Good morning. This year has seen multiple iconic creators question their future on the platform, all for similar reasons. The Kid LAROI has released an inspiring tell-all documentary on Prime Video - covering his journey in balancing anxiety & trauma alongside a global breakout music career. Also, find out the latest on new Australian creator businesses, global creatives to watch & so much more.

Why creators are talking about quitting YouTube?

The beginning of 2024 saw multiple iconic creartors step away from YouTube - and it created a platform wide discourse on “burnout”. Many are leaving, some are just taking a well-deserved rest but nevertheless creators are starting to put their lifestyles first & it has people talking.

The general reason?: Most creators work so hard trying to build a career on YouTube that when they find success, there comes this undying pressure to sustain it. However, keeping up this cycle of constant uploads leads to more sacrifices and after 10 years of compounding, creators realise there lifestyle is slipping for the sake of appeasing YouTube metrics.

Why is everyone talking about it?: Witnessing creators leave the platform makes other YouTubers feel introspective about their own journey, plus, many communities desire a reassurance on the future of their favourite channel. Hearing why someone is quitting let’s other creators know potential problems with processes like scaling, maintaining popularity, chasing more money etc.

Ali Abdaal breaks down this recent conversation perfectly.

Australia’s Creative Superstar: A Story About A Kid Named LAROI

One of the most creative & successful Australian musicians, Charlton Howard aka The Kid LAROI, just released an inspiring tell-all documentary on Prime Video.

Brief summary: LAROI started making music at age 13, then met Juice WRLD on his Australian tour at age 15. Tragically, Juice WRLD passed in 2019 after taking LAROI under his wing. The Australian teenager was heartbroken & had to publicly heal whilst continuing to make music.

The film goes on to cover how he attempts to understand his trauma, anxiety & depression whilst balancing a global breakout in music. He opens up about life after Juice, moving to America at 15, Justin Beiber as a mentor, his new album “The First Time” & so much more.

Present day: LAROI is still only 20 years old & has 30 million monthly Spotify listens, triple platinum singles and a star-studded debut album. His songwriting ability is amazing & he’s only released 1 album so far.

The future is so exciting.

A Meta Project XX Campaign on YouTube or An Honest Redemption Attempt?

On the 25th February 2024, a small YouTube channel called “ProjectxDose” released a run & gun, unedited video starring actor Oliver Cooper - the actor of Costa in the 2012 film Project X.

Brief summary: Throughout the video, Cooper track’s down the original cast, attempting to convince them into a sequel. He visits WarnerBros studios, rekindles with co-star Thomas Mann, attempts to find Miles Teller & constantly plays around with the idea of getting the band back together.

Significance: Using YouTube to casually begin a redemption narrative, just to later expend the resources of Hollywood marketing, is unheard of but genius. The organic interest created by Cooper’s video plants the initial seed, now original fans are either wanting the truth or supporting another remake.

Future of film advertising: Most Hollywood blockbusters are introduced with a budgeted & highly-edited trailer to reach a mass audience - a proven strategy over decades. However, is it possible to start a movie campaign on YouTube? Successful films capitalise off of “making moments”.

Oppenheimer and Barbie were always going to be successful, with culturally significant storylines, remarkable casts, & a talented director crew, but everything was exacerbated by the “Barbenheimer” moment. People decided to see both films back-to-back & it became a social media sensation…

Maybe Oliver Cooper is honestly trying to get the cast back together but if WarnerBros are behind this YouTube stunt, it would signal a closer drift between Hollywood & the creator economy.

Business moves in the creator space 💡

1. Hello Sport launch new brand “Good Day Multivitamin” - a nutrition product focused on maximising energy & vitamin intake for everyday consumers. It consists of 30 sachets per box to use on the go everyday.

2. Anna Paul, founder of Paullie Skin, hosts a Pitt Street Mall pop-up of her collaboration with Hi Smile

3. Celeste Barber is going back on tour in America with her new standup show “Backup Dancer”

4. Shepmates creators, Archie & Miles Shepherd, are launching a hat brand called “Mates” - centred around friendship, banter, camaraderie & sports.

Top 3 Videos Of The Week 🌐

The STORY STREET spotlight 🌐

Up & Coming Creators To Watch

• Bodhi Jako - a 21 year old adventure & lifestyle vlogger from Byron Bay, NSW - Bodhi’s videos gained traction after documenting his entire road trip around Australia.

• Kids Take Over - a global rap blog / interview brand led by Arshan Jawaid. The community has grown to over 100,000 people and even hosts live events (NYC live show w/ Cole Bennett coming soon)

• Cooper Johns - since retiring from NRL, Cooper has become a full-time creator with KISS FM & his own podcast “Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns”.