The Upload

Rob breaks down what he’s seeing at Cannes Lions and VidCon: creators are no longer asking for permission. They’re building their own platforms, owning their audience, and doing it smart. Plus, a first look at Uscreen’s new MCP feature that’s changing how creators run their membership businesses, the Hammer Media playbook for YouTube AND owned platforms, and why he’s heading to Coach360 in Vegas n...

YouTube has started rolling out dynamic ad slots, a feature that lets creators swap sponsor reads in and out of older videos without re-uploading anything. The implication is bigger than most creators realize: every video already in your back catalog just became live ad inventory. Most creators are still treating their old work like a diary instead of a portfolio, and the gap between those two min...

Hey, I'm Rob Balasabas — and if you've ever typed "what is Uscreen" into Google or YouTube, you're in the right place. In this video, I'm breaking down exactly what Uscreen is, what it does, and whether it might be the right platform for your video business. So what is Uscreen? Simply put, it's an all-in-one platform that lets video creators build their own streaming...

OpenAI just made its first ever acquisition of a media company — a daily creator-style tech show called TBPN that launched in 2025, has 58,000 YouTube subscribers, and is on track to generate $30 million in revenue this year. In Episode 9 of his 20-episode daily challenge Rob Balasabas shares his honest, unfiltered reaction to this story — which is that he’s still processing it. No hot take, no ne...

Rob Balasabas just got back from SXSW in Austin where he was repping Uscreen, co-hosting a Creator Mixer with 325 attendees, and watching the creator economy show up in full force alongside legacy brands and traditional media. In Episode 8 of his 20-episode daily challenge he shares what he actually saw and felt on the ground — from creators thinking seriously about scaling their businesses, to la...

Day 7/20: YouTube sponsorships jumped 54% year over year — 65,000 sponsored videos, 19 billion views, and none of it showing up in Google’s official revenue numbers. This is a separate creator economy happening on top of YouTube, growing faster than almost anything else in the space. In Episode 7 of his 20-episode daily challenge, Rob Balasabas breaks down what the data actually means, why creator...

Day 6/20: The Cannes Film Festival just added a full creator economy summit to its 2026 program. The Clio Awards launched Clio Creators. Hollywood is showing up to creator economy conferences in numbers we haven’t seen before. Legacy institutions are no longer just acknowledging the creator economy — they’re reorganizing around it. In Episode 6 of his 20-episode daily challenge, Rob Balasabas brea...

Say 5/20: The creator economy heading to $500 billion is genuinely exciting news. This industry is real, it’s growing faster than almost anything else, and the opportunity for individual creators is bigger than it’s ever been. But the number on its own doesn’t mean anything for your business. What matters is whether you’re building something that actually captures value from that growth. And that...

Day 4/20: Long-term ambassador contracts are up 47% this year and brands are increasingly treating creators as media partners rather than ad placements. Sounds like good news for creators — right? In Episode 4 of his 20-episode daily challenge, Rob Balasabas breaks down why longer term brand relationships come with their own risks, shares a real cautionary tale from the tech creator space, and mak...

Day 3/20: YouTube paid out $100 billion to creators between 2021 and 2025 — more than Netflix spent on content over the same period. YouTube now tops TV viewership every month. And this week YouTube launched a brand new Creator Partnerships hub while Netflix’s own co-CEO called YouTube a “straightforward direct competitor.” So who wins — and which platform should creators actually be betting on ri...

Day 2/20: A creator’s organic reach has dropped 90% in five years. But a brand new creator today has the same algorithmic potential as MrBeast. So which is it — is the algorithm democratizing the creator economy or destroying it? In Episode 2 of his 20-episode daily challenge, Rob Balasabas breaks down the paradox, why depending on the algorithm is the real problem, and what first-party data actua...

Day 1/20 👉 Subscribe to The Upload Newsletter: https://balasabas.substack.com Thank you to our partners: Opus Clip: https://www.opus.pro/?via=rob Streamyard: https://streamyard.com/?fpr=golive Uscreen: https://www.uscreen.tv Ecamm: http://ecamm.balasabas.live Connect with Rob: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbalasabas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob.balasabas Business + Partners...

👉 Subscribe to The Upload Newsletter: https://balasabas.substack.com Thank you to our partners: Opus Clip: https://www.opus.pro/?via=rob Streamyard: https://streamyard.com/?fpr=golive Uscreen: https://www.uscreen.tv Ecamm: http://ecamm.balasabas.live Connect with Rob: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbalasabas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob.balasabas Business + Partnership Inqui...

What does it really take to grow on YouTube in 2026? In this full interview, YouTube growth expert Derral Eves shares his playbook for building successful, sustainable YouTube channels in today's creator economy. Derral has advised some of the world's top creators and brands, and in this conversation we break down how YouTube actually works — beyond the surface-level tips. In this episode,...

This episode breaks down how to choose your niche the right way — and how to validate your membership idea before you build content. You’ll learn five practical steps to niche by problem, test demand quickly, and launch with confidence. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss future episodes! Subscribe to The Upload Newsletter + https://balasabas.substack.com Thank you to our partners: + Op...

Most creators overbuild before launching their membership. In this episode, I share the exact structure you need on day one: how many videos, what kind of lessons, what resources to include, and the one recurring experience that increases retention. If you’re thinking about launching soon, this is your blueprint. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss future episodes! Subscribe to The Uplo...

Wondering how to start a membership or whether your audience is big enough to launch? In this episode, we walk through a simple five-step process to validate your idea, build a minimum viable membership, and attract your first paying members — even with a small following. You’ll learn how top creators pre-sell their memberships, what type of content to include on day one, and the easiest way to te...

This week on The Upload , Rob breaks down some of the most exciting creator-economy moves—from Tayla Cannon’s $1.1M creator-led product raise, to Electrify Video Partners launching a physical trivia game with Veritasium, to Rachel’s Fit Pilates dropping her new RFP App with Uscreen. Plus: YouTube quietly testing a new in-app sharing and chat feature… and what that means for creators. Rob also refl...

In this episode of The Upload , Rob sits down with Caesar Hernandez, founder of Icon Funnels, whose clients range from globally known creators to iconic real-world entrepreneurs — including the minds behind Nashville’s skyline. Caesar shares the real playbook behind building a sustainable creator business in 2025 and beyond, including: • Why traditional “coaching” is declining — and what replaces...

Creators aren’t just building audiences anymore—they’re building leagues . This episode breaks down how Jomboy Media partnered with MLB, hired TikTok’s former agency lead Brett Joss, and built a model for multi-year, league-style sponsorships. We dive into what this means for creators, brands, and the future of sports media—and the lessons you can apply to your own creator business right now. If y...

Most creators think content is the product. But in memberships, content is just the start. In this episode of The Upload, Rob breaks down a conversation with a former platform exec turned membership builder—and shares the “Ladder of Deliverables” framework: the 5 key layers that turn casual subscribers into loyal members. Why ad-free content isn’t enough (except when it is) How exclusivity creates...

What do layoffs at Amazon Studios and Paramount have to do with YouTubers and membership platforms? A lot more than you might think. In this episode, Rob Balasabas explores the unexpected but growing trend of TV and film pros pivoting into the creator economy — not as influencers, but as producers, editors, and creative talent behind the scenes. What does this mean for creators, brands, and the fu...

I just got back from Adobe MAX 2025 , and it’s clear — we’re entering a new era for creators. In this episode, I break down 8 powerful takeaways that will reshape how you create, grow, and monetize your content in 2025 and beyond. We’ll talk about: How AI is changing the creative process (for real this time) Why speed and consistency now matter more than perfection The rise of the creator-as-brand...

The creator economy is moving fast — from billion-dollar acquisitions to record-breaking payouts and new rules of the game for influencers. In this episode of The Upload , Rob Balasabas breaks down the week’s biggest stories and shares lessons every creator needs right now. You’ll hear about: Vimeo’s $1.38B acquisition by Bending Spoons and what it signals for creators The surge in mergers & a...

In this episode, I sit down with Anabel Otero — yoga, pilates, and meditation teacher turned digital entrepreneur — to break down how she went from posting free content on YouTube to building a loyal audience of 1.3 million subscribers and a thriving paid membership business . Anabel shares her exact journey, including: How she used free challenges to convert viewers into paying members Why she le...