In 2006, I was the head of content at Viva! Vision, a mobile phone content company.

We had some successes, but perhaps our biggest was bringing digital creators to Verizon’s V-Cast service, which was then pitched as ‘cable TV on your mobile device’.

But our videos, featuring stars primarily from MySpace Video and self-hosted .coms, were pitched as ‘Web Series TV’.

I guess nowadays it would be called ‘Creator TV’.

So when Spotter presents their ‘Creator TV’ strategy, we have to ask: What do they mean? Why is it different this time? And will it succeed?

Also in this edition:

🤔 Influencer Marketing Changed Faster Than Sellers’ Pitches (Thoughts Are My Own)

👶🏽 Cocomelon Joins Disney

🗣️ Stanify’s Comment Section Cheat Code

❌ X Adds More Paywalls for Standard Use Cases

🐂 Jesser Takes Over the Bulls

💪🏼 Jobs from Netflix, Critical Role, and Nike

🎭 …and a dank meme from yours truly!

Let’s get into it.

TLDR:

I’m a nerd for definitions, so I’ve sent decades rolling my eyes when executives, companies and advertisers talked about ‘Creator TV’.

“Our platform will be the premium window for ‘the best of the internet’!”

“Our ad package gets more daily reach than the Super Bowl!”

“Imagine how much better content will be if we give creators TV-sized budgets!”

These aren’t hypotheticals. These are all pitches from companies or platforms over the past 20 years trying to win over television advertisers with their digital pitch.

And, as you can imagine, none of them really worked.

So on March 4, when Spotter hosted their second ‘Spotter Showcase’ for advertisers and focused on ‘Creator TV’, it was all BS, right?

Nope. I’m 100% into it.

Because they finally got the definition right.

‘Creator TV’ was never only about the platform, distribution medium, reach, cultural relevance, ease of media purchase, or content quality.

It had to be all of it.

As Spotter discussed, creators are finally finding massive reach and success with long-form episodic content with television as a primary distribution mechanism.

Plus they have the benefit of digital that isn’t shared by traditional television: paid boosting, always-on content, more opportunities to integrate deeply into the content, and speed. Especially speed.

Now that creators like MrBeast, Dhar Mann, and Alan Chikin Chow operate like their own studios, with all of the best parts of Hollywood and digital combined into one package, ‘Creator TV’ is finally a reality for advertisers.

The presentation wasn’t without a few misses. Spotter’s president, Nic Paul, said this wasn’t ‘influencer marketing’ and then went on to explain the kind of influencer marketing campaigns we’ve run for years: ongoing campaigns integrated predictably into content to earn loyalty over time.

But that was minor. And not without a point: most influencer marketing campaigns are still boring shout-outs that don’t drive any real impact.

If you agree with Spotter and me that ‘Creator TV’ is finally here in a package that TV ad buyers will understand, how do you play along?

Simple: start pitching your creator (or yourself!) as a television show.

Focus on editorial. What’s predictable? What is the ‘show’? What are the points of integration?

Then hit them with the benefits. No production spend. Simple paid boosting. Cross-platform reach.

Spotter has a lot of great creators, but they don’t have the exclusive on pitching ‘Creator TV’.

They aren’t the first to pitch it, and they won’t be the last.

At Stealth Talent, we run tons of influencer marketing campaigns.

Arguably too many for a team of our size. But we’re good at it. Most of us have been doing it for decades.

Now we’re starting to see a troubling trend:

The agencies that are hiring our creators on behalf of brands are still treating influencer marketing like it’s 2016.

And not because of the 2016 trend.

Most sellers haven’t kept up.

No, I won’t be using the specific names as I’d love to have brands continue to work with me (I’ve got some mouths to feed over here!)

But many are brands and agencies with seven, eight, and nine-figure influencer marketing budgets. And what are they pitching?

Integrations into content priced at a particular estimated view number, finding a fit through screenshots of analytics, with a window for paid boosting.

If you’re thinking, “What’s wrong with that?” then let me blow your mind:

Based on your campaign goals, you may be able to 10x your impact.

Let me throw some strategies by you that, if you don’t know them, you may want to search: ManyChat, clipping, cost-per-result marketing, interactive overlays, AI-based DSPs, influencer relevancy scoring, cookie-based data aggregation, Spark Ads, and gasp there are D2C brands that still haven’t embraced TikTok Shop.

All of these, when used properly, are force multipliers. No campaign should be stuck in the screenshots-and-shout-outs zone anymore.

So how do we get out of this rut?

The easy answer: brands need to hold agencies accountable.

Most are still focused on overall budgets against overall goals, but there are sub-goals that need to take priority:

Most brands are burning money. Lots of it. And until the sellers are incentivized (forced?) to keep up with the times, that burn will continue.

What creators, brands, governments, and platforms are making waves this week in the name of fortune, fame, and fun?

👶🏽 Star Wars, Marvel, and Baby JJ? Cocomelon is leaving Netflix after six years and is joining the House of Mouse on Disney+. Netflix claimed Cocomelon viewership tanked by 60%, prompting the move, but it already feels like a more natural fit for the brand. The larger Disney ecosystem has a lot of superpowers that Netflix can’t match (theme parks, merch sales, and cross-over IP to start!)

🗣️ How many viral posts have you seen lately where there are top comments about how excited people are about the comment section? It’s pretty common! Yet most brands still aren’t focused on comment moderation and responses! Stanify has a fantastic, well-priced AI solution that I’m shocked too few know about. If you want an intro to their team, let me know, or reach out and tell them I sent you!

❌ In more “what the heck is X doing these days?!” news, they announced the ability to put parts of reply/comment threads behind paywalls. I’m still trying to think of any thread from any creator I would pay for, because, you know, it’s been free for 20 years and will continue to be free on all other platforms…

🐂 Mega-sports creator Jesser had a ‘Creator Night’ at the United Center for a Bulls game that included a kids’ basketball clinic for 50 locals, special sideline reporting segments, and a shooting contest. Now that boxing has been taken over by punching creators and football clubs are all getting bought by celebrities, will creators start being regular ‘theme nights’ for stadiums?

Manager, Kids & Family Series Marketing (UCAN), Netflix

I have a five and six year old kid, and I don’t love to give them screen time on YouTube without looking over their shoulder. Netflix is far safer. And they have some fantastic series on there! This role will allow you to not only work with top IP, but crack the code on the hard-to-reach kids marketing world.

Senior Growth Marketing Manager, Critical Role

D&D fans rejoice! Critical Role is looking for a growth hire across its brands, and although it's been around for a long time, its reach remains massive. They also have an e-commerce ecosystem that most creative teams would die for. This role will likely be a ton of fun, but it will be a lot to manage!

Lead, Digital Marketing Creators NA, Nike

Massive brand, massive digital reach, and some of the biggest stars on athletics. Not a bad place to be! Nike works with a mind-blowing number of the top sports stars, and this role will work across entertainment, affiliate, and communication partners. A lot of hats, but a lot of opportunity to do big things!