Are Collabs Out Of Control?

PRESENTED BY COMPARE

Happy Friday, Future Party. Yes, it is Friday. Let that sink in. The weekend is almost here. You’re welcome for the reminder. Now finish strong… or risk having to work on Saturday. Consider that your first scare of the Halloween season.

Major music, film, and TV companies are quickly building creator divisions to work with talent to expand their brands and creative work.

The Big Picture: The massive success of Backrooms, Obsession, and Iron Lung isn’t just making Hollywood search for hit internet-native IP to develop — it also wants to pinpoint the next Kane Parsons, Curry Barker, and Markiplier. Creating the infrastructure in-house to support promising creators is likely the best way to get in on the ground floor of their creative expansion.

Behind The Scenes: You know something’s in the ether when four creator-economy ventures are announced on the same day.

Closing Thoughts: Each company noted that creators are much more than one-off talents these days — they’re sprawling business empires with a creative foundation. That means films, startups, apps, live events, and so much more can spring from the same creative mind. It’s exactly what agencies have been nurturing with A-list celebrity clientele.

But in this new era, Kai Cenat can have as much cachet as The Rock.

The Future: A little over a decade ago, almost all the studios had influencer divisions making low-budget films for digital distribution. Prepare for those divisions to restart — but this time, with a focus on theatrical distribution. Theater chains themselves may even try to cut direct deals with creators.

Here’s something most drivers don’t realize: two people with the identical car, age, and driving record can get quotes hundreds of dollars apart depending on the insurer.

Every company prices risk differently, so there’s no single “best” rate — only the best rate for you.

Compare.com checks your profile against more than 120 top insurers at once and shows you exactly where you stand, in minutes.

No repeat forms, no sales calls. It’s the only way to know whether you’re on the low end or the high end of the price range.

Find My Rate at Compare.com

Brand collaborations have become ubiquitous and… well, kind of weird… to the point that the trend may have reached its peak.

Why It Hits: Brand collabs used to be a rarity that signaled a big event. Nowadays, they’re a dime a dozen and seem to be used simply as another form of marketing. That’s led to product collabs getting crazier and more eyebrow-raising to break through in culture.

Behind The Box: Shoot us an email if you’ve bought one of these collab products.

Bonus points if you mailed your pee to a data center after Liquid Death and Garage Beer joined forces.

Final Test: There are a lot of reasons why collabs have reached a fever pitch, according to Insider. That can include a desire to quickly jump on a growing trend, a pivot to attract a new consumer, or, in some cases, simply a lack of exciting original ideas. The trick to a great collaboration, according to WGSN director Quentin Humphrey, is for the two brands to come together to “create new worlds.”

In the case of Gap’s recent collabs, that’s led to surging sales growth with Gen Z. In the case of Solly’s mac and cheese soda… the jury’s still out.

Prediction: It’s only a matter of time before a new hit brand refuses to do brand collaborations, opting instead for a less-is-more approach to its products and marketing.

Two full days of email marketing tips and trends, powered by Constant Contact. Famous keynotes (Molly Ringwald, Dan Levy, Amy Porterfield!), DJs, world-record breaking, rom-com fun, and networking.

Save your spot!

45.2% of you voted I’m not familiar with either studio in yesterday’s poll: Which studio’s movies do you generally prefer?

“Seriously. If it’s a good movie, that is all.”

“I used to like A24’s stuff, but then they made that AI deal with Google, and the stink drove me away.”

“A24 creates raw, unfiltered content that makes us think about our choices for a better future.”

“A24 has the marketing and reputation and has really leaned into its brand, but both studios churn out some of the more interesting movies you’ll watch in a year. Equally great!”

“They are not Sony, WB, Netflix, Amazon, etc., all of which have better IP, stories, actors, actresses, and, above all else, MONEY. Give me one of the big boys’ movies.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

💰 Anthropic is looking to IPO before Thanksgiving at a possible $2 trillion valuation.

👀 OpenAI is accusing individuals linked to Chinese AI startup Moonshot of distilling its models to help train their own.

🤖 LinkedIn reports that the number of AI safety roles has jumped 91% in the past year.

👔 Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch is leaving the publisher to take the top job at Mattel.

👟 Zendaya and On have revealed their second footwear and apparel collab.

⌚ Luxury watch brand Patek Philippe is staying in the family, with owner and president Thierry Stern planning to eventually pass the business to his two sons.

🍗 Amelia Dimoldenberg announced that the final season of Chicken Shop Date will stream on both YouTube and Netflix.

🤳 Minecraft creator Mojang is making a big push into the creator economy, hiring across teams focused on creator experiences and monetization.

💸 Jake Paul’s Anti Fund is looking to raise $400 million for its second venture fund.