TikTok burnout, Jellysmack changes, top creator jobs

Hi there! This is Amanda Perelli. Welcome to our weekly creator economy newsletter, Business Insider Creators.

Here’s what to expect in this week’s edition:?

• TikTok staffers are burned out and going on mental health leave?

• SoftBank-backed creator startup Jellysmack unloads another arm of its business

• The top jobs creators are hiring for, from scriptwriter to YouTube strategist

• And more, including what insiders are saying at SXSW and a new AI fashion app trying to perfect the virtual try-on.

TikTok staffers are burned out and going on mental health leave to get a break: 'feeling like a failure'

TikTok employees say they're burned out amid reorgs, tough performance goals, and other pressures.

Dan Whateley spoke with current and former TikTok employees who said the app’s uncertain future and other factors made them feel directionless and burned out.

"I see people change from motivated to, 'I don't care anymore,'" one current TikTok employee told Business Insider.

Some pressures, like the ban, were specific to TikTok, while other workplace frustrations reflect a broader trend in the tech industry.

TikTok did not respond to requests for comment.

Read more here.?

SoftBank-backed creator startup Jellysmack unloads another arm of its business

Creator economy startup Jellysmack has spun off part of its original content business, the company confirmed to Business Insider.

The new entity, called Blue Foxes , will operate some of Jellysmack’s social brands.?

SoftBank-banked Jellysmack has gone through layoffs and strategy shifts in recent months.

Dan Whateley , Sydney Bradley , and I wrote about the latest change. The new company is led by former Jellysmack Originals VPs Maxime Horbez and Paula Layoun .

Jellysmack will continue operating the Law&Crime Network, which it acquired in 2023, and Philippe said the company would focus on US-based IP and YouTube.

Read more here.?

The top jobs creators are hiring for, from scriptwriter to YouTube strategist

Content creators are hiring for a number of jobs on their teams and production staff.?

I wrote about how the creator economy's growth has increased demand for roles like video editors and scriptwriters.?

YTJobs saw a 33% year-over-year rise in job opportunities in Q4, with average pay for video editors up by 18%.

The uptick in hiring comes as more creators boost production quality with recognizable characters and storylines, said Lydia DeCoud , a digital agent at CAA.

Read more here.?

More coverage from this week:

The business of being a creator

• SXSW behind the scenes: 6 topics everyone was debating in TV, film, and the creator economy (Business Insider)

Social platforms and creator-economy startups

• Instagram is starting to roll out its CapCut rival editing app (Business Insider)

• A new AI fashion app is trying to perfect the virtual try-on (Business Insider)

• Read the pitch deck of a 'Spotify of shopping’ startup (Business Insider)

• This startup is betting on AI to supercharge the virtual influencer market. Read its pitch deck. (Business Insider)

• A US TikTok ban could lead to a social shopping boom — in Mexico (Business Insider)

• Meta is trying to ‘offload’ kids safety onto app stores with new bills, Google says (The Verge)

• TikTok executives bail as ban deadline looms (The Information)

What’s happening in digital culture

• A crash course on Hank and John Green (Creator Mag)

Thanks for reading! Send me your tips, comments, or questions: [email protected].