The startup behind MrBeast Burger explains the business of influencer 'ghost kitchens'
Hi, this is Amanda Perelli and welcome back to Insider Influencers, our weekly rundown on the business of influencers, creators, and social-media platforms. Sign up for the newsletter here.
In this week's edition:
MrBeast Burger and the rise of influencer 'ghost kitchens'
A new talent-management firm wants to help influencers get into TV and products
4 media companies break down how to grow on TikTok
And more including Snapchat influencers who earned over $1 million each and how The 19th survived launching in a pandemic
But before we get started, Insider is looking to hire an associate media editor who will help shape our coverage of creators on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Does that sound like your dream job? Apply here.
The startup behind MrBeast Burger sees a huge opportunity in influencer 'ghost kitchens'
YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) launched a pop-up "MrBeast Burger" restaurant in December with the goal of building a permanent brand, not just a one-off viral stunt.
To do so, Donaldson partnered with Virtual Dining Concepts, a company that works with celebrities to launch delivery-only food brands.
Dan Whateley spoke with Virtual Dining Concepts' CEO to learn more about the business of influencer "ghost kitchens."
Here's what he said:
Virtual Dining Concepts helped the MrBeast team design a menu, secure restaurant partners, and create training materials so every product would taste the same nationwide.
The company enlisted a network of 300 "ghost kitchens" (some that it owned), which paid an all-inclusive platform fee to cook and sell MrBeast menu items.
The company is planning to expand to 1,000 restaurants by the end of the second quarter.
Read more about the business of influencer "ghost kitchens" here.
4 media brands that have surged on TikTok by studying the app's trends and making their employees stars
As TikTok has grown in popularity, both upstart and legacy media companies are joining the app.
"45% of our new audience growth in 2020 was from TikTok," Barstool Sports' CEO Erika Nardini told Insider last month.
Dan Whateley spoke with four media companies about how to build an engaged audience on TikTok:
Barstool Sports has 12 million TikTok followers and has focused on posting content that fits with what's popular on the app, rather than repurposing its existing IP.
NPR's "Planet Money" has about 300,000 TikTok followers and built and audience by converting its podcast and video content into short, funny economics explainer videos.
Yahoo News has 1 million TikTok followers and regularly interacts with users in the comments section of videos.
Read more on the strategies for TikTok growth here.
A new talent-management firm plans to help influencers grow by expanding into areas like TV and consumer products
The cofounders of Studio71 have teamed up again to launch a new talent-management firm for creators.
The firm, Underscore Talent, has signed over 60 clients so far and is focused on helping digital stars expand content into areas like TV formats and short-form video.
I spoke to with Underscore Talent execs at about their plans:
The firm is interested in expanding clients into TV formats with partners like Roku or Amazon Prime.
Underscore wants to help clients create passive, ad-based revenue streams by repurposing YouTube videos for Facebook.
It also wants to launch direct-to-consumer brands with clients.
Read more on the new talent management firm here.
The founders of nonprofit newsroom The 19th break down how they survived launching in a pandemic
The 19th, a nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics, and policy, launched last January.
Mark Stenberg spoke with cofounders Emily Ramshaw and Amanda Zamora on how they set it up for growth and how they plan to grow after the Trump era.
Read more on the nonprofit newsroom, here.
More creator industry coverage from Insider:
How 4 Snapchat influencers made over $1 million each by flooding the app with videos (Dan Whateley, Sydney Bradley, and Amanda Perelli)
We are seeking nominations for the top PR agents for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram stars in 2021. Submit your ideas here.
A rundown of recent promotions and new hires at firms like Snap and YouTube (Dan Whateley)
Industry updates:
Influencers can now join Hollywood's top union.
Short-form video app Triller is in the hot seat (again) over its public user figures.
YouTube is fully releasing its TikTok-like feature, Shorts, in the US in March.
This week from Insider's digital culture team:
Insider poll shows some of the most disliked influencers on the internet, from Jake Paul to Jeffree Star
Insider reporter Palmer Haasch surveyed 1,000 people to figure out how well certain influencers are known and liked.
Data revealed which personalities had high unfavorability rankings.
Controversial YouTuber Jake Paul topped the list, with his brother Logan in second.
Logan is the most well-known influencer on this list, with 30.6% of respondents saying that they knew who he was and putting him close to other big-name internet personalities like Joe Rogan, who was known by 37.2% of those surveyed.
More on digital culture:
Jeffree Star is still working with the wig stylist who bullied Trisha Paytas after claiming they severed ties.
Beauty YouTuber James Charles stepped out with a bald head, but most fans think it's an elaborate prank.
Insider ranked the 10 most famous influencers on the internet - from Addison Rae to JoJo Siwa.
Here's what else we're reading:
David Dobrik's photo app gets investment interest that's expected to value the company at $100 million (Kate Clark, The Information)
Audio app Clubhouse breaks through even as it battles with harassment, misinformation, and privacy issues (Erin Griffith and Taylor Lorenz, from The New York Times)
Ivanka Trump joins the Miami influencer scene with controversial fashion blogger Arielle Charnas (Kate Lindsay, from NoFilter)
YouTube creators are racking up high view counts by holding fellow influencers accountable (Ruchira Sharma, from Vice)