2024 was a game changer for the creator-space. TikTokers achieved overnight fame, YouTubers got invited to the White House and cucumbers had a viral moment. We’ve cherry picked five moments that defined the year and shared our predictions for 2025. Stick around for festive collabs, fundraisers and an exciting announcement from the Uppbeat team… Let’s wrap up the year in style!
5 creator moments that defined 2024
2024 has been one to remember. From the ‘Talk Tuah’ podcast, to million-pound deals, we’ve pulled together five moments that crashed the internet this year.
Podcasters became political ambassadors
The U.S. presidential election showed just how influential creators can be. Both Trump and Harris appeared on podcasts, including The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy.
Hailey Welch turned 5 seconds of fame into a global brand
22-year-old Haliey Welch’s street interview back in June pushed her into infamy as the ‘Hawk Tuah Girl.’ Six months later, she had her own podcast, jewelry line and cult following. That is before her crypto-coin $HAWK lost a lot of people a lot of money.
Jake Paul boxed Mike Tyson
65 million people tuned in to watch Jake Paul fight against legendary Mike Tyson. Whether the match was fixed is debated, but what’s not is that Jake Paul’s win will go down in boxing history.
Two multi-million deals were made
Dude Perfect secured upwards of $100 million to pursue a global entertainment brand. Whilst ‘Call her Daddy’ Alice Cooper has $125 million to move her podcast from Spotify to SiriusXM.
Athletes vaulted to influencer-status
Olympians dominated our feeds during the 2024 Paris Olympics, including US rugby star Ilohina Maher who grew her following from 580,000 to over 2 million in a month.
🔮 Our predictions for 2025… 2024 has shown us that opportunities for creators are endless. As for next year, the sky’s the limit… or perhaps not.
The influencers making money this Christmas
Tis the season to… make money? Not the most festive sentiment, but for creators now is the time to cash in on collabs with brands.
Big names are ramping up influencer spending to get their product seen on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok - and it’s clear to see why. 63% of us are likely to buy products from influencers we trust.
The collabs causing a flurry this season →
❄ Zenaskitchen x Sainsbury’s: Chef Zena collabed with Sainsbury's for a creative twist on their classic Panettone.
❄ Brodie the Goldendoodle x Ring: Canine-influencer Brodie's partnership with Ring has us rethinking the perfect gift for pet lovers.
❄ Alix Earle’s x every brand going: With Poppi, Boxbollen, and Amazon on her feed, Alix is the influencer collab everyone wants in their stocking this year.
Elsewhere on the web
Goodbye TikTok? The U.S. ban draws closer as TikTok loses its federal appeals.
'The largest game show in history.' Beast Games premiered on December 19th.
Real life superheroes? YouTube partners with the CAA to take down deepfakes in the creator space.
Jacksepticeye's annual fundraiser has raised $3.5 million and counting for mental health charities.
A spicy acquisition sees YouTube show Hot Ones bought for $83 million by its host and founder.
Move over Spotify Wrapped. YouTube releases its 2024 trend report.
Latest updates
Uppbeat is proud to sponsor the next season of the creator podcast Beyond the Cut! To kick off our collab, we're giving you the chance to get your content featured on Beyond the Cut and win a free Premium subscription.
Whilst you're at it, why not give our new headline artist Tonebox a listen? And make sure to get your exclusive sneak preview of our motion graphics library, launching January 2025.
