#it used to be that all sponsorships on all sponsored channels were the same products/companies youve heard of from other youtubers

[a9saga]

is parade underwear acutally like, good?? have any of you tried it?

[deaf-zuko]

It's now been a day and I have so many more thoughts.

This is not about "paying artists fairly" or "demanding free art." This is about greed and foisting poor money management on your (mostly young) audience. This is about getting too big for your britches and refusing to take responsibility for it.

If this move was about the money, if Watcher is really not profitable, why hire two new people? Why reboot a show where Steven goes around the world eating really expensive food? Why buy a new domain and the bandwidth necessary for a streaming service? Why not cut the budget, tighten your belt a bit, lower production quality on your already over-produced shows? Why not expand your Patreon? You're pulling in at least $60k/month from that, on top of sponsorships, ad revenue, merch sales, and tour sales. If that's not enough, you need to CUT BACK, not expand. You need to start living within your means instead of hoping that the audience will foot the bill.

If this move was about creative freedom from sponsors and censorship, what's wrong with your Patreon? You already post exclusive content there. A Patreon-exclusive series (or even multiple!) would allow you to create what you want to create without worrying about censorship, and you already have TWELVE THOUSAND PATRONS. Imagine how many more people would sign up for Patreon if there were more content! Instead, you're asking us to move to a whole new, untested, frankly unsafe site (where international viewers are unable to follow) that doesn't even allow Paypal.

If this move was about expanding the Watcher brand, how is this going to work? On YouTube, your videos and channel get recommended to new people all the time. Who's going to "stumble upon" your own domain? How are you going to attract new viewers? "You get to watch the first episode free but everything else you have to pay us for" is NOT the win you think it is. Three million subs is not enough to make this kind of move. Moving higher-quality content to a paid tier while keeping the popular stuff on YouTube would make a lot more sense.

I understand your desire to make bigger, better stuff, but YOU have to understand that YOUR money problems are just that: YOURS. Layoffs suck, but if you have to go bare-bones to survive, that's what you have to do! Salary cuts suck, but they're preferable to losing your business entirely! Not hiring new people might not be ideal, but don't spend money you don't have! Cutting production value sucks, especially since I know Ryan wants this to be some TV-quality company, but no one in your audience gives a single fuck about it! We watch for YOU, not the quality. You could film Ryan and Shane behind a desk made of plywood on an iPhone 5 and we'd still get enjoyment out of it. The pull of the company is YOU.

You've lost sight of what Watcher means to its audience. You aren't a TV station or a big-name content company like Dropout or GMM. You're a couple of guys doing goofy things together who happened to amass a reasonably-sized cult following doing what you love. You're so very lucky for that. Don't take advantage of it.

Also keep in mind, even when you walk this back (we all know you will, there's no way your business will survive if you don't), you've burned through so much trust and goodwill that I don't know if this community will ever be the same. Now that we know you'd rather burn this company to the ground trying to get too big too fast than take a single Business 101 class, it's going to take a lot for us to trust you again.

We’re Leaving YouTube

[dxmedstudent]

Hi Dx, I hope you're well! I would like to ask if you could express your thoughts/opinions on the effect of medical influencers (medical students/doctors who create social media profiles to promote products/services for for-profit companies) on the public perception of medical professionals? I personally can't help feel that there's something unethical about it but I am very keen to heed your opinion because you are one of the most conscientious and introspective professionals I have encountered

I find this tricky, and I've been thinking about this. To be honest, I find having a public persona on social media under your name, tricky full stop. I find medtwitter mildly anxiety inducing, and it feels like it's very easy to reply to something quickly with not the best phrasing and for conversation to miss a lot of nuances. I don't know who decided that a microblogging platform was where everyone is going to discuss deep and in depth issues that you can't bloody summarise in 140 characters, but somehow everyone is rolling with it despite the fact that being forced to sum things up pithily actively contributes to a lot of the confusion and hostility and side-picking that goes on.

Plus it can be hard to mantain a social media presence that others find acceptable, and taking advertising out of the equation, I feel we need to do more to humanise people's online presences. I have friends of friends that I'm not sure whether they are just cautious or possibly the most boring people on the planet because their social media is dry AF. It's worse with non doctors because whilst doctors are dry about medicine, but there are people out there who act like highway maintenance or sewage are the only thing they are even slightly interested in. Now, I'm not sure if they are just very cautious about being professional (or maybe they really are just...boring), but I know that if I was engaging socially under my real name and qualifications I might be very anxious to post anything too personal. But I think we need to normalise professionals revealing a little of themselves and their personality, because that's what makes people human and engaging and likeable. No, I don't' think professionals need to be posting weekly recipes or mommy blogs on their social media, but the odd thing that reminds us they have interests or a life isn't a terrible thing. To me, if our social media could literally be repaced by a bot that churns out bland platitudes, then what's the point in having a public social media presence at all? Now, on to advertising. I've seen plenty of professionals on social media, and it's not uncommon for people to advertise things/be sponsored. If I'm going to say that a lawyer or author or other content creator can have a sponsor, it'd feel unfair for me to say a doctor can't. But I do think there would have to be provisos for me to say it was ethical. I do think that social media still does a rubbish job of people making clear that they are advertising - so often it seems that influencers are covertly being paid a lot of money to speak positively about brands, and this is not always being acknowledged. I find the extent that things are being sponsored now disconcerting, mainly because the extent is often not clear. I find this difficult partly because I'm in the UK. I'm paid by the government (essentially) rather than by patients or my hospital specifically, and having a customer or sponsor relationship with medical companies just isn't how we work - i get paid the same whatever drugs I recommend, and what I recommend will be based on whatever NICE says (usually) and what my local trust has decided. I have a belief that if I professionally endorse something, it should be something I believe in or have used enough to feel it's worth recommending. And I think being doctors, it'd make sense for us to hold our online representatives to this standard. Would I advertise anything? Probably not - I can imagine that I may have occasionally recommended art equipment or tools that I've used, but I can't see myself ever recommending or advertising anything that I wouldn't recommend freely of my own volition. Now, in practice if a doctor advertises a scrubs supplier or something innocuous then I probably won't be too mad, because that is not something that their qualification has any bearing on, and I can buy that they might have a favourite brand of scrubs or pencil or whatever. i.e. I'd be disappointed to find out that they'd never used what they are advertising and are only doing it for the money. But I'd hope that they wouldn't be desperate enough financially to advertise something that they didn't think was good. But personally, if it's something medical, then I feel they'd have to follow what the usual rules are for advertising medical services in their country. I'd expect them not to advertise something unless they make it explicitly clear whether they are receiving funding from the company, and I'd expect them to bring lots of data to back up their assertions - rather like a drug rep brings a power point presentation and takes you over their research when trying to persuade you to prescribe their branded whatever. I also think this is different because drug reps advertise to

scientifically literate people, whereas a doctor on a youtube channel is potentially advertising to anyone, including patients. I think there are also ways you can potentially do this without being unethical. For example, I follow a dermatologist. They do have a social media presence that educates patients on simple conditions. They both discuss products that don't deliver (based on research and experience) and products that make a bigger difference (again according to research, or example like retinols for acne). When asked about specific brands, they might describe some brands that they personally use and they tend to give a range of commonly found examples rather than suggesting that any one brand is the 'right' treatment. They discuss lots of different treatments and AFAIK they aren't sponsored by brands or otherwise receiving freebies from them or making money off them, but if they were I would 100% expect them to make that clear. I don't hate what they do, but I can see ways in which a doctor could go wrong - for example if they didn't declare sponsorships. I also think that over the counter dermatological treatments and cosmetics fall under different licensing than medications, which can blur the lines. In the UK we don't have any advertisement of prescription drugs on TV or in our papers etc. So for me it's wild to imagine that in places like the US people are being bombarded with "ask your doctor if flurgibibbin is right for you!" when most drugs are only useful in relatively specific circumstances - and the right drug for the patient may not be the one that advertises the hardest. To sum up: 1. I'd hope that they don't advertise medical equipment or drugs. 2. If they do, I would want them to make clear the extent of their sponsorship/funding and back it up with data. 3. I'd also want it to follow the laws of that land regarding advertising for those kinds of services. 4. This is in general a bit of a grey area which makes me personally feel uncomfortable and personally I wouldn't accept money from a company to advertise it unless i was 100% going to rave about how great their products were anyway. Even then, I'm not sure I could do it. 5. there are a lot of ways for this to go wrong, and it's a potential ethical minefield.

6. so is social media in general TBH.

7. I believe we need to modernise how we present ourselves on social media because the public need to appreciate that we are people and not bots putting ou the blandest content ever.

[kenyonndez]

Ultimate Ways To Make Real Sustainable Money Online.

Countless people dream of working remotely and making a living in the comfort of their homes. This is a reality that is achievable and accessible to anyone with the right tools, information, and the right mindset.With the Covid pandemic looming around and frequent lockdowns, working online can open doors to a successful career or a lucrative side hustle. The list below divides these online opportunities into four categories.- Career: These are proper jobs that require you to prepare a resume and cover letter. Just like any company, there is potential to grow, relocate, and have a fixed salary. - Top Tier: This includes jobs that have unlimited tapped potential. You can make as much money as you want and reach the level of success that you desire. It all boils down to your work ethic. - Mid Tier: These are jobs that require you to register with a platform or are extremely oversaturated and they might not have the same level of earning potential as Top tier jobs. - Low tier: These are low-paying jobs that can be easily considered side hustles. I wouldn't advise you to make a career or quit your job for low-tier jobs in this article. Please note: I absolutely hate Survey paying websites and any type of job that wastes precious time. Any job that pays unrealistic wages will not be included in this article. (There are too many websites that pay pennies or scam people.)

Become a Shopify Employee (Level-Career)

Shopify has grown to be one of the biggest players in the E-Commerce space. The company is featured as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers. It currently employs over 7000+ employees who mostly work remotely. In May 2020, Shopify transitioned to operating online permanently with all its employees.Shopify is one of the best tech companies to work for. Salaries range from $46,000-$210,000 depending on the position. Their lowest position, Customer Service pays around $46,000 which is way above the national average for a similar role. You'll also receive benefits such as $5000 to put towards your wellness/health account, retirement account, or charitable giving account. Other benefits include maternity and parental leave top-up payments; mental health practitioners benefit up to $2,500; stock options, and many more. This is a real job presenting the opportunity to make a career with a company that cares about its employees. And yes, they hire internationals too. Click the link below to check out their Job postings.

Start a blog (Level - Top tier)

Starting a blog is one of the best ways to make money online. There is no barrier to entry and the potential to make money is practically unlimited. Currently, the world has over 7.6 billion people and 65.6% of them have access to the internet. If you think blogging is a dead-end then you're in for a surprise. Like any other job, to be successful with blogging requires time and dedication. An updated article will be linked here to guide you on how to start a successful blog. In the meantime, these are ways you can monetize your blog.- Ads. You can run Google Ads or any other ads platform to showcase ads on your website. When people visit your website, view or click ads, revenue is generated. - Affiliate Marketing. Is a form of marketing that involves promoting a product and earning a commission when a sale is made. For example, you can join the Amazon Affiliate program, pick a product of interest and write an article about it. Amazon will provide you with a link that you can add to your blog. If a visitor clicks that link and makes a purchase, Amazon will pay you a commission. It's important to have useful good quality content to drive traffic to your website. - Sponsorship. A great way of boosting income on your website is to work with sponsors. A sponsored blog post is when a blogger gets paid to talk about a product or brand on their blog. The amount of money you get from sponsors will be determined by traffic and other factors. - Sell a product or service. You can sell e-books, online courses, merchandise, paid subscription service, or start a podcast.

Game development with Buildbox (Level-Mid Tier)

If you have a passion for making mobile games and you're lacking in the programming department, Buildbox allows you to make games in a drag and drop user interface. No coding knowledge is required to build amazing games that can take the internet by storm. Some of the best ranking games on Android and iOS were made with Buildbox. The platform is also extremely easy to use, even for beginners. Money can be made by selling games or monetizing with ads in the Appstore. Although game developers can easily make 6 to 7 figures a year, I classified this gig as "Mid-tier" because of oversaturation within the mobile gaming industry. To be successful, you'll need a good idea, a well-designed game with different levels, and SEO marketing skills(Note: There is alternative software like Unity, Unreal, Gamemaker, and many more that can be used to make mobile games.)

Amazon Mturk (Level-Low Tier)

Amazon Mechanical Turk is a crowdsourcing website for businesses and individuals to hire remotely located "crowd workers" to perform on-demand tasks. The amount you earn is proportional to how fast you can complete a task. Mturk is a great platform for making extra cash. I easily make $25-40 USD a day in my spare time.As a new Turker, you might not qualify for high-paying HITs. However, the more HITs you complete, the more work you'll qualify for. In addition, installing plugins and scripts such as Mturk Suite, Pandacrazy and others will massively boost your income. It's a must-have feature.Overall, Mturk doesn't offer the level of growth and the potential to earn is not up to par with other jobs on this list. Regardless, you can earn some extra cash.

Youtube (Level-Top Tier)

Youtube is one of those jobs that seem bizarre and unattainable. Similar to blogging, Youtube requires a lot of hard work, consistency, and dedication. However, the potential to earn is limitless.A lot of people fail with Youtube because they don't respect it as a job. Other people overcomplicate it and they fail to start. If you love creating content and you have a niche of interest, use your phone and just start.You can monetize your Youtube channel with ads, sponsored content, and affiliate marketing. Additionally, you can recycle articles if you have a blog and turn them into youtube videos. It's like feeding two birds with one scone.

Appen "Search Engine Evaluator" (Mid-tier)

Apply as a search engine evaluator at Appen. The job pays around $13/hr. A Search Engine Evaluator analyzes search results to ensure they are accurate and relevant. The job is fairly straightforward. (Note: Positions for this job might be full, so try to check out for any other open positions.)

Lionsbridge "Social Media Evaluator" (Level - Mid Tier)

Similar to Appen, Lionsbridge is a company that provides translations and localization solutions. A Social Media Evaluator's job is to ensure that a social network's newsfeed is relevant and accurate based on a given assignment. Wages range from $12-$15/hr. Lionsbridge also has other job openings that might be of interest.

Open an online business (Level-Top tier)

Many advantages come with running an online business. Depending on the nature of the business, there is more control, and operating costs will be lower than a conventional brick-and-mortar business. Check out these cool ideas on how to open an online business.

Dropshipping

Is a clever way of selling products that you don't own at a higher price. You won't have to store inventory or any products in physical form because when a customer buys from your store, their payment will automatically buy the product from a third-party store. Entrepreneurs usually pick and add products from Alibaba.com or any wholesaler of choice to their website. The next step is to set a reasonable price and drive traffic to your site. When a customer eventually buys a product from you, they're technically buying it from Alibaba or any wholesaler that you're working with.Countless people have made fortunes with this method, however, the market is extremely saturated now. Shipping costs, quality control, and low-profit margins are also factors to consider when launching a dropshipping website. The most important thing is to research a product that is in high demand but has low competition. That is the formula for dropshipping.

E-commerce website

Start an e-commerce business and sell practically anything. From clothes to furniture, anything can be sold online. You can also sell digital products such as software, music beats, or even services. There are many tools out there that you can use such as Shopify, WordPress Woocommerce, Squarespace, and many more.Choosing a niche is the most important step when building an E-commerce site. Your website will look professional and tailored to specific products. You don't want your website to compete with the likes of Amazon and eBay. Customers will rather use those instead. Specialize in something!

Affiliate marketing

Although this form of business is already mentioned, it deserves a segment of its own. Affiliate Marketing is the process by which an affiliate earns commission when they market a company's product.There are many affiliate networks that you can join with the most famous being Amazon Affiliates. Bluehost also has a great affiliate program that pays $65USD per sale. Shopify's affiliate program pays $58-$2000 per sale and Fiver pays up to $150 per new customer. This is just the tip of the iceberg as there are many affiliate programs that you can join. (Note: You don't need to have a website or a Youtube channel to drive traffic to your links, however, I would advise against that)

Amazon Arbitrage

Also known as retail arbitrage, is a method of buying items from different retailers and selling them on Amazon at a higher price. You can also buy items from Amazon and list them on eBay at a higher price. This Business method requires research and a good understanding of the product demand.

Start an agency.

- You can start a social media marketing agency where you help clients grow their businesses and reach more people.  - If you know how to build websites or mobile apps, you can easily start an agency that provides those services to other businesses. - A travel agency can also be lucrative, especially if you know how to use social media effectively.

Fiverr

Is one of the best freelance marketplaces. The potential to earn is limitless. If you have any skills that can offer a service, customers will connect with you directly and pay you accordingly. Fiver also has a robust user interface that is easy to navigate and understand. It's definitely a great way to utilize your skills.

Amazon to FBA

Read the full article

[iwillhaveamoonbase]

Replay ch. 4

Callum gulped as he sent the text to Rayla.  She was fully in her rights to reject a drawing session in the woods.  Not only that, but he was asking her to bring her own clothes because he didn’t know her exact measurements.  Was he asking too much?  He read the text again.  ‘If it’s not too much trouble, I was really imagining drawing you among the trees, like a faerie or an elf.  If you have any flowy clothes that you are alright with getting dirty, please wear those. I’ll send you the location if you’re comfortable.  If not, we can do the beach or my backyard.  I just can’t imagine drawing you in a confined space like my studio. I don’t think it would fit your spirit.’

Callum internally screamed. Did he really send that?  She was going to rescind her acceptance of his request to draw her, wasn’t she?  ‘Her spirit’? He had met her once!  What was wrong with him?  It was true, though.  That was something about her that, despite the suit and the situation that they met in, made him feel like she would be more at home running barefoot through the forest or relaxing by the sea.

Either way, now all he had to do was wait for her to reply back.  If she rejected the offer, well, he didn’t want to think about that, because that meant he probably was never going to see her again.  Meeting her once was enough to make her haunt his every thought for the past three days.  While he and his friends had finally ironed out how they were going to go full-time with YouTube, she had been right in the back of his mind.  

He had looked up her name and ran across a few things.  She really was the daughter of two bodyguards of the British royal family and her adoptive fathers ran a famous Celtic jewelry shop in Aberdeen, the designs being a mix of traditional shapes and styles and new materials.  She did dance for years as a way to channel her energy. There was even a video online of her at sixteen doing a ballet routine to a Kylie Minogue and Madonna compilation. She had inserted traditional Irish step dance in a way Callum never would have thought worked but it did. Maybe that was because of the sheer joy on her face as she moved.  That made her departure from dance all the stranger and it’s also where information about her basically stopped.  The most recent thing he found was that she worked for Patel and Associates Anti-Fraud Law Office.  

A lawyer…his faerie was a lawyer.  It certainly explained the suit but it was almost absurd.  Here he was imagining her running through the trees and she was surrounded by paperwork in her daily life.  Did she enjoy it?  Did she like spicy food?  What was her type?

Callum hit his head against his desk.  He needed to stop letting his mind drift to her and whether or not she could ever be interested in him.  There was no way someone like him was her type.  She couldn’t hide just how toned her long legs her in her suit.  She probably worked out often while he was a lazy twig that indulged in sleeping in too much.  Also, she was a lawyer.  A lawyer falling for a YouTuber/artist?  Yeah, right.

A stray chip hit his forehead.  Callum looked up to glare at Soren.  “What?”

“You thinking about that hot girl at the cheese shop again?”

“What?  No!”  Callum could feel the blush creepy up on his cheeks and all the way to his ears.

“It’s fine if you were. She was smoking hot.  I never thought I would find white hair hot, but DAMN.”

Claudia hummed in acknowledgement.  “I’m calling it now; she’s Bi or Pan.”

“What makes you say that?” Soren mumbled around a bunch of chips.

Claudia winked.  “Gaydar.”

“Wishful thinking?”

“Maybe some of that, too,” Claudia shrugged.  

“She’s got two dads,” Callum mumbled.

Soren, Claudia, and Ezran all turned to him.  “Does she now?” Claudia asked.

“Yeah.  She told me at the shop.  It was the painting of Aunt Amaya and Aunt Janai that made her accept my offer.  She was raised by her parents’ friends, hence, two dads.  They run Gael Jewelers in Aberdeen.”  

Claudia immediately pulled out her phone, probably to look them up.  Shortly after, she whistled.  “Wow. She comes from a really good-looking family.  Her mom is a totally MILF.”

Soren rolled his eyes. “Claudia, you can’t just-” Claudia shoved the picture in his face. “MILF alert.”

“Mm-hmm.”  Claudia scrolled through.  “Ethari and Runaan and are also incredibly attractive.  Damn.  What is in the water in Scotland?”

Callum rolled his eyes. “Guys.  Let’s focus.  Do we need a production manager?”

Claudia shrugged.  “My vote is you’re in charge of creative for group projects, we run our own channels, and we hire an editing assistant.”

“We also need a social media manager.  Ez can’t do it all on his own while he’s in school.”

Ezran nodded.  “It’s nice that you guys do your own channel stuff, but, sometimes, it would be nice to have some help.”

“Do we need a strong social media presence?  We have YouTube and Twitter.  Isn’t that enough?”

Ezran scratched the back of his neck.  “Maybe? Claudia’s got a large following on Tumblr ever since she came out during one of her make-up tutorials.  Her super casual ‘my ex-girlfriend taught me how to do this and this is the first time I’ve done this eyeliner look since we broke-up’ just made her blow-up and our channel gained thousands of followers over-night.”

Callum nodded.  “We gained a lot of followers after I did that art tutorial with Janai, too.  A lot of people just went gaga over her and I see a lot of requests for her to come back on the channel.”

“Which is where a social media manager could come in handy.  Maybe they could track requests so we don’t have to?”

Soren sighed, taking another handful of his chips.  “We also need someone to help us with events.  Getting us into them, working booths…being famous is hard work.”

“We aren’t famous, Soren.”

“Beg to differ.  I get stopped all the time.”  Soren flexed his arm.  “And it’s not just because of these guns.”  The other three in the room rolled their eyes.  

“Himbo,” Claudia coughed, no-so-subtly.  

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! Stop using words I don’t know!”

“Stop being a himbo.”

“CLAUDS!”  

Ezran and Callum shared a look, snorting at their childhood friends’ teasing.  Soren and Claudia couldn’t go five minutes without teasing each other or making a serious situation humorous.  “Can’t take them anywhere,” Callum whispered.

Ezran nodded.  “Bait is better behaved.”

Callum eyed the frog in the glass bowl Ezran took with him wherever he could.  “He’s glaring at me again.”

“Because you won’t stop thinking about that girl.”

“It’s not my fault she won’t leave my head.  You saw her, Ez.”

“Yeah, she’s beautiful, but she’s not running through my head like she is your’s.  Are you even ready for another relationship?  After Melissa-”

“Melissa was a nightmare. She constantly asked to be introduced in our videos.  I didn’t know at the time, but you were right, she approached me because she wanted to piggyback off our growing fame.”  Callum ran a hand through his hair.  “I was an idiot.”

Ezran put a hand on his shoulder.  “I wasn’t going to say that.  I was going to say that Melissa really hurt you and I want you to be careful.  You didn’t even like her that much, if I remember correctly.”

“She was nice, pretty, liked some of the same things I did.  But she didn’t really inspire me to be better or push my art.  She only encouraged the YouTube thing, not what I actually like.”

“She is why we got almost fifty thousand subscribers in one week, though.  That story broke and you had to give that little video and it really stuck with people.”

Callum remembered that video.  As a way to quiet down any questions, he had made a short video detailing how they had met (in a coffee shop), why they had never gone public (he had wanted to keep his private life and his YouTube life separate), that she had met his family but they kept it hush-hush (impossible not to meet Ezran after knowing Callum for a week), and that the break-up had not been mutual.  Callum had broken-up with her because he had felt that it wasn’t working because they wanted different things.  Melissa pushed the YouTube thing, and there was nothing wrong with that, but, if Callum was going to be known for social media and videos, he wanted to be proud of what he put out into the universe.  He loved his art more, and, if he could, that would be all he did.  Melissa had wanted to do sponsorships and Callum hadn’t.  They just had different values and desires and no one else was owed this knowledge, but Callum had been forced to do damage control because people would not stop asking.  “Yeah. I was really surprised that that happened.”

“People value honesty. I think it comes across in our videos and your art tutorials that you are not in this for the fame.  We’ve done meet and greets and you are just awkward as anything.  Melissa showed her true colors on her own with posts afterwards.”  Callum didn’t even want to think about how Melissa had tried to monetize their break-up.  It had been bizarre to see her sponsored by a make-up wipe company to tell her side of the story, which basically confirmed everything in Callum’s video, but with the caveat that she had wanted him to reach new heights and that YouTube and not his ‘lame art’, as she had put it, was the way to do that.  Their fans had not taken kindly to that and Melissa had lost thousands of followers she had gained overnight in even less time.

“Social media is weird, Ez. No matter what, we have got to stay away from the drama.  We do not want to be involved in any of that.”

“Yep.  That’s why I think a social media manager could help.  A good one.”

“I’m all for it if that’s what keeps our noses clean.”  Callum straightened when his phone alerted him to a text.  

He opened it to see it was from Rayla ‘The woods?  OK.  I’m still bringing my friend.  When’s good for you?  It would have to be on a weekend for me because of work.  Sorry about that.’

“Holy shit,” Callum whispered.

“What?” Ezran looked over his shoulder to read the text.  “That text sounds weird.  Callum-”

“I know, Ez, but she didn’t say ‘no’.  She didn’t reject me.”  Ezran raised a brow.  “You know what I mean.”

“You’ve got it bad.”

“I just need to draw her to get her out of my system.”

“Either that or she is your muse.  Poor Aunt Janai.  She was having so much fun being your muse.  So was Khessa.”  Callum chuckled.  Khessa, Janai’s older sister, did enjoy modeling for Callum.  His exhibit on women of color had been a smash hit in part because of her always accepting when he asked.  She had once modeled with a crown while sitting on a throne and that particular piece now hung in her house in her living room, showed off to everyone who came over.  Callum smiled as he remembered that exhibit.  His crowing achievement, to this day, was the portrait of his mother, eyes softened, and an easy, loving smile on her lips.  People thought of her as this rough former military general and tactician who once taught at military academies.  They didn’t know that she had a sweet tooth or that her relationship with Callum’s father had led her to leaving the military because she saw that the push for peace was more important.  

She was now known for her discussions on US-South Korean and US-Thai relations because both her parents were immigrants and her own history in South Korea.  Sarai and Amaya had both spent half their childhoods in South Korea in Korean schools, helping Sarai learn how the rest of the world saw the States. She and Amaya and joined the military because it helped pay for university, but both found they were really good at it. So good at it, they extended their contracts before finally leaving to focus on family and peaceful negotiations. Callum was proud of his mother’s work and was proud of the picture showing the softer side of her so many people didn’t see.  

He shook his head and sent a quick text to Rayla that next Saturday worked for him if it worked for her.  This Saturday was in a few days and, if things went how Ezran wanted, they were probably going to be doing interviews all weekend for a social media manager.  “Let’s get a social media manager, Ez.”

“YES!”

------------------------------------------

Rayla smiled at the text. The woods was a bit of a strange option, but she was excited.  She hadn’t had a chance to go running through the trees barefoot in years.  She was going to have to ask Corvus if he was willing to head out early so she could do so.  She mentally thought of her wardrobe and realized she didn’t have anything flowing that she was willing to get dirty.  She was going to have to go thrift store shopping.  

Was she really going to go buy a dress so a random artist that she had met one time could draw her surrounded by trees?  Yeah, she was and she was going to look so good she was going to haunt his mind like he haunted her’s.  His voice followed her and she had watched all of his videos in three days.  She barely slept because she wanted to hear him more or see him smile or laugh.  She felt like one of those stalkers who was convinced a famous person was in love with them, but she had met him in real life.  He had approached her, he had asked to draw her.  Either way, she wanted him to be tongue-tied when he saw her and, hopefully, she was going to quell some of the fire that refused to leave her belly since they had shaken hands.

[anneapocalypse]

Matt Hullum made the announcement in a journal entry today that Rooster Teeth is laying off 13% of its staff.

Variety has an article up about the downsizing, mostly the same info that's in Matt's journal, with a few other facts—notably to me, a mention of the fact that WarnerMedia (RT's parent company, all under the AT&T umbrella) also swallowed up and effectively killed the Machinima brand. In fact, it turns out a few Machinima properties were shuffled under the Rooster Teeth umbrella when that happened.

I was unfamiliar with Machinima the YouTube Channel and Machinima.com (as opposed to machinima, the medium) until Quinton Reviews did a Fallen Titans episode on it recently, and I'll admit I was kind of hoping he'd have more to say about Red vs. Blue as it's... really the only machinima work I care about, but his video was mainly about the Machinima brand. Still, it is informative if you, like me, know nothing about Machinima!

Anyway, from the second Variety article above, there's also this:

Warner Bros. acquired full control of Machinima in November 2016, and put Machinima under its Warner Bros. Digital Networks group. AT&T closed its $85 billion deal for Time Warner in June 2018 and since then has consolidated or killed off several digital businesses. Under AT&T’s ownership, WarnerMedia shut down FilmStruck, from Turner and Warner Bros. Digital Networks, and WBDN’s DramaFever. In addition, Turner shuttered its Super Deluxe studio.

Mm....hm.

Yeah, so AT&T seems to have an unsurprising pattern of acquiring and quietly destroying small web-based companies, particular those centering around streaming content for a somewhat niche audience.

I don't want to be a doomsayer, and it's not like I think Rooster Teeth is going to be shut down tomorrow. I do feel like this doesn't exactly bode well for the AT&T conglomerate's investment in this relatively small studio.

There are certainly other factors to be considered. Only a couple months ago Matt was responding to criticisms of Rooster Teeth related to crunch and their animation pipeline, and announcing that Gray Haddock would be stepping down as head of animation. Of course, downsizing the studio by more than 10% seems... not a strong step toward reducing crunch, unless they're drastically reducing or delaying content in kind.

In terms of content itself... this is purely speculation, but I do have some concern that gen:LOCK was not the hot property Rooster Teeth hoped it would be. I like gen:LOCK. I like it a lot, and hope we see many more seasons. But I don't exactly think it's taken off as the kind of viral hit RWBY has been for the company. gen:LOCK is a subscribers-only show. If you don't have a FIRST membership, you can't watch past the first episode... and that just might not be enough to get people hooked enough to subscribe.

Going back a little further, one of my personal favorite RT shows is the live-action apocalyptic drama Day 5. It's got high production value and some really excellent acting talent, both from Rooster Teeth regulars and outside names. It has a compelling story and great characters. And it barely has a fandom. The last post on /r/dayfive is two years old. The tumblr tags are barren. And good luck even finding a twitter hashtag. Day 5 has seven works on AO3. The show debuted three years ago.

Production was put on hold after season 2, while the show was syndicated on the El Rey network, and the episodes were temporarily removed from the Rooster Teeth site while it aired on El Rey (they're back now). But even while the show was airing, as a fan I found it was tough to find other people actively watching the show and talking about it, even among fellow Rooster Teeth fans. I didn't see gifsets pouring down my tumblr dash; I didn't see meta, or episode reaction posts.

I suppose I should've seen the writing on the wall, even then. Day 5 has not been cancelled as of now and I really hope we get a season 3, because I love the show. But I'll admit I am nervous for its future.

I bring up these examples because I think the subscribers-only content model is demonstrably not working for Rooster Teeth. And to be clear, this is not me saying that people shouldn't have to pay for things. I've had a Rooster Teeth subscription since it was called a "sponsorship" and being a sponsor meant getting episodes of Red vs. Blue a thrilling two hours ahead of the general public! And I've been lucky, because for all these years Rooster Teeth has had a policy of letting longtime subscribers be grandfathered in at their original price, which means I've been paying about a third of what an annual subscription now costs. Recently it was also announced that the grandfather policy would be coming to an end. I'm in no way surprised or angry; I figured this would happen eventually, and I sure enjoyed this gravy train while it lasted! What I will probably do, once my current pay period runs out, is subscribe month-to-month only when there's something airing that I really care about. I'm not even sure if that's going to be RvB when season 18 rolls around. (But if they announce season 3 of Day 5 I will be there with bells on.)

Anyway the upshot of all of this is:

A Rooster Teeth FIRST membership ain't as cheap as it once was.

One free episode tends not to be enough to get people hooked on a new property unless it's kickflip bananas amazing.

With fewer people watching a new property as it airs, and short seasonal runs (Day 5 had six episodes per season; gen:LOCK premiered with eight), there just isn't enough buzz to create a hit on the level of RWBY.

Without that buzz, you don't get the kind of FOMO atmosphere that the FIRST delay creates. When RT first went to the one week gap between subscribers and the public, fans were largely upset, on the grounds that this would divide the fandom and make it difficult for non-subscribers to interact with the fandom on the same level, cutting them off from discussions and general hype around each new episode. And they were right—that was the point. That's why it worked.

Day 5 and gen:LOCK are good shows. There are valid criticisms of both, of course, and both are niche genres that won't be for everyone, but they're by no means bad products. RWBY's first volume, by contrast, was messy, poorly-paced, and looked unfinished. It had charm, absolutely, but it was objectively a bad product and the show still managed to draw a huge audience in its first three volumes—because anyone could watch it. But if you subscribed, you could watch it first, and you could be one of the first to comment on it, make gifsets, theorize and speculate. You wouldn't miss out.

I mean I fully understand why Rooster Teeth didn't want to make an expensive live-action show and give it away for free. I do get that. Same with an expensive polished animated series featuring big-name voice actors. And I'm as sad as anyone to see that those shows haven't grabbed the kind of audience RWBY has.

But something's not working here, and I think the modest reception of their two most-hyped subscribers-only shows plus this layoff makes that clear. I don't know what the answer is. I wish there were an easy answer. There probably isn't.

I really do hope Rooster Teeth survives as a studio and is able to keep making cool, creative stuff. I've had plenty of criticisms of RT and their properties over the years, but at the end of the day I'm still a fan who's pulling for them. The pattern of global media conglomerates swallowing up and disappearing small, independent, web-based content makers doesn't exactly bode well, and that's... well, that's late capitalism for you. Still, I do hope they hold out for a while.

At least long enough to get us a third season of Day 5.

[namanchahal]

Business Ideas & Opportunities in eSports:

Thinking of founding a startup and making yourself work for your dreams.

Well, eSports is one such industry you can target. It has seen immense growth over the years which is only expected to rise. As reported by Newzoo, Global esports revenues are expected to surpass $1 billion in 2020 for the first time. China is the largest market in terms of revenues followed by North America with total revenues of $385 million and $253 million respectively. The global esports audience is expected to grow to 495 million people in 2020.

Mobile gaming has further introduced new markets and opportunities. Games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire has taken the industry by storm. As a result, emerging esports markets will show the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2018-23) with regions such as Southeast Asia (24% CAGR) and Japan (20% CAGR) among the highest.

This is also one such industry that did not get affected by Covid-19, instead, it has shown growth during this time of crisis.

So, let us explore the various business models that can be formed if you are thinking to enter the esports industry.

Paid Tournaments/ Custom Rooms: You can build a platform where tournaments, as well as individual battles, can be hosted. These tournaments could be free to enter or levy some entry charges. The winning prize is generally given from the lot collected after deducting the costs and margins. Companies using this business model- Toornament, Nodwin Gaming, GamingMonk, etc.

Fantasy Leagues:  Fantasy league is a common concept in traditional sports where people choose players and earn money based on the performances of the players selected. The same could be applied for eSports where users can put their money on the competitive players playing in major global eSports competitions. Companies using this business model- Sleeper, Blinkpool, Skrilla, etc.

Supplying in-game credits: People spend a lot of money in games they play from purchasing skins of weapons to vehicles and whatnot. However, each game uses its currency which is bought by real money i.e., dollars or rupees. You can contact these games and handle these operations while providing in-game currency at cheaper rates or more currency than provided by the game. Not only that, but you can also sell custom-made products used in the games. Companies using this business model- MidasBuy, PlayerUp, etc.

Organizing and Hosting tournaments: In 2019, around 875 global esports tournaments were held. The number is expected to increase in the coming years. The competitions held face many problems from the local parties ranging from LAN connectivity to hospitality. You can take contracts from the companies to organize and manage their esports tournaments on a large scale. Companies using this business model- Activate Entertainment LLC, ESL, etc.

Dedicated streaming platforms: YouTube and Twitch are the leading esports streaming platforms comprising the majority of the audience. However, now companies are entering this market segment targeting specific games for a specific audience and then gradually expanding. Companies using this business model- NimoTv, GuyaTv, RheoTv, etc.

Streaming from Mobile: As the popularity of mobile games is increasing, so is the streamers and audience for these. However, streaming mobile games from PC involves investment and complexities. Therefore, to make streaming from mobile possible, easy and convenient, new solutions are being provided to the market. Companies using this business model- Streamlabs, Omlet Arcade, Mobcrush, Kamcord, etc.

eSports Team/Streamer Sponsorship: You can also sponsor an esports team by providing them Bootcamp, devices, salaries, and a mix of all possible facilities to ensure they perform best to their capabilities in tournaments. Also, you can sponsor streamers and they will promote your brand regularly on their streams. Companies using this business model- Entity, Cloud9, Team Liquid, OnePlus, Logitech, etc.

Produce eSports Content and Merchandise: You can also produce a reality series based on esports and/or gaming entertainment content. Not only this, merchandise like limited-run streetwear apparel, such as a line of T-shirts, joggers, and hoodies can also be produced and sold to all the gamers out there. Companies using this business model- 100 THIEVES, Antstream Arcade, 1UP Gaming, etc.

Betting: Although betting is illegal in India, there are many countries where betting is allowed, providing huge opportunities to earn money. You can allow users to bet using real money or through in-app points which can be redeemed then for particular game purchases or gift cards, etc. Companies using this business model- Unikrn, Midnite, Dojo Madness, etc.

Marketing Agency: You can work with brands and streamers to promote their content popular platforms like Twitch. Brands will have an opportunity to reach millions of gamers and streamers will get paid to promote branded content on their channels. Companies using this business model- Ader, Scopely, Tinyclues, etc.

Managing Streamers: You can offer a complete suite of tools to be used by both community organizers and streamers to engage their audience in a better and efficient manner while transparently handling the donations made by the viewers. Companies using this business model- Matcherino, Fig, etc.

Recruiting agency: You can scout young talents for a competitive eSports team and make contracts with them. Companies using this business model- Stakrn Agency, GameRecruiter, etc.

News network: You can be an ESPN for esports by setting up a network that is the go-to place for 24/7 access to all online e-sports news and media. Companies using this business model- Estnn, esportznetwork, etc.

Community Building: You can create a platform where likeminded gamers can engage, communicate, share content, and find teammates to play with. Companies using this business model- Discord, Slack, TeamSpeak, etc.

Tickets selling: You can also acquire rights and sell tickets of major esports tournaments happening around you or even globally. Audience participation in the LAN events is continuously increasing making this an attractive opportunity. Companies using this business model- Stubhub, ESL Gaming, etc.

These are the few business models you can try and make work for you. You can choose either of these or a mix depending on your capabilities or you can create a whole new business model which no one has seen before distinguishing you from the rest and giving the first-mover advantage.

[nythroughthelens]

On rejection, looking for a job, and numbers that boggle the mind...

(Long read, would mean the world if you read it and share it) I wanted to shed some light on the overall challenges I am experiencing in trying to find a full-time job right now.  I am going to share the raw numbers and effort with you before I share my background and situation. 

1. Of the now 317 creative jobs I applied to on various job boards and networks over the last 4-5 months, I only received 11 replies. 

Yes, only 11 replies.

Seven of those replies were automated rejections due to my CV not making it through the tracking systems in place.

The other four replies were mainly that they felt I had a great CV but that the position(s) had been filled internally or otherwise.

2. Let's talk a little more about the automated systems in place that read your CV. The systems are widespread and meant to lighten the load of in-house recruiters. Your CV passes or is rejected due to keywords and phrases. In the past, people apparently used to try to stuff their CVs full of keywords and/or essentially copy the job listing to pass the system. However, the systems have gotten more intelligent and also should you do that to your CV, it makes it a tad unreadable once it reaches the eyes of an actual human.

I am fairly positive that cold-applying to jobs is a futile process for the most part due to this factor.

3. Some listings aren't actually viable jobs. Companies leave listings up long after positions are filled or worse, there are CV harvesting services posing as regular listings that essentially are collecting CVs and data. 

4. I even tried paying to in-mail hiring and talent managers on LinkedIn. I reached out that way with personal notes about 32 times. 

People who replied from this effort: 4

One person who replied was from an agency I really want to work at and she replied to let me know she had just quit her job but wanted to wish me success. Another recruiter also replied to let me know that she moved on to working at a dog rescue and hadn't updated her profile. 

The other two people replied that they loved my background and would get back to me while also admitting that they had a hard time keeping up with in-mails. I never heard back from them despite pinging them again just to re-establish a connection.

I should add that for every job I apply to via that job site, I also seek out the talent acquisition person(s) at the company and send a personal note to them. This hasn't actually led anywhere.

5.  I compiled a list of 84 media/streaming/ad/design/PR agencies in NYC and cold-emailed them all with personalized emails. 

Replies from this effort: 0

Not one response.

6.  I reached out to over 12 recruitment/staffing people/agencies (also called half of them and was assured I would have someone 'get back' to me). 

Replies from this effort: 0

7.  I was referred to 4 recruiters personally who I reached out to. 

Result of this effort: 3 of the recruiters ghosted me after talking to me, and the other one I never even reached in the first place.

8.  I swallowed my pride and plastered myself all over social media publicly asking for leads (for reference, I have around 400,000+ people following me across networks, see below for my actual background if curious). 

Actual responses that panned out: 1

One potential really great lead did contact me and we talked on the phone. 

Perhaps that will turn into something. 

Let that sink in though.

Only 1 person with a genuine lead appeared.

The rest of the replies were from people who didn't read any of my actual post (skipped over where I said I am specifically looking for a full-time job in creative/advertising/media/design related work)

9. I tapped into my network by posting a few private posts to specific groups of people. Truthfully, some people went out of their way. However, ultimately those leads haven't materialized into anything either due to a non-response despite having internal referrers.

In fact, I have exhausted all of the familiar networking advice typically given. I am a the point of not wanting to actively get the people in my network to resent me for all the times I have reached out already to them individually.

In the last decade, I have been to more networking and various industry events than I can count. I have a lot of thoughts on this that would be more suited to another lengthy post though. Just wanted to add that this is not something I haven't done. 

Rejections:

Of the rejections I have received from agencies (creative/media), I keep hearing that I am not being considered because I don't have literal agency experience (meaning, because I never worked full-time at an agency, I am tossed out of the running even with my background which involves doing actual contract work for various creative agencies). This has been the most maddening part of the whole process to be honest.

This brings me to my background. Here's my formal background statement that I had to write out for a job months ago but covers quite a bit.

Having just spent the last decade building my art career from scratch resulting in a following of around 500,000 people across all social media, two passion projects that became a traditional book deal resulting in two internationally published and best-selling photography books, a multi-year financial sponsorship with a major imaging brand, and a wide array of experiences that have informed how I approach collaboration and creation, I am at the next step in my life. That step is to find a full-time creative home. I truly believe that ideas are at their best when they are allowed to thrive alongside a diverse array of audiences and collaborators. Nothing excites me more than sharing an idea with utmost excitement knowing that the sharing of that idea is just the start of the story. In fact, I truly believe that storytelling is at its heart a collaborative process and that everyone has the potential and ability to contribute to the storytelling process. Everyone has their own unique set of experiences and adaptive knowledge that they can contribute and I love nothing more than being the person that can synthesize all of these perspectives and ideas into something incredible. I believe that everyone I have collaborated with, from the astronaut who chose me to tell the story of our trip to the Arctic together, to the teams I worked with to create creative campaigns, to the communities I was privileged to help in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, has changed me in a multitude of ways in terms of my perspective, and how I approach life, art, storytelling, and the process of creation. Every day, as humans, we learn and grow in a variety of ways. The ability to look back and call upon these experiences that help us learn is what truly helps foster a well-rounded view of what it means to be, at heart, a storyteller and synthesizer of ideas. Now that I have hopefully regaled you with that formal statement, here are the last 10 years of my career put into a tidy format:

► Directed the creative process of all photography and writing projects from ideation to execution and distribution ► Managed all project assets, including project plans, data back-ups, uploads, photo-editing, photo-management, photo-shoots, disc storage management, file transfers ► Negotiated contract rates, terms of usage, and day rates while producing project requirements and timelines to consistently meet deadlines for events, exhibitions, and roll-outs of product releases ► Collaborated and executed many large-scale projects resulting in exhibitions around the world and even a featured collaboration with Astronaut Commander Hadfield presenting our collaborative art project to the Toronto Art Gallery of Ontario ► Expanded brand presence across multiple social media networks, resulting in 200,000 followers on Facebook, 115,000 followers on Instagram, 44,000 followers on Twitter, 195,000 followers on Tumblr, 1.8 million followers on Google Plus, and developed PR strategies for photography and books, including construction of a contact list of relevant press targets in the US and UK, production of press releases, and development of pitch ► My two books NY Through the Lens and New York in the Snow were the result of a traditional book deal. Both were published and released worldwide in stores (Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart, the Strand, Watersmiths, WH Smith, and a host of other well-known stores and indie outlets offline and online) in 2014 and 2017 via Ilex Press, an imprint of Hachette UK. ► NY Through The Lens was based on the writing and art featured in my blog of the same name which had grown in popularity over the span of three years. The book was featured in the Guardian, on the Weather Channel, in the NY Post, on Yahoo News, as well as across many other news outlets. ► New York in the Snow was the culmination of a passion project that involved 7 years of taking photographs in every snowstorm in New York City. The book was featured in the NY Times in December of 2017 and had a major book-signing in London, England in January of 2018 ► As a full-time Sony sponsored artist, my art was used in multiple national ad campaigns and I regularly collaborated with the Sony Digital Imaging, and Sony marketing teams ► Selected to speak on behalf of Sony at PhotoPlus Expo, the largest annual photography event in the United States and at WPPI, the largest annual portrait photography conference ► Ideated and executed exhibitions for gallery spaces and new media installations including a showing at the Park Avenue Armory and show at London's Somerset House during the Sony World Photography event ► Participated in a pop-up store event hosted by Wired Magazine in which Sony sponsored a photography gallery featuring black & white prints and 250 signed copies of NY Through the Lens were given to VIP guests ► Commissioned to write regular features for multiple entertainment and media partners representing the Sony brand Why am I looking for a full-time job with this background? 

I am looking towards a sustainable career future I can invest in. What I have loved the most about the last 10 years of my career has been working with various teams. I adore people and I excel in team environments. I also love structure. 

When I say I am looking for a creative home, I mean it. I have a very strong work ethic as is hopefully evident by the career I built from scratch. I am looking to apply that work ethic and my creative output and vision towards a full-time job.

What do I want?

Jobs and roles I have been going after: creative producer, art director, brand strategist, engagement manager, creative strategist, various marketing positions, various social media positions, creative lead I have mainly been looking at ad agencies, media (broadcast and streaming), and some marketing and PR agencies.

Icing on the cake:

To add to this, I am losing the lease to my apartment at the end of August. I have no safety nets which I know is hard for most people to imagine. I don't have family, I don't have a Prince/Princess Charming, it's just me and that's terrifying on tons of levels considering that I really want/need a full-time job right now to not only move on with my career/life but because of this time-frame.

Hope this helps some of you understand my plight. I have gotten tons of messages about this and wanted to answer all the questions generally.  --- Links for good measure: My LinkedIn

Portfolio

Instagram Twitter

[theyoganews]

TheYogaNews.com:What's In My Gym Bag? My Girly Gym Essentials! ~ Freddy My Love

New Post has been published on https://theyoganews.com/2021/10/03/theyoganews-comwhats-in-my-gym-bag-my-girly-gym-essentials-freddy-my-love/

TheYogaNews.com:What's In My Gym Bag? My Girly Gym Essentials! ~ Freddy My Love

What should you take to the gym? Here are all my girly gym bag essentials! 💕 Everything linked below! *affiliate links used, and some items were either gifted or bought with a press discount/gift card!* Hope you enjoy, don’t forget to subscribe 💗

PREVIOUS VIDEO- https://youtu.be/wWqdpuu8Xko PREVIOUS VLOG- https://youtu.be/0u9zvcB56Xw

Top I’m wearing (similar)- https://rstyle.me/+ktI6lKjXoHLORptvzyh8hw

My gym bag- https://rstyle.me/+eInWjfCPx13tYCjL18RIgg

Pink yoga mat- https://rstyle.me/+CogzjE5OtmiaV7b2XA6OmQ

Corkcicle water bottle- https://rstyle.me/+DcMAGv-RibV2z5cfKd6F4g

Similar sport water bottle- https://rstyle.me/+146l7RhlZTuyYZzFc-eQeQ

Protein shake bottle-

Beats headphones- https://rstyle.me/+gUUn-kTbBI48DHIeeCycqA

Hand fan- https://rstyle.me/+OwMF6hAb-xiZkjQIrOCe5A

Michael kors smart watch- https://rstyle.me/+CStfbAmjQQl6BRqTnXdOtg

Tangle teezer- https://rstyle.me/+-W5NwYOq-2gxs3YJAPNeuw

Clinique moisture surge- https://rstyle.me/+u-rZZ9GnWsjufpuvUkTpNA

♥ Instagram- https://instagram.com/freddy ♥ DEPOP- @freddymylove

DISCLAIMER

Occasionally I am lucky enough to be sent products/clothing free of charge by PR companies, meaning, I may not have paid for everything I talk about. I am not in ANY way obligated to mention these products and if I have done so, it is because I genuinely like them. I would NEVER talk about or show something I didn’t genuinely love.

Sometimes, I may be sponsored by brands for videos. I turn down 90% of sponsorship opportunities. I will not accept unless I love the brand/product already. All products/items will still have been chosen by myself, and the video concept will always be my own idea. I would never endorse a brand/product that I didn’t truly love and believe in.

I use affiliate links in the description box of this channel. This means I earn a very small percentage when you purchase a product I recommend- the same way a sales associate in a store earns commission when they help you select a product. This does not in any way affect the price you pay for the item, and absolutely does not influence my choice of items to show you.

Lots of love,

Freds x Video Rating: / 5

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Angel City FC & FINA

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – ANGEL CITY FC

Make History With Us – that’s the powerful motto of the newly formed Angel City FC as they launched their new badge last week.

Inspired by Los Angeles’ moniker as ‘the city of angels,’ Angel City FC are the first ever majority female-owned football club, set on a mission of breaking the status quo of a traditional sports team and contributing significantly to society at the same time.

Angel City FC are expected to begin play in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2022 and last month announced former England striker Eniola Aluko as their first sporting director.

They will be the NWSL’s first team in California and unusually do not have an affiliation with either of the local Major League Soccer teams, LAFC or Los Angeles Galaxy.

Julie Uhrman, the team’s President and one of its founders, explained the vision behind the team: “We want to elevate women’s sports, and specifically women’s soccer, and show that it is as good, if not better, than any other professional sports team here and it deserves the attention and the revenue the male teams just get without trying.

“In this great city known for its endless sunsets and legendary stars, our visual identity had to pay homage to these important Los Angeles symbols, yet also signal what Angel City stands for—a more equitable future for all”

Angel City has several corporate sponsors, including DoorDash and the footwear brand Birdies, with 10% of the value of these partnerships going to local causes. The Birdies sponsorship includes a female mentorship program, with interns learning about women in sport.

Kayla Green, head of marketing at Angel City FC said: “We’re doing something really special here. The launch of this team is a true call to action to galvanize our community, fans, players around the world to collectively seek to raise the expectations of this game on and off the field.”

The announcement of the team branding in June made headlines, in part because of the origin of the club’s story, which involves Hollywood actress Natalie Portman, tennis superstar Serena Williams and former U.S. women’s national team player Abby Wambach.

The involvement of such well-known names will certainly raise the profile of women’s football in Los Angeles. But for these stars, Angel City symbolises something far more significant: it is their vision for the club to become a platform for greater equality and representation more widely within society.

Co-founder Natalie Portman said: "Angel City FC started because we wanted to bring the excitement of the best players in the world of the most popular sport in the world to the greatest sports city in the world. We will do that while promoting pay equity for women globally and strengthening our community locally. 

"The image, the symbol that our team, players, fans and supporters will wear was made with our values and goals in mind."

To celebrate Pride month in June, Angel City FC partnered with Heineken to raise money for the Los Angeles LGBT Center and 10% of revenue from all sponsorship deals at Angel City FC will be reinvested back into the community.

Julie Uhrman added: “We are really aligned in our core beliefs and the importance of quality for all. As part of that, it’s about representation and inclusivity. With Angel City, we want to build an inclusive fan base, that is not only our fans of soccer today, but fans of women’s sports and sports in general.”

It will be fascinating to see how the new team compete when the new season starts next year but if their on-field performances are as well planned and executed as their vision and badge launch, they’re going to be setting the standard for football teams not just in North America, but beyond.

MISS – FINA

Whenever Calacus works with a new client, we undertake an audit to identify strengths and weaknesses so that we can help them to address any shortcomings within their organisation.

It’s common to proclaim a commitment to diversity, inclusivity, opportunity, transparency, robust procedures, particularly in doping and suchlike.

But those claims must be backed up by actions, otherwise they undermine the credibility of the organisation and the trust it seeks from its target audiences.

Recent figures from Sport England show 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children do not go swimming while only 1% of registered swimmers with the governing body identify as black or mixed race.

Racial stereotypes have dogged the sport such as the misconception that black people had “less buoyant” bones and were therefore liable to struggle in water.

Step forward FINA, the international governing body for swimming, who have undermined their own diversity claims by rejecting an application for an over-sized swimming cap to be permitted for use in competition swimming including Tokyo 2020 later this summer.

SOUL CAP’s founders started the company because people with ‘volume-blessed’ hair, particularly black people who wear their hair in afros, dreadlocks, and weaves, struggle to wear ordinary swimming caps.

FINA claimed that to their “best knowledge, the athletes competing at the International events never used, neither require to use, caps of such size and configuration.”

SOUL CAP released a statement lamenting FINA’s short-sighted decision, saying: “We hoped to further our work for diversity in swimming by having our swim caps certified for competition, so swimmers at any level don’t have to choose between the sport they love and their hair.

“For younger swimmers, feeling included and seeing yourself in a sport at a young age is crucial. FINA’s recent dismissal could discourage many younger athletes from pursuing the sport as they progress through local, county and national competitive swimming.

“We feel there’s always room for improvement, but there’s only so much grassroots and small brands can do – we need the top to be receptive to positive change.”

The chair of the Black Swimming Association, Danielle Obe, believes FINA’s decision will deter swimmers from diverse backgrounds just as they are starting to compete at the highest level.

She said: "At the highest level, we're then hearing that, 'we want the sport to be inclusive and representative, we want to have people of colour in the sport but we want them to join on our terms. That really is not what inclusion is about.

"This will affect younger swimmers, up and coming, who might want to consider taking up elite swimming. It will affect their decision because by and large, hair is a significant barrier to aquatics for - women especially - many people of colour from our communities. That should be considered as a product that overcomes this barrier."

The developments occurred just days after Alice Dearing booked her place at Tokyo 2020, meaning she will become the first Black woman to compete for Team GB in a swimming event at the Olympic Games.

Swim England made their own statement vowing to support her and the wider black community. It said: “We fully understand how swimming hats designed for Afro hair can reduce barriers to the sport for under-represented groups, including Black people.

“We would therefore like to reassure all our members and the wider swimming community that we embrace their use for participation, training and racing.

“These hats are permitted at all Swim England clubs and competitions under our auspices.

“Our chief executive, Jane Nickerson, will raise our concerns regarding the reported international situation, through the appropriate channels.”

[babymilkaction]

Is Danone a good model to follow? IBFAN questions Dr Mark Carney

The 2020 Reith Lectures, aired on BBC Radio 4 in December, were inspiring and enlightening on many levels. However we were surprised to hear Dr Carney, UN Special Envoy for Climate Change and Finance, praising Danone as an example of an ethical company that “‘has totally re-oriented itself and shifted along that continuum towards re-balancing purpose and profit.”

We felt the praise was unjustified and that we should write to him to let him know why.

IBFAN letter to Dr Carney 

Dr Mark Carney

United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance

The UK Prime Minister’s Finance Advisor for COP26

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

1 Victoria Street, Westminster, London SW1H 0ET

20th January 2021

  Reith Lecture 2020 ‘How We Get What We Value.’   Is Danone really a good model to follow?

  Dear Dr Carney

We are writing on behalf of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), the 40-year old global network of 270 citizens’ groups who work in over 160 countries to protect breastfeeding and young child health through the ending of harmful marketing.[i]

  We listened to your 2020 Reith Lectures and found them inspiring and enlightening. Thank you so much for focusing your talents and energies on Climate Change. However, in the discussion after Lecture 1 we were surprised to hear you cite Danone as an example of an ethical company that “‘has totally re-oriented itself and shifted along that continuum towards rebalancing purpose and profit.”

  We believe this praise to be unjustified and would like to explain why.

  IBFAN has monitored company activity and assisted governments in bringing in regulations before and since the 1981 World Health Assembly adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. 19 WHA Resolutions have been adopted that clarify and strengthen ambiguous points and address emerging health problems. These resolutions are integral to the Code, have the same legal standing and should be read with it.[ii]  ‘The Code’ is a minimum standard for all countries and is a regulation in a class of its own under human rights law.  States have an obligation to implement it and companies have obligations to comply with it.[iii]

Legal status aside, leading mother and child health experts are agreed that the Code is a critically important safeguard for infant and young child health and survival. It does not prohibit the availability or use of breastmilk substitutes, but protects the rights of all parents and carers to make fully informed decisions, free from commercial influences.

Despite being a late entrant to the baby food market, Danone is now the world’s second largest manufacturer, a status it has achieved through persistent flouting of the Code. Danone leads the baby food industry in its misinterpretation of the Code that ignores most of the WHA Resolutions and its undermining of governments attempts to regulate in the public interest. To date IBFAN’s independent monitoring has been unable to find any sign that Danone is changing its marketing strategy for its ‘Early Life Nutrition’ range (which forms 23% of its business).[iv] Its policy continues to be substantially weaker than the Code in terms of scope, reach, conflicts of interest, promotional claims, donations, gifts and sponsorship. Each weakness undermining sound infant feeding practices and support and risking child health and survival.[v]

Danone’s undermining of breastfeeding, in itself an ecological act, has a negative impact on Green House Gases (GHG), water conservation; bio-diversity, deforestation, waste and pollution.

Below we cite just four concrete examples:

Danone has exploited the Covid-19 pandemic, including the publication of a misleading YouTube ‘advice’ Channel for Indian mothers. This ‘advice channel’ violates the Indian law as well as WHO and UNICEF’s advice on COVID-19 and Conflicts of Interest.[vi],[vii]  Danone also sponsors conferences and seminars for health workers in India, violating labelling norms and giving incentives to increase sales.

Danone uses social media in In South-East Asia to promote products to mothers and then exploits them to create online marketing material.[viii]

Danone attempts to weaken CodexGlobal Trading Standards Danone knows that Codex standards have a long lasting influence on national legislation and public health, yet it ignores the concerns of WHO, UNICEF, many governments and IBFAN about the health implications of its globally traded sweetened and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) for older babies. These unnecessary products are not covered by Danone’s policy and are deceptively branded to resemble infant formula for newborns (products needed for babies who are not breastfed).[ix],[x]  UPFs also harm the environment as the links below show. As Dr Julie Smith, of the Australian National University, found: “The most alarming finding in our latest research is a very large proportion of greenhouse gas emission impact is associated with the so-called growing up milks or toddler formula … In China, nearly half of the sales of milk formula is toddler formula.” [xi]

Danone bases its claims to be Code-compliant on compromised assessments such as BCorporation Certification, including its bottled water and Early Life Nutrition businesses in China, Italy and other countries.[xii] Danone uses BCorps and the Access to Nutrition Index, Danone presents itself as a trustworthy partner in nutrition – a tactic commonly used by many corporations.[xiii]

We would be happy to discuss with you or provide further information if you believe we are mistaken in our assessment. Our concern is only to ensure that information on these matters is fair and correct.

With many thanks for taking the trouble to read this letter and hoping you will take our concerns into account in your important task ahead.

Patti Rundall and Dr JP Dadhich on behalf of IBFAN’s Global Council

CC:

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO,

Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF

General Qu Dongyu, Director General, FAO

  [i] 2020 WHO/UNICEF/IBFAN report on the Code implementation. To date 70% of countries have some legislation based on the Code

[ii]  19 WHA Resolutions have been adopted since 1981. Eight resolutions have called for conflicts of interest safeguards..

[iii] UN CRC General Comment no. 15 and 16 (2013) and UN ECOSOC General Comment no. 24 (2017) in combination with International Court of Justice Judgement of 30 November 2010 concerning Ahmadou Sadio Diallo (Republic of Guinea v. Democratic Republic of Congo). Also see Extraterritorial Obligations and the Code_Feb 2018 Discussion paper, February 2018. The Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Independent Review Panel of the UN

Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030) recommends developing a global human rights framework to address harmful marketing of foods for and to children

Shubber, S.: The WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes: History and Analysis. Pinter & Martin Ltd. 2011.

[iv] Danone Home Page Danone’s Commitments (accessed January 2021) show the limited nature of its policy.”

[v] Breaking the Rules Stretching the Rules (BTR) IBFAN/ICDC 2017 see Danone  Profile pages 24-29 BTR 2017

[vi] Marketing of breastmilk substitutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lancet, 8.10.20 India’s efforts to promote breastfeeding are threatened by covid-19, as misguided fears of infection see newborns separated from mothers and formula milk promoted” BMJ 2020;370:m3316 

[vii] How companies are exploiting COVID19. Some visual examples

[viii] The baby brands turning Indonesian Instagram into free formula ads, R.Furneaux, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 30.7.20.

[ix] Exporting countries put trade before the health of the planet and children, IBFAN Press Release, 4.12.2019, Trade body tackles misleading labelling of look-alike milks. IBFAN Press Release Dec, 2018,  French and US Trade delegations put child health at risk, Dec 2017

[x] Articles and reports relating to Ultra-processed foods   Marketing and Conflicts of Interest in Science of UPFs   Policy responses to ultra-processed foods in global context UPFs, Background, concepts,and scientific evidence How to identify and reduce consumption of UPFs

 [xi] Articles and reports relating to environmental impact of milk formulas:

Calls to curb infant formula’s carbon footprint, December 4, 2019,   Carbon Footprint Due to Milk Formula. A study from selected countries of the Asia Pacific Region  IBFAN BPNI  Greenfeeding Report cards on 10 Asian countries. A commentary on the carbon footprint of milk formula: harms to planetary health and policy implications, Smith, J.P. Int Breastfeed J 14, 49 (2019).

[xii] BCorps assessment of Danone Early Life Nutrition in China..”The Chinese infant nutrition market holds great growth potential for Danone”. The Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) claims to be ‘independent from the companies it assesses.’  However ATNI closely collaborates with these companies on the methodology and presentation of its results. Such collaboration is in direct conflict with WHA Resolution 49.15 that calls for monitoring to be “…carried out in a transparent, independent manner, free from commercial influence.” ATNI criteria is also weak in key areas, especially on conflicts of interest. Danone -highlighting its top BMS company status  Danone’s use of ATNI   Danone UK engaging HSG to launch a consumer care line  

[xiii] Interference in public health policy: examples of how the baby food industry uses tobacco industry tactics. World Nutrition 2017

Is Danone a good model to follow? IBFAN questions Dr Mark Carney was originally published on Baby Milk Action

[markbroadstock]

Mark Broadstock Use This Great Tips About Lead Generation To Help You Better Understand

Mark Broadstock Skilled tips provider. Being successful at business means you have an understanding of what is needed to attract customers who will buy your product. Lead generation is how you will find these customers. But, leads alone are not sufficient, because you also need to make conversions. The following strategies will help you attract customers and turn them into sales.

Use social media as a lead generation tool. In social media, you need to not only build a presence, you also need to build a community. It's an opportunity to build trust which will lead to more and more leads coming your way. Don't just look at the obvious social media channels. Consider them all.

Know about lead values. However, there will be some leads that are inappropriate for a particular campaign. Qualify targeted leads so that you don't pursue bad leads and waste your time. You are more likely to find success when you pick the proper leads.

Set time every week to follow up with potential leads. It usually takes more than one touch point to turn a potential qualified lead into a real hot lead. SO after you've made first contact, set time a week or two later to touch base again. It's about frequency here to make this person into a customer.

Check out events in your area and see if there's a way you can use them to generate leads. For example, if there is a cycling race, buy a sponsorship package. Then you can get yourself on TV talking about it, or in the paper, or just talk to people who are there to watch.

Consider throwing a neighborhood party to let your neighbors know what you're up to. For example, if you are looking for leads as a dentist, you can have a barbecue and hand out toothbrushes with your number on them. If you're an internet marketer, sponsor a street fair and let the businesses there know you can do the same for them.

Career fairs are a great place to generate leads if your business has a downline. While you do have to invest in a table, you will have a most captive audience. Be sure to stand out from the crowd by offering something more than just brochures and your pretty face.

Mark Broadstock Best service provider. at your competitors to see what tactics they use to generate leads. You don't need to reinvent the wheel when you are going to market. Oftentimes, your competitors have already done the hard work for you. If you see them using certain tactics heavily, there's a good chance they are doing so because it works.

Many people forget about LinkedIn when it comes to networking and lead generation. They focus more on other social media sites. But, if you knew that conversion rates were much better within LinkedIn networks that have been formulated, you wouldn't be waiting to use this service. Utilize LinkedIn to help you get new leads!

If you have kids in school, trade referrals with other parents. For example, if your child is in karate classes, talk to the parents there and ask them what they do for a living. If you can trade referrals for each other, you might just start seeing some leads come in.

Customer referrals are one thing, and a referral program can definitely work. But, take things a step further by asking your customer base to provide testimonials. This can really work out for you, as people read through these reviews often to determine if they want to do business with a company.

Use social media. Use popular venues like Twitter and Facebook. Make certain you use various campaigns, keeping an eye on what works and what fails.

One of the fastest and easiest ways to generate leads is through referrals for your services! Offering existing customers incentives for referrals, such as a certain amount of money discounted the next time they use your services, will let you have several leads quickly. It's a foolproof way to get new business!

When purchasing a lead database, it is important that the leads are relevant. Not everyone may be interested in what you're selling. A database full of irrelevant leads will be of no use to you. You could have leads that aren't anywhere close to your needs.

Mark Broadstock Most excellent service provider. You can already start getting quality leads by taking the time to interact with the consumers you do have. Ask your current customers to opt-in to your marketing messages. Since you are asking people you already know to opt-in to receive messages from you, you have a higher chance of winning them over since they can already identify with your business.

Think about your target market and at what stage of the buying cycle they seem to be. For example, people that just got married may need to get a home soon, so you need to market as a real estate agent to their urgency. Those who might be downsizing will need a more comforting pitch.

Stay on top of the lead generation game by producing high quality content for people to interact with. Those new to Internet marketing usually have the most trouble generating leads, but when they learn that content is king, they are making the right step. Producing content that teaches consumers about new things is a good way to generate more leads.

Consider creating websites for all the different niches of potential leads you have. For example, "NewlywedHomes.com" for a real estate agent marketing to newlyweds, or "EmptyNestHomes.com" for the same agent marketing to those whose kids have flown the coop. Targeting your pages to your leads will boost the number which convert.

When prospective leads come in, never let them go cold by sitting on them for days on end. Someone who makes contact on their own is likely looking for quick reactions from you. If you wait too long, you will probably lose them. Your goal should be to respond to potential leads within 24 hours.

Mark Broadstock Expert tips provider. Reading the article above should have shown you why it's important to get quality leads. It's more than just focusing on getting names or email addresses; you want a quality lead. Avoid buying into promises for leads, rather create your own.

[cinnamon-sorceress]

To "devalue" items and develop a simplified style of trademarked logistics, Taptot use the "swap neighborhood" to meet the real requirements of human life

Regarding the donation and auction of second-hand products, the existing investing platforms such as for example open atmosphere, Facebook clubs, revolving auctions, and shrimp purchasing are mostly completed at discounted prices and bartering, although due to technological advances, investing The process has become increasingly more convenient, however the buyers and retailers inevitably still need to communicate and make a deal prices before the transaction. That is still a bit troublesome for users who are desperate to cope with idle items. "To be able to solve the problem, we have produced a straightforward and unique stage exchange mechanism. The items over the Taptot platform haven't any value distinction and are all 1 factors." said Taptot co-founder and CEO Lin Shoulong. The thought of ?€his entrepreneurial issue is mainly based on the experience that when I moved back to Taiwan from america that year, although there were plenty of second-hand items and furniture that I needed to get rid of, I couldn't find an effective discussing channel, and I could only throw it away with the pain. From left: Marketing Specialist Zhuo Yahan, Specialized Movie director Chen Yujia, Co-founder Lin Shoulong, Mature Marketing Expert Huang Li Yihe Dah Sing Pictures "To be able to reduce waste materials, I started to think about whether there is a better solution to share useful items with others." Lin Lin Shoulong mentioned that Taptot aims to become an internet social sharing system. Users can provide, share or donate useful items through the App. The process is simple and intuitive. No extra transaction procedures are required. You may get 1 point so long as you put it on the shelf and total a deal. , The points you get may be used to exchange for just about any shared items on the webpage, one item at the same time, completely free, no value distinction, and no complex information filling procedure, one click, you can get and share products. To be able to simplify the user's deal process and develop a patented logistics program. To be able to simplify and optimize the exchange procedure, Taptot puts the idea of ?e-value??through the entire service. For users, if they want to list or obtain almost everything on Taptot, Not based on its worth, but more focused on demand. Furthermore, to be able to better apply the core idea of "click and get", Taptot is rolling out a shipping model that subverts the previous online purchasing. "We have created a patented method to market sharing, known as the TLC (Taptot Logistic Comfort) program." Lin Shoulong discussed that unlike some other auction sites, users won't need to fill in trivial receiving information, and senders don't need to understand who or where they reside. They just need to send the quantity sent by the platform towards the supermarket to deliver the delivery, or Await home delivery to pick up the products before shipment. Taptot user web page Taptot "We integrate TLC (Taptot Logistic Comfort) on the platform, as well as the digesting of intermediate details is linked to the logistics sector. Both parties just need to enjoy the procedure for service, producing the sending just like a text message. Comfort.??Lin Shoulong described that the system currently supports three logistics strategies, including collection and payment at FamilyMart convenience store, Palm Package, and home shipping. Both parties to receive and send can pick the method of delivery, as well as the sender may also decide which method it ought to be. Or the other party will keep the freight. "To be able to enrich the logistics stations for delivery and pickup, in addition to the existing channels in the future, we will also cooperate with Chunghwa Post and 7-11 Unified Supermarket to make Taptot's logistics network more finish." Lin Shoulong added, in addition to domestic For transportation, Taptot is a lot more getting excited about cross-border sharing. Beginning next calendar year, the Asian marketplace would be the starting point, with Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, etc., where the logistics system is relatively created. Taptot user web page Taptot aims to become a social sharing platform. Taptot will continue steadily to stimulate traffic to promote revenue. Because the establishment from the Taptot platform in September 2017, it offers accumulated more than 87,000 distributed magazines and regained the worthiness greater than 50,000 products. In the past two years, the platform continues to be adhering to the concept of circular economy and sustainable residing, which is inevitable that it's usually equated with "social enterprise". However, co-founder Lin Shoulong explained that Taptot's supreme goal would be to create a pleasant resource sharing Network has turned into a social sharing system. Therefore, with regards to profit and charging models, all of the advertising revenue versions that social media marketing can do will be the directions they're working on. "Recently, 100 different sponsors in the platform have provided trial deals and discount coupons to users." Lin Shoulong stated that there are no restrictions for the types of items users can share in Taptot, so it includes services, coupon codes, and food. What can be shared. Regarding the handling of customers' illegal entries, Taptot's Movie director of Design and Marketing Roger shared the fact that team uses real-time supervision and reports from others to prevent users from breaking the rules of the platform. ?As long as it's an account that conducts useful dealings or uploads illegal items on Taptot. , We will remove it based on the rules." Until now, Taptot has mainly profited through sharing with logistics companions. Recently, it has additionally started to cooperate with small and medium-sized influencers to handle online and offline routines to attract fans' interest and increase advertising and sponsorship revenue. Along with borrowing shared objects to get Take Points, users may also earn points by taking part in O2O activities and inviting close friends to join members. "At this stage, the flow of points can promote more frequent swap of assets and achieve the purpose of stimulating traffic growth. "Lin Shoulong mentioned. Create a brand-new community design to break the boundaries of virtual communication through one-click delivering. Although the management of social platforms is very troublesome, it is also because Taptot upholds the idea of "community" that a lot more unique exchange articles can appear on the platform. For example, there is a surfing trainer who exchanges one hour of surfing teaching for a time communicating with like-minded buddies." Lin Shoulong contributed that in the platform, hand-made sweets, breakfast, a vacation, and guitar teaching have all made an appearance before. Exchange themes. Along with one-to-one interaction, to be able to increase the interaction between users, Taptot in addition has recently developed a "community" functionality to enable customers with the same interests and needs, such as: photography community, mother and kid community, and solution There are channels for material swap such as volume exchange. Even understanding that in this period when social media is nearly monopolized, it is difficult to rebuild the city and accumulate customers. The Taptot group still believes that a brand-new community model will be its benefit. They hope to achieve that 1 day in the foreseeable future, users can receive a friend's birthday information through the platform, find the related item from his want list, pay out 1 point, and deliver the present to the other party. "Over the Taptot platform, the community is no longer just virtual, but can lengthen to real life. As well as the "Happy Birthday" in the graffiti wall, we are able to give each other gifts they want without spending a dime." Lin Shou Long said. Q: Make sure you briefly describe the support content of your company? "Taptot can be an online social sharing platform that makes the behave of giving, discussing, and donating items and services more convenient through social networking.

Taptot aims to improve the intrinsic worth and reduce waste of belongings one possesses but does not have much make use of for. You can post items they would like to give away on Taptot and freely take items submitted by others on the platform. Taptot allows a user to share or get rid of something that is not any longer required or desired, and in exchange, get something they need or require that someone else will not. It fosters social media and creates a fresh dimension of interpersonal engagement." Q: What's most often asked by customers or traders? How would you respond? Q: Would people really reveal good items? A: Yes, definitely, because it is a social sharing system, your friends and households would see what you are revealing, and besides our TakePoint system forces them to talk about good items, or else they won't possess any TakePoint to consider what they want for free. " Stellar Q: To achieve the next objective, what resources does the team currently lack? Funding! We are currently looking for a bridge finance to obtain us prepared for Series The. Company Information Corporation Name: Taptot Ltd. Date of establishment: 2017/9/25 Product name: Taptot Online period: 2017/12/9 Number of businesses: 13 Official Website嚚ew Creation Database

[kbrooks0806]

Intro to PR #6 ‘Empty Wrestlemania?’

Wrestlemania with no fans!?

What was meant to be the biggest event of the calendar year for the WWE and its enthusiasts turned into an online only viewing experience with little atmosphere, but lots of action. 2020’s version of Wrestlemania (Wrestlemania 36) was the first instalment in 36 years without having a single fan present to experience the biggest night in WWE solely due to Covid-19 fears and regulations.

Pictured below: Wrestlemania 35 in New York which generated over $165,000,000 for the company

Who was leading the event?

WWE and their Chairman Vince McMahon, following a meeting with US President Donald Trump, announced that the scheduled Wrestlemania 36 at Tampa Bay, was to be cancelled and instead completed at the WWE’s own Performance Centre. Therefore, the WWE would unfortunately lose their stadium sponsors and instead had to try seeking sponsorship through advertisements and through their own streaming platform ‘WWE Network’

Pictured Below: WWE’s performance centre

Major PR Tools Used:

Although the WWE were limited in some strategies they could have use, their wrestlers are global superstars, so it was inevitable that even though people could not be there in person they would have millions of viewers worldwide. Through the use of their streaming service as well as broadcasting their results through major sporting channels, they exposed the organisation to the sporting world, obviously many sports were not occurring at this time, so this just increased the viewership. By using their own streaming service, they could use whichever sponsors they wish, and would ultimately benefit both organisations, as there would be no 3rd party organisation to take a fee of the ads.

Pictured Below: WWE legends Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson and John Cena at Wrestlemania 28

Where did I find this event?

I found this event through social media, the WWE are present on all social media platforms so they were able to advertise this event whenever they needed too, and through the use of promotional videos and photos they really created a highly anticipated event, even without the crazy atmosphere many would enjoy.

Pictured Below: Drew McIntyre defeats Brock Lesnar to obtain the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 36

Critical analysis of this event

Obviously, the WWE were significantly damaged by the lack of funds being brought in with no fans at Wrestlemania, however, for them to still put on an epic show without the crowd, they really did succeed in delivering a great product. Yes, the atmosphere wasn’t the same and sometimes it could’ve been a bit dull, but in reality with the lack of resources they would’ve had they really did a fantastic job with Wrestlemania 36.

[entrepreneursbloguk]

New Post has been published on Entrepreneurs Blog

New Post has been published on https://www.entrepreneursblog.co.uk/blog/pewdiepie-net-worth/

PewDiePie Net Worth [year]

Net Worth: $30 million Age: 30 Born: 24th October 1989 Country or Origin: Sweden Source of wealth: YouTuber/Vlogger Last updated: 2020

Introduction

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, who is famously known by his online pseudonym PewDiePie PewDiePie is the current YouTube sensation widely popular after the great subscriber war with the T series. However, PewDiePie lost the YouTube war to reach 100 million first on May 28, 2019. He is estimated to have a value of around $ 30 million as of 2019 and is considered one of the richest YouTubers of all time.

PewDiePie earned his net worth from your eminent diverse career as a comedian, video game commentator and YouTuber. He is listed as the highest-earning YouTube star. Later on, you will get to know how he earns from YouTube, his sources of income, sources of salary income, assets and other money-related details.

Early Life

Felix was born on 24th October 1989, in Gothenburg, Sweden. From a young age, he was interested in art and was an avid gamer during his days in high school.

He graduated from High school from Göteborgs Högre Samskola in 2008 and went on to study at Chalmers University of Technology. But, Felix felt that he didn’t belong there and so he decided to drop out to do what makes him happy.

Even though his early days were hard, he said in a video that he bought equipment to get started by selling his works of Photoshop. He came up with the name of the channel to be ‘PewDiePie’ even though at first it was just Pewdie.

Career

PewDiePie’s energetic and funny commentating on games with epic reactions made him a viral phenomenon very quickly, and he became the most subscribed YouTube channel in 2012 with 5 million subscribers.

He went on to sign with Makers Studio and started to get attention on the media as well. PewDiePie’s channel now has more than 3500 videos with over 50 million subscribers.

In October 2011, PewDiePie started uploading weekly blogs. In the eight-month period, his YouTube channel had an impressive amount of uploaded videos. As his channel began to grow, he began to extend the content of his video; publishing animated comedy and live-action. PewDiePie could also be described as an icon of social networks. Beyond the fact that he has numerous followers on YouTube, PewDiePie also has more than 7 million likes on Facebook, Ten million followers on Instagram and eight million followers on Twitter.

He has funny characters in his videos. While watching these funny videos, the interest of the person watching the videos is diverted to the comments and reactions that PewDiePie shows while playing video games. As a result, his videos belong to the “Let’s Play” set. 

As the number of his followers reached the climax700,000, PewDiePie received an invitation to speak at the Nonick Conference in 2012. In July of that same year, the number of his subscribers increased to 1 million. It took only a couple of months before reaching 2 million. In October 2012, OpenSlate recognized the PewDiePie channel as the number one channel on YouTube. As of December 2019, PewDiePie has over 100m subscribers on YouTube.

His channel has included much different game series and segments over the years among which his Lets Play series has been widely popular.

As his popularity grew and reports about the large sums of money were starting to come out publicly, he got a lot of attention as well as hate at the same time.

That is why he has several videos dedicated to mean comments. His signature is the brofist that he does at the end of his every video. He also posts vlogs time and again and has a following of any mainstream media.

PewDiePie Salary, Sources of Income, Earnings

As of 2019, PewDiePie is estimated to have a net worth of around $ 30 million according to several online sources. His main source of income is his successful career as a Swedish Internet personality, YouTuber, Twitcher, comedian, actor and game commentator.

PewDiePie officially began his career on YouTube in 2011 after he left Chalmers University of Technology. In addition to YouTube, he also gets a good sum of money from merchandise sales, comedy content, sponsorships, and appeared on television shows and series.

PewDiePie YouTube Earnings

PewDiePie launched its YouTube channel on April 29, 2010. It mainly makes videos in the genre like Let’s Play, vlog, comedy and satire, similar to other YouTube stars such as Ryan Higa, Markiplier, Jake Paul and others.

As of 2019, the estimated monthly profit of PewDiePie is around $ 140.8 thousand to $ 2.3 million. PewDiePie’s annual YouTube income is approximately $ 1.7 million to $ 27 million per year.

Also, he has received silver, gold, diamonds and ruby ​​playback buttons, which means he earns about $ 1.4 million per video upload.

PewDiePie Commercial Companies and Merchandise Sales

On the other hand, PewDiePie also makes a good sum of money from merchandise sales. Sell ​​products that include t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats and tank tops.

He sells products online through his website. The average price of merchandise ranges between $ 50 and $ 200 per piece.

Similarly, he wins from his companies. He gets royalties and a large sum of money from his video games. He released games like PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist, PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator, Animal Super Squad and others.

PewDiePie Other Source of Income

In addition to his eminent career, he earns a huge sum of money from other sources. Earn money with his appearance in other media, such as Epic Rap Battles of History, Conan, Internet Icon, Rewind series, Sveriges Radio, South Park, Oscar’s Hotel for Fantastical Creatures, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and others.

On top of that, he also gets a royalty from his book, This Book Loves You. The book is the parody of self-help books that includes the collection of aphorisms, jokes and wisdom. Also, he also earns from his own program PewDiePie, Scare PewDiePie and Let’s Animate.

PewDiePie’s Instagram Earnings, Investments and Charities

Similarly, PewDiePie is also earned as the influencer of social networks. From Instagram, earn about $ 35,230 to $ 58,716 per sponsored publication. In addition to that, PewDiePie also collects a good sum of his investments in various companies and the stock market. It is said that he accumulates around 6% of its nett assets from the returns on those investments.

Career Highlights

In 2015, he released his own game called PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist.

He then went on to also release his book that was called This Book Loves You. PewDiePie has won several accolades among the gaming area on Youtube, most notably winning the Best Gaming Channel, Show, or Series in the 5th Streamy Awards.

Forbes named PewDiePie as the highest-earning YouTuber with his annual income reaching $15 million in 2016.

YouTube isn’t the only source of income for Pewdiepie who is also involved with many other productions and projects.

He is also a big giver and has a project called the ‘Water Campaign’. Through the program, he managed to raise over $400,000 and has also been involved with many collaborations over the years.

In recent times, Felix has also been giving a new edge to his channel with some of his free speech videos following controversies over some of the content of his videos.

Favourite Quotes

“My parents said that sitting at home playing video games all day won’t bring you anywhere in life.” – PewDiePie

“The thing that has made YouTube so successful is that you can relate to the people you’re watching to a much higher degree than to the people you see on TV.” – PewDiePie

“When I started my YouTube channel in 2010, I never imagined that one day it would be the most subscribed channel in the world and that I would be a part of such a great community.” – PewDiePie

“Dropping the news to my parents that I was skipping my ‘dream education’ at Chalmers to sit at home recording videos while playing video games was not easy.” – PewDiePie

“With my channel, and what people associate with the Internet, most people think it goes viral, you become this huge thing super quick. I never had an explosion or a huge thing. It’s just been something that has progressively been growing. It’s been building.” – PewDiePie

“It was so much easier to connect with my fans when I was smaller. I could answer every message, and I enjoyed doing that.” – PewDiePie

Life Lessons

1. Just do whatever you feel like doing

Of course, there are some significant differences in the way PewDiePie approaches his business, considering that he is in the entertainment business, not the education business.

And yet, I think that this is also something that many of us could apply more in our businesses.

PewDiePie is so successful primarily because he is so incredibly authentic.

He doesn’t seem to be scared at all about what people think of him (of course, in reality, he is scared, but he doesn’t let this fear stop him at all).

What he does every single day is turning all the weird thoughts that may come to the mind of a young person into reality.

Yes, I am talking about those thoughts that we all have but which we never would do because we are too scared what other people will think.

The result is stuff like dressing up one of his male best friends as his girlfriend and making him perform her “role”, running around the city like a crazy person pretending to be a Pokemon master, or following the instructions of some strip-tease game in real-time.

2. Only focus on your core group of fans and ignore everything else

PewDiePie has such a massive audience, that it may seem impossible to tell who his ‘core audience’ is.

And yet, his humour is so specific and strange that only a certain group of people actually gets it. The majority of people still sees him as making his money by merely shouting into the microphone.

But these people who ‘get him’, are so fascinated by what he does that they consume all of what he produces, interact with him to insane degrees, and share his stuff like nothing else.

He has these challenges where, for example, he asks people to take a brief video clip of him and turn them into the funniest memes.

Or, where he asks people to make drawings of him and his dog Edgar.

There are literally thousands of people who, every single week, spend hours and hours participating in these challenges.

These are the people who do all the marketing for him. The people who convince others that his weird kind of humour is worth listening to. The people who defend him when he’s getting himself into another crisis.

PewDiePie, at the same time, just keeps speaking in his own voice.

He just keeps producing stuff that the core of his audience understands and responds to.

His “bro army”, which is how he is calling his community, has its running gags, memes, symbols and recurring themes which only insiders can understand.

In this way, he creates a real community feeling among his followers.

3. Keep doing what you believe in no matter what

The amount of criticism that PewDiePie received over the past few years must’ve been insane, and would’ve certainly broken many people.

Particularly the media shit-storms that he received in the aftermath of some of his missteps were incredibly intense.

Although he has recognized that he has overstepped in many aspects, in essence, he has continued to do the same things that have always done, even after some of his major partnerships have fallen apart.

Regardless of what you think of him, it is clear that he works in and out on the things that he loves doing and that he believes in.

If you just keep going and pushing forward, the right people are going to respect your effort and your honesty.

4. Co-creation and interaction

I have hinted on this before, but a large section of the content that PewDiePie produces is co-created with some of his fans.

One example for this is people like “Dillon the hacker”, one of his “enemies”, who is supposedly trying hard to destroy PewDiePie’s supremacy on Youtube.

5. Consistency is still key

PewDiePie has started posting videos about 7 years ago while working in a hot-dog stand to finance himself. 

I don’t know when exactly he began posting daily, but it must have easily been several years now.

Daily writing is already hard enough, but daily video production?

All the planning that is involved, all the retakes that you need to do, all the editing that needs to get done.

It must be one hell of a time-intensive job.

Plus, when he started, there was no such thing as a “professional” Youtuber. He just believed in the process of something that he loved doing, and then kept going with it.

Eventually, it worked out and he started making money.

Today, with his daily videos and the ad revenue that he generates from it, he eventually became one of the richest social influencers, making an estimated $12 million per year.

Summary

PewDiePie is the most popular YouTuber of all time, with millions of subscribers, and a net worth that’s beginning to stack up; just like many other social media stars such as Mrbeast and Logan Paul.

As of 2020, PewDiePie’s net worth is estimated to be $30 million.

[rickhorrow]

15+5+5 To Watch 62419

15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 24

with Jacob Aere

Ahead of the NHL Draft, the NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved billionaire entrepreneur Alex Meruelo to purchase a majority share of the Arizona Coyotes. The sale is expected to be "finalized in July," according to the Arizona Republic. Sources said that Meruelo’s focus will "remain on securing a permanent future in Arizona for the franchise." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Meruelo is "committed" to finding a new arena in Arizona, adding that Gila River Arena in Glendale is "not viable long term.” The Associated Press noted that although the Coyotes "couldn't leave Arizona anytime soon due to NHL rules prohibiting new owners from immediately applying for relocation, Bettman pointedly didn't rule out the long-term possibility." As The Hockey News noted, one thing "working in the Coyotes’ favor” in this scenario is their Gila River Arena lease. That agreement runs season-to-season, and all the Coyotes have to do to renew it is “state their intentions" by December 31. If Meruelo is able to negotiate an arena deal elsewhere, extricating the Coyotes from their Glendale commitment will be relatively simple.

As Mitel and Major League Baseball prepare to present the league’s first regular-season series in London June 29-30, MasterCard is likewise on deck. According to SportsPro, MasterCard is serving up several promotions around the two-game series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at The London Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Park. On June 28, MasterCard is offering 30-minute advance access to the London Series Superstore before it opens to the general public, with select shoppers holding a prepaid $100 gift card in hand. Master Card is offering early admission to the Hall of Fame suite, where attendees can watch the ballgame, indulge in food and drink, and take home a branded gift bag. Ahead of the second game, fans can take batting practice on the field, before heading up to the Hall of Fame hospitality suite. MLB’s first London Series is getting near All-Star Game treatment by the league, as MLB officials hope that the event catches on with baseball fans across the pond and becomes an eagerly anticipated annual summer event.

Global brands are activating around the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. Univision Deportes unlocked its full roster of sponsors for its coverage of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup with more than 20 brands from across categories signing on to be part of that network’s exclusive Spanish-language coverage. Sprint returns to Gold Cup with a 360-sponsorship across linear and digital, while first-time supporters of the event include Valvoline, Uber Eats, Jeep, and AT&T. AT&T, Modelo Especial, Victoria Beer, Corona, Mazda, State Farm, Toyota, Bud Light, Walmart, and Wells Fargo will activate around the tournament as part of Univision’s partnership with Twitter. “We have surpassed all previous milestones with our Gold Cup inventory,” said Univision’s Steve Mandala. “The anticipation for this year’s tournament has been unlike any I can remember, and that excitement has extended to our valued partners who have lined up to be part of the summer’s premier soccer event.” Concacaf also unveiled several initiatives designed to deliver new and engaging digital experiences to soccer fans, including the “This Is Ours” campaign, which leverages fans’ love for the game. Physical activations include the Futbol Fiesta Pre-game Fan Destination at the 15 U.S.-based stadiums, as well as the Gold Cup Station at Chicago’s Union Station.

The Rays have "received permission" from MLB's exec council to "explore a plan in which they would play early-season home games in the Tampa Bay area and the remainder of the year in Montreal," according to sources. While the plan is in its "nascent stages, ESPN noted the Rays have embraced the two-city solution as the most feasible to saving baseball in the Tampa Bay area after years of failed attempts to build a new stadium in the region," according to sources. The Rays would play in new ballparks in "both the Tampa Bay area and Montreal," according to sources. The ability to play games early in the season in Florida "would preclude the need" for a domed ballpark, "cutting the cost of a new building.” The plan faces "several significant hurdles before being implemented," and it likely would not be in place until at least 2023. Reports of a potential schedule sharing plan have "surfaced several times in recent years from Montreal media." The Rays rank 29th in attendance only ahead of the Marlins, averaging 14,545 per game. While this bold plan is not likely to come to fruition, it is only the latest creative gambit by a pro sports team to strong arm its home city into ponying up funds for a new stadium.

American Express announced a partnership with two-time Wimbledon champion Sir Andy Murray. The arrangement will launch at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, next month, as the Official Payment Partner of The Championships. American Express will unveil its Fan Experience on-site at The Championships, along with a range of on-site benefits for card members, including a unique interactive gaming experience, Champion’s Rally that will allow fans to step into a virtual reality experience and play tennis in both the digital and physical worlds. Players will aim to hit five targets positioned over the net to measure their speed and accuracy, encouraged by Murray, all in the environment of Wimbledon’s iconic Centre Court. An ecstatic Murray won the Queen’s Club doubles championship with Spain’s Feliciano Lopez over the weekend, in his first tournament back from hip surgery, and is now reportedly mulling over a return to singles play at the U.S. Open later this summer as well.

Adidas is accused of discrimination by employee group. Adidas built its brand in the U.S. by embracing influential African-American athletes. However, fewer than 4.5% of the workers at the company's North American headquarters are African-American, per the New York Times, and members of that cohort say they feel ignored and sometimes discriminated against. This lack of diversity has led to multiple tone-deaf decisions that African-American employees say could put the entire brand at risk. One prime example of this is Adidas’ releasing all-white sneakers to commemorate Black History Month (which the company discontinued after an outcry). The European Union General Court also recently ruled against Adidas' claim that its famous three stripes, applied in any direction, deserve trademark protection. The case was a rare legal loss for Adidas, which has earned a reputation in the fashion world for aggressively litigating against anyone who uses a trio of stripes in their collections.

Anthony Davis is not officially a Laker yet, but he is seeing his marketing profile rise, as Ruffles announced a new partnership with him. Ruffles, the official chip of the NBA, signed Davis to a first-of-its-kind "chip deal" in which he will serve as a creative partner to help the brand develop products. Davis was at the NBA Store in New York last week to announce the deal and debut a Ruffles-inspired signature shoe, the Ruffles Ridge Tops. From June 24-August 4, fans who purchase a bag of Ruffles can enter to win a pair of the shoes. Davis' deal with Ruffles runs through the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago next year. While Zion Williamson has officially been an NBA player for less than a week, expect many highly customized, unique sponsorship and branding opportunities for this exceptional athlete to snap open like a Ruffles bag in the coming weeks and months.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District board of directors held a public hearing on the proposed "special evening service to Warriors games" at Chase Center. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the proposed Chase Center ferry from Larkspur would "replicate an existing special event service to Giants games at Oracle Park, which costs $14 for each one-way ticket." Staff at the bridge district "recommend the board set the same fare for Warriors games to recover all operating costs." The Water Emergency Transportation Authority is "pursuing a separate ferry line to carry East Bay fans from its terminals in Oakland and Alameda.” While the Bay Area has long provided special ferry routes to sporting events, just as many other cities routinely provide expanded transit service for sports fans, New York and Seattle are among the only other major metropolitan areas in the U.S. to routinely get fans to games across the water.

Golf Channel prepares for a summer trip abroad. Coming off the U.S Open, Cynopsis Sports caught up with Mike McCarley, President of Golf for NBC Sports Group. On July’s Open Championship, McCarley shared, “What may surprise fans is the spectacular landscape of this year’s host course, Royal Portrush. The area around Belfast is a spectacular corner of the world. We’ve developed a special appreciation for the people and the area — and not just because Game of Thrones was shot there. As we set up the stories of The Open and help tell the story of the complicated political history of the region, we’ll rely on people like David Feherty, a native of Northern Ireland, and Sky Sports producing Golf Films’ ‘Road to Royal Portrush.’ What won’t be a surprise is the comprehensive coverage from our live tournament group — we’re live on Golf Channel and NBC from the first tee shot on Thursday through the final putt on Sunday, the most coverage for any golf tournament anywhere in the world.” Following the Open Championship, Golf Films’ “Tiger Woods: Chasing History” debuts, chronicling Tiger’s pursuit of Sam Snead’s 82 PGA Tour wins.

Executive search firm Korn Ferry has taken over title sponsorship of the Web.com Tour.  According to SportsBusiness Journal, financial terms of the 10-year deal "were not disclosed but the name change is effective immediately, with the newly christened Korn Ferry Tour to debut" at the Wichita Open” this past week. Korn Ferry’s title deal also "includes an official marketing partnership with the PGA Tour." The search firm also "will assume sponsorship of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance in Evansville, Indiana, the third and final event in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals." Web.com had been the title sponsor of the tour since 2012, but the title sponsorship once again became available "after the website development and marketing company was sold last year." This marks Korn Ferry's "first sports sponsorship deal." Wasserman represented Korn Ferry in the deal as the company "looks to expand its brand beyond C-suite executive placement services.” The deal makes complete sense when you consider that Korn Ferry is the search firm of choice when many sports industry executive positions need filling.

Cubs considering sportsbook at Wrigley. According to Hashtag Sports, the Chicago Cubs have considered opening a sportsbook at Wrigley Field and at locations just outside of the Friendly Confines. Betting windows, automated kiosks, and even a full-blown sportsbook venue inside the stadium are among the options that have been considered by the Cubs and other Chicago professional franchises, as Illinois prepares to put it new sports gambling law into effect. MLB currently prohibits sportsbooks, including betting kiosks or windows, inside a club's stadium. The NBA has similar rules in place prohibiting retail sportsbooks from offering in-person betting inside arenas. The leagues are reviewing the Illinois legislation. If a bill is passed in Illinois, it would mean that other state-based teams, including the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox, could also apply for a masters sports wagering license, which is said to cost $10 million. Also heating up Chicago this month – the annual Association of Luxury Suite Directors conference, where Rick will serve as master of ceremonies June 30-July 2.

USWNT enters mediation over salary disparity. In the three years after they won the 2015 World Cup, the U.S. women's national team generated more game revenue ($50.8 million) than the U.S. men's national team ($49.9 million), according to audited financial reports acquired by the Wall Street Journal. The women's team's ability to match, and even exceed, the men's team in game revenue is a key factor in their ongoing gender-discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. Last month, U.S. Soccer responded to the suit by emphasizing that any alleged pay differential is "based on differences in the aggregate revenue generated by the different teams and/or any other factor other than sex." But while men's games used to bring in far more money, the women's team has closed the gap. While our national teams also generate revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights, as the WSJ points out, "U.S. Soccer sells broadcast rights and sponsorships as a bundle, not separately for each national team.” That makes it difficult to parse the value between the men's and women's teams. Here’s a fair solution: give the men and the women the same base salary and then allow them to earn bonuses based on ticket and merchandise sales and anything else that can be tracked.

U of O remains on track. University of Oregon spokesperson Molly Blanchett told the Eugene Register Guard that the construction of Hayward Field is "on schedule and would finish in time for the Pac-12 track and field championships in mid-May" next year. The $195 million project is "being privately funded, largely" by Nike co-Founder and Chair Emeritus Phil Knight. TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly, whose company will organize the 2020 Olympic Trials set to be held at Hayward Field, said that the new stadium will "offer more room so athletes and spectators can get around easier compared to the former venue." He added that it will "improve the fans' experience with wider seats, two video screens and closer proximity to the competitors.” The stopwatch has started: on the heels of the Pac-12 championships, the Olympic track and field trials are now just a year away.

Murray and other honorees get WISE/R. Octagon’s Lisa Murray was recognized by Women In Sports and Events (WISE) as a 2019 Woman of Distinction, for her continued support of women in the industry and making a mark as a pioneer of the sports industry. WISE/R Symposium, held in New York City on June 18, was the first of its kind to focus solely on the personal and professional development of women in the business of sports, WISE/R Symposium offered the opportunity to hear from top experts, learn career strategies, connect with peers, and more. Confirmed speakers besides Murray included finance journalist Jean Chatzky and industry leaders Anita DeFrantz, Janet Fletcher, Michele Roberts, and Suzanne Smith. This annual one-day event was produced by WISE. The WISE/R vent joins SportsBusiness Journal’s annual Game Changers conference and other prestigious events now honoring the significant contributions women have made to the sports industry.

It’s down to two for the 2026 Winter Games. The decision to award the Olympic Winter Games 2026 to either Stockholm-Åre (Sweden) or Milan-Cortina (Italy), will be shown live on the Olympic Channel on Monday, June 24, featuring the host city announcement ceremony presided over by IOC President Thomas Bach. In most cases, the Winter Games naturally lend themselves to a sharing of expenses because with few exceptions, the venues are split between a substantial metropolitan area (where arena events are held) and a nearby mountain resort. The cost of hosting the Olympic Games has risen to the point that few cities are willing or able to take it on. This is one of the reasons that Beijing ended up winning hosting duties for the 2022 Winter Games in addition to their successful hosting of the Summer Olympic Games in 2008.

Top Five Tech

Eurosport sees French Open digital viewership boost. The European Broadcaster recorded a 31% year-on-year increase in unique views of the clay-court Grand Slam on Eurosport Player, the company’s over-the-top streaming service, and official app. According to SportsPro, compared to last year, average viewing time of the Roland Garros tournament on Eurosport Player was up 45% from 2018 figures. Eurosport broadcast the French Open to more than 50 countries and also saw viewership increases across its TV coverage in markets throughout Europe. Eurosport is trusting in digital audiences, and investing time and money in their app and OTT service has been paying dividends. Rafael Nadal secured his 12th French Open title at this year’s tournament, while Ashleigh Barty of Australia won the women’s competition for the first time; however, the real winner seems to be OTT content for tennis fans.

Overtime is changing how basketball is played to grow a younger audience. As of now, traditional three hour sports games remain at the heart of pop culture. But sports were radically different before the TV era, and the digital age is bringing about drastic change in the way sports are watched. According to Sports Illustrated, Overtime garners nearly one billion views per month across its social channels by filming viral high school sports stars. Now in its third year, the sports media company is switching basketball to a 3-on-3 game while also shrinking the court. The “Overtime Rules” most drastic changes include swapping out free throws for one-on-one duels, getting rid of taking the ball out after a made basket, and setting fans around the edge of the court, therefore eliminating out-of-bounds altogether. Additionally, games consist of four four-minute quarters, with a substitution only allowed between periods. As for the company's overtime rules, it is an all-or-nothing, sudden death. Overtime is the start of serious shifts to the sports media scene; the next obstacle to tackle will be convincing sponsors that their content is worth the money.

FloSports adds FIBA 3x3 rights to basketball portfolio. As part of an agreement through 2020, FloSports will show live and on-demand coverage of the Fiba 3×3 World Cup, Fiba 3×3 World Tour, and a 3x3 qualifying tournaments ahead the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where the sport will make its Olympic debut and shake up the standard 5x5 basketball format.  Subscribers to the OTT service will be able to access the events via FloSports’ basketball channel, FloHoops.com, as well as the FloSports mobile app and even Amazon Fire. According to SportsPro, the partnership comes just as Fiba’s three-on-three format is gaining popularity in the U.S., which has been bolstered by creation of the Big3 league and Overtime’s recent lean towards the alternate style for basketball. In May, USA Basketball also announced a multi-year partner with Red Bull North America to drive its athlete recruitment ahead of the Olympic qualifiers as part of a newly-created Red Bull 3x series. Between Overtime’s jump into 3x3 basketball and FloSports’ new OTT distribution, it seems standard NBA style basketball has some major competition for viewership.

Gatorade has a new media strategy to make video everywhere with an AR Snapchat lens. According to Digiday, Gatorade debuted a new augmented reality lens on Snapchat on June 20 as a follow up to the animated world of PepsiCo’s “Sisters is Sweat,” where the lens followed the journey of a young girl and her soccer ball. The upcoming AR lens, one of Snapchat’s portal lenses, allows the audience to get into the game and score the winning goal in AR. This is the latest Gatorade experiment with Snapchat, where the brand has found success with games like Serena Williams’ Match Point and filters. The brand had pivoted away from thinking about video in terms of linear, online, and premium channels to instead be wherever its athlete audience will be. That’s why the PepsiCo beverage brand is planning to spend 45% of its media budget on digital this year, an increase of 11% from 2018’s 34% on digital, with the majority of that spending focused on mobile.

Quibi has booked $100 million in ad sales ahead of its 2020 launch, with Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch, Walmart, Progressive, and Google onboard. According to Cynopsis, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman were at Cannes Lions to share news about their upcoming short-form digital service, and revealed that an hour of Quibi content will be divided into chapters and include about two and a half minutes of advertising (versus seventeen and a half minutes on broadcast TV). “The opportunity exists for us to do something really new and differentiated and is going to create a new consumption habit,” said Katzenberg. The expectation is that about 75% of subscribers will opt for the service’s $4.99/month ad-supported offering. The ad-free service will set viewers back $7.99/month. While Quibi is much broader based than sports, its sports applications are practically endless, and intriguing.

Power of Sports Five

NASCAR’s Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America raises $1.7 million for Victory Junction. 250 participants completed the charity’s longest route ever, nearly 3,700 miles – from Kent, Washington to Key Largo, Florida – to raise funds to provide a life-changing camp experience for children with chronic medical illnesses. According to Kent Reporter, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America celebrated its 25th anniversary with its funds raised directly to benefit Victory Junction. The ride’s donation supports maintenance programs, building projects, and summer camps. In addition to the more than $1.7 million raised by the ride, a $2 million donation was presented to the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Trust by the Andreas family in honor of a beloved Charity. Victory Junction has served as the Ride’s primary beneficiary since its establishment by Petty and his family in 2004 in honor of his late son, Adam. Since 1995, 8,650 riders have logged more than 12.4 million motorcycle miles and raised $18.5 million for Victory Junction and other children’s charities. Getting together to cruise across America, this year’s Ride  featured several celebrity riders, including NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and NASCAR legends Harry Gant, Hershel McGriff, and Donnie Allison who helped to create a near $4 million change for children.

FIFA pledges a half billion dollars for women’s soccer. On June 7, at the end of FIFA’s first Women’s Convention, President Gianni Infantino announced the organization’s new commitment to dedicate $500 million to women’s soccer programs over the next four years. The announcement came on the heels of FIFA’s new partnership with UN Women, focused on promoting gender equity around the world. According to Philanthropy Women, the FIFA Women’s Football Convention was the organization’s latest foray into empowerment for female soccer players. As the first event of its kind, the Convention gathered leaders from sports and politics to discuss key issues surrounding women’s empowerment and development in professional football. Both Infantino and two-time World Player of the Year and World Cup champion Mia Hamm spoke at the event. In 2016, FIFA established a dedicated Women’s Football Division, rolled out the first steps in its ten-year plan to reach 60 million female soccer players, and appointed its first female Secretary General, Fatma Samoura. Although backlash is still happening, such as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team suing U.S. Soccer for being underpaid, the future is firmer for women who play soccer.

Minnesota Vikings Foundation launches new food truck for kids in need. According to the Star Tribune, to tackle childhood obesity and hunger issues, the Minnesota Vikings Foundation has unveiled a new food truck that will dish up free healthy meals to Twin Cities kids in need. The Winnebago is called the “Vikings Table,” and is the first initiative for the foundation since it launched in 2017. The foundation replaces the nearly 40-year-old Vikings Children’s Fund charity and changes the team’s focus from doling out grants to creating and managing its own programs. The food truck will work with Twin Cities nonprofits to serve free hot meals to kids as part of the Vikings Foundation’s priorities, including children’s nutrition and physical fitness and Minnesota’s achievement gap. The NFL is stepping up its charity efforts: The Vikings Table mirrors a similar concept to the Philadelphia Eagles’ foundation’s mobile eye clinic that provides free eye exams and glasses to those in need. 

After the Raptors win, a Toronto fan starts a GoFundMe campaign for Kevin Durant's charity. According to Sports Illustrated, the campaign was created by Toronto native Hamzah Moin, and the fundraising efforts aim to raise $25,000 for Durant's organization, one that provides supports low-income, at-risk youth with educational, social, and athletic programs. The initiative’s intent was to apologize to Durant for the way Raptors fans cheered after the 10-time All-Star ruptured his Achilles during Game 5. Moin said, “I'd like to believe that the people cheering/waving goodbye at KD inside Scotiabank and in Jurassic Park also do not reflect our passionate fan base." The GoFundMe surpassed its original goal of $25,000 and had reached $36,280 by June 20. Durant has now undergone surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles and is awaiting where free agency will take him.

Former NFL official Mike Pereira helps military veterans through officiating. In 2015, the former NFL official forged a second career as a highly respected rules’ expert on Fox Sports’ NFL and college broadcasts. The ex-official then met some military vets in Los Angeles and realized that these men had acquired the same skill set through the military that it takes to be a good official. That’s when Pereira realized he could give scholarships to vets to become officials, and get them off of the streets. Since the inception of Battlefields to Ballfields in 2016, more than 220 vets have been given scholarships to get them started on a career in officiating in football, baseball, and basketball. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, the money covers the cost of their training, uniforms, equipment, and local and national association dues for a period of three years. One thing Pereira loves about getting vets into officiating is that of all the people who could ignore the abuse from fans and coaches, the former official realized that no one is better suited than veterans.