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From Million Dollar YouTube Videos to Creator Upfronts

From Million Dollar YouTube Videos to Creator Upfronts

Vu & Samsung Partnership, O Cinema's Censorship Battle

March 18, 2025

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There’s a story from my hometown of Miami Beach that’s blown up and making international news - O Cinema is facing eviction from the city (they operate in a city-owned building) for refusing to back down from playing Oscar-winning doc No Other Land.

O Cinema was co-founded by my good friend Kareem Tabsch (we made Dolphin Lover and The Last Resort together) and is currently run by Vivian Marthell.

Miami is definitely more known for beaches and nightlife - being a viable spot for independent cinema wasn’t really part of the 305 zeitgeist until they opened their doors (I’d argue they also laid the groundwork in creating an environment for Oscar winner Moonlight to come into existence).

We’ve got details of the back and forth below, but just want to put this above the fold. It’s an attack on cinema and freedom of expression and can set a dangerous precedent.

The city commission votes tomorrow morning - I’m hoping they do the right thing and vote down this egregious proposal to evict and withdraw funding.

You can learn more and support O Cinema here.

Joey

From a $5 Billion Chocolate Bar Empire to Creator Upfronts, What’s Happening in the Creator Economy

The creator economy is nothing to sleep on, especially with YouTube watch time on televisions outperforming Netflix from a report from the end of 2024.

What should be on your radar":

Creator Upfronts: YouTube stars are now hosting advertiser showcases traditionally reserved for TV networks. Spotter, a company that purchases YouTube back catalogs from creators, is organizing its first "Spotter Showcase" upfront event to connect creators directly with advertisers.
Chocolate Empire: MrBeast now earns more from Feastables than from his record-breaking YouTube channel. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) now makes more money from his Feastables chocolate brand than from YouTube, despite being the platform's most-subscribed creator with over 300 million subscribers. He's raising several hundred million dollars which would value the company at $5 billion.
Streaming Deals: Major platforms are courting top YouTube creators for exclusive content partnerships. Netflix, Peacock, Amazon are all courting creators to talk content deals, including Dude Perfect and Mark Rober.
Creators are going big with production value - and spending money. Mrwhosetheboss (20m subscribers) just installed a full virtual production setup with Vu Virtual Studio to level up their production quality.

Read more for the breakdown on MrBeast's million dollar YouTube video budgets and how he lost money on his $100 million Amazon show Beast Games.

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Vu Technologies and Samsung Join Forces to Expand Virtual Production Capabilities

Vu Technologies and Samsung have announced a strategic partnership that will integrate Samsung's LED display technology with Vu's production software, creating turnkey solutions for corporate, education, and sports & entertainment sectors.

The collaboration aims to streamline content creation workflows while delivering enhanced visual quality through a software-driven ecosystem.

The partnership will incorporate Samsung's IVC Series Indoor LED, IF Series Direct-View LED, and IE Series Direct-View LED displays, along with CV4B and CS4B LED Processors into Vu's production ecosystem.
The integrated solution simplifies complex production workflows, making high-quality content creation more accessible across multiple industries.
Virtual production capabilities will enable more immersive and dynamic sets, potentially reducing costs and post-production time.
Joint marketing efforts, demonstrations, and product showcases will target sports teams, venues, leagues, enterprises, and educational institutions.
Tim Moore, Vu Technologies CEO, described the partnership as "a major step forward in providing turnkey solutions that simplify the creative process while delivering unparalleled visual quality."

Read more to learn how this partnership could transform traditional production workflows and what specific advantages the Vu-Samsung integration offers for different industry applications.

O Cinema Faces Censorship Battle Over Oscar-Winning Documentary

Miami Beach's O Cinema is fighting to maintain artistic freedom after Mayor Steven Meiner moved to evict the theater for screening Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.

The controversy highlights the growing tension between political interests and artistic expression, the potential precedent for censorship in cultural spaces, and the mobilization of the film community against government intervention in programming decisions.

O Cinema's CEO Vivian Marthell has refused to back down, framing the dispute as a defense of fundamental free expression rights and the role of independent cinemas in communities.
The mayor labeled the Palestinian displacement documentary as "antisemitic propaganda" and proposed terminating the theater's lease and funding for using city-owned space to screen the film.
Over 600 artists and filmmakers, including Barry Jenkins and Michael Moore, have signed an open letter supporting O Cinema and condemning the mayor's actions.
The ACLU of Florida is providing legal support to the theater, which argues the mayor's proposal violates First Amendment rights.
The controversy has sparked international attention, with industry professionals viewing it as a concerning test case for government censorship of artistic content.

CBS Saturday Morning feature on Cosm

Stories, projects, and links that caught our attention from around the web:

🕹️ Lego is expanding its digital presence by establishing an internal game development team, reflecting its commitment to both physical and digital experiences.

🗣 Amazon's Prime Video is piloting AI-assisted dubbing to enhance content accessibility, focusing on titles that previously lacked dubbed versions, and will initially support English and Latin American Spanish.

🏟 Netflix's new venture, Netflix House, will open in 2025 as a permanent entertainment destination offering immersive experiences based on its shows.

🧟‍♀️ The success of The Substance has catapulted Mubi into the spotlight, not only as a streaming platform but also as a distributor capable of achieving substantial box office results.

📺 YouTube is set to introduce a new feature called Shows, which will allow creators to organize their content like episodic TV series, making it easier for viewers to follow and engage with their favorite creators.