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This week in influencer marketing updates, Disney launches a new content brand to highlight creators of color, Instagram announces its first-ever virtual Creator Week, a new startup aims to produce long-form movies featuring influencers and more.
Disney Launches Onyx Collective For Creators Of Color, Underrepresented Creatives
Hollywood Reporter
Disney is launching a new content brand called Onyx Collective that aims to highlight the work of creators of color and underrepresented creatives. Led by Freeform president Tara Duncan, the new brand will primarily live on Hulu. Onyx will distribute some of its titles internationally on Disney+ through the company’s Star brand.
Why it matters: The first title from Onyx will be Summer of Soul, purchased by Fox Searchlight and Hulu. More to come will be the docuseries adaptation of the New York Times Magazine’s “1619 Project,” produced by Oprah. Star of Insecure, Natasha Rothwell, and Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media will also work with the Onyx Collective.
Digital Billboards Are The Latest Way For Internet Creators To Get Paid
Fast Company
Koji, an app-development platform that launched last year, allows users to remix digital content. Now, Koji has debuted a feature called Billboard, which enables people to pay to advertise on a creator’s link-in-bio page. Creators renting out their space can set their Billboard price as well as accept or approve the submission. Each time a supporter or brand buys space on an influencer’s Billboard, their rate increases.
Why it matters: The Billboard feature represents yet another revenue stream win for the creator industry, which is set to reach $13.8 billion this year. Koji has its own link-in-bio feature that’s free to use, compared to some competitors that charge a monthly fee. With Billboards, however, Koji and the developer split 15 percent, with the remainder going to the creator.
A New Startup Has Raised $12 Million To Make Pay-Per-View Movies With YouTubers, TikTok Stars, And Other Creators
Business Insider
A new film and streaming startup called Creator+ just raised $12 million to produce long-form movies featuring influencers. This year, Creator+ will produce six feature films that will premiere on a new streaming platform it plans to launch in 2022.
Why it matters: Rather than charge a monthly subscription, Creator+ will let users rent the movies, which will cost about the same as a movie ticket. Its co-founders say it’ll utilize a transactional model where creators get a cut of any sales generated.
Instagram Announces New ‘Creator Week’ Event To Provide Platform Insights And Tips
Social Media Today
Instagram has announced its first-ever Creator Week, a three-day virtual event taking place on the company’s @creators Instagram account from June 8-10. The Live sessions will cover brand-building tips for influencers, including myth-busting the algorithm, monetizing content and pitching yourself to brands. Instagram says there will be “surprise guest appearances and product news announced” during the week as well.
Why it matters: Creator Week is part of Facebook’s broader push to support creators on the platform. In recent months, Facebook has launched a range of creator-focused tools such as live-stream tipping and creator shops. Meanwhile, Instagram is helping emerging creators on the platform get discovered via its weekly ‘Reels Star Search.’
American Influencer Council Launches The Career Creator Club, A Free Mentorship Community
PR Newswire
The American Influencer Council, a non-profit, invite-only trade association launched by a group of 12 influencers last summer, has announced its new ‘Career Creator Club.’ The program aims to help nano to mid-tier influencers with their long-term career growth by providing free mentorship and networking with Fortune 500 executives.
Why it matters: As per Mediakix data, nano to mid-tier influencers globally account for the majority of all influencers across Instagram (98 percent), YouTube (97 percent) and TikTok (60 percent).