Tag: Content creators

Manila, Philippines – Tech-driven media company Hepmil Philippines, a regional arm of Hepmil Media Group, has launched a series of new programmes that aim to strengthen the capabilities and skills of all talents and creators under its network.

First on the list of Hepmil Philippines’ new programmes is the launch of its social commerce solutions, which will allow content creators under its network to explore other avenues to monetize their content.

A part of this initiative is the introduction of a new incubation programme that is largely focused on developing the skills of their talents and creators in social selling and forging partnerships with regional e-commerce brands that can support their direct-to-consumer efforts.

The media company has also expanded its list of new and accomplished creators, with big names such as Jico Umali (Jiconyo), Pipay Kipay, and Adam Alejo joining their roster of exclusive creators under their digital creator community, Hepmil Creators’ Network (HCN).

As part of the company’s programmes to support its talents, Hepmil Philippines also rolled out a list of entertainment shows and relatable content for their wide variety of audiences.

The exhilarating travel show ‘Oner Gang’ will feature social media sensations Jico Umali and Risha Rodriguez as they explore the tapestry of local communities and diverse cultures across the Philippines. PGAG, Hepmil’s marketing company, also injected humour into their latest lineup of shows with ‘Sa Office’, a workplace satire that provides a comedic look at office life.

The new programmes come as Hepmil and its partners work on developing communication strategies that are tailored to cater to the newer generation of mobile-first consumers. The company aims to make authentic connections with audiences who want entertainment value, making sure that there is still organic integration of local culture into engaging digital content.

Jel Directo, country manager at Hepmil Creators’ Network, shared, “The unstoppable rise of TikTok Shop in the Philippines has brought a platform for our creators not only to elevate their game in content creation but also to increase their opportunities for monetized content.”

“Since this is fast-growing in the local market, we have trained our creators in effective live selling, live streaming, and also affiliate content building. With this, we continue to be partners of brands that are first-movers in bottom funnel creator marketing, able to support them as they speed up test-and-learn efforts,” she added.

Directo further explained, “We want our creator network to be represented by those who truly understand our passion and skill in content creation. With Jico as our homegrown creator in PGAG; Pipay, known on TikTok for her comedy and wit; and Adam Alejo, a YouTuber known for his most-watched idea-first challenges, we are able to showcase our ability to support brands in creating content that connects and matters to their audience.”

Also speaking on the programme launch, Erwin Razon, general manager at PGAG and Bent Pixels Asia, said, “We continue to innovate new shows with our partner creators to bring engaging and entertaining content to our fans, new and old. The company’s strategic partnerships with rising platforms like Oner Gang and PGAG offer brands a strategic entry point into the evolving realm of digital marketing. As the rules of engagement are being rewritten, Hepmil is poised to author the next chapter in the industry.”

“We strongly believe in the balance of advertising and entertainment on content, a mindset that allows us to thrive in integrating brand messages seamlessly within our content while maintaining the authenticity and entertainment that our fans love,” he added.

California, USA – Aimed at helping creators connect further with their audience, tech giant Meta has unveiled new features on Instagram Reels, including a dashboard that displays what’s trending on Reels.

The Reels Trends feature allows creators to see the top trending songs on Reels, see how many times the audio has been used, and save the audio for use. It also displays what the top trending topics and hashtags are on Reels to keep creators up-to-date on the latest trends. 

Meta has also improved Instagram Reels Insights to help creators better understand how their content is performing by adding two new metrics: total watch time and average watch time – making it easier for creators to see their reels’ insights while viewing them directly. Creators will also be able to receive a notification with new followers from their reels. 

Instagram Reels will also be seeing new improvements in sending gifts, with the feature’s upcoming expansions to more markets, including Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand and the UK, in the coming weeks.

“We’re also adding a new feature to show you which fans have sent you a gift so you can recognize your supporters. If you tap the heart icon next to your supporters, they’ll get a notification that you’ve seen and recognized their gift, providing an even stronger sense of connection between you and your fans,” the release read.

Lastly, Meta has also made it easier for creators to edit reels, by bringing together video clips, audio, stickers, and text on a unified editing screen. According to Meta, the development makes it easier to align and time elements of reels to the right moments in a more visual way.

“Creators like you inspire people and shape everyday culture. We’re committed to building more products to help you grow and thrive on Instagram, and today’s updates are just a few of the ways we’re investing in your success,” Meta concluded.

Last February, Meta has also rolled out a new broadcast channel for Instagram and a paid verification service for both Facebook and Instagram users, ‘Meta Verified’.

Manila, Philippines – Tier One Entertainment, the Philippine-based gaming and esports entertainment company, will be launching its latest incubator programme ‘ALLIANCE’. This aims to gather a curated list of Web3 content creators and train them to be top-notch opinion leaders shaping the future of content creation in the global blockchain and crypto industry.

For this programme, Tier One Entertainment has appointed Tyrone Anthony Bretaña as the head of ALLIANCE. He has worked with some of the biggest brands in fintech and e-commerce for eight years. With an early adopter mentality, Bretaña has the vision to lead the ALLIANCE into becoming a global collective that will drive traffic and mainstream adoption of Web 3 while promoting the values of authenticity, relevance, and legitimacy.

The new programme’s initial list includes professional basketball player Jared Dillinger, holistic wellness coach Chris Tan, gaming content creator Crisostomo ‘Chibiby’ Tan Jr., multimedia creative John Sedano, and DJ and producer Patty Tiu, as well as architect and artist Timi Sky, and filmmaker and entrepreneur Janina Manipol. 

Also joining them are business executives like Block Tides founder Myrtle Ramos, Stock Smarts CEO Marvin Germo, and Tetrix CEO Emman Navalan who have etched their names in the Web3 community.

“As a company that has multi-millions in following in the Web2 space, our role is to be able to help bring the attention and the traffic and help contribute to the mainstream adaptation of Web3. We are confident that our future plans for Web3 will help bring a new generation of users to the exciting space,” said Tryke Gutierrez, CEO of Tier One Entertainment. 

Previously, Tier One Entertainment conducted its influencer programs such as AMPLFY, ARDENT, and ASCEND, which elevated the video game streaming careers of SB19’s Josh Cullen, Filipino actress Sharlene San Pedro, and streamer and content creator Khenji Saito. It also launched The Gaming House with ABS-CBN, a reality show featuring gaming personalities, the first of its kind in Asia. This is on top of managing athletes under Blacklist International, a world champion in mobile esports.

Singapore – Streaming and video hosting platform YouTube has announced the launch of its ‘Creators for Impact’ in the Asia-Pacific region, launching first in Singapore. Said initiative is aimed at sharing tips and learnings for local creators to tackle issues of misinformation and mental health on their channels while delivering a compelling message to their audience.

YouTube also hopes that through this programme, it will be helpful in the creator ecosystem by being a tool that can help define and shape public discussion on important issues prevalent in today’s society.

Over the next five months from July to November 2022, 14 creators have been shortlisted based on their channel’s credibility, social impact and potential. Participants can look forward to roundtable discussions with experts, key opinion leaders, and their fellow creators as they work towards using their platform to raise awareness on topics such as misinformation and mental health.

Some of the participating channels include Denise Soong Ee Lyn, TheSmartLocal, Our Grandfather Story, UNfiltered, and Sarah X. Miracle.

Speaking to MARKETECH APAC, Siddharth Srinivasan, head of YouTube content partnerships for Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines, said that they recognise the great contribution of local content creators, to which they have leveraged the open nature of the platform to educate, inspire and entertain viewers in creative ways, with their content gaining recognition both locally and globally.

“It’s important for us to ensure we are helping our creators to reach their audiences with the right content on such topics – in terms of connecting them with subject matter experts to share safe, credible content, and creating an environment where they are able to tap on the local creator community to pick up new tips on content creation like collaborating with a licensed expert to engaging audiences in a live Q&A,” Srinivasan said.

He also noted that YouTube has been active in creating partnerships to address mental health discussion on the platform, including with social media creative studio Bloomr.sg, and Ministry of Funny through Tribe Talkin’ to discuss topics such as personal experiences with issues such as anxiety and depression, mental pressures exerted by COVID-19-induced disruptions, and content addressing topics of violent extremism.

When asked about the state of the platform in terms of misinformation, he said that problematic content represents a fraction of one percent of the content on YouTube and they are constantly working to reduce this even further. He also noted that their work on reducing misinformation has been focused on four pillars: removing violative content, raising up authoritative content, reducing the spread of borderline content and rewarding trusted creators – the 4Rs of responsibility.

“When it comes to misinformation, speedy removals will always be important but we know they’re not nearly enough. Instead, it’s how we also treat all the content we’re leaving up on YouTube by raising up information from trusted sources and reducing the spread of videos with harmful misinformation,” he added.

Srinivasan also added that in Singapore, they have taken proactive steps to raise authoritative voices on the platform and ensure people get access to the right information. These include Top News and Breaking News shelves in Singapore to highlight videos from authoritative news sources.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, we’ve focused on connecting people with useful, high-quality information and each other while removing violative content that violates our COVID-19 medical misinformation policy and Vaccine Misinformation policy. In Q1 2022, globally, we have removed more than 50,000 videos for violating the vaccine provisions of our COVID-19 misinformation policy. These provisions took effect in October 2020,” he concluded.

Jakarta, Indonesia – TipTip, an integrated platform for content creators in SEA, has now officially launched in Indonesian through the Grand Launch event held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Jakarta. This event introduced Triawan Munaf as the president commissioner of TipTip, and was attended by various content creators.

The new platform provides innovative solutions to fill various gaps for content creators in developing countries across the region, such as the lack of monetisation opportunities, limited local payment & KYC (know-your-customer) integration, and various technical limitations related to content creation and distribution via low-end smartphone devices.

Albert Lucius, founder of TipTip, described the huge potential of the creator economy ecosystem in Indonesia and how TipTip aims to serve as the go-to platform to support Indonesian content creators to grow and take advantage of these opportunities. 

He said that TipTip provides various novel monetisation opportunities that were previously not available to content creators in Indonesia, without the typical prerequisite of a large audience for content creators to be successful. 

“We realised there is a massive untapped opportunity in the Indonesian creator economy. Although we have a wealth of talents and quality content, unfortunately, their potential was not fully developed due to the difficulty of amassing a large audience base. As not everyone is proficient at building an audience, TipTip serves as a new, unique channel to connect content creators with their fans, while providing direct monetisation opportunities outside of traditional ways of advertising and brand endorsement. We hope that TipTip can unlock new opportunities for content creators in Indonesia and together, we can grow with the rapid progress of the creator economy in Indonesia,” added Lucius.

TipTip said that content creator activity in Indonesia is experiencing immense growth and the market is predicted to reach IDR4 trillion to IDR7 trillion in the future. Based on the Opus Creative Economy Outlook 2020, the creative economy sector contributes IDR1.1 trillion to Indonesia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and consists of 17 million workers.

Commenting on this figure, Munaf explained the role of TipTip as a platform that contributes to the growth of the industry, especially as a local player who understands intimately the challenges faced by content creators in Indonesia. 

He further shared that as a homegrown platform, TipTip aims to be a solution for the community to continue to create and capture the enormous opportunities in the creator economy industry.

“TipTip serves as a platform that supports the growth of Indonesia’s creator economy industry, which in turn will promote financial inclusion. Not only as a means for content creators to work, this platform also facilitates public access to educational and quality content. My hope is that the TipTip platform can serve as an avenue for content creators to experiment and create. Our role is to encourage and appreciate the work of fellow Indonesians,” said Munaf.

TipTip is now accessible to the Indonesian public. Both content creators and their fans can visit TipTip’s website or download the TipTip application on the Google PlayStore to register. Apple iOS users will also be able to download the app in August 2022.

Manila, Philippines — TikTok, a leading destination for short-form mobile video, celebrates this year’s Pride Month by promoting inclusivity. The platform aims to champion individual expression while also spotlighting the strength of the LGBTQIA+ community.

To officially kick off the month of June, TikTok launched this year’s pride month campaign with the official hashtag, #PrideTogetherPH.

TikTok continues to serve as a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community where users can engage and build relationships with key figures and advocacy organisations. For interested users, they can join in on the discussion and catch the Sama-sama tayo #PrideTogetherPH live stream on June 15, 17, 22, and 24.

The live broadcast will compose numerous prominent LGBTQIA+ creators including Show Suzuki, Roanne and Tina, Rica Salomon, and Miko Esjay together with various music artists like Paul Pablo, SILVY, and Anne Marie.

In addition to the jam-packed events, anticipate a well-rounded discourse with a specially curated digital content series named #QueerTalk with OxfamPH and #ATBPride with LoveYourselfPH. Both are video series expounding more about LGBTQIA+, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Bill, and different gender identities in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Manila, Philippines – Dubai-based esports organisation Galaxy Racer has partnered with talent agency Tyronne Escalante Artist Management (TEAM), aimed at opening up new doors for talents, whilst paving the way for Galaxy Racer’s vision to become the largest content powerhouse in the Philippines. 

Through the partnership, TEAM and Galaxy Racer Philippines will mutually support their rosters of content creators to create a new breed of talents. TEAM will support Galaxy Racer’s efforts by providing expertise in acting and training sessions for the gaming content creators, while Galaxy Racer serves as TEAM’s esports and gaming arm to guide film and entertainment artists in expanding their digital presence into the online gaming space, venturing into live streaming games as a way to grow their influence to a wider audience, and solidifying their interaction with fans.

Moreover, Galaxy Racer Philippines is also looking into expanding to collegiate esports by producing grassroots leagues and programs that would support and develop student-athletes, and provide scholarship opportunities through esports.

Mitch Esguerra, Galaxy Racer’s CEO for SEA, noted that the Philippines is a key market for their growth in the region, driven by the explosive growth in the number of content creators and viewers in the market. 

“We are seeing the lines blur between lifestyle and gaming influencers with an increasing demand for live gaming content, where fans are able to engage directly with their favorite content creators. Our entryway into the Philippines is just the beginning of what we have planned for the market and the region and we are excited to contribute to the esports and gaming industry,” said Esguerra.

Meanwhile, Marcia Guillermo, Galaxy Racer’s country manager for the Philippines, said that they value the work that content creators put into their craft, which is why they are constantly seeking opportunities to invest in them in the region and grow their following reach.

“As the esports industry and ecosystem is continuously growing, we are more than excited to have partners that prioritise initiatives to develop talents and provide opportunities that would create a positive impact on all facets of the industry and the community including collegiate esports. This outlook and commitment would definitely position Galaxy Racer to lead for the coming years,” Guillermo added.

Galaxy Racer Philippines is also set to launch its merchandise GXR Limited and music record label GXR Records this year. GXR Limited will release a collaboration collection with Galaxy Racer’s exclusive content creators Kristine Satamena and Tukomi Twins, while GXR Records will kick off by collaborating with local producers to plan for the music release featuring other Galaxy Racer exclusive artists.

Manila, Philippines – YouTube retains its leadership among Filipino viewers, where in the country, the watch base now stands at 45 million viewers. With this, local brands are in a better position to tap the platform in attaining desired business and brand results. 

In their latest ‘YouTube Brandcast’ press event, the platform noted that there has been more than 25% rise in watchtime from April 2020 to April 2021, while total hours of content uploaded to YouTube by channels in the Philippines grew more than four times between 2020 and 2019.

There has been a huge influx of new creators on the platform as well, with over 3,000 local channels hitting more than 100,000 subscribers, over 250 channels having more than one million subscribers, and 12 channels having more than 10 million subscribers, as of June 2021.

“In the second year of the pandemic, more Filipinos turned to YouTube to use content that can help them with their everyday life. YouTube’s reach, creators, content uploads, and watchtime increased phenomenally and this ecosystem growth unlocked great possibilities for brands to drive results at scale, and deliver a fulfilling experience for viewers,” said Gabby Roxas, marketing head at Google Philippines.

In terms of the genres or categories most watched on the platform locally, recipe videos grew by more than 50% in watchtime during the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same time last year. Skincare video watch time had also jumped by more than 80% in the same period and interestingly, that for shampoo videos more than doubled. 

Furthermore, in continuing to seek entertainment to cope with the prolonged isolation periods, watchtime for role-playing game (RPG) videos grew by more than 80% while that for drama television series grew by more than 70% in the same period.

With these genres rising to popularity, brands locally can tap into these categories through their respective content creators to create meaningful brand-infused content, such as the platform’s sponsorable activities like Super Stream, Music Night, and FanFest among others allow brands like Unilever to engage consumers effectively.

“Marketing in a connected world opens new opportunities for brands to connect deeper with people, and YouTube is an effective platform to do that. Through YouTube, we were able to tell our brand stories in an unmissable way, standing up in the frontline of culture to engage today’s attention-restricted audience,” said Dennis Perez, media director at Unilever Philippines.

The platform’s success on brand integrated campaigns has been evident when they launched their first-ever YouTube Works locally, where they recognized the brands that have created campaigns that take the support from the platform’s diverse audience and capabilities.

“YouTube empowers brands to push the boundaries of creative storytelling that delivers results and I’ve seen this with the finalists of the inaugural YouTube Works awards. They used YouTube and its content creators in a powerful way, resulting in key achievements in awareness, engagement and action. I’m excited to see what brands and agencies will come up with and submit in the next run of YouTube Works,” said Leigh Reyes, jury head at YouTube Works and chair 3meritus and product officer at MullenLowe TREYNA.

Singapore – As part of its ongoing commitment to promote online kindness, TikTok has launched a global campaign called #CreateKindness, a creative video series that aims to raise awareness on online bullying and how people can choose kindness.

The campaign features the real and personal stories of six diverse creator-animators, namely @milkymichii, @recokh, @kellyemmrich, and @amyrightmeow, as well as @rosie.gif, and @king.science. 

Each creator will be illustrating their personal experiences with online bullying and how to counter it. They will be using their unique animation style, offering advice around countering bullying, and sharing why it is important for everyone to choose kindness.

“The platform is driven to maintain a welcoming environment for the global community, and over the last year has introduced a range of features aimed at fostering kindness and preventing bullying,” said TikTok.

TikTok Singapore’s User and Content Operations Manager Doreen Tan shared that they are mindful that online interactions often have an offline impact, which is why they hope this movement will inspire conversations around nurturing kindness and compassion.

“In this effort, we’re glad to encourage our community to share heart-warming stories and moments that inspire kindness. After all, we are one community, and what makes us special is how we care for one another,” said Tan.

The #CreateKindness videos will be available on @TikTokSG and @TikTokTips – a TikTok-owned dedicated account to promote privacy, safety, and positive vibes.

Singapore – Collab Asia, a content studio and talent network, has announced that it has signed a deal with Nintendo to allow its vast network of content creators to monetize their gameplays based from Nintendo Game Content, which in turn accelerates support for the production, distribution, and monetization of live game videos.

Through the monetization deal, Collab Asia content creators can monetize their Nintendo gameplay through streaming channels such as Facebook Game Streamer, Niconico Channel, OPENREC Creators Program, and Twitch Affiliate Program and Twitch Partner Program, as well as YouTube Partner Program, among others.

“As the premier digital media partner for creators, brands, and media platforms in Asia, we understand that people are consuming more content and creating more content than ever before across Asia. As part of this, we look forward to enabling our creators to responsibly create content using Nintendo’s unparalleled intellectual property, storied titles, and legendary characters,” said Eugene Choi, CEO and co-founder of Collab Asia.

The recently-inked deal follows after Collab Asia has recently opened its first office in Shenzhen, China. To date, the studio manages 4,000 video channels and social media accounts with 270 million loyal subscribers across leading platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.

Collab Asia has existing markets in Asia Pacific such as in Korea, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore.