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VISUAL CREATORS
For your artistic side.

🎨 Canva's Bold AI Play: Surviving & Thriving!

The Story: In the rapidly evolving landscape of design, Canva’s co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins is leaning into the generative AI revolution rather than hiding from it. While many fear that AI could threaten creativity in design, Perkins views it as a valuable tool to further Canva’s mission of democratizing visual content creation. Since its launch in 2013, Canva has grown tremendously, boasting over 220 million active users and an impressive valuation. Perkins emphasizes that generative AI, like the recent acquisitions of Leonardo.ai and Canvas's new Dream Lab feature, enhances creativity rather than stifling it.

The Details:

• Canva initially focused on making design accessible through templates and drag-and-drop features, attracting many non-professionals away from complex software.

• Perkins emphasizes a three-pronged AI strategy that includes integration of AI tech, deep investment in AI features, and an app ecosystem for partner integrations.

• Currently, Canva is targeting enterprise clients, showcasing its versatility across business functions like marketing, HR, and even accounting.

• Despite market fluctuations that cut its valuation from $40 billion to $26 billion within a year, Perkins highlights ongoing user growth and profitability.

• The company has pledged an ambitious goal of reaching 1 billion users, aiming to capture one in five internet users globally.

Why It Matters: As Canva continues to innovate with AI, its approach could serve as a blueprint for other creators and companies in the visual design space. The company's strategy highlights how treating technology as an ally, rather than a challenger, can open up new avenues for growth. For creatives looking for inspiration or tools to enhance their projects, Perkins’ vision signals a shift towards a future where AI complements, rather than replaces, artistic expression. This could redefine the landscape of content creation and accessibility for all users.

PRODUCTION MASTERY
The commercial aspects of creativity.

🎤 YouTube's AI Dubbing Goes Global!

The Story: YouTube has expanded its AI-powered auto-dubbing feature to hundreds of thousands of channels within its Partner Program that focus on knowledge and information. This innovation aims to break language barriers by automatically translating videos into various languages, allowing creators to reach a wider audience. Originally announced in June 2023, creators can now enable audio translations simply by ticking a box during the upload process.

The Details:

• The auto-dubbing feature supports translations from English into French, German, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian, Japanese, and Portuguese, and vice versa.

• Creators can preview AI-dubbed videos before they go live, ensuring content quality while having the ability to unpublish or delete any dubs if needed.

• Although the current dubs lack natural sounding quality, YouTube promises improvements in tone, emotion rendering, and ambient accuracy in future updates.

• Auto-dubs from content creators will be marked with a label, giving viewers the option to switch back to the original audio via the track selector.

• YouTube believes moving forward with this feature could replicate successes seen in multi-language content, such as the “Amazing Digital Circus,” which significantly expanded its viewer base through language accessibility.

Why It Matters: For creators, this auto-dubbing functionality is a game-changer, potentially unlocking new audiences across regions and languages. As creative professionals, embracing this tool could significantly enhance visibility and engagement while delivering content globally. The technology still needs refining, but being early adopters of such tools can give creators an edge in a competitive landscape, enabling them to connect with a more diverse audience and expand their reach.

CREATOR ECONOMY
Navigating the digital creative world.

📹 Spotify's Bold Step into Video Monetization!

The Story: Spotify is ramping up its game in the podcasting arena by introducing video to its platform in an effort to compete with YouTube. The new features, launching in January 2025, aim to enhance monetization for creators but face skepticism about their effectiveness without essential tools for engagement and revenue sharing.

The Details:

• Spotify's upcoming video offerings include dynamic video podcasts and TikTok-like clips, aimed at boosting creator monetization initiatives in select countries.

• Creators will receive revenue from two streams: ad revenue from free-tier users and performance-based payouts from Premium subscribers who watch their content.

• Currently, Spotify has over 300,000 video podcasts with consumption hours growing faster than audio-only formats, indicating a strong market demand for visual content.

• Industry experts express concerns about Spotify's lack of social features compared to platforms like Instagram or TikTok, which may impede attracting younger audiences.

Why It Matters: With the podcast landscape rapidly evolving, Spotify's video push highlights a pivotal moment for creators seeking new horizons. As video content becomes increasingly popular among audiences, having streamlined monetization models and social engagement tools is crucial for creators to succeed. By addressing these gaps, Spotify could entice more creators to join its platform, potentially reshaping the competitive dynamics within the podcasting world and establishing itself as a contender in the lucrative creator economy.

🔥 Press Worthy

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

Three Animation Guild leaders are rallying against a new contract, citing inadequate protections against generative AI and lack of staffing minimums. Members voice frustrations on social media, fearing job losses as studios could mandate AI usage, sparking urgent contract discussions.

Instagram is testing a game-changer with its new 'Trial Reels' feature! Creators can share experimental videos with non-followers for 24 hours, gaining valuable insights before deciding to post for their main audience—innovation without risk!

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

ByteDance is betting big on Dreamina, positioning it as the "TikTok of the AI era" amid Doubao's lukewarm performance in user engagement. Insiders highlight a shift towards multimodal features with lower interaction barriers, aiming to attract a vibrant creator community.

"Her Story," a comedy challenging stigmas on female sexuality and single motherhood, is currently China’s box office champ. Its unexpected rise amid strict censorship shows a demand for women's narratives, even as creators tread carefully to avoid conflict with authorities.

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

Amaran has launched the Go, a compact LED mini light with MagSafe compatibility, perfect for mobile content creators. Featuring a unique flip design, dual mirror light, and ten adjustable settings, it's portable and ideal for both selfies and videos. Priced at just $29!

New research shows a surprising AI adoption gap in marketing, with 61% of executives using AI weekly versus only 42% of entry-level marketers. The trend flips the traditional tech adoption narrative, highlighting a crucial disconnect that could hinder innovation and employee growth.

📚 Learn & Grow

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

• Behind the Lens: 2024 in Photography

• Actually, that $1.4M 'blank' painting isn't a waste of time

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

• Author and illustrator Linda Liukas on building a career out of curiosity

• Creative director's unusual cookbook challenges cultural boundaries

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

• The year the memes took over reality – and marketing followed

• From X to Bluesky: why are people fleeing Elon Musk’s ‘digital town square’?