🌱 Creativity isn’t dead, it’s just changing
Issue #359
After working in journalism for most of my life before starting Click2View I’m wondering what sort of creator journo I’d have been? I ended up being a political reporter in traditional media. Had I had my way I would’ve been a roving correspondent, writing long think pieces. I was pretty bad at that. Turns out I was a hard news reporter, better at breaking stories than analysing them. Creator journos will have to figure out what works for them, and their audiences. I’m jealous about all the tools and possibilities they have at their finger tips. Exciting times. Happy Thursday, Simon.
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Is creativity dead?
Last week we mentioned Meta’s announcement to fully automate advertising on its platforms with AI. This caused a stir in the advertising world with some warning about the death of creativity. Some even called Meta’s offering the “fast food of advertising”. What we’re probably seeing though is the death of the traditional agency model. AI can’t create a unique and quality ad… yet, but Meta’s offering will give smaller businesses an opportunity to run campaigns they otherwise couldn’t afford. For creative agencies it means moving away from tasks that AI can automate and focus on higher-level strategic, conceptual and human-centric roles. We’re not seeing the death of creativity but the playing field is certainly changing.
YouTube’s growing influence
A new report has found that YouTube contributed USD55 billion to the US economy last year. That’s a huge figure and the equivalent of 490,000 jobs. This revenue is through its Partner Program and the fact the platform is a cultural epicentre these days. Another study found that 66% of viewers think the platform is fine to watch long form movies and TV shows. It’s moved well away from its internet-first roots. While YouTube is a must for any video creators, it’s not a matter of posting a video and then counting your money. Just under half of creators are lucky to make USD15,000 a year. The creator economy is a long game - it takes time to build an audience and a revenue stream.
Creators aren’t just about influencing
Platforms like Substack, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, beehiiv, and Ghost are becoming landing pads for journalists leaving traditional newsrooms. The term content creator is a wide one, but thanks to Gen Z and Alpha the creator journalist is becoming more relevant as the demographic trusts “real people” over traditional media organisations. For many journalists transition to a solopreneur where they have to take on more roles (sales, admin, marketing) than just chasing the story. Many journalists want this independence and newsrooms are interested in partnering with creator journalists rather than ripping off their style. The space is in its Wild West phase at the moment which is why it’s so interesting to watch.
Cool Tools
The new Mavic 4 Pro is out, and while the sensor and flight time upgrades are always welcome, it's the Infinity Gimbal that really piques my interest. The idea of the camera being able to do a full 360° rotation, completely independent of where the drone itself is pointed or moving, feels like it genuinely opens a door. Could be a subtle shift, but one that might inspire some really fresh aerial work.
Hot Tips
Asking the questions we're all asking and providing some answers. The upshot, good is not good enough if that's your business model.
Viral Hits
Just when you thought your FYP was safe, Connie Francis' "Pretty Little Baby" has been exhumed by the TikTok algorithm and is now haunting millions of videos. This relic from a bygone era is suddenly the inescapable backing track for everything from makeup tutorials to dog videos, proving once again that TikTok's musical taste is a glorious, unpredictable fever dream. You can almost hear the record executives scrambling to figure out how to replicate this accidental resurrection. Good luck with that.
Stuff from us
It's always interesting when you see those big, "future of X" concepts start to feel more like something actually taking shape. We got to help explore that with Visa CEMEA on their latest Spotlights podcast episode (part of the monthly series we produce with them). They're looking at how things like AI-driven commerce and stablecoins are moving into the real mechanics of everyday payments. Our role was to help distill that complex vision into a clear, engaging conversation. Always good to help those big ideas land.
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