Through its FOX Advertising wing, the media corporation is making a “strategic investment” in The Lighthouse, Whalar’s network of IRL creator spaces. FOX announced the Lighthouse funding at the Cannes Lions festival in France. The size of the deal has not been revealed, but FOX is expected to double down on its investment by establishing a creator-facing initiative. The unnamed initiative will focus on IP development by building franchises alongside select creator partners. In a statement, Lighthouse president Jon Goss dubbed the deal a “defining moment” in the brand’s history. “At FOX, we see the future of entertainment and advertising will be driven by bold culture-shaping IP,” added FOX Advertising Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Stephano Kim. “Our investment in The Lighthouse signals our commitment to building original franchises with visionary Creators who are redefining storytelling and influencing culture in real time.”

"SmartLess" podcast hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, have launched a new phone company, the celebrity trio announced Tuesday. Called SmartLess Mobile, the direct-to-consumer wireless service promises to be "data-sane and refreshingly BS-free," according to the announcement. The launch represents the first product spinoff for the popular interview podcast, which reaches millions of listeners each month. SmartLess Mobile is billing itself as a low-cost phone carrier that will save customers money by scaling back mobile data they don't use. "If you're using less, you should be spending less," Arnett said in the statement.

The MLB‘s has announced a “strategic partnership” with Jomboy Media, the sports brand known for its humorous social media content and its irreverent podcast network. A fanbase with more than two million YouTube subscribers, Jomboy began raking in ad deals and partnerships with regional networks like YES, the official broadcaster of O’Brien’s beloved New York Yankees, and in 2024 launched a wacky competition called Warehouse Games — which Bally Sports picked up.

Scott Dunn has spent the last five years helping creators launch brands like Recess Therapy, Bob Does Sports, and Little Chonk. Now, he’s starting a new creator company called Unicorn—part talent agency, part video production studio. Dunn, in partnership with cofounder Chris Gera, will represent creators in most facets of their businesses, while producing short- and long-form shows with Unicorn’s roster. Unicorn and its creators will split show IP and revenue generated from brand deals, AdSense, products, and subscriptions 50/50.

Kane Parsons is going full speed ahead on a feature film adaptation of The Backrooms, a found footage horror series Parsons initially premiered on his YouTube channel. A24, which picked up the project in 2023, has now attached some big names to it. The film’s cast includes Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor as well as Renate Reinsve, who played the lead role in the international hit The Worst Person in the World.

Instagram announces that users will soon be able to customize the post order on their grids, regardless of when the posts were published.

Beehiiv is an all-in-one creator friendly platform for newsletters and blogs that makes it easy to design, write, send, promote, monetize, and track the ROI of your newsletter. Created by former employees at the famous newsletter company Morning Brew, Beehiiv aims to help creators launch and monetize their own newsletter.

SuperPhone is an intelligent mobile messaging platform that helps enterprise retail brands acquire, and engage with mobile customers in an impactful way.

Jibby is dedicated to transforming daily coffee & tea rituals into wellness journeys by infusing nourishing ingredients like collagen and superfoods —providing you energy, mood balance, stress relief, and more.