• Luke Nichols has been posting on his Outdoor Boys YouTube channel for nearly 10 years.
• Videos of Nichols camping in extreme conditions has amassed nearly 15 million subscribers.
• The creator said the fame can be "overwhelming" and that he plans to spend more time with family.

Luke Nichols, the creator behind the popular YouTube channel, Outdoor Boys, is saying farewell to the nearly 15 million followers he's garnered by posting videos of himself camping in desolate conditions.

The father of three said in a five-minute video published Saturday titled "Goodbye" that he's going to stop making content "for a little while" to spend more time with his family.

Part of the reason, he said, was because of the amount of attention he has received as a result of the followers and viewers he's gained just in the past year or so.

Nichols started Outdoor Boys in 2015 and has about 14.9 million subscribers.

The creator said in the video that 12 million of those subscribers came in just the past 18 months as his content amassed more than 6.8 billion views in total.

"The sheer volume of fans trying to contact me, trying to take pictures with me, or just trying to come up and talk to me in public can be a bit overwhelming at times," Nichols said. "And my wife and I, we both have real concerns about what this will do to our family if I keep growing my YouTube channel at this pace. And the time to stop is before this problem gets so out of hand that my family and I can't live normal lives."

Nichols said there are other reasons for his decision to step back from his channel.

The creator said he wants to spend more time with his children, including by helping his oldest son grow his outdoors YouTube channel, Outdoor Tom. He said he also wants to start helping other people, although he didn't specify how.

"I've spent so much time focusing on me and my family and growing my business, it's time to step back and focus on helping other people for a change and I'm excited to see where that takes me," he said.

Nichols said there is still a lot of unfinished videos and some extreme campaign trips that he has planned. He said if he decides to finish them or film them, he'll post the videos on his channel in "one big dump" at the end of the year.

Nichols couldn't be reached for comment.

The creator economy has seen rapid grown since the advent of YouTube in 2005. Goldman Sachs estimated in 2023 that the industry was worth about $250 billion and could grow to half a trillion by 2027.

Still, some people working in industry, amassing six to even seven figures from content creating, have reported experiencing creator burnout in part stemming from the pressure of having to constantly churn out content to remain relevant.

MrBeast, the number one YouTuber with more than 395 million subscribers, commended Nichols' decision in a response to an X post.

"Good for him, to know what matters to him and stick to it is admirable," he wrote. "People don't realize how draining it can be to constantly be stared at and take photos out in public."

The 2025 BET Awards will air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET on June 9

There’s an unspoken pressure nowadays to share all your special moments online, whether it be birthdays, graduations, or engagements.  However, not everyone has the skills to take high-quality pictures, and people often find themselves too distracted to snap the perfect shot. While hiring a professional photographer is an option, it may not always be feasible […]

• Basketball YouTuber Kenny Beecham recently had on his podcast NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
• The creator has taken his media company to new heights by partnering with Omaha Productions.
• The interview also shows how the NBA is embracing content creators to try to reach new audiences.

Basketball YouTuber Kenny Beecham's business is reaching new heights as it partners with Omaha Productions and the NBA embraces content creators.

Beecham and his "Numbers on the Board" podcast had two days last week to prepare for their biggest guest yet: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

Cohosts Beecham, Pierre Andresen, Mike Heard, and Darrick Miller combed over video interviews with the commissioner to prep for the April interview. They got Silver talking on topics like the controversial Luka Dončić trade, the NBA's broadcast partners, and potentially changing the league's 82-game schedule.

"We just looked at ourselves like you have the commissioner of the league here at your disposal," Beecham told Business Insider. "As an NBA fan, what do you want to know?"

Beecham has been on a journey as a basketball fan and content creator. He started in 2016 as a YouTuber making videos playing the game "NBA 2K" before launching a podcast and content with Bleacher Report and Turner Sports in 2018. He later cofounded Enjoy Basketball in 2022 with his managers, Cole and Cody Hock. The company has grown from a merch and newsletter outlet to a full-blown media business partnered with ESPN and Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions.

Through Enjoy Basketball, Beecham launched the "Numbers on the Board" podcast about basketball stats and culture in 2024. The show averages about 100,000 listeners per episode and ranks 21st among basketball podcasts in the US, according to podcast intelligence company Podscan.

Beecham and his cohosts had been manifesting an interview with Silver since 2024, when they pinned a poorly photoshopped picture of Beecham shaking hands with him to a vision board. Omaha Productions made it happen by connecting Beecham and the Enjoy Basketball team with the Commissioner.

Silver's appearance on the podcast shows how the league is steadily leaning on creators like Beecham, from inviting them to participate in events like the NBA Creator Cup to promoting the All-Star game.

Silver said in the video that he wished more media would "educate and celebrate" the game.

"Silver was basically validating what Enjoy Basketball is," said Cole Hock, one of the co-owners. "That blew us away."

Enjoy Basketball's partnership with Omaha Productions has helped Beecham and the show grow listeners and land interviews

Beecham said working with Manning's production company has taken his career to the next level.

Omaha Productions produces "Numbers on the Board" for ESPN distribution.

Beecham started working with the team in 2023, after his managers pitched him to potential brands and companies to collaborate with. Omaha Productions took an interest.

Omaha has also helped Beecham and Enjoy Basketball grow their brand of "basketball-tainment," as Cole Hock put it. He said the brand aims to have fun and teach audiences about the sport.

For example, Hock said the podcast often does quizzes about NBA players or teams, or participates in games or challenges.

"We can appeal to casual fans. We can appeal to the die-hards," he said.

Beecham and his cohosts are longtime friends who love watching basketball together. Andresen is his first cousin, while Heard and Miller met the other two at basketball tryouts in high school.

How the NBA partners with creators to reach audiences outside live broadcasts

The NBA works with content creators to help grow its brand.

Beecham said the NBA has occasionally hit up Enjoy Basketball to collaborate on a quick video for Instagram. They also sent the show to All-Star weekend this past year to help cover the dunk contest.

"The NBA has always been pretty progressive when it comes to social media, and what we're seeing over the last couple of years is they've become more progressive when it comes to creators," Beecham said. "They've been empowering people like me and other creators to have a voice more than any of those other major sports."

Cole Hock said millennials and Gen-Z fans follow Enjoy Basketball's content. They may not always have the time to watch a full game, but they'll scroll through Instagram or YouTube for highlights and other content.

The NBA is "hyper-focused" on reaching this young audience, Cody Hock said.

"That's one thing we got to give Adam Silver a lot of credit for," Beecham said, "because he recognized very early on there's something about the creator space that's very important to the growth of the game."

• Content creators are hiring for a number of jobs on their teams and production staff.
• The creator economy's growth has increased demand for roles like video editors and scriptwriters.
• YTJobs saw a 33% rise in job opportunities in Q4, with average pay for video editors up by 18%.

Maybe your dream of becoming a YouTube star didn't quite go as planned. Well, you could work for one instead.

More YouTube creators and other social media influencers are hiring for the teams and production staff who help them create content and run their businesses.

YTJobs CEO Sina Sahami said the company's creator job board saw a 33% year-over-year increase in the number of job opportunities listed in the fourth quarter.

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

Business Insider spoke with talent managers, agents, and other professionals on influencer teams who shared some of the most sought-after jobs creators are hiring for. Their responses ranged from roles that require minimal experience, like a personal assistant, to higher-level positions, like a graphics editor.

For instance, short-form video creator Alan Chikin Chow last year opened his own production studio in Burbank down the street from Hollywood studios and sound stages. Chow's team recently posted a listing for a full-time job as a behind-the-scenes vlogger to capture moments on set between the team.

YouTube's most-subscribed-to creator, Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast to his 371 million subscribers, has dozens of job openings available. His team is hiring for roles ranging from brand strategist and director of strategic partnerships to TikTok specialist.

Although most creators don't run operations as large as Donaldson and Chow's, these job openings show what type of talent content creators need.

YTJobs analyzed thousands of creator job listings. The most in-demand roles for content creators in Q4 were:

• Video editor (61% of total job postings)
• Thumbnail designer (12%)
• Scriptwriter (12%)

The fastest-growing roles year-over-year were:

• YouTube strategist (120% growth in job postings)
• Scriptwriter (42% growth)
• Thumbnail designer (39% growth)

Several talent managers, agents, and other creator professionals told BI that creators are most commonly looking for personal and executive assistants to help with tasks like unboxing packages, capturing content, and booking travel. They're also looking for video editors, graphics editors, talent coordinators, and social media managers.

Dominick Paielli, cofounder of the influencer talent management firm The Clementine Group, said his firm is looking for editors and plans to offer them for clients to use so that there is a consistent flow of videos uploaded.

Some creators are offering higher pay for key roles

Some talent agencies are hiring, too. Dan Weinstein, cofounder and co-CEO of Underscore Talent, said his team recently hired several specialized employees including someone to help manage, advise, and run creator paywall businesses, a staffer to help clients navigate affiliate marketing, and a podcast expert.

Five talent managers also said their companies are hiring more influencer managers, ideally those with established client bases.

Finding talent with the right experience can be tricky for the average creator, though. Multiple startups have launched to help solve this issue by organizing job listings for creators, such as YTJobs, Creator Economy Jobs, and Roster. These startups act as job boards and recruiting platforms.

YTJobs said some creators are offering higher pay as well, based on data from recent job postings. For instance, the average pay for full-time video editor roles increased 18% year-over-year in Q4, while pay for full-time YouTube strategists was up 26%.

• Instagram has a new app to rival TikTok's editing app CapCut.
• The "Edits" app launches on March 31, and some creators already have access.
• A new tag will appear for videos that are edited in the app.

Instagram's battle with TikTok has entered the video editing realm.

In January, the Meta-owned platform announced it would launch "Edits," a separate app for editing videos, this year. It's a clear move to compete with TikTok parent ByteDance's own editing app, CapCut, which could also stop operating in the US due to a divest-or-ban law.

This week, Instagram began adding a label to some videos with a "Made with Edits" tag on posts. When you click on the tag, it prompts you to pre-download the Edits app, which is slated to launch on March 31. On TikTok, videos edited in CapCut using templates have a similar tag directing users to CapCut.

If a video is edited in the Edits app and someone posts the video to Instagram from Edits, the tag will appear.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, Instagram's top executive, posted reels with this tag this week. The "Made with Edits" label will soon appear on more videos as Instagram onboards creators who have been given early access to test the app. One talent manager told BI that one of their creator clients already had access.

Reels made in Edits will also be optimized for higher-resolution video — up to 2K resolution. (Last month, some users spotted this language in the Instagram app when posting reels: "Reels made with Edits are optimized for high-quality playback on Instagram.")

You may be asking: Will this affect how reels perform or are ranked on Instagram?

As of now, Instagram is not giving preferential ranking to reels with the "Made with Edits" tag, the company confirmed to BI.

• Virtual influencer Mori Calliope performed a sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium in February.
• These influencers, also known as VTubers, appear as digital avatars and are gaining popularity.
• I went to the concert. It was unlike anything I've seen before.

Inside Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium, red and purple penlights glowed. Fans waved the electronic instruments popular in the anime community, danced, and cheered on a digital avatar while its creator performed from behind the stage.

The virtual influencer who sold out the 4,000-person theater isn't a household name. But she's part of a growing trend of creators who use technology to appear as digital avatars in their content and in live performances.

The VTuber, short for virtual YouTuber, goes by the name Mori Calliope. The creator conceals her true identity to fans. Mori Calliope has 2.5 million subscribers on her main YouTube channel, where she posts music videos in both English and Japanese, chats with fans on livestreams, and streams herself playing games like Minecraft. Some of her livestreams in the last three months were almost eight hours long.

On Wednesday, I went to Mori Calliope's second solo concert. Tickets ranged from $95 for general admission floor tickets to $400 for four balcony table seats, according to the show's official website. I was invited to check out the event for free with a press pass.

If you're still wondering what a VTuber is, don't worry, you're not alone. The niche creator category, which originated in Japan, reflects an anime style. Although small in terms of the overall creator economy, the genre has a surprisingly dedicated fan base — one unlike I've seen before.

I've witnessed crowds of superfans for gaming creators like DreamSMP at creator conferences, including VidCon, as well as at pop-ups for YouTube superstar MrBeast. Last year, I attended a YouTuber event in a North Hollywood theater that was packed with children for a viewing of the animated YouTube show "Battle for Dream Island."

Unlike those events, most of the fans at Mori Calliope's show appeared to be in their late teens and 20s. It was the type of engaged fandom I've really only seen YouTubers conjure with younger audiences before. The crowd seemed like one you'd find at an anime convention. Fans wore apparel like T-shirts, hoodies, jackets, and even cosplay of the VTuber.

The show was also more highly produced than other YouTuber events I'd seen. It resembled a rock show. The lasers and lighting matched the color of the VTuber's virtual stage, making it appear like she was physically there.

Mori Calliope shows the growing popularity of VTubers

Mori Calliope is one of dozens of VTubers taking over YouTube.

The creator is signed to Universal Music Japan and Cover Corporation's Hololive, a virtual influencer agency based in Japan. Hololive manages Mori Calliope's business ventures and YouTube channel, similar to the way talent agencies do for other creators and stars.

Globally, Cover is a big deal. The company's market capitalization is about $160 billion yen, or around $1 billion. It recently opened an office in Los Angeles as part of a US expansion, Cover CEO Motoaki Tanigo told Business Insider.

Hololive's English-speaking audiences are still a fraction of those in Japan, but they're growing. Combined, Hololive's VTubers had 5.9 billion subscribers in Japan and 3.2 billion subscribers overseas as of December 31, with about two-thirds of those in English-speaking regions, according to the company's February financial presentation.

Tanigo said music like Mori Calliope's is one of the top ways its talent reaches new audiences.

"The popularity of these events proves that North American audiences have a tremendous appetite for VTuber content," Tanigo said in a January interview conducted through translators. "Our goal is to elevate VTubers alongside popular Japanese exports like manga, anime, and games."

One concertgoer told me fans lined up as early as 3 p.m. on the day of the show. When I arrived about an hour before the start time, a line to get into the venue wrapped around the block. Fans held plushies of Mori Calliope and other characters from her videos. They dressed in merch and other apparel that matched her character's logo and signature pink. I also saw several fans ahead of me dressed in cosplay.

Inside, people stood in line for Mori Calliope merchandise, including T-shirts, glowsticks, a jersey, and a keychain. Hololive also sold the event merch online and at a Los Angeles pop-up earlier in the month.

Part of the show was livestreamed for free on YouTube for Mori Calliope's global audience. At one point, 28,000 fans were watching.

About a quarter of the way into the show, the VTuber directed those viewers to a link where they could buy tickets to watch the rest of the performance online. The tickets ranged from $43 to $51 on platforms like SPWN and Streaming+.

After the concert, I overheard groups of fans outside the venue exchanging information including social media handles and Discord groups. They cheered as a pink car wrapped in images of Mori Calliope drove swiftly past them.

The Grammy-winning musician died Feb. 24 after she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in August 2022

• Extravagant influencer marketing campaigns are sparking online backlash.
• Poppi drew some criticism for loaning out vending machines to influencers for the Super Bowl.
• We spoke with marketers about how over-the-top campaigns could hurt a brand's image.

A wave of anti-extravagance is afoot within the influencer marketing space — and it can be a minefield for brands.

Prebiotic soda company Poppi caused an online firestorm earlier this month when it made dozens of influencers an extravagant loan: Poppi-branded vending machines over Super Bowl weekend to promote its commercial during the big game.

Wasteful PR packaging has been a conversation in the beauty space for years, said social media consultant Rachel Karten. Now, campaigns by brands that could be interpreted as financially or environmentally wasteful are not resonating broadly — in part due to the macroeconomic climate, said Olivia McNaughten, the senior director of product marketing and partnerships at Grin.

Those sensitivities can be heightened when it comes to influencers, who are supposed to be relatable, McNaughten said.

"It looks like the brand is essentially wining and dining an influencer for their attention," Karten added. "And the customer's like, 'well, hey, we actually buy your product. Why aren't you giving us that same treatment?'"

Poppi told Business Insider that the machines were loans for Super Bowl viewing parties and would be rolling out more broadly. The company also said that false claims about their price tags were circulating online. Competitor Olipop, for instance, commented on TikTok that the machines cost $25,000 — a figure Poppi said had been inflated by 60%.

But even the appearance of extravagance can turn off consumers in the current polarizing cultural landscape.

Tarte Cosmetics, which has thrown over-the-top influencer trips for years, drew additional scrutiny this year for a trip that coincided with the Los Angeles fires.

'You go through the list of all the reasons why you might be canceled'

In addition to the perceived wastefulness, the backlash against Poppi also stemmed from the campaign's focus on mega influencers, rather than incorporating a mix of creators with varying follower sizes, McNaughten said. A lack of diversity in the influencers Poppi tapped also played a role, said Nathan Jun Poekert, chief marketing officer of General Idea.

"It's really, really hard to avoid criticism on the internet right now, no matter what you do," Jun Poekert said.

Brands should still enter the ring in a polarized climate, but be prepared. Before reaching out to talent, Jun Poekert said, "You go through the list of all the reasons why you might be canceled."

Companies are making shifts to democratize access to influencer campaigns.

Poppi told BI it would be rolling out vending machines "via events, social giveaways and nominations in the weeks to come," echoing an online apology from cofounder and chief brand officer Allison Ellsworth.

In response to the California wildfires, Tarte is hosting a trip for firefighters, first responders, EMTs, police, search and rescue, volunteers, and others impacted.

"Everything we do is rooted in making beauty more fun, inclusive, and accessible — not just for influencers, but for everyone," Tarte told BI in a statement.

In response to Poppi's backlash, coconut water brand Vita Coco hosted a similar activation in February — but for the public. The company handed out free drinks in Washington Square Park to promote its new beverage.

It's also possible that, on another level, the Poppi campaign was a win. Any visibility could be a plus for a nascent player in a market dominated by legacy brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi that are increasingly encroaching on its territory.

"If I am Poppi on the brand side, to be completely honest, I am very excited about the overall results of this," Jun Poekert said. "As much as the media cycle has accelerated at a rapid pace, they are getting tons of visibility and optics from this."

February 20, 2025: This story was updated to include details on a Vita Coco campaign.

• Business Insider's senior music reporter ranked the 20 best breakup albums of all time.
• "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac took the No. 1 spot, followed by "Pet Sounds" and "Blue."
• The list also includes modern heartbreak gems by Lorde, Taylor Swift, Frank Ocean, Adele, and more.

There's evidence to suggest heartbreak can trigger a reaction in the brain that's akin to actual physical injury. Some people describe the sensation as a dull ache, a crushing weight, or "piercing cramps" like a symptom of food poisoning.

Although pain has fueled art and music for generations, the "breakup album" is a relatively new concept with subjective qualifications. (Some have said Beyoncé's "Lemonade," for example, fits into this category. It ends with a clear redemption arc for her husband, so I disagree.)

In the age of social media and the celebrity gossip machine, true-to-life breakup albums are easier to spot these days — but that doesn't make them easier to execute.

The best entries in this genre tend to wrap personal details in evocative packages, inviting listeners to both empathize with the author and see themselves in their struggles.

Below are the best breakup albums of all time, ranked in ascending order.

• Lucy Moon, an influencer from London, wanted to drink less but worried people would think she's boring.
• She upset a loved one while drinking and decided she needed to change.
• Her health, performance at work, relationships, and mental health have greatly improved, she said.

Lucy Moon doesn't remember her first drink, but knows that she has never been able to drink "normally."

"I felt like I was trying to fool everyone into thinking I was a normal drinker, when really I would watch everyone's glasses to work out when the appropriate time would be for me to have my next drink," Moon, a 29-year-old fashion and lifestyle content creator from London, told Business Insider.

"I was thinking about alcohol a lot of the time. I was drinking every day, and I couldn't even imagine taking two days off," she said.

Three years ago, Moon decided to go sober after upsetting someone she loved while drinking. She joined the Gen Zers and millennials who are drinking less than past generations, in a trend that is improving people's health — and profits for non-alcoholic bars.

Moon said her life, in and out of work, is "much better" now she's sober.

Going sober benefited Moon's career

As an influencer, she attends a lot of press events with plentiful free alcohol, including Champagne or mimosas in the morning. She felt she needed to "be the life and soul of the party," so would never say no to a drink and was always the last person to leave.

"When I stopped drinking, I was worried I was going to be boring and awkward in work events, and thus maybe compromise my potential for making money," she said.

But she has had the opposite experience. She goes to just as many events, but knows that any worries she had about socializing were in her head and won't be fixed by alcohol. Plus, she remembers more of her interactions, which has helped her network.

Moon said she is also more reliable, particularly with her paid partnerships, and uploads content more consistently.

"My life is more predictable in a very positive way. I don't have blank spots in my memory, and I feel much more in control of my finances and my decision-making," she said.

Moon wasn't an "alcoholic," but couldn't drink "normally"

Moon prefers to describe herself as someone with an "alcohol problem" because she can't drink "normally" or safely, rather than an alcoholic, which carries stigma.

There were always "consequences" when Moon drank. She would often black out; lose her keys, wallet, and passport; spend more money than she had; or get lost and injure herself. After three or four drinks, she would forget what happened that night and wake up the next morning "filled with anxiety" that she'd upset loved ones or made a fool of herself.

"I'd come to and not know where I was," she said. "I was simply not in control. Once I had one drink, I lost the ability to be able to stop."

"Being young, there's this idea of 'Oh, well, things didn't get that bad for you.' But things got bad enough that I have enough proof that I can't drink safely. And if that were to carry on for another 20 years, it wouldn't be good," she said.

"That is ultimately why I gave up drinking when I was 26. I looked at those last five years, and I looked at how I was at 18 and I was like, 'Oh my god, I'm not growing out of this. Nothing has changed from the way I drank when I was 18.' And that's scary."

Getting sober was hard but felt like the only option

Moon knew she would struggle alone, so went to a local recovery group to find support to stop drinking.

"The first three or four months absolutely sucked. I was very low and just trying to get through day by day. It was a real struggle, but I just knew that if I got my head on the pillow sober at night, then that day was a success," she said.

By month five, things started to look up. But until then, she was motivated by her belief that it was her only option.

"My life had stagnated, and everything was really hard to deal with. I realized that drinking wasn't an option anymore if I wanted my life to improve. Drinking was causing pretty much all of the issues in my life, and I was the only person who could change that," she said.

She added: "My lips used to be chapped all the time, and I used to lose my voice — now they're both rare. I was nearly always ill, and now I get sick much less frequently.

"My relationships have developed and grown in such a beautiful way. And I don't wake up with crippling anxiety every day."

Ahead of the holidays, Microsoft said it was upgrading the AI model behind Bing Image Creator, the AI-powered image editing tool built into the company’s Bing search engine. Microsoft promised that the new model — the latest version of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 model, code-named PR16 — would allow users to create images “twice as fast […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

• YouTube star MrBeast has a new competition show that will debut Thursday on Amazon Prime Video.
• BI viewed a copy of a contestant release form and other documents for the preliminary "Beast Games" round.
• An entertainment attorney said the documents were fairly standard but expansive in their terms.

Documents obtained by Business Insider reveal the terms that contestants of MrBeast's competition show, "Beast Games," were asked to agree to during a preliminary round.

The terms prohibit contestants from disclosing information about the show, which debuts Thursday on Amazon Prime Video. Contestants who break the agreement prior to the last episode airing must pay the producer and network $500,000 for each breach. After the last episode airs, each breach would cost contestants $100,000, the documents said.

The documents also ask contestants to agree that their portrayal in the program may be "disparaging, defamatory, embarrassing, or of an otherwise unfavorable nature," and may expose them to "public ridicule, humiliation, or condemnation."

Daniel J. Ain, an entertainment attorney at RPJ Law, said the terms are largely standard for a competition show, but some — like the threat of a $500,000 charge for each breach — are particularly expansive.

"The producers use every available tool to give them ultimate flexibility to make the show and protect themselves from liability," Ain told BI, calling the documents a "contestant agreement on steroids."

"Beast Games" is a 10-episode physical competition show in which contestants compete for a $5 million prize. YouTube's top star — whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson — is the host.

The show has attracted some controversy ahead of its release. A New York Times report in August cited "over a dozen" participants who said they didn't receive enough food or medical care during the preliminary round of competition in Las Vegas.

The documents obtained by Business Insider relate to the Las Vegas taping, where over 2,000 contestants participated in physical challenges designed to see who would make the show's official production round in Toronto.

The documents include information about the show, a contestant questionnaire form, and an outline of the show's official rules and protocols. By signing the form, contestants gave full consent to the use of hidden cameras and recording devices, gave producers full discretion to edit footage, and agreed to participate for no money. Potential prizes were the only form of compensation.

A person close to the production characterized the Las Vegas production as a "promo shoot" for the show and said Amazon wasn't involved. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Read 24 pages of the documents below:

Note: BI omitted some pages from the document that included the contestant's personal information and a few pages with minimal or repeated information.

• Remote workers are slightly more likely to have side gigs than in-person or hybrid peers.
• Extra time from remote work may enable more side hustles like consulting or rideshare.
• Some data shows employees who choose where to work are more productive.

Remote workers are more likely to have side gigs than their office-based peers — 34% versus 29% — according to a new LinkedIn Workforce Confidence survey of 8,606 US professionals.

The trend toward additional income streams appears strongest among those with flexible work arrangements. While only a quarter of full-time employees reported having a side gig, the number jumps to 52% for freelancers and 46% for both contractors and self-employed workers.

Side gigs include working as consultants, rideshare drivers, and rental property managers.

Remote workers' higher participation in side hustles could stem from increased time savings from not commuting. GPS data from traffic analytics company INRIX shows supercommuting — or traveling over 75 miles to work — has been on the rise over the last few years. The same trend applies to commutes over 40 miles for the country's 10 largest cities.

The higher rate of side gigs among remote workers, though small, could also stem from some evidence that productivity slows when workers are pushed to return to the office.

LinkedIn cited a May 2024 Great Place to Work survey of 4,400 US employees, which found that workers who could choose where they work were more likely to exceed expectations and have better relationships with their bosses.

However, the data is complicated, as various remote work studies have different conclusions. Stanford economists found 10% lower productivity for fully remote work compared to fully in-person work. Meanwhile, a separate Stanford report found that hybrid work had no effect on productivity or career advancement compared to in-person work.

Dozens of employees with side hustles, particularly those in remote roles, have told Business Insider about their strategies for maximizing their income. Some particularly successful side hustlers said content creation and selling on Etsy were simple ways to grow their income while working full-time.

Some remote workers told BI they drive for Uber or DoorDash while working as accountants or analysts. Dozens of drivers have told BI over the last year that falling earnings and growing competition have made it challenging to make enough, though many value the flexibility to drive during lunch breaks or before or after their full-time jobs.

Both remote and in-person workers previously told BI that real-estate side hustles have been particularly fruitful. Jesse Singh, 29, worked two nursing roles, which he used to fund his real estate company. Once he sold a $2.2 million property, he cut his nursing hours.

Some said they quit their in-person corporate roles for full-time remote positions, which allowed them to better craft their schedules and add in other income streams. Some turned their remote reselling side hustles on sites like eBay into full-time positions.

Natalie Fischer left her corporate job in 2023 to grow her business as a finance content creator and is now bringing in over $150,000 in revenue in 2024. She's diversified her revenue through user-generated content and money workshops, and she's looking to secure speaking engagements.

BI has also reported on dozens of "overemployed" remote workers who secretly work multiple jobs to earn six-figure incomes. Many said they don't feel guilt for working multiple remote positions, even as remote roles become scarcer and harder to get.

Patrick, a millennial in California, previously told BI that because his remote account manager role didn't give him enough work for an eight-hour workday, he took on an additional full-time role and freelance work, bringing his income to nearly $200,000.

• Natalie Fischer quit her corporate job to become a solopreneur creating financial content.
• She's generated over $150,000 from her business in 2024.
• Fischer shares 4 tips for transforming a side hustle into a career.

Being an investing influencer started as a hobby for Natalie Fischer during the pandemic. Now, it's her full-time job.

Like many people, Fischer started seriously getting into the stock market in 2020. The pandemic was a prime entry point: markets were volatile, rates were low, and she had built up a healthy level of savings.

She began sharing her investing journey on social media through Instagram stories and received an outpouring of feedback and questions from family and friends. Fischer couldn't keep up with the barrage of DMs and started a TikTok account, @investwithnat, to create videos answering common investing questions.

In 2023, Fischer took a leap of faith and quit her corporate job to focus full time on finance content creation as a solopreneur, or a one-person business. Now, Fischer creates videos about financial independence on social media platforms and partners with different brands to create user-generated content.

She's been quite successful: so far in 2024, Fischer's brought in over $150,000 in revenue, contracts viewed by Business Insider show. And that's in an increasingly cutthroat creator economy — according to Goldman Sachs, only around 4% of content creators globally generate over $100,000 a year.

If you want to transform your content creation side hustle into an actual career, Fischer has the following advice.

Take the transition slowly

Fischer's success didn't emerge overnight. She started creating TikToks in 2020 but didn't actually start money until a year and a half later, primarily through producing user-generated content for companies. From there, Fischer began getting more sponsorships. She did this while working her full-time job as a data analyst.

"The best way to transition is to actually just start that project on the side while you're working a full-time job and basically wait to see how it goes," Fischer told Business Insider in an interview.

It's helpful to collect data on how your content is performing and monitor progress. Fischer waited until she had a year and a half of revenue data from her side hustle before deciding to take the leap.

"If I just quit my job not knowing how much money I was going to make, that would just be so stressful," Fischer said.

Once Fischer realized the paychecks from her side hustle were at the same level as the paychecks from her corporate job, she felt confident enough to go all in.

Prepare your emergency fund(s)

It's standard budgeting practice to have an emergency fund that can cover three to six months of living expenses. As a solopreneur, Fischer made sure she had not one, but two, emergency funds: one for personal use and one for her business, with enough money to cover six months of expenses for each.

Having a backup plan gave Fischer more bandwidth to focus on growing her business. A business emergency fund also ensured that Fischer would be able to sustain her business even if it encountered financial challenges as she transitioned to becoming a full-time content creator.

If being a solopreneur didn't work out, Fischer's backup plan was to go back to the corporate world, and the emergency fund would help Fischer weather the financial transition.

"That gave me a lot of comfort knowing that if worse comes to worse, I can always get another job," Fischer said.

Monthly income fluctuates, so diversify your income streams

Part of the reason why Fischer wanted to prepare emergency funds was because, unlike receiving a steady biweekly check in the corporate world, her monthly income as a solopreneur fluctuates.

The unpredictability of her income can make financial planning more challenging. Fischer makes sure she has a variety of income streams so she's not overly reliant on a single source of revenue.

Fischer built her baseline income around user-generated content by signing contracts to create content for companies' social media pages, websites, or advertisements. These contracts are month-to-month and easy to project. On the other hand, the frequency of sponsorships are more variable and therefore harder to forecast.

Fischer is also looking to upskill and expand into interactive events. She recently completed her certification in financial education and hosted a money workshop at a conference. Thinking ahead about new business lines, Fischer has her eyes on being a speaker at universities and schools.

You can do both

Being a solopreneur and working a corporate role aren't diametrically opposed.

A year after quitting her 9-to-5, Fischer is now considering getting a part-time corporate role in addition to running her own business.

"I'd be interested in a part-time project management or marketing role to diversify and expand my potential," Fischer said.

Not only does a part-time role provide more predictable income streams, it also provides exposure to new work environments and skills. Fischer has found that as a full-time content creator, she has a lot more flexibility with her time than she did at a traditional office job. Fischer has seen fellow solopreneurs balance a content creation business, a corporate role, and even write a book at the same time.

Fischer's takeaway from the last year of running her own business is to not limit your options as a solopreneur — there are countless ways to build your brand and business.

"I found that I have a lot more time on my hands, and so I'm able to explore different avenues," Fischer said. "I can do it all."

Are you a successful solopreneur looking to share your story? Reach out to Christine Ji at [email protected]