🤓 What The Feed #1 - From micro-dramas to hybrid creators: this week in the Creator Economy
The big moves, the trends and the news you need to know about
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The Creator Economy is moving fast! This week we saw Hollywood borrowing from TikTok, creators building TV-grade studios, and brands finally breaking the old influencer marketing playbook…
The Big Moves
Micro-dramas are hot!
Episodic storytelling is being re-engineered for vertical screens. In China, micro-dramas have become a cultural juggernaut, blending soap-opera pacing with TikTok attention mechanics. The format creates daily rituals for viewers and opportunities for brands and creators to lock in repeat engagement instead of chasing one-off viral hits. [NYT]HollyTube takes shape
Top creators like MrBeast, Michelle Khare, and Brandon Stewart are building Hollywood-style studios and producing high-value, TV-ready content, further blurring the line between influencer and traditional star. [The Wrap]Legacy Media Goes Creator-First
WaPo launches a Creator Network, Tubi hires Kudzi Chikumbu for Creator Partnerships, Fox invested in The Lighthouse, Sony UK opens a creator division, Peacock has an accelerator for Creators and more+Venture Capital in the Creator Economy
Slow Ventures invests $2M from its creator fund in woodworking influencer Jonathan Katz-Moses. [TechCrunch]Attention fragments, money consolidates.
eMarketer report fro 2025 is out, revealing how consumer attention is further fragmenting across a growing number of creators and platforms [eMarketer]
The Mini-Trend
The Rise of the Hybrid Creator [Forbes]
For years, creators were the awareness play and affiliates were the conversion play, with different budgets, teams, and KPIs. That line is gone.
The new breed of Hybrid Creators is merging storytelling with direct response, building brand equity and driving measurable results like sales, signups, and trials.
This shift is forcing brands to rethink influencer partnerships, creative briefs and even how marketing teams are structured. The smartest ones are treating creators as full-funnel partners, not just top-of-funnel talent.
The Quick Hits
AI tools promise to reduce creator burnout. [Forbes]
Creator live events up 500% in ticket sales vs 2024. [FastCompany]
Short-form reach is up to 67% higher on Instagram. [Famekeeda]
US influencer ad spend to hit $13.7B by 2027. [Digiday]
TikTok launches “TikTok Go” for hotel affiliate commissions. [Meltwater]
Brands betting on niche creators + TV crossovers. [Creator Economy Live]