In the latest episode of the Denoised Podcast, hosts Addy Ghani and Joey Daoud explore the rapidly evolving creator economy and its increasing convergence with traditional Hollywood and media models. The episode offers valuable insights into how top creators are building sustainable businesses beyond ad revenue, the maturation of YouTube as a legitimate entertainment platform, and how traditional media is responding to these shifts.

MrBeast's $5 Billion (Chocolate) Empire

The conversation begins with a discussion about MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who is currently fundraising $200 million in a round that would value his company at more than $5 billion. What caught the hosts' attention was recent reporting about how MrBeast's massively expensive YouTube videos (costing $3-4 million each) don't actually make money directly - instead, his profits come from his Feastables chocolate bar business.

Joey points out that this strategy isn't necessarily surprising for those who have followed MrBeast's evolution. Early in his career, MrBeast realized that reinvesting sponsorship money into bigger, more attention-grabbing videos was the key to growing his audience. This approach has simply scaled up over time, with the videos now serving as marketing for his consumer products.

Addy shares an interesting anecdote about how MrBeast developed the idea for Feastables after realizing that major chocolate companies were paying him relatively small amounts for sponsorships while generating much larger sales from his audience. As MrBeast put it, why not capture that value directly by creating his own chocolate company?

Key takeaways about MrBeast's business model:

• His videos serve as extremely high-quality marketing for his consumer products

• He reinvests profits to create increasingly spectacular content

• Despite the astronomical production costs, this strategy has built a multi-billion dollar business

• His charitable focus has been maintained throughout his business growth

The Creator Product Playbook

The hosts expand the discussion to other creators who have successfully launched consumer products:

• Logan Paul, Jake Paul, and KSI with Prime Energy: The former rivals joined forces to create an energy drink that has successfully competed against established brands like Gatorade

• Emma Chamberlain's Coffee: Her coffee shop at the Century City Mall generates enormous lines, demonstrating the power of creator-backed consumer products

• MKBHD (Marques Brownlee): His partnership with Ridge Wallet shows how tech creators can extend their influence to product development

The discussion highlights how creators are increasingly realizing they can redirect their audience's purchasing power to their own products rather than simply collecting sponsorship fees from established brands. This represents a fundamental shift in how digital influence is monetized.

Joey raises an important question: "Is this the only way to be a sustainable creator?" The hosts debate whether creators can build sustainable careers solely through content creation or if product diversification is essential for long-term success.

Addy notes that YouTube careers typically follow a bell curve - creators hit peak popularity and then gradually decline as new creators emerge. Smart creators use their peak popularity period to diversify revenue streams before their time runs out.

YouTube Creators Hold Their Own Upfronts

In a significant development signaling the maturation of the creator economy, Colin and Samir (prominent YouTube creators who focus on analyzing the creator economy) are organizing their own upfront event in partnership with Spotter Showcase.

This mirrors the traditional TV industry's upfront events, where networks present their upcoming programming slate to advertisers who can purchase ad space in advance. The YouTube version will feature major creators like MrBeast, Dude Perfect, and Ryan Trahan presenting their planned content schedules to potential advertisers.

The hosts identify several important implications of this development:

• Creator operations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with planned content calendars extending months in advance

• Advertisers are recognizing YouTube creators as legitimate media channels worthy of advance commitments

• The dividing line between traditional media and creator content is rapidly blurring

This sophistication extends to production quality as well. The hosts note that many top creators now produce content that rivals traditional television in quality:

• Johnny Harris creates documentaries comparable to National Geographic productions

• Michelle Khare's Challenge Accepted series features documentary-quality production

• MrBeast's Beast Games for Amazon used dozens of ARRI ALEXA cameras - the same equipment used for major Hollywood productions

Statistical evidence supports this convergence: YouTube now accounts for 11.1% of TV streaming, surpassing Netflix at 8.5%, making it the most popular streaming platform.

Netflix Experiments with Podcasting

The final segment discusses Netflix's entry into podcasting with its acquisition of Kill Tony, a popular comedy podcast. Rather than streaming the podcast directly, Netflix is adapting it into a series of live specials and a standup special.

This represents another example of traditional media attempting to capitalize on formats popularized by creators. The hosts speculate about whether Netflix might follow Spotify's approach of acquiring popular podcasts like Joe Rogan or Call Her Daddy, noting that Spotify has since relaxed its exclusivity requirements after realizing wider distribution can be more profitable than platform exclusivity.

Addy observes: "If they attach the Spotify name to a big podcast like Call Her Daddy or Joe Rogan, that's the win right there. It doesn't matter how you consume it at that point."

The hosts note this aligns with the broader trend of content becoming more "frictionless" - available across multiple platforms rather than locked behind exclusivity walls.

What Next

The lines between traditional media and the creator economy are increasingly blurring as both sides recognize the value in each other's approaches. Top creators are building sophisticated media operations that rival traditional studios in production quality and business acumen, while traditional media companies are attempting to harness the authenticity and audience connection that creators have mastered.

What makes this convergence particularly interesting is that it's happening organically, driven by audience behavior rather than industry planning. As viewers continue to shift their attention to creator content, we can expect further integration between these previously separate worlds.