Latest news with #MatPat
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'It's Our Hope': Former YouTuber MatPat Launches Creator Economy Caucus
Making a play for politician of the year with his brave career change, former YouTube star MatPat has officially declared his candidacy for public office, not bringing a game theory, but a bill theory to the game. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On June 10, Patrick took to the House floor to announce the creation of the Creator Economy Caucus, a new bipartisan effort to connect lawmakers with the rapidly growing world of content creation. From YouTube Algorithms to Congressional Advocacy Famously analytical and critical in his dissection of pop culture and internet culture on channels like Game Theory, Patrick's creative presence in online spaces has recently shifted toward an entirely civic example. With wife and long-time collaborator Stephanie 'Steph' Patrick by his side, he launched the caucus as a place where creators and policymakers can work together on issues at the heart of the digital economy. "New quest: Washington DC! After two years of work, Steph and I have just launched the Creator Economy Caucus in the House of Representatives, a bipartisan group where creators can work alongside lawmakers to ensure legislation is timely and relevant for the Internet age. We've already got ~10 reps on board and we're just getting started. We'll eventually want to assemble creator advocates from around the country, so if you're interested in helping Washington understand our world, stay tuned here for more info!" Patrick posted on X. The caucus, already supported by roughly 10 representatives, hopes to be a direct line between content creators and Congress. Their mission—which we echo here? To make sure that any federal legislation is able to move as quickly as a world that changes often even faster than law books can be updated. Addressing Internet-Age Policy Gaps At the press conference, Patrick laid out broader policy discussion goals for the caucus, including the promotion of online privacy legislation, AI ethics, algorithmic responsibility, and child safety online. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He highlighted the need for legislative certainty when it comes to creator taxation and accessibility to small business resources, issues that seldom make the front page but matter most to the digital entrepreneurs building them. 'These aren't flashy topics,' Patrick admitted, 'but they're critical to the survival of this budding ecosystem.' A New Kind of Representative Voice One fan joked, 'We're going into politics with this BITE OF 87!!!' Others commented, 'He's extremely more qualified than like 90% of people currently in office.' With the Creator Economy firmly established as a billion-dollar industry and on the rise, Patrick's departure marks a bigger trend: the internet has outgrown being just a place to engage with culture. It's more and more often dictating policy, and creators are calling for their voices to be heard. Only time will tell if MatPat's 'new quest' is enough to succeed in changing Washington's relationship with the digital world for the better. Except for one thing: it's no longer a game for the theorist—it's a very real game, with very real stakes.
TechCrunch
06-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Creator Caucus launches in Congress with support from Patreon, YouTube
Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) launched the bipartisan Congressional Creators Caucus on Thursday, which aims to support the creator economy. Though it once seemed like a pipe dream to make a living on the internet, this industry has become a reality — Oxford Economics estimates that YouTube's ecosystem alone powered over 390,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2022, while Goldman Sachs estimates that the creator economy could be worth half a trillion dollars by 2027. But the U.S. government doesn't have much regulatory oversight or understanding of the creator economy as it stands, leaving creator businesses in a bind. 'As digital content creators' online presence continues to reach billions globally, Congress must work to ensure resources and protections are in place to support their success in this new era of start-ups,' Representative Clarke said in a statement. Matthew Patrick (MatPat) and Stephanie Patrick, who founded the popular digital production studio Theorist Media, spoke at a press event for the launch of the caucus. The husband and wife duo have spent over a year lobbying on Capitol Hill to advocate for creators' needs. 'We're trying to educate lawmakers about what the creator economy is, and that it's an actual job and that we are actually small businesses, and as a result, there are certain tax codes and things that apply to small businesses,' Matthew Patrick (the creator known as MatPat) told TechCrunch last year. 'Even when you talk to accountants, they're like, well, are you though? Because there's not a clear indicator on tax forms — like, what is a creator business?' The Patricks have also pushed to point out that the creator economy isn't an industry confined to the coasts, in entertainment industry hotspots like New York City and Los Angeles — rather, it's an industry that needs support across the nation. Theorist Media and MrBeast, the most popular YouTubers in the world, are both based in North Carolina. Meanwhile, John and Hank Green have used their success on YouTube to launch businesses like the educational media company Complexly, which has headquarters in Indiana and Montana. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Patreon and YouTube, two of the most vital companies that help creator businesses operate, have affirmed their support for the new caucus. As a Patreon blog post explains, creators often build businesses without the same protections that more traditional businesses have, like insurance, disaster relief, and access to loans. Even startups like Karat Financial have sprung up to fill in some of these gaps, providing business credit cards and banking to creators who are often denied these services because legacy financial institutions don't understand their businesses. 'Too often, creators are overlooked in economic policy discussions—despite being small business owners, employers, and cultural tastemakers in every congressional district,' explained Courtney Duffy, Patreon's Head of External Affairs and Strategic Engagement, in a statement. 'The bipartisan Congressional Creator Caucus is a crucial step toward recognizing their impact and ensuring they have a seat at the table in shaping the policies that affect their livelihoods.'
