FEATURED

Feb 16, 2026

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13 min read

The USA's Digital Policy Failures 🇺🇸

Happy President's Day! Originally created to celebrate George Washington, then Lincoln, and now even William Henry Harrison gets some props in North Bend, Ohio. So it's a great time to look at some of the most pressing issues our government faces in the creator economy, and why, in my humble opinion, the United States is asleep at the wheel while driving over a bridge without guardrails and a 500-foot drop over a ravine of shark-agators.

Phil Ranta

THE LATEST

Feb 9, 2026

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11 min read

YouTube's $60 Billion Year 🤯

By all accounts, YouTube had an unbelievable 2025. For the first time, Alphabet revealed 2025 annual YouTube earnings, which topped $60b, with over $41b coming directly from YouTube ad revenue. This comes at a time when other OTT players, notably Ted Sarandos of Netflix, have taken aim at YouTube's social impact. So what does this impressive number mean for YouTube creators?

Feb 2, 2026

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11 min read

Hollywood Streamers Bet on Shorts 🩳

Paramount+ joins previously announced Netflix and Disney+ with leaked documents announcing a push into short-form content. Oh, did I forget to mention their real competitors in the space? TikTok, YouTube, Meta, Snap, and, you know, every other social app on Earth. Does this make more sense now than the Quibi days?

Jan 26, 2026

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13 min read

TikTok US Has Arrived ⏰

If April 24, 2024 seems like a long time ago, that's because it absolutely was. But that's when then-President Biden signed the bipartisan legislation into law, wherein TikTok must either be sold to an American entity by January 19, 2025, or shut down completely. A year after the deadline and with only one dark night, the app has survived and thrived. But what will happen to it next?

Kai Won't Quit Afterall 🙅🏻‍♂️

Kai Cenat, one of the biggest stars on social media, posted a YouTube video called 'I Quit'. Naturally, a lot of people didn't watch the video, then spilled a ton of ink about this momentous announcement where a star quit streaming at the top of his game. But it was clickbait (of course). He quit "having self-doubt," and he's now launching a clothing brand. So, as someone who actually watched the video, I'll break down Kai's thinking and what I believe it means for the creator economy.

The Metaverse is Thriving 💰

Think the metaverse disappeared along with NFTs and Meta Reality Labs's absolutely bonkers budget? It's here. It's thriving. Big tech just got the context wrong. It isn't a place where kids hang out with their friends in VR headsets. It's evolving out of popular games, including Fortnite and Roblox. Let's check in on some fresh new announcements that make this a goldmine for creators.

FaZe-ing Out

FaZe Clan has imploded, with almost every major member announcing their exit from the org last week. Many were just on stage at The Streamer Awards singing the praises of FaZe. What the heck happened and what does this tell us about creator orgs (hint: for those of us who have been in the industry for a while, we can proudly say, "Oh, yeah, this again!")

2026 Creator Economy: Tons of 🌶️ Predictions

I take deep, deep pride in my annual predictions. And, as proof, I'll run down and grade the accuracy of my 2025 predictions at the end of this newsletter. But for now, I'm going to give you the kind of predictions that I'm wholly convinced are 100% accurate and, for those that understand the changes that are happening in the creator economy right now, will help you stay ahead of the market.

The Premium Creator Content Rabbit Hole 🐰

'Rabbit Hole' the a mega-collab teen variety show for Hulu has been officially announced with some of the biggest in the game: Collins Key, The Rizzler, Topper GUild, ExtraEmily, EvanTube, Sofi Dossi and a whole lot more. Those of us that grew up with 'All That' on Nickelodeon will understand the vision. Those of us who have been through 20 years of 'premium creator content' will be skeptical. It's worth going down the *ahem* Rabbit Hole to see what has worked (and not worked) in the past and how that can help us understand this moment.

The Streamer Awards Loves IRL 🕹️

Twitch isn't just about gaming anymore. Never was that more clear than this year's 5th annual Streamer Awards, which happened last Saturday. The Stealth Talent team was in attendance (cheering on our nominee for Best Vertical Streamer, Zesty Bestie!) along with the live streaming elite. The biggest winner of the night? IRL streaming. I'll break down the highlights and lowlights.

Breaking Black Friday Records 📈

$11.8 billion in online sales in the US. An estimated $80 billion in global sales. Despite low consumer sentiment, this Black Friday was a record-breaking, smash hit. And many outlets are projecting that in-store purchases were down. Online purchasing keeps growing. And depending on the news outlet, this can be attributed to everything from customers looking for discounts in a tough economy to the rise of social commerce, AI shopping, or whatever else makes for a good headline. Let's do a round up of (mostly) good news around online shopping!

What Creator Reps are Thankful For 🙏🏼

Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate, and for those who don't, it's never a bad day to take stock on what we can be thankful for! I'm out of commission this week, so in this special edition, I'll give you the top ten reasons why creator reps can be thankful for the state of the industry this year.

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Agents, managers, and business-savvy creators! This newsletter will give you the top news, strategies, and interviews relevant to creator representatives from Phil Ranta, who has been a 'creator manager manager' for over a decade!