in 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColourPop_Cosmetics | https://www.glossy.co/podcasts/colourpops-vivian-weng-talks-omnichannel-evolution-plus-walmart-tests-beauty-bars-and-clinical-testing-gains-steam/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "colourpop", "t": "zoella", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019", "note": "ColourPop releases a Zoella collaboration in February 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoella", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "kylie_cosmetics", "t": "prime_hydration", "rel": "influence", "years": "2022", "note": "The Kylie Lip Kit chain of a fast manufacturer plus a social sellout is the template creator beverage and beauty brands cite; included as the map's model case.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/kylie-cosmetics/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "minhas_brewery", "t": "happy_dad", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin cans the first Happy Dad runs in April 2021.", "source": "https://www.brewbound.com/news/last-call-nelk-boys-producing-hard-seltzer-at-minhas-constellation-invests-in-breaking-bad-stars-mezcal-brand/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "happy_dad", "t": "joe_rogan", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "Happy Dad becomes the first hard seltzer sponsor of The Joe Rogan Experience in September 2025.", "source": "https://grokipedia.com/page/happy-dad-hard-seltzer", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "full_send", "t": "happy_dad", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "The Full Send merchandise business and audience produce Happy Dad.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelk", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "sidemen", "t": "sidemen_clothing", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2014 to present", "note": "Sidemen Clothing opens a 6,000 square foot Bluewater store on July 15, 2023 and a Bullring, Birmingham store in late 2024 that closes in January 2026 after just over a year.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/youtubers-sidemens-clothing-store-closes-33274354", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "reef_kitchens", "t": "sides", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Reef Technology's delivery only kitchens cook Sides from its November 2021 launch across London and the UAE, reaching over 80 UK sites by September 2022; the end of the Reef arrangement as Sides moves to restaurants is not confirmed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen | https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2021/11/25/YouTube-s-the-Sidemen-launch-another-virtual-fried-chicken-brand/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "xix_vodka", "t": "tesco", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "XIX holds a national Tesco listing; the start year is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2025/08/15/vodka-xix-carve-brand-sidemen/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mornflake", "t": "best_cereal", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Mornflake manufactures Best in Crewe.", "source": "https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/how-to-buy-sidemen-best-cereal-2568567/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "best_cereal", "t": "tesco", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Best launches exclusively at Tesco at 2 pounds a box.", "source": "https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/how-to-buy-sidemen-best-cereal-2568567/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast_burger", "t": "sides", "rel": "influence", "years": "2021", "note": "Sides copies the virtual kitchen model of MrBeast Burger a year later through Reef rather than VDC.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "creator_warehouse", "t": "ltt_store", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Creator Warehouse engineers and sources the screwdriver, backpack and merchandise sold at LTTStore.", "source": "https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-story-behind-the-ltt-screwdriver_122781/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "marques_brownlee", "t": "ridge", "rel": "equity", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Brownlee joins Ridge on February 22, 2024 as board member, equity investor and chief creative partner.", "source": "https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240222018547/en/Marques-Brownlee-Joins-Ridge-as-Executive-Board-Member-Equity-Investor-and-Chief-Creative-Partner", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "snapchat", "t": "yes_theory", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2015 to 2016", "note": "Snapchat's Vertical Networks pays Yes Theory to relocate to Venice, California and make videos in late 2015.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Theory", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "inkey_list", "t": "selfless_by_hyram", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "The Inkey List develops and produces Selfless by Hyram as a joint venture from June 2021 until Yarbro takes full ownership in March 2024.", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/selfless-by-hyram-item-beauty-by-addison-rae-exit-sephora/ | https://beautymatter.com/articles/hyram-yarbro-buys-brand-from-the-inkey-list", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "selfless_by_hyram", "t": "sephora", "rel": "retail", "years": "2021 to 2023", "note": "Sephora exclusive in nearly 700 stores from June 2021 until the January 2023 exit.", "source": "https://www.beautyindependent.com/selfless-by-hyram-item-beauty-by-addison-rae-exit-sephora/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "cerave", "t": "hyram_yarbro", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2020", "note": "Yarbro's unpaid spring 2020 recommendations drive CeraVe sellouts and land him two paid CeraVe campaigns over summer 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyram_Yarbro | https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/cerave-clean-skin-care-drug-store-cleanswer-tiktok-skincare-by-hyram-gen-z/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "maybelline", "t": "manny_mua", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2017", "note": "Maybelline unveils its Big Shot mascara campaign on January 3, 2017 with Manny Gutierrez as its first male ambassador.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_MUA | https://fashionista.com/2017/01/manny-gutierrez-maybelline-male-ambassador", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "one_size", "t": "sephora", "rel": "retail", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "One/Size launches as a Sephora exclusive online on July 17, 2020 and in 523 stores on July 30, 2020, and remains Sephora exclusive in the United States in 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Starrr | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250825044307/en/ONESIZE-by-Patrick-Starrr-Tops-U.S.-Makeup-Rankings-with-On-Til-Dawn-Setting-Spray-According-to-YipitData", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "maverick_apparel", "t": "prime_hydration", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2022", "note": "The merchandise business and audience built under Maverick lead to Prime; a narrative link rather than a corporate one.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "w_by_jake_paul", "t": "walmart", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "W, co founded by Jake Paul and Geoffrey Woo with chief executive Woodie Hillyard, launches June 12, 2024 exclusively at Walmart and Walmart.com priced under 10 dollars an item after rolling onto shelves from early June.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-w-raises-14-million-in-seed-and-series-a-funding-led-by-shrug-capital-and-anti-fund-to-reinvigorate-mens-personal-care-aisle-302203008.html | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-next-pursuit-w-a-mens-personal-care-brand-designed-to-motivate-guys-to-go-for-the-win-302170460.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "anti_fund", "t": "w_by_jake_paul", "rel": "equity", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Anti Fund co leads W's 14 million dollar seed and Series A with Shrug Capital, announced July 23, 2024, and incubates the brand.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jake-pauls-w-raises-14-million-in-seed-and-series-a-funding-led-by-shrug-capital-and-anti-fund-to-reinvigorate-mens-personal-care-aisle-302203008.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jake_paul", "t": "anti_fund", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Paul co founds Anti Fund with Geoffrey Woo in 2021; the firm closes a 100 million dollar growth fund on June 18, 2026 for more than 180 million dollars under management.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260618551048/en/Anti-Fund-Closes-Oversubscribed-$100-Million-Growth-Fund-Firm-AUM-Tops-$180-Million", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "logan_paul", "t": "anti_fund", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "Logan Paul joins Anti Fund as general partner on December 3, 2025 as the firm closes a 30 million dollar fund.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Paul | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251203220990/en/Anti-Fund-Closes-Oversubscribed-$30-Million-Fund-Logan-Paul-joins-as-General-Partner-Firm-AUM-Tops-$65-Million", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dixie_damelio", "t": "damelio_brands", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Dixie D'Amelio co owns D'Amelio Brands, launched in September 2022 with a reported $6 million raise.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/06/the-damelios-tiktoks-first-family-launch-new-creator-economy-venture-.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "damelio_brands", "t": "damelio_footwear", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "D'Amelio Brands launches D'Amelio Footwear in May 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "damelio_brands", "t": "be_happy_snacks", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "D'Amelio Brands launches Be Happy Snacks in October 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "be_happy_snacks", "t": "walmart", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "D'Amelio Foods launches Be Happy Snacks popcorn on October 26, 2023 exclusively at Walmart stores and Walmart.com at 3.98 dollars, with Albertsons banners added in June 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://www.walmart.com/cp/be-happy-snacks/4480897 | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/damelio-foods-introduces-be-happy-snacks-popcorn-301968173.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hollister", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announces Social Tourist on May 6, 2021 under an exclusive multi year agreement with the sisters, launching in Hollister stores and online on May 20, 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://abercrombieandfitchcompany.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/charli-and-dixie-damelio-and-hollister-co-launch-new-fashion/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hollister", "t": "dixie_damelio", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Dixie co creates Social Tourist, launched by Hollister on May 20, 2021 under a multi year agreement.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://abercrombieandfitchcompany.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/charli-and-dixie-damelio-and-hollister-co-launch-new-fashion/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "invisalign", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Charli starts documenting Invisalign treatment in August 2020 and Align Technology releases its first limited edition product, the Charli D'Amelio x Invisalign aligner case, in June 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio | https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ALIGN-TECHNOLOGY-INC-8316/news/Align-Technology-Introduces-the-Limited-Edition-Charli-D-Amelio-x-Invisalign-Aligner-Case-35668413/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "bethany_mota", "t": "aeropostale_bethany_mota", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "Aeropostale launches Mota's exclusive collection in its stores and online on December 8, 2013 at $5 to $78, with drops planned through 2014.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Mota | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aeropostale-launches-exclusive-collection-with-bethany-mota-234774721.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hundred_thieves", "t": "higround", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021", "note": "100 Thieves announces the Higround acquisition on October 13, 2021 with a capsule drop two days later; terms undisclosed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211013005103/en/100-Thieves-Makes-First-Acquisition-in-its-History-with-Higround-A-Gaming-Peripherals-Company", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hundred_thieves", "t": "juvee", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "Juvee becomes a separate company in November 2023 as 100 Thieves cuts 20 percent of staff.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "unilever", "t": "dr_squatch", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "Unilever announces on June 23, 2025 that it will buy Dr. Squatch from Summit Partners for undisclosed terms, reported by the Financial Times at 1.5 billion dollars, and completes the deal on November 16, 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Squatch | https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2025/unilever-to-acquire-mens-personal-care-brand-dr-squatch/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "epic_games", "t": "ninja", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2020", "note": "Epic announces the Icon Series on January 15, 2020 with Ninja as the first creator and the skin reaches the item shop on January 16, 2020 for 1,500 V-Bucks.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://www.fortnite.com/news/icon-series", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "adidas", "t": "ninja", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019 to 2021", "note": "Adidas announces the Ninja partnership in August 2019 and releases the Time In Nite Jogger on December 18, 2019; the end year is not confirmed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer) | https://news.adidas.com/originals/adidas-and-ninja-launch-collaborative--time-in--nite-jogger/s/eb7f2e86-0fab-4066-8b8e-3aed9549b3e9", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "g_fuel", "t": "ninja", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "G Fuel sponsors Ninja with a signature flavor; years approximate.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Fuel", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "g_fuel", "t": "pewdiepie", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "PewDiePie becomes a G Fuel ambassador in January 2019 with a lingonberry flavor and fronts the Formula 2.0 relaunch in September 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie | https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/pew-die-pie-announces-partnership-with-one-of-gamings-biggest-brands-282025/ | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/09/04/g-fuel-pewdiepie-new-formula-less-chalk/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "g_fuel", "t": "faze_clan", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2012 to present", "note": "G Fuel sponsors FaZe Clan with team flavors from its early years; years approximate.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Fuel", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "honey", "t": "pewdiepie", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019", "note": "PewDiePie's Honey sponsorship funds a 50,000 dollar donation in September 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie | https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/11/21/honey-shane-dawson-mrbeast-4-billion/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hugo_boss", "t": "khaby_lame", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Hugo Boss features Khaby Lame in its January 2022 BeYourOwnBOSS rebrand campaign under a multi year deal and later releases a BOSS x Khaby capsule; Rich Sparkle Holdings agrees in January 2026 to buy his company Step Distinctive for 975 million dollars in stock, per an SEC filing.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaby_Lame | https://group.hugoboss.com/en/newsroom/news/news-detail/record-breaking-campaign-launch-for-boss-and-hugo", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chipotle", "t": "david_dobrik", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019", "note": "Chipotle's National Burrito Day campaign letting fans order the Dobrik Burrito in its app wins Brand Engagement at the Streamys Brand Awards on September 11, 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dobrik | https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/9th-annual-nominees/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "epic_games", "t": "killer_merch", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Killer Merch produces Fortnite merchandise; year not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Merch", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ulta", "t": "target", "rel": "event", "years": "2021 to 2026", "note": "The Ulta Beauty at Target shop in shop runs from 2021 until August 2026.", "source": "https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250814511000/en", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "seven_eleven", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Prime reaches convenience chains including 7-Eleven during its 2022 US rollout; not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "happy_dad", "t": "seven_eleven", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Happy Dad reports Nielsen data placing it fourth in United States convenience store hard seltzer for the 13 weeks to September 6, 2025; the release does not name 7-Eleven and the placement rests on third party delivery listings.", "source": "https://grokipedia.com/page/happy-dad-hard-seltzer | https://happydad.com/blogs/news/happy-dad-now-ranked-4-in-u-s-convenience-stores", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chamberlain_coffee", "t": "amazon", "rel": "retail", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Chamberlain Coffee sells on Amazon; not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Chamberlain", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "feastables", "t": "amazon", "rel": "retail", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Feastables sells on Amazon alongside its own site; not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "feastables", "t": "kroger", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Feastables reaches grocery chains including Kroger after the 2024 relaunch; not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feastables", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "happy_dad", "t": "walmart", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Walmart.com lists Happy Dad hard seltzer packs, and the brand cites Nielsen four week data to February 7, 2026 showing 436,384 dollars of Walmart sales, up 15 percent on the year.", "source": "https://grokipedia.com/page/happy-dad-hard-seltzer | https://happydad.com/blogs/news/happy-dad-leads-growth-in-hard-seltzer-at-walmart-during-dry-january", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "lunar_beauty", "t": "ulta", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023", "note": "Ulta carries Lunar Beauty online in 2026 with about 20 products; the start year of the placement is not confirmed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_MUA | https://www.ulta.com/brand/lunar-beauty", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "jeffree_star_cosmetics", "t": "ulta", "rel": "retail", "years": "2025", "note": "A reported 2025 Ulta placement for Jeffree Star Cosmetics is unconfirmed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffree_Star", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "item_beauty", "t": "ipsy", "rel": "retail", "years": "2020 to 2023", "note": "Item Beauty samples through Ipsy bags, the incubator's built in distribution.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipsy", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prime_hydration", "t": "walgreens", "rel": "retail", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Walgreens.com carries Prime Hydration bottles in at least five flavours as live product listings; the start date is not announced.", "source": "https://femfounded.org/case-studies/prime/ | https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/prime-hydration-drink-ice-pop/ID=300438350-product", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "g_fuel", "t": "gamestop", "rel": "retail", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "G Fuel's 2026 store locator does not list GameStop among its retailers; the placement is unconfirmed in any retrieved source.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Fuel | https://gfuel.com/pages/store-locator", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "higround", "t": "best_buy", "rel": "retail", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Best Buy lists 31 Higround products including 100 Thieves Team Issue keyboards as live listings; the start date of the placement is not announced.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves | https://www.bestbuy.com/site/brands/higround/pcmcat1720542519548.c?id=pcmcat1720542519548 | https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=higround", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "beast_industries", "t": "mrbeast_burger", "rel": "equity", "years": "2020 to 2024", "note": "The MrBeast Burger licensing deal sits inside the holding company and remains in litigation with VDC into 2025.", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/could-mrbeast-ipo-his-ceo-wants-fans-to-have-a-chance-to-be-owners-of-the-company/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "congo_brands", "t": "lunchly", "rel": "manufacturing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Congo Brands is reported to handle Lunchly's beverage component and logistics; the co packer for the kits is unconfirmed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunchly", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sidemen", "t": "sides", "rel": "event", "years": "2022", "note": "Sides opens its first counter at Boxpark Wembley in February 2022 with three hour queues.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "chamberlain_coffee", "t": "emma_chamberlain", "rel": "event", "years": "2025", "note": "The first Chamberlain Coffee cafe opens at Westfield Century City on January 28, 2025.", "source": "https://theankler.com/exclusive-inside-emma-chamberlain-coffee-struggles-fundraise/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "mrbeast", "rel": "payout", "years": "2012 to present", "note": "MrBeast's channel is monetised through the YouTube Partner Program and he is Forbes' highest paid creator, with YouTube ad revenue the base under Feastables and his other businesses.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "pewdiepie", "rel": "payout", "years": "2010 to present", "note": "PewDiePie's channel earns through the YouTube Partner Program and he is Forbes' highest paid YouTuber in 2015 and 2016.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "smosh", "rel": "payout", "years": "2007 to present", "note": "Smosh is among the earliest channels admitted to the YouTube Partner Program in 2007 and is the most subscribed channel in 2013.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "rhett_and_link", "rel": "payout", "years": "2008 to present", "note": "Rhett and Link's Good Mythical Morning is monetised through the YouTube Partner Program and underpins Mythical Entertainment.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhett_%26_Link", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "marques_brownlee", "rel": "payout", "years": "2009 to present", "note": "Marques Brownlee's MKBHD channel earns YouTube Partner Program ad revenue from 2009.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marques_Brownlee", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "casey_neistat", "rel": "payout", "years": "2010 to present", "note": "Casey Neistat's channel is monetised through the YouTube Partner Program, the income he leaves for Beme and CNN in 2016.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Neistat", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "ludwig", "rel": "payout", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Ludwig Ahgren leaves Twitch for a YouTube exclusive streaming deal in November 2021 for an undisclosed sum.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "sidemen", "rel": "payout", "years": "2013 to present", "note": "The Sidemen's channels are monetised through the YouTube Partner Program, the base for their Sides restaurants and XIX Vodka.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidemen", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "dude_perfect", "rel": "payout", "years": "2009 to present", "note": "Dude Perfect's channel earns YouTube Partner Program revenue from 2009 and reaches 60 million subscribers.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude_Perfect", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "ninja", "rel": "payout", "years": "2011 to 2019, 2020 to present", "note": "Ninja streams on Twitch from 2011 as a partner, reaches 3 million followers by March 2018 on Fortnite, and returns in September 2020 on a multiyear exclusive deal after Mixer closes.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mixer", "t": "ninja", "rel": "payout", "years": "2019 to 2020", "note": "Ninja leaves Twitch for Mixer exclusivity on 1 August 2019 on a contract reported at 20 to 30 million dollars and is released when Mixer closes in July 2020.", "source": "https://deadline.com/2020/06/microsoft-pulls-plug-on-mixer-teams-with-facebook-gaming-ninja-return-to-twitch-1202966785/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "kick", "t": "xqc", "rel": "payout", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Kick signs xQc in June 2023 to a two year deal reported at 70 million dollars with incentives up to 100 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_(service) | https://www.pcgamer.com/xqc-scores-unbelievable-dollar100-million-deal-to-start-streaming-on-kick/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "xqc", "rel": "payout", "years": "2016 to 2023", "note": "xQc is Twitch's most watched partner before his June 2023 Kick deal, after which he streams on both.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_(service)", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "ludwig", "rel": "payout", "years": "2018 to 2021", "note": "Ludwig Ahgren becomes a Twitch partner and sets the platform's subscriber record with a 31 day subathon in April 2021 before leaving for YouTube.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Ahgren", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "markiplier", "rel": "payout", "years": "2012 to present", "note": "Markiplier's channel earns YouTube Partner Program revenue from 2012 and he is among Forbes' highest paid YouTubers in 2017 and 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markiplier", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "bella_poarch", "rel": "payout", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Bella Poarch's August 2020 lip sync clip becomes the most liked TikTok video and she earns through the platform's creator programmes and a Warner Records deal.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_Poarch", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "pokimane", "rel": "payout", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "Pokimane is a Twitch partner and one of its most followed women streamers, earning subscription and ad revenue through the Partner Program.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokimane", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "kai_cenat", "rel": "payout", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Kai Cenat becomes Twitch's most subscribed streamer through subathons in 2023 and 2024, paid through the Partner Program.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Cenat", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "payout", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Charli D'Amelio is Forbes' highest earning TikTok personality in 2019 and 2022; the platform's Creator Fund from July 2020 is a minor part against brand deals.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "addison_rae", "rel": "payout", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Addison Rae is Forbes' highest earning TikTok creator in 2020 at a reported 5 million dollars, with Creator Fund payouts a small share.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison_Rae", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "khaby_lame", "rel": "payout", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Khaby Lame becomes TikTok's most followed creator in 2022 and earns through its creator programmes and brand deals.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaby_Lame", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "triller", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "payout", "years": "2020", "note": "Charli D'Amelio joins Triller in September 2020 during the first threatened US TikTok ban; deal terms are undisclosed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charli_D%27Amelio", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "substack", "t": "heather_cox_richardson", "rel": "payout", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Letters from an American is Substack's most successful individual paid publication by December 2020, with revenue reported above 1 million dollars a year, and reaches 2.5 million subscribers in July 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Cox_Richardson | https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299128/heather-cox-richardson/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "substack", "t": "matt_yglesias", "rel": "payout", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Slow Boring launches on Substack in November 2020 and by October 2024 is reported to earn more than 1 million dollars a year, with Substack keeping 10 percent.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Yglesias | https://www.businessinsider.com/matt-yglesias-substack-million-dollars-interview-2024-10", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vessel", "t": "shane_dawson", "rel": "payout", "years": "2015 to 2016", "note": "Shane Dawson posts early access videos on Vessel for a subscription share plus ads until the service closes in October 2016.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vessel_(website)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vessel", "t": "rhett_and_link", "rel": "payout", "years": "2015 to 2016", "note": "Good Mythical Morning runs on Vessel's 72 hour early access window until Verizon closes the service.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vessel_(website)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vessel", "t": "linus_sebastian", "rel": "payout", "years": "2015 to 2016", "note": "Linus Tech Tips is a launch creator on Vessel, paid a subscription share until the October 2016 shutdown.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vessel_(website)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jake_paul", "t": "fanjoy", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2017 to 2020", "note": "Fanjoy produces and sells Jake Paul's merch line under licence during his Team 10 peak.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/08/16/merch-creator-economy-company-fanjoy-bankrupt-elyse-myers-george-not-found/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "addison_rae", "t": "fanjoy", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2020", "note": "Fanjoy runs Addison Rae's merch store, one of its high profile creator licences before the 2023 bankruptcy.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/08/16/merch-creator-economy-company-fanjoy-bankrupt-elyse-myers-george-not-found/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "david_dobrik", "t": "fanjoy", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2018 to 2021", "note": "Fanjoy produces David Dobrik's Clickbait merch under licence.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dobrik", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "amazon", "t": "twitch", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2014", "note": "Amazon announces on August 25, 2014 that it will buy all Twitch shares for about 970 million dollars in cash, closing in the second half of 2014.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_(service) | https://press.aboutamazon.com/2014/8/amazon-com-to-acquire-twitch", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "bytedance", "t": "musical_ly", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2017", "note": "ByteDance buys musical.ly in November 2017 for a reported price of up to 1 billion dollars and merges it into TikTok on August 2, 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.ly | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/musically-shutdown-tiktok-bytedance-1202893205/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "x_twitter", "t": "vine", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2012", "note": "Twitter buys Vine for a reported 30 million dollars in October 2012 and shuts the app in January 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_(service) | https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/twitter-just-shut-down-vine-4-years-after-buying-it-30-million-174301/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "logitech", "t": "streamlabs", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019", "note": "Logitech announces on September 26, 2019 that it will buy San Francisco based Streamlabs for about 89 million dollars in cash plus up to 29 million dollars in Logitech stock tied to revenue growth targets.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamlabs | https://www.techcrunch.com/2019/09/27/logitech-acquires-popular-game-streaming-tool-streamlabs-for-around-89m | https://news.logitech.com/press-releases/news-details/2019/Logitech-Agrees-To-Acquire-Streamlabs-Adding-Streaming-Tools-to-its-Gaming-Offering/default.aspx", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "customink", "t": "represent", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "Custom Ink of Fairfax, Virginia announces on February 4, 2016 that it is acquiring the Los Angeles celebrity merch platform Represent; Cameo buys Represent in October 2021 with Custom Ink staying on for production and fulfilment.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_Ink | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CustomInk | https://www.customink.com/documents/press/customink-represent.pdf", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "cameo", "t": "represent", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021", "note": "Cameo acquires Represent from Custom Ink in 2021 for undisclosed terms to bundle merch with video shout outs.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/cameo-represent-acquisition-celebrity-merchandise-1235095819/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CustomInk", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "spotify", "t": "spotify_for_creators", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019", "note": "Spotify buys Anchor in February 2019 alongside Gimlet for a combined 337 million dollars and turns it into Spotify for Creators.", "source": "https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/spotify-acquire-paid-gimlet-anchor-340-million-1203140881/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "google", "t": "youtube", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2006", "note": "Google agrees to buy YouTube for 1.65 billion dollars in stock on October 9, 2006 and closes the purchase on November 13, 2006, both announced in press releases filed with the SEC.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312506238320/dex991.htm", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "facebook", "t": "instagram", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2012", "note": "Facebook announces on April 9, 2012 that it will buy Instagram for approximately 1 billion dollars in cash and Facebook shares, closing in September 2012.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram | https://about.fb.com/news/2012/04/facebook-to-acquire-instagram/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "microsoft", "t": "mixer", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "Microsoft announces the Beam purchase on August 11, 2016 for an undisclosed sum, runs it as Mixer from May 2017, announces the closure on June 22, 2020 and shuts the service on July 22, 2020, moving users to Facebook Gaming.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service) | https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2016/08/11/microsoft-acquires-beam/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "microsoft", "t": "linkedin", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "Microsoft acquires LinkedIn for 26.2 billion dollars, closing on December 8, 2016.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn | https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/08/microsoft-officially-closes-its-26-2b-acquisition-of-linkedin/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "verizon", "t": "vessel", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "Verizon acquires Vessel on 26 October 2016 and shuts the service on 31 October 2016.", "source": "https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/verizon-acquires-vessel-shut-down-1201901681/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "amaze", "t": "spring", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2022", "note": "Amaze Software acquires Spring and its 5.5 million creator stores on 8 November 2022 for undisclosed terms.", "source": "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fast-growing-amaze-acquires-spring-in-landmark-deal-to-accelerate-creator-commerce-301672108.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "razer", "t": "streamelements", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2026", "note": "Razer acquires StreamElements' assets from Live Momentum on 31 July 2026 for undisclosed terms after the platform warns of shutdown.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/07/31/gamer-lifestyle-brand-razer-acquires-streamer-platform-streamelements/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hotmart", "t": "teachable", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2020", "note": "Hotmart acquires Teachable on 16 March 2020 for a reported price of about 250 million dollars.", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/edtech-notches-a-win-as-teachable-is-acquired-by-hotmart/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tether", "t": "whop", "rel": "equity", "years": "2026", "note": "Tether invests 200 million dollars in Whop in February 2026 at a 1.6 billion dollar valuation.", "source": "https://fortune.com/2026/06/14/gen-z-founder-steven-schwartz-whop-platform-minted-650-millionaires-wants-work-be-fun-money-worries-obsolete/ | https://wearerockwater.com/tether-invests-in-whop/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tether", "t": "rumble", "rel": "equity", "years": "2024", "note": "Rumble announces a 775 million dollar strategic investment from Tether on December 20, 2024, disclosed in an SEC 8-K exhibit; the deal closes on February 7, 2025 with 250 million dollars of primary proceeds and a 525 million dollar self tender.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(company) | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1830081/000121390024111292/ea022562201ex99-1_rumble.htm", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "a16z", "t": "substack", "rel": "equity", "years": "2019 to 2025", "note": "Andreessen Horowitz leads Substack's 15.3 million dollar Series A on July 16, 2019 and its 2021 Series B at a 650 million dollar valuation, and joins the 100 million dollar round at 1.1 billion dollars reported July 17, 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substack | https://www.axios.com/2025/07/17/substack-newsletter-funding-creator-economy | https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/07/email-newsletter-platform-substack-nabs-15-3-million-in-funding/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "a16z", "t": "clubhouse", "rel": "equity", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Andreessen Horowitz leads Clubhouse's 12 million dollar Series A in May 2020 at a 100 million dollar valuation and its Series B announced January 24, 2021 at about 1 billion dollars; the April 2021 Series C at about 4 billion dollars is led by Tiger Global and DST with a16z participating.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clubhouse_(app) | https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-clubhouse/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "a16z", "t": "stir", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "Andreessen Horowitz leads Stir's Series A in February 2021 at a 100 million dollar valuation.", "source": "https://www.theinformation.com/articles/andreessen-horowitz-wins-deal-for-creator-economy-startup-stir-at-100-million-valuation", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "a16z", "t": "spring", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014", "note": "Andreessen Horowitz leads Teespring's 20 million dollar Series A in January 2014.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teespring", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "chernin_group", "t": "substack", "rel": "equity", "years": "2018 to 2025", "note": "The Chernin Group joins Substack's 2 million dollar seed in May 2018 and the 100 million dollar round at a 1.1 billion dollar valuation reported July 17, 2025 alongside Andreessen Horowitz and BOND.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substack | https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/substack-raises-100-million-chernin-group-skims-investors-1236463721 | https://www.axios.com/substack-raises-2-million-newsletters-media-636cbbe5-7cf3-4a0d-884a-9c5aa959b323.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "slow_ventures", "t": "creative_juice", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "Slow Ventures participates in Creative Juice's 5 million dollar seed round announced in March 2021.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/24/creative-juice-funds-mrbeast-youtuber-investment/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "creative_juice", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "MrBeast invests in Creative Juice and commits up to 2 million dollars through Juice Funds to other YouTube creators in 25,000 to 250,000 dollar cheques.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/03/24/creative-juice-funds-mrbeast-youtuber-investment/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "casey_neistat", "t": "stir", "rel": "equity", "years": "2020", "note": "Casey Neistat invests in Stir's 4 million dollar seed round in October 2020.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/10/20/stir-raises-4-million-casey-neistat-chad-hurley-others/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "mythical", "t": "stir", "rel": "equity", "years": "2020", "note": "Mythical invests in Stir's October 2020 seed round and uses the product to split revenue.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/10/20/stir-raises-4-million-casey-neistat-chad-hurley-others/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "softbank", "t": "ltk", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "SoftBank Vision Fund 2 invests 300 million dollars in LTK in 2021 at a 2 billion dollar valuation.", "source": "https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/13/how-amber-venz-box-turned-fashion-blog-into-billion-dollar-company-ltk.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "softbank", "t": "streamelements", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "SoftBank Vision Fund 2 leads StreamElements' 100 million dollar Series B in September 2021.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/09/22/streamelements-softbank-investment-100-million/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "softbank", "t": "cameo", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "SoftBank Vision Fund joins Cameo's 100 million dollar Series C in March 2021 at a 1 billion dollar valuation and marks the stake down to about 100 million dollars in 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_(website)", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "vine", "t": "byte", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018 to 2020", "note": "Vine co founder Dom Hofmann builds Byte as a successor, launching it in January 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huddles_(app)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "musical_ly", "t": "tiktok", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018", "note": "musical.ly merges into TikTok on 2 August 2018, carrying its US teen user base and Alex Zhu into the new app.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.ly", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "bytedance", "t": "tiktok", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "ByteDance launches TikTok internationally in September 2017 as the overseas version of Douyin.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "vine", "t": "logan_paul", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "Logan Paul builds his first audience on Vine and is among the top creators at the late 2015 meeting that asks Vine for 1.2 million dollars each.", "source": "https://www.mic.com/articles/157977/inside-the-secret-meeting-that-changed-the-fate-of-vine-forever", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vine", "t": "jake_paul", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "Jake Paul builds his first 5 million followers on Vine before moving to YouTube and Team 10.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vine", "t": "david_dobrik", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "David Dobrik starts on Vine in 2013 and moves to YouTube vlogs in 2015, forming the Vlog Squad.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dobrik", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vine", "t": "liza_koshy", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "Liza Koshy starts on Vine in 2013 and carries her audience to YouTube before the shutdown.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liza_Koshy", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vine", "t": "zach_king", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2013 to 2016", "note": "Zach King's magic edits find their first mass audience on Vine before TikTok makes him one of its most followed creators.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_King", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "spring", "t": "fourthwall", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Teespring co founder Walker Williams leaves to co found Fourthwall in 2019 as a creator owned storefront.", "source": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/wiwillia/ | https://payhip.com/hub/what-is-fourthwall/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "amazon", "t": "amazon_associates", "rel": "spawned", "years": "1996", "note": "Amazon launches Associates in 1996 as the first large affiliate programme on the web.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "amazon_associates", "t": "amazon_influencer", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "Amazon extends Associates into the Influencer Program in 2017 with storefronts and shoppable video for social creators.", "source": "https://www.advertisepurple.com/amazon-influencer-program-how-it-works-2025/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "amazon", "t": "amazon_live", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Amazon launches Amazon Live in 2019 as a livestream shopping channel paying creators through Influencer Program commissions.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "youtube_partner_program", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2007", "note": "YouTube creates the Partner Program in 2007 to share ad revenue with its most popular uploaders.", "source": "https://ppc.land/youtube-partner-program-explained/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "google", "t": "google_adsense", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2003", "note": "Google launches AdSense in June 2003 after acquiring Applied Semantics, later the payment rail for all YouTube creator earnings.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_AdSense", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "tiktok_shop", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "TikTok launches TikTok Shop in the US in September 2023, growing to 231,000 shops and 184,000 selling creators by July 2025.", "source": "https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/topics/digital-commerce/social-commerce/two-years-in-tiktok-shop-is-a-commercial-powerhouse-a-look-at-the-numbers", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "facebook", "t": "meta_creator_bonuses", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "Meta announces 1 billion dollars of creator bonuses across Facebook and Instagram in July 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "instagram", "t": "meta_creator_bonuses", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021 to 2023", "note": "Instagram runs Reels Play bonuses from 2021 until Meta ends the programme in March 2023, then brings back invitation only bonuses in 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dreamworks", "t": "quibi", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018", "note": "DreamWorks co founder Jeffrey Katzenberg founds Quibi in 2018 and raises 1.75 billion dollars for it.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quibi", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "vine", "t": "tiktok", "rel": "influence", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "TikTok's looping short video feed is widely described by the press as the format Vine created and abandoned, with many Vine stars restarting there.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_(service)", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "kick", "rel": "influence", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Kick launches months after Twitch bans gambling streams and copies its layout while offering a 95/5 split against Twitch's 50/50.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_(service)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "rumble", "rel": "influence", "years": "2013 to present", "note": "Chris Pavlovski founds Rumble in 2013 explicitly as a YouTube alternative that shares revenue with small creators.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "triller", "rel": "influence", "years": "2020 to 2025", "note": "Triller positions itself as the TikTok challenger during the 2020 ban threat and hires former TikTok product head Sean Kim as CEO in November 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triller_(app) | https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/triller-booted-from-nasdaq-after-missing-financial-filing-deadlines/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "instagram", "rel": "influence", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Instagram launches Reels in August 2020 to compete with TikTok, later adding Reels bonuses and three minute clips.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "youtube", "rel": "influence", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "YouTube launches Shorts in 2020, the Shorts Fund in 2021 and Shorts ad revenue sharing in 2023 to compete with TikTok.", "source": "https://www.forbes.com.au/news/innovation/youtube-70-billion-creator-payments/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "snapchat", "rel": "influence", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Snapchat launches Spotlight in November 2020 as a TikTok style feed paying 1 million dollars a day to viral posters.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "clubhouse", "t": "x_twitter", "rel": "influence", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Twitter launches Spaces in late 2020 as a copy of Clubhouse's audio rooms, one of the clones that ends Clubhouse's growth.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clubhouse_(app)", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "linktree", "t": "stan_store", "rel": "influence", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Stan and Beacons extend the link in bio category Linktree created into storefronts, and the press describes them as Linktree successors.", "source": "https://everything-pr.com/stan-store-and-beacons-the-link-in-bio-platforms-that-became-creator-storefronts", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "linktree", "t": "beacons", "rel": "influence", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Beacons launches in 2019 as a monetised alternative to Linktree's link in bio page.", "source": "https://sacra.com/c/beacons/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "google", "t": "machinima", "rel": "equity", "years": "2012", "note": "Google takes a 35 million dollar equity stake in Machinima in May 2012, its first open investment in a content company.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc.", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "warner_bros_discovery", "t": "machinima", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014 to 2015", "note": "Warner Bros. leads an 18 million dollar round in March 2014 and adds 24 million in February 2015.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc.", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "warner_bros_discovery", "t": "machinima", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "Warner Bros. buys Machinima outright in November 2016 after 42 million dollars of investment and closes it on February 1, 2019 with 81 layoffs.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc.", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "machinima", "t": "fullscreen", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Machinima's partner contracts and creator team are transferred to Fullscreen in January 2019 as the network is closed.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/01/16/machinima-creators-joining-fullscreen/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "machinima", "t": "rooster_teeth", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2015", "note": "The Inside Gaming team leaves Machinima in January 2015 and becomes Funhaus inside Rooster Teeth.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "machinima", "t": "stylehaul", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2011", "note": "Allen and Aaron DeBevoise of Machinima co found StyleHaul with Stephanie Horbaczewski in 2011.", "source": "https://startupfundraising.com/library/articles/aaron-debevoise", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "machinima", "t": "spotter", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Machinima and StyleHaul co founder Aaron DeBevoise starts Spotter in 2019 to finance YouTube creators against future ad revenue.", "source": "https://startupfundraising.com/library/articles/aaron-debevoise | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/22/spotter-studio-shutdown-layoffs/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "machinima", "t": "youtube", "rel": "event", "years": "2011", "note": "Machinima passes one billion monthly YouTube views in December 2011 with more than 5,000 partner channels.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima,_Inc.", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "disney", "t": "maker_studios", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2014", "note": "Disney agrees on March 24, 2014 to buy Maker for 500 million dollars with earnouts to 950 million; the final price is reported at 675 million after missed targets.", "source": "https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/press-releases/the-walt-disney-company-to-acquire-maker-studios-the-leading-network-of-online-video-content/ | https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/disney-maker-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "maker_studios", "t": "pewdiepie", "rel": "agency", "years": "2012 to 2017", "note": "PewDiePie is Maker's largest channel through its Polaris sub network until Disney drops him in February 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "maker_studios", "t": "revelmode", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2016", "note": "Maker launches Revelmode with PewDiePie in January 2016 as a creator led sub network.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "revelmode", "t": "jacksepticeye", "rel": "agency", "years": "2016 to 2017", "note": "Jacksepticeye is a founding member of the Revelmode network.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "revelmode", "t": "markiplier", "rel": "agency", "years": "2016 to 2017", "note": "Markiplier is a founding member of the Revelmode network under Maker.", "source": "https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/disney-maker-studios/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "maker_studios", "t": "markiplier", "rel": "agency", "years": "2014 to 2017", "note": "Maker counts Markiplier among its top gaming partners in the Disney years.", "source": "https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/disney-maker-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "maker_studios", "t": "epic_rap_battles", "rel": "agency", "years": "2011 to 2014", "note": "Epic Rap Battles of History is produced and sold through Maker Studios in its early years.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "maker_studios", "t": "rogue_rocket", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Maker co founder Philip DeFranco later founds Rogue Rocket as an independent news company.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_DeFranco", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "maker_studios", "rel": "payout", "years": "2009 to 2017", "note": "Maker's revenue is overwhelmingly YouTube ad share; Digiday reports 300 million of 370 million dollars in 2015 came through YouTube.", "source": "https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/disney-maker-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chernin_group", "t": "fullscreen", "rel": "equity", "years": "2011", "note": "Peter Chernin is an adviser and investor in Fullscreen from its 2011 founding and takes control through Otter Media in September 2014 at a reported valuation of about 300 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullscreen_(company) | https://deadline.com/2014/09/peter-chernin-att-otter-media-buy-fullscreen-838491/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "otter_media", "t": "fullscreen", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2014 to 2018", "note": "Otter Media takes control of Fullscreen in the autumn of 2014 in a deal reported at 200 million to 300 million dollars and completes the buyout in 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullscreen_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/08/06/20-years-of-youtube-2019-matpat-matthew-patrick-defy-media-mcn-collapse/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "fullscreen", "t": "rooster_teeth", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2014", "note": "Fullscreen buys Rooster Teeth in November 2014 for an undisclosed sum.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullscreen_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "fullscreen", "t": "grace_helbig", "rel": "agency", "years": "2014 to 2017", "note": "Grace Helbig signs with Fullscreen in April 2014 and leaves for Studio71 in November 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Helbig", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "fullscreen", "t": "fine_brothers", "rel": "agency", "years": "2013 to 2021", "note": "The Fine Brothers move from Revision3 to Fullscreen in December 2013.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_Brothers", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "fullscreen", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2011", "note": "George Strompolos leaves YouTube's Partner Program team to found Fullscreen in January 2011.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullscreen_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "at_t", "t": "otter_media", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2018", "note": "AT&T buys The Chernin Group's half of Otter Media in August 2018 for a sum believed to be about one billion dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otter_Media | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "chernin_group", "t": "otter_media", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014 to 2018", "note": "The Chernin Group and AT&T form Otter Media in 2014 pledging upwards of 500 million dollars; AT&T buys out Chernin on August 7, 2018 for a reported 1 billion dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otter_Media | https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "warner_bros_discovery", "t": "rooster_teeth", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2022 to 2024", "note": "Rooster Teeth passes to Warner Bros. Discovery in the April 2022 merger, which closes it in March 2024 with about 150 layoffs.", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/rooster-teeth-shutting-down-warner-bros-discovery-1235931953/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "box_canyon_productions", "t": "rooster_teeth", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "Box Canyon Productions buys the Rooster Teeth brand and remaining assets from Warner Bros. Discovery in February 2025.", "source": "https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/rooster-teeth-burnie-burns-acquires-box-canyon-1236298181/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "viz_media", "t": "rooster_teeth", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Viz Media announces on July 5, 2024 that it has acquired the RWBY franchise from Warner Bros. Discovery after Rooster Teeth's closure and will explore new chapters.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth | https://www.viz.com/press-releases/v/1006730", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "rooster_teeth", "t": "night_media", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2024", "note": "The Roost podcast network transfers from Rooster Teeth to Night in April 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "rooster_teeth", "t": "rtx", "rel": "event", "years": "2011 to 2023", "note": "Rooster Teeth hosts its RTX convention in Austin every year from 2011 to 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "rooster_teeth", "t": "kinda_funny", "rel": "agency", "years": "2016", "note": "Kinda Funny joins Rooster Teeth's Let's Play network on March 30, 2016 for merchandise and events.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinda_Funny", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "otter_media", "t": "machinima", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2018 to 2019", "note": "Otter Media takes over Machinima in the 2018 AT&T reorganisation and closes it in January 2019, laying off 81 staff.", "source": "https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/machinima-staff-layoffs-otter-media-1203126271/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "defy_media", "t": "smosh", "rel": "agency", "years": "2011 to 2018", "note": "Alloy Digital, later Defy, owns and produces Smosh from 2011 until Defy's collapse in November 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smosh", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "defy_media", "t": "clevver", "rel": "agency", "years": "2013 to 2018", "note": "Defy owns and operates Clevver's channels until the November 2018 shutdown.", "source": "https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/hearts-buys-clevver-defy-media-shutdown-1203141570/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "defy_media", "t": "matpat", "rel": "agency", "years": "2015 to 2018", "note": "MatPat is a Defy network partner and says the collapse cost him and fellow creators 1.7 million dollars.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/08/06/20-years-of-youtube-2019-matpat-matthew-patrick-defy-media-mcn-collapse/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "defy_media", "rel": "payout", "years": "2013 to 2018", "note": "Defy collects partners' AdSense and keeps ten percent; September and October 2018 payments never reach creators.", "source": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/defy-medias-shutdown-provokes-class-action-lawsuit-complaints-late-creator-payments-1160929", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "smosh", "t": "mythical", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla buy majority control of Smosh back from Mythical in June 2023, with Mythical keeping a minority stake.", "source": "https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "breeze", "t": "smosh", "rel": "equity", "years": "2023", "note": "Breeze provides the financing for the founders' 2023 purchase of Smosh.", "source": "https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/smosh-anthony-padilla-ian-hecox-acquire-rhett-link-1235645648/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hearst", "t": "clevver", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019", "note": "Hearst Magazines buys Clevver's channels in February 2019 after Defy's collapse.", "source": "https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/hearts-buys-clevver-defy-media-shutdown-1203141570/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "defy_media", "t": "mythical", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Defy's liquidation delivers Smosh and its staff to Mythical in February 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythical_Entertainment", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "dreamworks", "t": "awesomenesstv", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2013", "note": "DreamWorks Animation announces the AwesomenessTV purchase on May 1, 2013 for 33 million dollars plus up to 117 million dollars in earnouts, closing that month.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dreamworks-animation-acquires-awesomenesstv-205586911.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hearst", "t": "awesomenesstv", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014", "note": "Hearst buys 25 percent of AwesomenessTV for 81.25 million dollars in December 2014.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "verizon", "t": "awesomenesstv", "rel": "equity", "years": "2016", "note": "Verizon buys 24.5 percent of AwesomenessTV in April 2016 for 159 million dollars at a 650 million dollar valuation with a 180 million dollar go90 content deal.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "paramount", "t": "awesomenesstv", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2018", "note": "Viacom buys AwesomenessTV in July 2018 for about 50 million dollars and Paramount folds it into Paramount Television Studios in October 2025.", "source": "https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/viacom-awesomenesstv-deal-value-dreamworkstv-nbcu-1202889801/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "awesomenesstv", "t": "big_frame", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2014", "note": "AwesomenessTV announces on April 2, 2014 that it will buy Big Frame for 15 million dollars in cash plus assumed debt.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/2014/04/02/awesomenesstv-big-frame-15-million-in-cash/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "awesomenesstv", "t": "paramount", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018", "note": "Founder Brian Robbins goes on to run Nickelodeon and later Paramount Pictures after leaving Awesomeness in 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company)", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "rtl_group", "t": "stylehaul", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2014 to 2019", "note": "RTL Group takes control of StyleHaul in November 2014 for a reported 107 million dollars and winds it down in 2019, closing US operations in March and confirming a full shutdown in May.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/07/12/stylehaul-vp-of-finance-indicted-embezzlement/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StyleHaul | https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/stylehaul-shuts-down-us-operations-layoffs-1203170341/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "stylehaul", "t": "cameron_dallas", "rel": "agency", "years": "2016 to 2019", "note": "Cameron Dallas is among StyleHaul's roster of about 5,000 creators at closure.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/05/29/stylehaul-scraps-shift-total-shutdown/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "rtl_group", "t": "broadbandtv", "rel": "equity", "years": "2013 to 2020", "note": "RTL Group buys 51 percent of BBTV for 36 million US dollars in June 2013 and sells its stake for a reported 120 million dollars at the October 2020 Toronto IPO.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BroadbandTV_Corp | https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/rtl-group-sells-broadbandtv-stake-ipo-1234817663", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "broadbandtv", "rel": "payout", "years": "2007 to present", "note": "BBTV's revenue is a share of YouTube advertising on partner and rights holder channels.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BroadbandTV_Corp", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "prosieben", "t": "collective_digital_studio", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2015", "note": "ProSiebenSat.1 takes 20 percent of Collective Digital Studio in March 2014, then on July 8, 2015 pays a reported 83 million dollars for 75 percent of the company merged with Studio71 at a 240 million dollar valuation.", "source": "https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/04/21/prosiebensat-1-sells-studio71-us-to-fixated/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71 | https://www.tubefilter.com/2015/07/08/pro-sieben-sat-collective-digital-studio/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "collective_digital_studio", "t": "studio71", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "Collective Digital Studio merges into ProSieben's Studio71 in 2017 and takes its name.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "collective_digital_studio", "t": "rhett_and_link", "rel": "agency", "years": "2012 to 2017", "note": "Rhett and Link are represented by Collective Digital Studio in the years before Mythical grows into a studio.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "collective_digital_studio", "t": "lilly_singh", "rel": "agency", "years": "2013 to 2017", "note": "Lilly Singh is a Collective Digital Studio partner in its ProSieben years.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "collective_digital_studio", "t": "epic_rap_battles", "rel": "agency", "years": "2014 to 2017", "note": "Epic Rap Battles of History moves to Collective Digital Studio after Maker.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio71", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "fixated", "t": "studio71", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2026", "note": "Fixated buys Studio71's North American business from ProSiebenSat.1 on April 21, 2026 for an undisclosed sum.", "source": "https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/04/21/prosiebensat-1-sells-studio71-us-to-fixated/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "studio71", "t": "grace_helbig", "rel": "agency", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "Grace Helbig moves from Fullscreen to Studio71 in November 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Helbig", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "trusted_media_brands", "t": "jukin_media", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021", "note": "Trusted Media Brands buys Jukin Media on August 12, 2021 for an undisclosed price.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/08/12/jukin-media-acquired-trusted-media-brands/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukin_Media", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "jukin_media", "t": "youtube", "rel": "event", "years": "2009 to present", "note": "Jukin licenses viral clips from their owners and runs FailArmy and The Pet Collective on YouTube, paying creators more than 30 million dollars by 2021.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/08/12/jukin-media-acquired-trusted-media-brands/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "latido_networks", "t": "mitu", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2020", "note": "Latido Networks buys mitú in February 2020 on undisclosed terms.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/02/21/mitu-acquired-by-latido-networks/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "verizon", "t": "mitu", "rel": "equity", "years": "2016", "note": "Verizon Ventures is among investors in mitú's roughly 52 million dollars of funding.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/02/21/mitu-acquired-by-latido-networks/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "whistle_sports", "t": "dude_perfect", "rel": "agency", "years": "2014 to 2021", "note": "Dude Perfect is an anchor partner of Whistle Sports from its launch.", "source": "https://www.aser.com/news/eleven-sports-acquires-team-whistle", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dazn", "t": "whistle_sports", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021 to 2023", "note": "Eleven Sports buys Team Whistle in March 2021 and DAZN completes its takeover of both in February 2023.", "source": "https://www.aser.com/news/eleven-sports-acquires-team-whistle | https://deadline.com/2023/02/sports-streamer-dazn-eleven-group-takeover-team-whistle-1235260324/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "google", "t": "kin_community", "rel": "equity", "years": "2011", "note": "YouTube funds Kin Community's launch in October 2011 under its original channels initiative and declines follow on funding.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_Community", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "kartoon_studios", "t": "frederator", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2022", "note": "Genius Brands, now Kartoon Studios, announces the purchase of Wow Unlimited Media and Frederator on October 27, 2021 for a reported 53 million dollars and closes it on April 7, 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederator_Networks | https://ir.kartoonstudios.com/press-releases/detail/1159/genius-brands-completes-acquisition-of-wow-unlimited-media | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/4/7/2418560/0/en/Genius-Brands-Completes-Acquisition-of-WOW-Unlimited-Media-Inc-Creating-Global-Animation-and-Streaming-Powerhouse.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "blue_ant_media", "t": "omnia_media", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2014 to 2020", "note": "Blue Ant Media invests in Omnia in April 2014, renames its production arm Blue Ant Digital Studios in February 2018 and sells Omnia to Enthusiast Gaming in August 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnia_Media | https://blueantmedia.com/2018/02/blue-ant-media-rebrands-omnia-medias-production-arm-to-blue-ant-digital-studios/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jellysmack", "t": "mrbeast", "rel": "agency", "years": "2021", "note": "Jellysmack signs MrBeast in 2021 to re edit and distribute his catalogue on Facebook and Snapchat under a revenue split.", "source": "https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41443429/softbank-backed-jellysmack-restructures-lays-off-employees-and-scales-back-creator-program-on-me", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "softbank", "t": "jellysmack", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "SoftBank leads Jellysmack's 2021 round at a reported valuation above one billion dollars.", "source": "https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41443429/softbank-backed-jellysmack-restructures-lays-off-employees-and-scales-back-creator-program-on-me", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "softbank", "t": "spotter", "rel": "equity", "years": "2022", "note": "SoftBank leads Spotter's 200 million dollar Series D in February 2022 at a 1.7 billion dollar valuation.", "source": "https://startupfundraising.com/library/articles/aaron-debevoise | https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/22/spotter-studio-shutdown-layoffs/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "spotter", "t": "mrbeast", "rel": "agency", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Spotter licenses MrBeast's back catalogue for cash up front; the partnership is widely reported but the amount is undisclosed.", "source": "https://realscreen.com/2026/03/25/spotters-aaron-debevoise-on-the-present-and-future-of-creator-tv/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "spotter", "t": "dude_perfect", "rel": "agency", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Dude Perfect is among Spotter's named catalogue partners.", "source": "https://realscreen.com/2026/03/25/spotters-aaron-debevoise-on-the-present-and-future-of-creator-tv/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "spotter", "t": "try_guys", "rel": "agency", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "The Try Guys are among Spotter's named partners in 2026.", "source": "https://realscreen.com/2026/03/25/spotters-aaron-debevoise-on-the-present-and-future-of-creator-tv/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "electric_monster", "t": "fine_brothers", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021", "note": "Electric Monster Media buys React Media on November 18, 2021 without the Fine brothers; Brat TV later buys Electric Monster in January 2025 and renames the group ZATV.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/React_Media | https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/11/18/react-media-fine-brothers-acquired-electric-monster-media/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "iac", "t": "collegehumor", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2006", "note": "IAC buys CollegeHumor in 2006 for 26 million dollars.", "source": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91136741/dropout-rebrand-collegehumor-sam-reich", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "collegehumor", "t": "dropout", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018 to 2023", "note": "CollegeHumor launches Dropout in September 2018 and takes the Dropout name in September 2023 after Sam Reich buys the company from IAC.", "source": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91136741/dropout-rebrand-collegehumor-sam-reich", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "iac", "t": "dropout", "rel": "equity", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "IAC keeps a minority stake when it hands CollegeHumor to Sam Reich in January 2020 for no cash.", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/08/iac-sells-collegehumor/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "curiosity_stream", "t": "nebula", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "CuriosityStream buys a minority stake in Nebula in September 2021 at a valuation above 50 million dollars.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/09/21/youtube-creator-owned-nebula-curiosity-stream-investment/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "buzzfeed", "t": "watcher", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej and Steven Lim leave BuzzFeed's video unit to found Watcher in late 2019.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/04/22/watcher-subscription-service/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "watcher", "t": "youtube", "rel": "event", "years": "2024", "note": "Watcher announces on April 19, 2024 that it will leave YouTube for a paywall and reverses three days later after losing more than 50,000 subscribers.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watcher_Entertainment", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "patreon", "t": "kinda_funny", "rel": "payout", "years": "2014 to present", "note": "Kinda Funny's Patreon reaches about 35,000 dollars a month within weeks of launch and remains its base income.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinda_Funny", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "patreon", "t": "rogue_rocket", "rel": "payout", "years": "2017 to present", "note": "DeFranco Elite on Patreon earns about 50,000 dollars a month by 2019 and funds Rogue Rocket.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_DeFranco", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "group_nine", "t": "rogue_rocket", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017 to 2019", "note": "Philip DeFranco leaves Group Nine in May 2017 and founds Rogue Rocket in 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_DeFranco", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "corridor_digital", "rel": "payout", "years": "2010 to present", "note": "Corridor's two channels earn YouTube ad share on more than 4.7 billion combined views.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corridor_Digital", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "the_young_turks", "rel": "payout", "years": "2006 to present", "note": "YouTube ads supply a reported two thirds of TYT's roughly 3 million dollars of 2013 revenue, and TYT channels draw 200 million monthly views in 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Turks | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/08/08/the-young-turks-20-million-funding-jeffrey-katzenberg-wndrco/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "barstool_sports", "t": "call_her_daddy", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018 to 2021", "note": "Barstool signs Call Her Daddy in 2018 on a 75,000 dollar base contract and loses it to Spotify in 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "barstool_sports", "t": "unwell_network", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "Alex Cooper, developed at Barstool, founds Unwell in August 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "spotify", "t": "call_her_daddy", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "Spotify signs Call Her Daddy exclusively in June 2021 for a reported 60 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sirius_xm", "t": "unwell_network", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "SiriusXM announces a multi year deal with Alex Cooper and the Unwell Network on August 20, 2024 covering distribution and exclusive audio and video ad sales, with new content from 2025; the 125 million dollar figure is reported, not disclosed.", "source": "https://www.axios.com/2024/08/20/call-her-daddy-siriusxm-alex-cooper | https://investor.siriusxm.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2096/siriusxm-inks-new-multi-year-agreement-with-alex-cooper", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "spotify", "t": "joe_rogan_experience", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "Spotify signs Rogan exclusively in May 2020 at a reported 100 to 200 million dollars and renews in February 2024 at a reported 250 million without exclusivity.", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/joe-rogan-renews-spotify-deal-not-exclusive-1235895424/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "joe_rogan", "t": "joe_rogan_experience", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2009 to present", "note": "Joe Rogan owns and hosts the show he launched on December 24, 2009.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joe_Rogan_Experience", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "spotify", "t": "the_ringer", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2020", "note": "Spotify agrees on February 5, 2020 to buy The Ringer for up to 196 million dollars in cash.", "source": "https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/spotify-acquires-the-ringer-196-million-cash-bill-simmons-1203502471/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "spotify", "t": "gimlet", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019", "note": "Spotify announces on February 6, 2019 that it will buy Gimlet for 230 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimlet_Media", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "amazon", "t": "wondery", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "Amazon announces the Wondery purchase on December 30, 2020 without a price; the 300 million dollar figure is reported, not filed. The August 2025 fold into Audible with about 110 layoffs is reported.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wondery | https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/wondery-to-join-amazon-music", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sirius_xm", "t": "crooked_media", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "SiriusXM takes exclusive global ad sales for Crooked Media's podcasts under a multi year deal signed in March 2022.", "source": "https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/crooked-media-siriusxm-podcast-deal-1235212034/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vice_media", "t": "crooked_media", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2022", "note": "Vice's former chief legal officer Lucinda Treat becomes Crooked Media's first chief executive in 2022.", "source": "https://www.insideradio.com/free/new-ceo-and-investor-for-crooked-media-it-also-takes-over-siriusxm-channel-through-election/article_a659c74e-4105-11ed-af70-1fa67729fe03.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "verizon", "t": "complex_networks", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016 to 2021", "note": "A Verizon and Hearst joint venture buys Complex in April 2016 for a reported 250 million to 300 million dollars.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hearst", "t": "complex_networks", "rel": "equity", "years": "2016 to 2021", "note": "Hearst co owns Complex with Verizon from 2016 to 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "buzzfeed", "t": "complex_networks", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "BuzzFeed buys Complex in June 2021 for 300 million dollars and sells it in February 2024 for 108.6 million.", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/buzzfeed-sells-complex-ntwrk-layoffs-1235918498/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ntwrk", "t": "complex_networks", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "NTWRK buys Complex from BuzzFeed for 108.6 million dollars in cash on February 21, 2024.", "source": "https://investors.buzzfeed.com/news-releases/news-release-details/buzzfeed-inc-announces-sale-complex-ntwrk-all-cash-deal | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "complex_networks", "t": "first_we_feast", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2012", "note": "First We Feast begins as Complex's food vertical and produces Hot Ones.", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/hot-ones-sold-buzzfeed-soros-fund-sean-evans-first-we-feast-investors-1236246915/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "buzzfeed", "t": "first_we_feast", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021 to 2024", "note": "BuzzFeed keeps First We Feast after selling Complex and sells it in December 2024 for 82.5 million dollars in cash.", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/hot-ones-sold-buzzfeed-soros-fund-sean-evans-first-we-feast-investors-1236246915/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "complex_networks", "t": "complexcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2016 to present", "note": "Complex launches ComplexCon in 2016 and under NTWRK stages it in Las Vegas with a Hong Kong edition in 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "comcast_nbcu", "t": "buzzfeed", "rel": "equity", "years": "2015 to 2016", "note": "NBCUniversal invests 200 million dollars in BuzzFeed in August 2015 and another 200 million dollars in November 2016.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed | https://techcrunch.com/2015/08/18/buzzfeed-nbcuniversal/ | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-21/nbcuniversal-makes-another-200-million-investment-in-buzzfeed", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "allen_media_group", "t": "buzzfeed", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2026", "note": "Byron Allen's family office buys about 51 percent of BuzzFeed for 120 million dollars, closing May 27, 2026.", "source": "https://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpress/buzzfeed-inc-completes-majority-stake-investment-by-byron", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "disney", "t": "vice_media", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014 to 2019", "note": "Disney invests 400 million dollars in Vice by 2015 and writes the stake down to zero by 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Media", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "fortress", "t": "vice_media", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2023", "note": "A Fortress led lender group buys Vice's assets out of Chapter 11 for 350 million dollars in June 2023.", "source": "https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/vice-media-closes-sale-post-bankruptcy-investors-fortress-soros-monroe-1235683295/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "warner_bros_discovery", "t": "group_nine", "rel": "equity", "years": "2016 to 2022", "note": "Discovery invests 100 million dollars at Group Nine's formation in 2016 and becomes its largest shareholder.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_Nine_Media", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vox_media", "t": "group_nine", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021 to 2022", "note": "Vox Media buys Group Nine in an all stock deal announced December 13, 2021 and closed February 22, 2022.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/vox-group-nine-merger-1235132383/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_Nine_Media", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "group_nine", "t": "the_dodo", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016 to 2022", "note": "The Dodo is one of the founding brands of Group Nine in October 2016 and passes to Vox Media when Vox acquires Group Nine in early 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_Nine_Media | https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=282785", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "wonder", "t": "tastemade", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "Wonder buys Tastemade for about 90 million dollars on March 12, 2025.", "source": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/12/food-delivery-startup-wonder-acquires-media-company-tastemade-for-90m/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "amazon", "t": "tastemade", "rel": "equity", "years": "2018", "note": "Amazon joins Tastemade's 35 million dollar Series E in 2018 led by Goldman Sachs Growth.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastemade", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "first_media", "t": "amazon", "rel": "retail", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "First Media sells So Yummy and Blossom branded products through Amazon and Target alongside its shoppable video.", "source": "https://first.media/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "maker_studios", "t": "stylehaul", "rel": "influence", "years": "2011", "note": "StyleHaul copies the vertical MCN model that Maker and Machinima prove, applying it to beauty; the DeBevoise family links the two.", "source": "https://startupfundraising.com/library/articles/aaron-debevoise", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "fullscreen", "t": "dropout", "rel": "influence", "years": "2018", "note": "Dropout's paid subscription follows Fullscreen's failed 2016 to 2018 subscription app and succeeds where it did not; the comparison is the press's, not Reich's.", "source": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91136741/dropout-rebrand-collegehumor-sam-reich", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "emma_chamberlain", "rel": "agency", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "UTA signs seventeen year old Emma Chamberlain in all areas on July 23, 2018, when her channel has 3.3 million subscribers.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/07/23/uta-signs-emma-chamberlain/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "charli_damelio", "rel": "agency", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "UTA signs TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D'Amelio in January 2020.", "source": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/tiktok-stars-charli-dixie-damelio-sign-uta-1269781/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "dixie_damelio", "rel": "agency", "years": "2020 to 2024", "note": "UTA signs Dixie D'Amelio in January 2020; she moves to WME and IMG Models in 2024.", "source": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/tiktok-stars-charli-dixie-damelio-sign-uta-1269781/ | https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/dixie-damelio-signs-wme-img-models-1236142585/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "kai_cenat", "rel": "agency", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "UTA signs Kai Cenat in all areas on February 16, 2023 while John Nelson at LFM continues as his manager.", "source": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/twitch-kai-cenat-uta-1235327872/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "alix_earle", "rel": "agency", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "UTA signs Alix Earle in March 2023 at the height of the Alix Earle effect on TikTok.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/03/15/uta-signs-the-alix-earle-effect-tiktok-it-girl/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "rhett_and_link", "rel": "agency", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "UTA represents Rhett and Link as of January 2019 when it hires digital agent Eman Redwan.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/01/28/uta-hires-eman-redwan/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "digital_brand_architects", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019", "note": "UTA acquires Digital Brand Architects in February 2019 for undisclosed terms and keeps it as a standalone management unit.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/05/uta-acquires-dba-youtube-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "digital_brand_architects", "t": "manny_mua", "rel": "agency", "years": "2019", "note": "DBA manages beauty creator Manny MUA, then with 4.9 million subscribers, at the time of the UTA acquisition.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/05/uta-acquires-dba-youtube-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "digital_brand_architects", "t": "patrick_starrr", "rel": "agency", "years": "2019", "note": "DBA manages Patrick Starrr, then with 4.3 million subscribers, at the time of the UTA acquisition.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/05/uta-acquires-dba-youtube-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "digital_brand_architects", "t": "dear_media", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018", "note": "DBA launches and owns the Dear Media podcast studio before selling itself to UTA in 2019.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/05/uta-acquires-dba-youtube-talent/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "caa", "t": "logan_paul", "rel": "agency", "years": "to 2021", "note": "CAA represents Logan Paul until he leaves for WME in July 2021.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/07/29/logan-paul-signs-with-wme-leaving-caa/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year, approximate" }, { "s": "wme", "t": "logan_paul", "rel": "agency", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "WME signs Logan Paul on July 29, 2021 for television, film, digital and brand partnerships while Jeff Levin stays as manager.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/07/29/logan-paul-signs-with-wme-leaving-caa/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "wme", "t": "dixie_damelio", "rel": "agency", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Dixie D'Amelio signs with WME and IMG Models in 2024.", "source": "https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/dixie-damelio-signs-wme-img-models-1236142585/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "wme", "t": "smosh", "rel": "agency", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "Smosh signs with WME in January 2026 to move into film, television and other entertainment categories.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/01/16/roundup-alix-earle-smosh-awesome-games-done-quick/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "wme", "t": "addison_rae", "rel": "agency", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "WME signs Addison Rae in January 2020 as her TikTok following passes 10 million; the signing date is not confirmed in a retrieved source.", "source": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/reps-managing-digital-stars-1236401097/", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "caa", "t": "icm_partners", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2022", "note": "CAA closes its acquisition of ICM Partners in late June 2022 at a reported value of about 750 million dollars; the Crestview release records the completed deal.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICM_Partners | https://deadline.com/2022/06/caa-completes-acquisition-icm-partners-1235051289/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "caa", "t": "compound_creative_holdings", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2026", "note": "CAA and TPG form Compound Creative Holdings in June 2026 with 250 million dollars to invest in creator founded businesses.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Artists_Agency", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tpg", "t": "compound_creative_holdings", "rel": "equity", "years": "2026", "note": "TPG, through its Integrated Media Company, co funds the 250 million dollar Compound Creative Holdings with CAA, announced June 10, 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Artists_Agency | https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/caa-tpg-250-million-compound-creative-holding-company-acquire-creator-businesses-1236771598/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tpg", "t": "caa", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014 to 2023", "note": "TPG holds a 53 percent stake in CAA until Groupe Artemis completes its 7 billion dollar control purchase in September 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Artists_Agency", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "silver_lake", "t": "wme", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "Silver Lake takes Endeavor private at 27.50 dollars a share, closing March 24, 2025, and renames the representation businesses WME Group the same day.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WME_Group | https://www.silverlake.com/endeavor-announces-completion-of-acquisition-by-silver-lake/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "dude_perfect", "t": "reed_duchscher", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2015", "note": "Duchscher runs brand deals and monetization at Dude Perfect and founds Night Media in 2015 while still there.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "reed_duchscher", "t": "night_media", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2015", "note": "Reed Duchscher founds Night Media in 2015 and remains chief executive through the 2026 funding round.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "mrbeast", "rel": "agency", "years": "2018 to 2024", "note": "Duchscher begins working with MrBeast in February 2018, signs him in January 2019, and MrBeast ends the exclusive relationship in May 2024.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/05/06/mrbeast-night-split/ | https://www.semafor.com/article/05/05/2024/youtube-star-mr-beast--management-company-night-media", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "feastables", "rel": "agency", "years": "2022 to 2024", "note": "Night co creates and manages the Feastables chocolate brand from its January 2022 launch until the 2024 split, with Duchscher on the board from 2021.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/05/06/mrbeast-night-split/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "mrbeast_burger", "rel": "agency", "years": "2020 to 2024", "note": "Night partners with MrBeast on the MrBeast Burger ghost kitchen venture launched in 2020.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/05/06/mrbeast-night-split/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "lfm_management", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2023", "note": "Night acquires LFM Management in August 2023, adding Kai Cenat and AMP to its roster.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/tag/night-media/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "lfm_management", "t": "kai_cenat", "rel": "agency", "years": "to 2023", "note": "John Nelson at LFM manages Kai Cenat before and through the 2023 sale to Night.", "source": "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/twitch-kai-cenat-uta-1235327872/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year, approximate" }, { "s": "lfm_management", "t": "amp", "rel": "agency", "years": "to 2023", "note": "LFM manages the AMP collective, which moves to Night with the August 2023 acquisition.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/tag/night-media/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year, approximate" }, { "s": "lfm_management", "t": "night_media", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "LFM's John Nelson and his clients join Night when the firm is acquired in August 2023.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/tag/night-media/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "kai_cenat", "rel": "agency", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Night manages Kai Cenat from the LFM acquisition in August 2023 and lists him as a client in its February 2026 funding announcement.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/02/17/night-70-million-funding-round/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "amp", "rel": "agency", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Night manages the AMP collective from August 2023 and co develops the TONE personal care brand with its members.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "the_roost", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Night buys The Roost podcast network from Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2024 after the Rooster Teeth shutdown.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/04/09/night-media-acquires-the-roost-rooster-teeth-podcast-network/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "rooster_teeth", "t": "the_roost", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020", "note": "The Roost is the podcast network spun out of Rooster Teeth and sold separately when WBD closes the studio in 2024.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/04/09/night-media-acquires-the-roost-rooster-teeth-podcast-network/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "chas_lacaillade", "t": "bottle_rocket_management", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2014", "note": "Chas Lacaillade founds Bottle Rocket Management in Los Angeles; the year is not confirmed.", "source": "https://www.night.co/news", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "bottle_rocket_management", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Night acquires Bottle Rocket Management on November 25, 2024.", "source": "https://www.night.co/news | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Duchscher", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "bottle_rocket_management", "t": "night_media", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2024", "note": "Lacaillade and the Bottle Rocket roster join Night's management group with the November 2024 acquisition.", "source": "https://www.night.co/news", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "night_capital", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2022", "note": "Night launches Night Capital in September 2022 as a joint investment vehicle with The Chernin Group.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/tag/night-media/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "chernin_group", "t": "night_capital", "rel": "equity", "years": "2022", "note": "The Chernin Group commits 100 million dollars to establish Night Capital in September 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(company) | https://www.tubefilter.com/tag/night-media/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "chernin_group", "t": "night_media", "rel": "equity", "years": "2022", "note": "The Chernin Group makes an undisclosed investment in Night's talent management business alongside the 2022 Night Capital launch.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(company)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "founders_fund", "t": "night_media", "rel": "equity", "years": "2026", "note": "Founders Fund joins StepStone, House Capital, K5 Global and PagsGroup in Night's 70 million dollar round announced February 17, 2026.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/02/17/night-70-million-funding-round/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "prosieben", "t": "studio71", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2015", "note": "ProSiebenSat.1 merges Collective Digital Studio into Studio71 in July 2015 and the combined network takes the Studio71 name on January 27, 2016.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/ | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/collective-digital-studio-rebrands-as-859844/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "studio71", "t": "dan_weinstein", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020", "note": "Dan Weinstein leaves Studio71 in fall 2020 after co founding its predecessor in 2007.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "studio71", "t": "reza_izad", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020", "note": "Reza Izad leaves Studio71 in fall 2020 after serving as its chief executive.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "dan_weinstein", "t": "underscore_talent", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "Weinstein co founds Underscore Talent in January 2021.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "reza_izad", "t": "underscore_talent", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "Izad co founds Underscore Talent in January 2021.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "studio71", "t": "underscore_talent", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "Studio71's three co founders reunite to launch Underscore Talent, with UTA and Studio71 alumnus Austin Mayster as a partner.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/01/28/studio71-michael-green-reza-izad-dan-weinstein-underscore-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "select_management", "t": "flip_management", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2018", "note": "Select Management Group and Flip Management merge on August 10, 2018 under the Select name and the Third Act parent.", "source": "https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-agency-news/select-management-group-and-flip-merge-to-form-top-management-company-for-digital-talent/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "flip_management", "t": "select_management", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018", "note": "Lisa Filipelli moves from Flip to become a Select partner in the 2018 merger and remains one in 2026.", "source": "https://www.select.co/company", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "michael_gruen", "t": "talentx", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Michael Gruen runs TalentX Entertainment, the management company behind Sway House.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "talentx", "t": "sway_house", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020 to 2021", "note": "TalentX creates Sway House on January 4, 2020 and the house dissolves in February 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "talentx", "t": "josh_richards", "rel": "agency", "years": "2020", "note": "TalentX manages founding Sway House member Josh Richards during the house's 2020 run.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "talentx", "t": "bryce_hall", "rel": "agency", "years": "2020", "note": "TalentX manages founding Sway House member Bryce Hall during the house's 2020 run.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "gersh", "t": "a3_artists_agency", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Gersh buys A3's digital and alternative divisions in January 2024, taking 25 agents and 45 staff.", "source": "https://wearerockwater.com/a3-shuts-down/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "a3_artists_agency", "t": "gersh", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2024", "note": "A3's digital agents and their creator clients move to Gersh, and the remainder of A3 closes in February 2024.", "source": "https://deadline.com/2024/02/a3-artists-agency-ceasing-operations-adam-bold-1235820994/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "wasserman", "t": "long_haul_management", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Wasserman acquires Long Haul Management on September 4, 2024 after a fifteen month sale process advised by RockWater.", "source": "https://the.team/news/the-team-acquires-long-haul-management/ | https://wearerockwater.com/case_studies/long-haul-management/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "long_haul_management", "t": "wasserman", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2024", "note": "Dan Levitt and the Long Haul roster including MatPat join Wasserman's creators division in September 2024.", "source": "https://the.team/news/the-team-acquires-long-haul-management/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "brandon_freytag", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "Freytag leaves a job at Twitch to found Loaded; the year is not confirmed.", "source": "https://mein-mmo.de/en/former-twitch-employees-are-behind-million-dollar-deals-for-shroud-and-ninja,458629/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "brandon_freytag", "t": "loaded", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2017", "note": "Brandon Freytag founds Loaded and leads it until Josh Swartz becomes chief executive in April 2022.", "source": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2022/04/06/gamer-management-agency-loaded-reloads-with-20m-investment-new-leadership-team/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "loaded", "t": "ninja", "rel": "agency", "years": "2018 to 2020", "note": "Loaded re signs Ninja to a multi year deal in March 2019 and negotiates his August 2019 exclusive move to Mixer; his wife Jessica Blevins later manages him directly.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/03/07/ninja-drlupo-courage-talent-management-loaded/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(gamer)", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "loaded", "t": "shroud", "rel": "agency", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Loaded manages Shroud, brokers his October 2019 Mixer deal and still lists him on its roster in 2024.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/03/12/loaded-gg-talent-group-acquisition/ | https://mein-mmo.de/en/former-twitch-employees-are-behind-million-dollar-deals-for-shroud-and-ninja,458629/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "loaded", "t": "gg_talent_group", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Loaded acquires GG Talent Group and its 90 gaming creators in March 2024 for undisclosed terms.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/03/12/loaded-gg-talent-group-acquisition/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "dominic_smales", "t": "gleam_futures", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2010", "note": "Dominic Smales founds Gleam Futures in London in 2010.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/06/20/dentsu-aegis-network-invests-gleam-futures/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "gleam_futures", "t": "zoella", "rel": "agency", "years": "2010 to 2024", "note": "Gleam manages Zoella from her early YouTube years, brokering her 2014 Penguin book deal and Zoella Beauty launch, until the talent arm closes in January 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Sugg | https://hellopartner.com/2024/01/22/gleam-futures-shuts-down-talent-management-arm-shifts-focus-to-influencer-marketing/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dentsu", "t": "gleam_futures", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2017 to 2020", "note": "Dentsu Aegis buys a majority stake in Gleam on June 20, 2017 and becomes sole owner in 2020.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/06/20/dentsu-aegis-network-invests-gleam-futures/ | https://hellopartner.com/2024/01/22/gleam-futures-shuts-down-talent-management-arm-shifts-focus-to-influencer-marketing/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ryan_detert", "t": "influential", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2014", "note": "Ryan Detert founds Influential in Las Vegas in 2014 and remains chief executive after the Publicis sale.", "source": "https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/vegas-influencer-marketing-company-to-be-acquired-in-500m-deal-3102681/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "publicis", "t": "influential", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Publicis Groupe announces the purchase of Influential on July 26, 2024 for a reported 500 million dollars and closes in late August 2024.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/07/26/publicis-just-spent-500-million-on-creator-led-marketing-with-acquisition-of-influential/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicis", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "publicis", "t": "captiv8", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "Publicis Groupe acquires Captiv8 on May 21, 2025 for undisclosed terms to pair with Influential.", "source": "https://www.publicisgroupe.com/en/news/press-releases/publicis-groupe-acquires-captiv8-to-build-the-world-s-most-powerful-connected-influencer-platform | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicis", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "eldridge", "t": "viral_nation", "rel": "equity", "years": "2022", "note": "Eldridge and Maverix invest 250 million dollars in Viral Nation in 2022 at a 650 million dollar valuation.", "source": "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-influencer-marketing-firm-viral-nation-raises-250-million/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "accenture", "t": "whalar", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2026", "note": "Accenture announces the purchase of the Whalar agency on June 8, 2026 and closes it on July 31, 2026 for undisclosed terms.", "source": "https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2026/accenture-to-acquire-leading-creator-and-social-agency-whalar-from-whalar-group", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "whalar", "t": "sixteenth", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "Whalar Group builds the Sixteenth management company alongside its agency and retains it after the 2026 Accenture sale.", "source": "https://whalargroup.com/our-story/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "whalar", "t": "the_lighthouse", "rel": "event", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Whalar Group opens The Lighthouse creator campus in Los Angeles and London as the physical rung of its ecosystem.", "source": "https://whalargroup.com/our-story/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "wpp", "t": "obviously", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2023", "note": "WPP acquires Obviously on March 27, 2023 for undisclosed terms and places it within VMLY&R.", "source": "https://www.wpp.com/en/news/2023/03/wpp-acquires-social-influencer-marketing-agency-obviously", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "stadiumred_group", "t": "mediakix", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2020", "note": "Stadiumred Group announces on March 25, 2020 that it has acquired Mediakix; the agency suspends campaigns later in 2020 amid unpaid creator fees.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediakix | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stadiumred-group-adds-mediakix-to-its-agency-collective-301029273.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "ted_murphy", "t": "izea", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2006", "note": "Ted Murphy founds PayPerPost, later IZEA, in Orlando in 2006 and leads it for eighteen years.", "source": "https://www.tipranks.com/news/press-releases/izea-appoints-digital-leader-patrick-venetucci-as-chief-executive-officer", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "famebit", "t": "youtube_brandconnect", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2020", "note": "FameBit is renamed YouTube BrandConnect on June 16, 2020 and its self serve marketplace is shut.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/06/16/youtube-rebrands-famebit-to-brandconnect-taps-lori-sobel/amp/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "youtube_brandconnect", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2025", "note": "YouTube relaunches BrandConnect in March 2025 as a self serve hub tied to Google Ads after the 2023 cuts to its full service team.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/03/20/youtube-influencer-marketing-new-brand-connect-hub/amp/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "sprout_social", "t": "tagger_media", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2023", "note": "Sprout Social acquires Tagger Media on August 3, 2023 for approximately 140 million dollars in cash.", "source": "https://investors.sproutsocial.com/news/news-details/2023/Sprout-Social-Acquires-Tagger-Media/default.aspx | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprout_Social", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "summit_partners", "t": "mavrck", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021 to 2022", "note": "Summit Partners invests 120 million dollars in Mavrck in December 2021 and 135 million dollars in April 2022.", "source": "https://betakit.com/later-acquired-by-us-influencer-marketing-platform-mavrck/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mavrck", "t": "later", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2022", "note": "Mavrck acquires Later on April 29, 2022 using part of the Summit round; the combined company later adopts the Later name.", "source": "https://betakit.com/later-acquired-by-us-influencer-marketing-platform-mavrck/ | https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news36179.htm", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "summit_partners", "t": "later", "rel": "equity", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Summit Partners lists Later as a portfolio company after the Mavrck merger.", "source": "https://www.summitpartners.com/companies/later", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "creatoriq", "t": "tribe_dynamics", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2021", "note": "CreatorIQ acquires Tribe Dynamics on September 21, 2021 for approximately 70 million dollars in cash and stock.", "source": "https://dot.la/creatoriq-buys-tribe-dynamics-2655065907.html", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "lone_pine_capital", "t": "grin", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "Lone Pine Capital leads Grin's 110 million dollar Series B in October 2021 at a 910 million dollar valuation.", "source": "https://grin.co/news/grin-the-worlds-only-creator-management-platform-110million-series-b/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "icm_partners", "t": "evolved_talent", "rel": "equity", "years": "2018", "note": "ICM Partners forms a joint venture with esports agency Evolved in June 2018 to bring its clients ancillary opportunities; no source confirms an equity stake.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICM_Partners | https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/icm-partners-evolved-1202845991/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "famebit", "rel": "affiliate", "years": "2013 to 2020", "note": "FameBit lets YouTube creators pitch brands for sponsored videos and keeps ten percent of each transaction until the self serve marketplace closes in 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_BrandConnect", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "whalar", "t": "accenture", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2026", "note": "Whalar co chief executives Emma Harman and Jo Cronk and more than 170 staff move into Accenture Song with the July 2026 close.", "source": "https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2026/accenture-to-acquire-leading-creator-and-social-agency-whalar-from-whalar-group", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "night_media", "t": "experiential_supply_co", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2025", "note": "Night acquires Experiential Supply Co on October 13, 2025.", "source": "https://www.night.co/news", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "izea", "t": "featuredusers", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2012", "note": "IZEA acquires FeaturedUsers on December 10, 2012 in a cash and stock transaction with terms undisclosed.", "source": "https://izea.com/press-releases/izea-acquires-featuredusers/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "underscore_talent", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "UTA and Studio71 alumnus Austin Mayster leaves to become a founding partner of Underscore Talent in January 2021.", "source": "https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/studio71-founders-underscore-talent-1234892784/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "faze_clan", "t": "loaded", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2022", "note": "Jeff Pabst moves from FaZe Clan to become Loaded's chief commercial officer in April 2022.", "source": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2022/04/06/gamer-management-agency-loaded-reloads-with-20m-investment-new-leadership-team/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "izea", "t": "ted_murphy", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2024", "note": "Ted Murphy departs IZEA on September 9, 2024 when Patrick Venetucci becomes chief executive.", "source": "https://www.tipranks.com/news/press-releases/izea-appoints-digital-leader-patrick-venetucci-as-chief-executive-officer", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "gleam_futures", "t": "dominic_smales", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2021", "note": "Dominic Smales steps down as Gleam chief executive in 2021, three years before Dentsu closes the talent arm.", "source": "https://hellopartner.com/2024/01/22/gleam-futures-shuts-down-talent-management-arm-shifts-focus-to-influencer-marketing/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "uta", "t": "digital_brand_architects", "rel": "equity", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "DBA continues as a wholly owned but independently run UTA unit under Raina Penchansky, adding four managers in 2025.", "source": "https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/digital-brand-architects-dba-hires-allison-hahn-kylie-frink-gloria-green-juliet-noble-1236580055/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "at_t", "t": "warner_bros_discovery", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2022", "note": "AT&T spins WarnerMedia, including the Otter Media assets, into Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "otter_media", "t": "rooster_teeth", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2018 to 2019", "note": "Rooster Teeth is consolidated directly under Otter Media in 2018 alongside Crunchyroll before Otter dissolves into WarnerMedia in May 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "chernin_group", "t": "barstool_sports", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016 to 2023", "note": "The Chernin Group buys 51 percent of Barstool in January 2016 at a valuation of 10 million to 15 million dollars and sells its remaining 36 percent to Penn by 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "paramount", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2018 to 2024", "note": "Viacom buys VidCon in February 2018 for an undisclosed sum and Paramount sells it to Informa in August 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VidCon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "informa", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "Informa buys VidCon from Paramount Global in August 2024 through Fan Expo HQ for an undisclosed price.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/09/05/vidcon-sale-paramount-global-informa/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "comcast_nbcu", "t": "dreamworks", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "Comcast announces on April 28, 2016 that it will buy DreamWorks Animation for 3.8 billion dollars, bringing AwesomenessTV with it.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awesomeness_(company) | https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/28/comcast-to-acquire-dreamworks-animation-for-3-8-billion/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "comcast_nbcu", "t": "versant", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2026", "note": "Comcast completes the spin off of Versant Media Group in January 2026.", "source": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/joecornell/2026/01/06/comcast-completes-spin-off-of-versant-media-group/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hearst", "t": "complex_networks", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016 to 2021", "note": "Hearst co owns Complex through the Verizon joint venture from April 2016 until the 2021 sale to BuzzFeed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hearst", "t": "beautycon", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014", "note": "Hearst is a pre Series A backer of Beautycon Media alongside Bethany Mota; the amount is not disclosed.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautycon_Media | https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/03/21/beautycon-media-series-a-funding-round/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "coty", "t": "kylie_cosmetics", "rel": "equity", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Coty buys 51 percent of Kylie Cosmetics in November 2019 for 600 million dollars at a 1.2 billion dollar valuation.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Cosmetics", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sirius_xm", "t": "call_her_daddy", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "SiriusXM signs Call Her Daddy and Unwell Network on August 20, 2024 to a multi year distribution and advertising deal reported at 125 million dollars, taking the show from Spotify with exclusive content from 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy | https://investor.siriusxm.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/2096/siriusxm-inks-new-multi-year-agreement-with-alex-cooper", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sirius_xm", "t": "team_coco", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2022", "note": "SiriusXM announces the acquisition of Team Coco on May 23, 2022 for a price reported at 150 million dollars; the release does not disclose it.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius_XM | https://investor.siriusxm.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1815/siriusxm-acquires-team-coco-and-its-acclaimed-podcast-conan", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "alex_cooper", "t": "call_her_daddy", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "Alex Cooper founds Call Her Daddy in 2018 and keeps the IP through the Spotify and SiriusXM deals.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Her_Daddy", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "penn_entertainment", "t": "barstool_sports", "rel": "equity", "years": "2020 to 2023", "note": "Penn buys 36 percent of Barstool for about 163 million dollars, closing February 20, 2020, at a 450 million dollar valuation.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Entertainment | https://investors.pennentertainment.com/news-releases/news-release-details/penn-national-gaming-completes-acquisition-36-interest-barstool", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "amazon", "t": "spotter", "rel": "equity", "years": "2024", "note": "Amazon makes an undisclosed investment in Spotter announced October 30, 2024 alongside a partnership that introduces creators to Amazon commerce and entertainment; Spotter closes public access to its Studio tool and cuts staff in October 2025.", "source": "https://www.theinformation.com/articles/spotter-a-startup-that-funds-youtubers-lays-off-staff-following-amazon-deal | https://www.tubefilter.com/2024/10/30/spotter-amazon-partnership/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "spotter", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2022", "note": "MrBeast licenses back catalog ad revenue to Spotter for an upfront payment whose size is not disclosed.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/22/spotter-studio-shutdown-layoffs/", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "dude_perfect", "t": "spotter", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2022", "note": "Dude Perfect is among the creators that sell back catalog revenue rights to Spotter for upfront cash.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/22/spotter-studio-shutdown-layoffs/", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tiger_global", "t": "patreon", "rel": "equity", "years": "2021", "note": "Tiger Global leads Patreon's 155 million dollar round in April 2021 at a 4 billion dollar valuation.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "thrive_capital", "t": "patreon", "rel": "equity", "years": "2016", "note": "Thrive Capital leads Patreon's 30 million dollar Series B announced January 19, 2016, taking total funding to 47.1 million dollars, with Index Ventures, Charles River Ventures, Accomplice, Allen and Company and Freestyle Capital participating.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon | https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/19/patreon-gains-30-million-series-b-funding-experiencing-major-growth/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "index_ventures", "t": "patreon", "rel": "equity", "years": "2014", "note": "Index Ventures' Danny Rimer leads Patreon's 15 million dollar Series A announced June 23, 2014, with 17 angels and funds including Alexis Ohanian and Sam Altman.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon | https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/23/patreon-raises-15-million-series-a-revamps-site-to-showcase-artist-content/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "google", "t": "famebit", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2016", "note": "Google buys FameBit on October 11, 2016 for an undisclosed price and renames it YouTube BrandConnect on June 16, 2020, closing the self service marketplace.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube | https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/06/16/youtube-rebrands-famebit-to-brandconnect-taps-lori-sobel/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "microsoft", "t": "ninja", "rel": "sponsorship", "years": "2019 to 2020", "note": "Microsoft signs Ninja to stream exclusively on Mixer from August 1, 2019 for a reported 20 million to 30 million dollars and releases him when Mixer closes in July 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service) | https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ninja-reportedly-got-20-30-million-to-move-from-tw/1100-6473106/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "congo_brands", "t": "alani_nu", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2018 to 2025", "note": "Congo Brands co founds and operates Alani Nu with Katy Hearn from 2018 until the Celsius sale.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alani_Nu", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "monster_beverage", "t": "bang_energy", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2023", "note": "Monster completes the purchase of the Bang Energy brand and the Phoenix, Arizona production plant from Vital Pharmaceuticals on July 31, 2023 for about 362 million dollars, subject to adjustments.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Energy | https://investors.monsterbevcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/monster-beverage-completes-acquisition-bang-energy", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "rooster_teeth", "t": "box_canyon_productions", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023", "note": "Rooster Teeth co founder Burnie Burns forms Box Canyon Productions after leaving the company.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "vidcon", "t": "anaheim_convention_center", "rel": "event", "years": "2012 to present", "note": "VidCon has been held at the Anaheim Convention Center every year since 2012, including the June 2025 and June 2026 editions.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VidCon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2025", "note": "YouTube is title sponsor of VidCon 2025 for its 20th anniversary with keynotes from Kevin Alocca and Amjad Hanif.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/06/12/vidcon-2025-informa-plans-vidcon-international-creator-business-development-meet-and-greet/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "rhett_and_link", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2025", "note": "Rhett and Link are inducted into the VidCon Hall of Fame in June 2025.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/06/12/vidcon-2025-informa-plans-vidcon-international-creator-business-development-meet-and-greet/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "markiplier", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2026", "note": "Markiplier is inducted into the VidCon Hall of Fame in June 2026.", "source": "https://www.bizbash.com/experiential-marketing/vidcon-2026-see-the-creative-booths-lounges-and-activations-from-this-year-s-event", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "michelle_phan", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2026", "note": "Michelle Phan is inducted into the VidCon Hall of Fame in June 2026.", "source": "https://www.bizbash.com/experiential-marketing/vidcon-2026-see-the-creative-booths-lounges-and-activations-from-this-year-s-event", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2026", "note": "TikTok, Twitch and Discord run activations at VidCon 2026 alongside YouTube.", "source": "https://www.bizbash.com/experiential-marketing/vidcon-2026-see-the-creative-booths-lounges-and-activations-from-this-year-s-event", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "streamy_awards", "rel": "event", "years": "2020 to 2023", "note": "MrBeast wins Streamy Creator of the Year four years running from 2020 to 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamy_Awards", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tana_mongeau", "t": "tanacon", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2018", "note": "Tana Mongeau and Good Times Entertainment stage TanaCon on June 22, 2018 in Anaheim; the fire marshal shuts it on day one after thousands more than the venue can hold arrive.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanaCon | https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/06/22/tana-mongeau-tanacon-venue/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tanacon", "t": "vidcon", "rel": "influence", "years": "2018", "note": "TanaCon is staged as a rival to VidCon after VidCon declined to feature Mongeau; VidCon invites her in May 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanaCon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "twitchcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2015 to present", "note": "Twitch stages TwitchCon from September 2015 in San Francisco, with San Diego and Rotterdam hosting in 2024 and 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TwitchCon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "zoella", "t": "summer_in_the_city", "rel": "event", "years": "2013 to 2014", "note": "Zoella appears at Summer in the City in London in its 2013 and 2014 editions.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_in_the_City_(convention)", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "rooster_teeth", "t": "rooster_teeth_austin_studios", "rel": "event", "years": "2014 to 2024", "note": "Rooster Teeth occupies Stage 5 at Austin Studios from 2014 until its closure on May 15, 2024.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster_Teeth", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mrbeast", "t": "mrbeast_studios_greenville", "rel": "event", "years": "2018 to present", "note": "MrBeast runs his production operation from Greenville, North Carolina with more than 250 employees as of 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "beast_industries", "t": "mrbeast_studios_greenville", "rel": "event", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Beast Industries is headquartered on the Greenville campus.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_Industries", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dude_perfect", "t": "dude_perfect_hq_frisco", "rel": "event", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "Dude Perfect unveils its 3 million dollar DPHQ3 in Frisco, Texas on January 11, 2025.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude_Perfect", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "hype_house", "t": "hype_house_moorpark", "rel": "event", "years": "2020 to 2024", "note": "Hype House occupies the Moorpark mansion from 2020 until the landlord's 300,000 dollar lawsuit in January 2023 and the August 2024 sale.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "team_10", "t": "team_10_house", "rel": "event", "years": "2017 to 2018", "note": "Team 10 lives and films in the Beverly Grove and then Calabasas houses in 2017 and 2018.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "jake_paul", "t": "team_10_house", "rel": "event", "years": "2017 to 2018", "note": "Jake Paul is sued for 2.5 million dollars by the Beverly Grove house's owner on April 24, 2018 after the KTLA segment on neighbour complaints.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Paul", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "sway_house", "t": "sway_house_bel_air", "rel": "event", "years": "2020", "note": "Sway House occupies the 7,800 square foot Bel Air mansion from January 4, 2020 until members leave in December 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sway_House", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "faze_clan", "t": "faze_clan_house", "rel": "event", "years": "2016 to 2019", "note": "FaZe Clan members live and film in a rented Hollywood Hills house in the late 2010s.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan", "confidence": "unverified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "faze_clan", "t": "clout_house", "rel": "event", "years": "2017", "note": "FaZe opens the Clout House in Los Angeles in 2017 in a mansion Justin Bieber had rented for a reported 80,000 dollars a month.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaZe_Clan", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "hundred_thieves", "t": "100_thieves_cash_app_compound", "rel": "event", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "100 Thieves opens its 15,000 square foot Cash App Compound in Culver City in 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Thieves", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "youtube_space_la", "rel": "event", "years": "2013 to 2021", "note": "YouTube runs the Los Angeles Space from 2013 and announces its permanent closure on February 18, 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Space", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "youtube_space_ny", "rel": "event", "years": "2014 to 2021", "note": "YouTube runs the 20,000 square foot Chelsea Market Space from 2014 and closes it permanently in 2021.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Space", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "twitch", "t": "twitch_hq_sf", "rel": "event", "years": "2019 to present", "note": "Twitch opens its 185,000 square foot headquarters at 350 Bush Street in August 2019.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_(service)", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "tiktok_culver_city", "rel": "event", "years": "2020 to present", "note": "TikTok bases its US operations in Culver City, transferred to the USDS joint venture on January 22, 2026.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "youtube_san_bruno", "rel": "event", "years": "2006 to present", "note": "YouTube is headquartered in San Bruno from 2006.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "patreon", "t": "patreon_sf", "rel": "event", "years": "2013 to present", "note": "Patreon is headquartered in San Francisco from its May 2013 founding.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patreon", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "joe_rogan", "t": "comedy_mothership", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Joe Rogan buys Austin's Ritz theatre in 2022 and opens it as the Comedy Mothership in 2023 with two rooms.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_Mothership | https://comedymothership.com/history", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "mythical", "t": "mythical_burbank", "rel": "event", "years": "2016 to present", "note": "Mythical Entertainment produces Good Mythical Morning and Smosh from its Burbank studio.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythical_Entertainment", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "smosh", "t": "mythical_burbank", "rel": "event", "years": "2019 to 2023", "note": "Smosh is produced at Mythical's Burbank studio after Mythical buys it from the Defy Media liquidation in 2019 until Hecox and Padilla buy majority control in June 2023.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythical_Entertainment", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "ntwrk", "t": "complexcon", "rel": "event", "years": "2024 to present", "note": "NTWRK owns ComplexCon from its February 2024 purchase of Complex.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_Networks", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "disney", "t": "maker_studios", "rel": "event", "years": "2017", "note": "Disney folds Maker into Disney Digital Network, headquartered in Culver City, on May 2, 2017.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_Studios", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "michelle_phan", "t": "loreal", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2013 to 2015", "note": "Michelle Phan licenses her name to L'Oreal for the Em Cosmetics launch in August 2013.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Phan", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "dave_portnoy", "t": "chernin_group", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2016", "note": "Portnoy sells majority control of Barstool to The Chernin Group in January 2016 and moves the company to New York.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstool_Sports", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "stylehaul", "t": "spotter", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2019", "note": "StyleHaul co founder Aaron DeBevoise applies the network era's channel data to Spotter's catalog financing model.", "source": "https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/10/22/spotter-studio-shutdown-layoffs/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "colleen_ballinger", "rel": "payout", "years": "2008 to present", "note": "The Miranda Sings channel is monetised through the YouTube Partner Program from its early years.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleen_Ballinger", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "ishowspeed", "rel": "payout", "years": "2016 to present", "note": "Darren Watkins Jr. is paid through the YouTube Partner Program after moving his streams to YouTube.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IShowSpeed", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "jenna_marbles", "rel": "payout", "years": "2010 to 2020", "note": "Jenna Mourey's channel is monetised through the Partner Program until she leaves YouTube in June 2020.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_Marbles", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "ryan_higa", "rel": "payout", "years": "2008 to present", "note": "Ryan Higa's channel is among the first to be monetised at scale under the Partner Program.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Higa", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "tyler_oakley", "rel": "payout", "years": "2010 to present", "note": "Tyler Oakley's channel is monetised through the Partner Program.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Oakley", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "kai_cenat", "t": "ishowspeed", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed build a joint audience through collaborative streams and the 2024 Kai and Speed tour.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IShowSpeed", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "bethany_mota", "t": "playlist_live", "rel": "event", "years": "2013 to 2015", "note": "Playlist Live is the East Coast meet up circuit for the 2013 to 2015 YouTube generation that Bethany Mota headlines.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playlist_Live", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "shopify", "t": "kylie_cosmetics", "rel": "tool", "years": "2015 to present", "note": "Kylie Cosmetics runs on Shopify Plus, the storefront most creator owned brands on this map use.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopify", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "shopify", "t": "feastables", "rel": "tool", "years": "2022 to present", "note": "Feastables runs its direct to consumer store on Shopify.", "source": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopify", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "vobile", "t": "zefr", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2019", "note": "Vobile Group buys Zefr's RightsID and ChannelID businesses on July 19, 2019 for a reported 90 million dollars.", "source": "https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/zefr-sells-youtube-copyright-channel-management-vobile-90-million-1203272400/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "sprecher_brewing", "t": "juvee", "rel": "acquisition", "years": "2024", "note": "Sprecher Brewing of Milwaukee buys Juvee from 100 Thieves in January 2024 for undisclosed terms and moves production to its own plant.", "source": "https://esportsinsider.com/2024/01/100-thieves-sells-energy-drink-brand-juvee-to-sprecher-brewing", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "tone", "t": "target", "rel": "retail", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "Target introduces Tone in stores and on Target.com on July 7, 2025.", "source": "https://corporate.target.com/news-features/article/2025/07/tone", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "pov_beauty", "t": "sephora", "rel": "retail", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "POV Beauty makes its retail debut at Sephora on September 3, 2026.", "source": "https://beautymatter.com/articles/pov-beautys-next-viral-moment-is-the-sephora-shelf", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "forvr_mood", "t": "sephora", "rel": "retail", "years": "2021 to present", "note": "Forvr Mood enters Sephora stores and online on July 22, 2021.", "source": "https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/jackie-aina-forvr-mood-sephora-launch/", "confidence": "verified", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "kevin_crowder", "t": "businessflare", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2013 to present", "note": "Starts the BusinessFlare® brand in 2013 and forms the company in 2018.", "source": "https://businessflare.net", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "kevin_crowder", "t": "the_music_cities", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "Owns and hosts The Music Cities™.", "source": "https://www.youtube.com/@themusiccitiespodcast", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "kevin_crowder", "t": "street_economics_tv", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "Owns and hosts Street Economics® Television.", "source": "https://streeteconomics.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "businessflare", "t": "street_economics", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2023 to present", "note": "Street Economics® is the spinoff of BusinessFlare®, promoted inside its briefings.", "source": "https://streeteconomics.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "street_economics", "t": "street_economics_tv", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "The channel sits under the Street Economics® brand.", "source": "https://streeteconomics.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "the_music_cities", "t": "street_economics_tv", "rel": "licensing", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "Videos co upload from The Music Cities™ to Street Economics® Television so the economic development audience receives the same lessons.", "source": "https://www.youtube.com/@themusiccitiespodcast", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "the_music_cities", "rel": "payout", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "YouTube is the first platform and the first rail for a YouTube native channel; Partner Program status as stated by the owner.", "source": "https://www.youtube.com/@themusiccitiespodcast", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "street_economics_tv", "rel": "payout", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "YouTube is the first platform and the first rail for a YouTube native channel; Partner Program status as stated by the owner.", "source": "https://streeteconomics.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "patreon", "t": "the_music_cities", "rel": "tool", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "The Music Cities™ newsletter posts to Patreon.", "source": "https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "tiktok", "t": "the_music_cities", "rel": "tool", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "The Music Cities™ runs an informal TikTok layer that feeds the YouTube episodes.", "source": "https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "kevin_crowder", "t": "music_cities_radio", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "Owns and curates Music Cities Radio.", "source": "https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "music_cities_radio", "rel": "payout", "years": "2025 to present", "note": "YouTube is the first platform and the first rail for a YouTube native channel; Partner Program status as stated by the owner.", "source": "https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "the_music_cities", "t": "music_cities_radio", "rel": "spawned", "years": "2025", "note": "Music Cities Radio starts as the discovery companion to The Music Cities™.", "source": "https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "the_music_cities", "t": "musiccitiesconcerts", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "2026 to present", "note": "The web property sits under The Music Cities™.", "source": "https://musiccitiesconcerts.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "date range" }, { "s": "youtube", "t": "monica_khan", "rel": "spawned", "years": "", "note": "Creator facing role at YouTube before Meta and Spotter; dates not confirmed.", "source": "https://www.adweek.com/contributor/monica-khan/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "undated" }, { "s": "facebook", "t": "monica_khan", "rel": "spawned", "years": "", "note": "Role at Meta between YouTube and Spotter; dates not confirmed.", "source": "https://www.adweek.com/contributor/monica-khan/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "undated" }, { "s": "spotter", "t": "monica_khan", "rel": "spawned", "years": "to 2024", "note": "Executive Vice President of Creator Experience at Spotter before leaving for advisory work.", "source": "https://www.creatoriq.com/blog/earned-podcast-ep-143-monica-khan-spotter-youtube-creator-experience", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year, approximate" }, { "s": "monica_khan", "t": "creator_gold", "rel": "owned_brand", "years": "to present", "note": "Co founder of Creator Gold.", "source": "https://www.adweek.com/contributor/monica-khan/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "undated" }, { "s": "creator_gold", "t": "sxsw", "rel": "event", "years": "to present", "note": "Creator Gold is held during SXSW in Austin.", "source": "https://www.adweek.com/contributor/monica-khan/", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "undated" }, { "s": "monica_khan", "t": "the_music_cities", "rel": "advised", "years": "2026", "note": "Advisory session on The Music Cities™, Music Cities Radio and Street Economics® Television, as stated by the owner.", "source": "https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" }, { "s": "the_music_cities", "t": "creator_gold", "rel": "event", "years": "2027", "note": "Invited to Creator Gold at SXSW 2027, as stated by the owner.", "source": "https://themusiccities.com", "confidence": "partial", "dateType": "year" } ] }