Platforms earn and creators hustle? In this Halloween issue of The Uppload, we’re getting spooky with a deep dive into deepfakes, doppelgangers and some haunted collections of Uppbeat music and motion graphics. But first, what’s the secret to viral YouTube content? This creator has the answer…
The spell for a viral YouTube series
Halloween is all about being who you’re not. Whether that’s a vampire, a devil or - in one YouTuber’s case - “a human contaminated in an acid rain apocalypse.”
Katharina Xenia’s YouTube series, Beyond Limits, is a chance for the star to test different lives for 24 hours. And she's taken on a range of alter egos - everything from a butler and professional chess player, to a ‘scarer’ at a Halloween horror park.
Scarily popular → Launched just 4 months ago, Beyond Limits has captured a collective 3 million views.
The origin story → Katharina has 1.7 million subscribers on TikTok, but success on YouTube still proved an uphill battle. Her long-form content didn’t see consistent views until the launch of Beyond Limits.
A format that works → YouTube series are great for attracting a repeat audience, but Katharina takes hers one step further with on-point promotion. She uses her channel banner as an advertisement for the series, builds hype by sharing clips across platforms and premieres each episode.
Follow in Katharina's footsteps and:
- Build a buzz with YouTube’s ‘Premiere’ feature.
- Find a global audience with ‘auto-dubbing.’
- Create a binge-worthy channel by adding videos to series playlists.
Haunted by doubles... the future of deepfakes
Pretending to be someone you’re not can be fun. But what happens when someone pretends to be you?
AI-generated ‘deepfakes’ have flooded the internet, proving a real-life horror story for creators whose likeness has been used and manipulated without their consent. Victims include Brooke Monk, who had AI-generated explicit images of her shared online, and streamer DanieltheDemon whose AI counterpart advertised a new game release.
But whilst some creators are fighting deep fakes, others are busy creating their own…
The rogue doppelganger → After uploading his cameo to Sora 2 (OpenAI’s latest video-generation tool), Jake Paul’s likeness flooded TikTok doing out-of-character things like makeup tutorials and fancy dress. He’s since said the stunt helped generate 1 billion views in 6 days and earned him $57 million as an OpenAI investor.
Deepfakes just got scarier. Apps like Sora 2 show just how sophisticated video-generation technology is becoming. And whilst you can’t currently generate videos of (living) people without them first uploading their likeness as a Sora ‘cameo’, you can see where this is going…
The solution? When AI-tools are so readily available (and legislation controlling their use is currently minimal), it becomes the responsibility of platforms to stop deepfakes being shared. Fortunately, some are stepping in. YouTube recently announced a new ‘Likeness Detection’ tool that will help creators “detect, manage, and request removal” of content showing their “visual likeness.”
What are we watching?
We asked Jennah Metcalfe from our Partnerships team what creator she’s been loving and why.
What’s your favorite channel right now? “Kaz Rowe, who makes videos about the weird side of history and folklore.”
3 words to describe them? “Oddities. Vampires. Chaos."
Why do you love them? “Kaz has an amazing eye for niche and bizarre stories from history, and their video about Triboulet the Butt-Slapping Jester sent me into a medieval court jester hyper-fixation for days.”
We think Kaz would love… “This warm, cinematic LUT. It perfectly matches the vintage colors used in their edits.”
Elsewhere on the web
Zombies and streamers celebrate Grand Theft Auto’s annual Halloween festivities.
It’s showtime! Trisha Paytas joins the cast of Bettlejuice on Broadway.
“The blood, the tears, the…” Dan and Phil announce their relationship after 15 years.
#HalloweenMakeup has crossed the 2 million post threshold, with 11 billion total views!
KPop Demon Hunters, Labubus and The Lorax. Google shares this year’s trending Halloween costumes.
Diary of a CEO, Steven Bartlett, secures $425 million to build the "Disney of the creator economy."
Latest updates
It’s alive! Bring your creations to life with our curated selection of spooky beats and horror-inspired motion graphics. Super scary… but super easy to drop into your content. And if you need some inspo, Ignace Aleya shares how he has perfected the sharpest tool in the creator’s kit: the hook.
