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It's Sunday and here’s a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

But first, a classic Billy Eichner bit has become a hot new speedrun. Thanks to a viral leaderboard, you can see how fast it takes streamers to name 100 women.

CREATOR COMMOTION

We’re talking big money and big power moves.

Jake Paul’s firm is launching a $100M fund and iShowSpeed is streaming the World Cup

The World Cup streams: Watching the World Cup alongside iShowSpeed just makes sense. While other creators announced World Cup content well in advance, Speed waited until the tournament started to make his biggest move. His alternative broadcasts will be available via the Fox One app and the subscription service’s YouTube channel. Viewers outside of the U.S. will be able to check out the action on Speed’s YouTube channel.

The fund: Jake Paul’s venture firm has announced an oversubscribed Growth I fund totaling $100 million. The Anti Fund, led by Paul and fellow Managing Partner Geoffrey Woo, has built positions in companies like OpenAI and SpaceX. Now, Paul and Woo are hunting for more ambitious founders they can get behind. As Paul put it: “We are not trying to be just another fund.”

The copyright chaos: Syndicate is dealing with 3,000 copyright claims due to a rights issue. When you’re a YouTube OG with a massive back catalog of gaming videos, rights management can be tricky. Syndicate learned that the hard way when the rights to his longtime outro video were sold and summarily claimed. Unfortunately, his Call of Duty skills won’t help him extricate his videos from this mess.

The big claim: A streamer named Snowcone said that Kai Cenat’s Streamer University offers better career prospects than Harvard University. Citation needed.

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POP CULTURE MINUTE

Dead Meat is bringing its indie horror awards show to Los Angeles.

Dead Meat is going IRL and Kidz Bop is bringing the party to YouTube

The awards show: For the first time, the Dead Meat Horror Awards will be an IRL, ticketed experience. Since 2022, James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca‘s Dead Meat channel has celebrated indie horror with an awards show. In 2026, the pomp and circumstance is coming to Pacific Electric in Los Angeles for an IRL show that will stream on July 18.

The performance: Justin Bieber’s transgressive Coachella set has landed on YouTube. By watching YouTube videos in the middle of his performance, Bieber turned the camera back on the audience and forced us to consider the growing unity between pop music and creator culture. On June 25, the pop star made sure the whole world could see his headlining performance when he distributed it on his YouTube channel.

The collab: Kidz Bop is joining forces with one of YouTube’s top kids channels. After collaborating with the residents of Sesame Street, Toys and Colors has teamed up with another legacy brand from the world of children’s entertainment. This time, the popular preschool hub has revived its partnership with Kidz Bop for a collaborative series encompassing music videos, sing-alongs, and dance parties.

THE BIZ

Valkyrae is linking up with CAA.

This week in agency dealings…

The CAA signing: Though Rachell Hofstetter rose to prominence through streams on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, she has since flexed her muscles as a businesswoman. The gamer known as Valkyrae has signed a deal with CAA, and her new agency reps will look to further her reach in fields like branded entertainment, podcasting, and entrepreneurship.

The other CAA signing: Valkyrae isn’t the only creator partnering with CAA. If you don’t think there’s room for a Millennial and Gen Z touchstone to expand into areas like linear TV, film, and live experiences, then the agency is here to tell you, “betch please.” CAA has linked up with Betches and will hunt for new partnerships for the comedy brand and its social-first profile.

The food foray: Alongside partners like Alan Chikin Chow and TheBurntPeanut, Volt Factor launched to supercharge IP from top creators. For its next move, Volt Factor is targeting culinary and lifestyle voices with big social followings. Its new partners include Kimmy’s Kreations, Owen Han, and Ashley Yi, who will team up with Volt Factor to explore product-related opportunities.

WATCH THIS 👀

Look, kids, a new liminal space.

Beware, traveler, lest you fall victim to the terrors of the TikTok Farlands

The sports series: The Backrooms is so last month. The hot new liminal space is the TikTok Farlands, a world that exists beyond algorithmic recommendations.

It’s basically TikTok’s answer to YouTube Poop, and like with that genre, there are clear reasons why these videos aren’t promoted in feeds. If you’re feeling brave, you can check out an example of Farlands-style content here.

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