MrBeast's former manager says the age of social-media superstars is fading

"YouTuber MrBeast is a social-media superstar, with hundreds of millions of subscribers and a business valued at around $5 billion. He also may be one of the last creators to amass such a large fan base, according to his former talent manager Reed Duchscher. As social-media algorithms get better at tailoring content to individual user interests, the opportunity for stars like MrBeast, Charli D'Amelio, or Khaby Lame to show up across feeds becomes much harder, Duchscher said."

"Duchscher's talent management firm, Night, works with other large creators like Kai Cenat and Hasan Piker, but the company is thinking about finding new talent who dominate a particular content niche, even if that means they have a smaller set of loyal fans."

"'It's much easier to build businesses when you have a hyper-niche, scaled audience because the product makes a lot more sense,' Duchscher said. A food creator could launch a cookbook, while a plant creator could sell a line of gardening tools, for example. Night operates a separate venture arm that invests in creator businesses. Duchscher ended his role as MrBeast's talent manager last year, but he continues to work with the creator on his chocolate business, Feastables."

Social-media algorithms increasingly tailor content to individual interests, which keeps users within verticals and reduces cross-topic discovery. That algorithmic specialization makes it harder for any single creator to build the vast, cross-feed followings seen with past megastars. Platforms benefit from diversifying talent pools rather than relying on a few megastars to drive consumption. Talent firms are targeting creators who dominate specific niches because hyper-niche audiences convert more effectively to products. Niche creators can launch directly relevant merchandise—cookbooks for food creators or gardening tools for plant creators—while venture arms invest in creator businesses. Some managers continue product collaborations even after changing roles.

Read at Business Insider