|
If you’re finding value in our Creator Economy newsletter, I encourage you to consider subscribing to The Information. It contains exclusive reporting on the most important stories in tech. Save up to $250 on your first year of access. Hello! Hollywood filmmakers say it’s increasingly difficult to get funding to develop projects as studios and streaming companies rein in spending. Now two young companies are trying to finance those projects and help their makers use artificial intelligence in development. DreamFlare, an AI video startup, and The Unreasnble, an entertainment company, have partnered to finance more than $100,000 in new original videos and series. The creators range from traditional Hollywood directors and writers to creators more adept in using AI. The shows will run on Dreamflare’s site, where creators can charge users to watch, get a slice of the ads shown and ask fans for tips or other one-time purchases. The creators own the rights to these projects, which they could further develop into longer-form projects for other platforms including streaming and TV. “No one is paying for development anymore and filmmakers are struggling,” said The Unreasnble CEO Mickey Meyer, who founded the Los Angeles company in 2023 with fellow filmmakers Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe. “New [intellectual property] can work, but to get people to take that [financial] risk is almost impossible, especially without giving up ownership the moment you take any money.” DreamFlare and The Unreasnble’s first projects will release on DreamFlare this spring. They will include those from visual effects artist Jeff Gipson, who has worked on Disney films such as “Frozen” and “Moana,” and actor-singer Rotimi. Filmmaker Rob Bralver, who made documentaries including “Moby Doc,” and former Google employee Josh Liss co-founded Dreamflare in 2024. The Menlo Park, Calif., startup is one of a growing number of companies in our database, including AI video dubbing startup ElevenLabs and video generation startups Pika Labs and HeyGen, which are using generative AI to help creators get inspiration or make it easier to create content. Dreamflare creators often use software from AI startups Runway and Midjourney. “The [Hollywood] industry’s current challenges are well known, and where we’re coming in is as an opportunity expander,” said Bralver. See The Information’s Creator Economy Database for an exclusive list of private companies and their investors. Facebook announced it’s cracking down on spammy content which it said in a blog post is “crowding out authentic creators.” The blue app said it will now reduce the reach and money-making opportunities of certain accounts, such as those sharing long, unrelated captions and lots of hashtags. Facebook also said it would step up efforts to remove fake engagement and accounts impersonating others. Adobe rolled out a new tool that makes it easier for creative professionals to be credited for their work. Its free content authenticity web app launched a public beta version on Thursday, which embeds secure metadata into images so creators can share information about themselves and their work, which Adobe is likening to an artist signing a painting. Adaptive, a startup that sells software for creators and other users to make their own apps and websites using AI, raised $7 million in seed funding led by Pebblebed. Other investors included YouTuber Jake Paul’s Anti Fund and Roblox CEO David Baszucki. Videreo, a new startup focused on travel creators, launched publicly this week. The company uses travel creators’ existing social media videos and AI to create virtual storefronts where viewers can book travel experiences. Manifest Financial, a new provider of financial solutions for creators, launched its business banking app. The startup offers ways to manage payments, track expenses, split payments and handle invoicing. Jason Citron is stepping down as CEO of Discord after a decade in the role. Citron, who co-founded the messaging app favored by gamers in 2015, will be replaced by ex-Activision Blizzard gaming executive Humam Sakhnini. The move could be a step in the direction of an IPO. Tefi Pessoa, a creator and comedian with about 2 million TikTok followers, is joining Vox Media’s The Cut as a special contributor. She will write a monthly advice column and launch a weekly pop culture podcast. It’s the latest example of media organizations working with creators. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was interviewed by the “Numbers on the Board” basketball podcast hosted by creators Kenny Beecham and Pierre Andreson. Business leaders from tech CEOs to sports executives increasingly have been appearing on independent podcasts. Here’s what else is going on… Thank you for reading the Creator Economy Newsletter! I’d love your feedback, ideas and tips: kaya@theinformation.com. If you think someone else might enjoy this newsletter, please pass it forward or they can sign up here: https://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/creator-economy | 
