What Counts As a Podcast — and How Should Podcasts Be Counted? An Industry Reckoning
The heated fight among rivals at a private retreat. Plus: Creators crash Hollywood awards, I scoop Henry Smith’s CAA signing, and reps’ scramble for ‘Love Island’ stars
I wrote about creators launching scripted series on Instagram, reported on how YouTube creators’ shows and podcasts are faring on Netflix, covered reps’ race to sign buzzy Love Island stars and analyzed creator M&A deal flow. I’m natalie@theankler.com
Happy Tuesday! This week, I’m checking in on all the big Love Island USA agency signings that have been announced since I wrote about the frenzy around the show two weeks ago. I’m also taking a look at the Critics Choice Association’s move to launch a creator-centric awards show, and I’ve got an interview with the podcast executive trying to answer the big questions that are costing the booming industry in both credibility and advertiser cash: What is a podcast? And how do you measure them? And what discussions happen behind closed doors when a dozen execs with skin in the game go to an offsite at a luxury resort together?
But first, a scoop! Last month, I told you that Henry Smith (@henryhenryhenry) had all the heat at Cannes Lions, attracting interest from multiple talent agencies as he worked the Croisette. Now I can exclusively report that the San Diego-based tastemaker, 29, who’s managed by Joey Myers at MATL, has signed with CAA.
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A former collegiate water polo player who worked in renewable energy before he turned to influencing full time, Smith has worked with brands including J. Crew, Calvin Klein, Sephora and T-Mobile after building an audience with his laid-back SoCal surfer vibe and eye for fashion. (He has an impressive collection of handbags!) I’ve been enjoying his recent reviews of the A Court of Thorns and Roses book series on TikTok (where he has 1.1 million followers) and Instagram (125,000 followers) — we’ll see where CAA helps take him next.
Agency signings can signal a lot about the ambitions of a creator — and the taste and expertise of the rep sealing the deal. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been closely tracking where the Love Island season eight contestants have set up their business since leaving the villa.
Related:
I called it after the finale, reporting that there would be a rush from both managers and agents to sign the biggest breakouts from the show. And last week, I scooped that winner Bryce Dettloff (@brycealakai) had signed with UTA, which already reps (newly single) season seven breakout Olandria Carthen as well as former islander and The Traitors winner Rob Rausch.
Interestingly, Dettloff’s girlfriend and co-winner, Trinity Tatum (@sootrini), announced a few days earlier that she’d signed with WME, which also reps season seven’s Iris Kendall and Love Island UK’s Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.
Below is a full breakdown on where the stars of Love Island USA season eight have signed:
Runner-up Aniya Harvey (@aniyaaharvey) – Gersh
Jen Terry (@jennifertterry) – Motive
Beatriz Hatz (@bhatz_track) – Night
Sean Reifel (@parm3_sean) – Select Management Group
Okay, that’s it from the Fiji crew for now (though expect more to come).
Now, let’s get into the creator-awards rush — and what really happened when executives from across the podcast business gathered at a luxury California retreat to confront its billion-dollar measurement problem.
I’ll tell you:
How creators are reacting to the Critics Choice Association’s plans to honor their work
How the Oscars could plant its own stake in the space even before the CCA’s April event
How a team of rivals spent a year fighting over the definition of a podcast — and what happened inside the offsite where the effort began
Why downloads are giving way to a 30-second “play” in their proposed new rules
The $1 billion advertising problem the group’s new standards are designed to solve
Who wins, who loses — and why parts of the industry will resist