BENLabs' New Tool Is Leveling the Playing Field for Smaller Creators

Kristin Snyder

Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.

BENLabs' New Tool Is Leveling the Playing Field for Smaller Creators
Evan Xie/Original Image Courtesy of BENLabs

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From TikTok to YouTube Shorts to Instagram Reels, short-form videos have taken over social media. One study from software company Sprout Social found that 66% of consumers find short-form videos to be the most engaging online content. Which is why BENlabs, an AI entertainment company, is trying to make it easier for creators to cut their longer content into smaller segments.


Last week, the Los Angeles-based company launched its suggested shorts AI tool through its YouTube extension TubeBuddy. Using information already provided to creators by YouTube, TubeBuddy determines which sections of a creator’s entire video catalog receive the most views. That way, creators can more easily determine which clips from long-form content might perform best as a YouTube Short, TikTok or Reel.

“It takes a long time to record a YouTube video,” says BENlabs chief technology and AI officer Tyler Folkman. “Creators put all this effort into potentially thousands of videos in their content catalog, and there are probably a ton of opportunities to take snippets for the short form.”

BENlabs initially began working on the suggested Shorts features when YouTube announced that creators could monetize their short-form content through an ad-revenue sharing program. Anticipating a demand for creators looking to benefit from the program without having to film new videos from scratch, Folkman says the new tool makes that process easier.

While users can access a limited number of suggested shorts for free, paying users receive a higher number of recommendations. But Folkman says that even the free tier, which also features tools like a video editing toolbar and a thumbnail editor, can be beneficial to people just starting out on their content creation journey.

In that sense, this latest tool is meant to even the playing field. Big creators often hire teams to analyze this data and produce content. But with suggested shorts, smaller creators, who are often deterred when their initial attempts at finding social media success don’t succeed, can utilize similar tools—which Folkman says can help people optimize their channels.

“When you're not that big (of a creator), the tools you use can really help you scale yourself and do all those other things that maybe aren't in your natural wheelhouse,” Folkman says.

To that end, Folkman views AI as a tool for creators to better understand what their audiences are responding to. And while data might not be the most exciting aspect of a creator’s social media presence, it can help boost someone’s audience.

“We want to make it less like a grind and feel more like you're taking an intelligent strategy to succeed,” Folkman says. “And hopefully hitting your audience with great content.”

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LA’s Data Center Supply Crunch

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday Los Angeles!

The Los Angeles data center market is experiencing a significant supply crunch, ranking 12th in growth among top markets since 2020 with only 265 megawatts of colocation inventory (data centers where businesses rent space to store their computing hardware and servers). Despite this, demand is surging, driven by AI, cloud, and hyperscaler needs, with AI accounting for 20% of new data center demand nationally. This scarcity is creating a highly competitive environment, with vacancy rates at a record low 3% and asking rents rising 13-37% year-over-year. For Los Angeles, this presents both challenges and opportunities in the big picture. The city's strategic position as a global entertainment hub and its connectivity to international markets through subsea cables make it an attractive location for data centers. However, the limited inventory and rising costs could potentially hinder growth and innovation in the tech sector. To maintain its competitive edge, Los Angeles will need to address these constraints through new developments, such as GI Partners' 16 MW addition at One Wilshire, and by focusing on high-connectivity, high-power capacity submarkets. The city's tech community should prepare for a landscape of increased competition for quality data center space, higher costs, and the need for innovative solutions to meet growing demand, particularly in AI and cloud services. While Los Angeles faces a challenging data center supply crunch, its strategic advantages and ongoing developments offer a promising path forward.


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LA Companies

  • Daisy, a one-year-old startup that designs and installs smart home and office technology systems, raised a $7M Series B co-led by Goldcrest and Bungalow, with previous investors Bullish and Burst Capital also stepping up. The company has raised a total of $13.3 million. - learn more

LA Venture Funds


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    🌐Decentralizing Data & Vacations: Sony's Web3 Leap and Sensible Weather's KOA Partnership

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    Happy Long Weekend Los Angeles!

    Sony Group is making a significant push into the blockchain and Web3 space, leveraging its Sony Pictures and Sony Music divisions along with a new global incubator. The company has developed the Soneium blockchain through Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture aimed at accelerating Web3 innovation. Sony is launching the "Soneium Minato" public testnet and a developer incubation program called "Soneium Spark" to foster ecosystem growth and adoption. The initiative includes strategic partnerships with Web3 companies such as Astar Network, Circle, and Optimism. Sony aims to create a fan community centered on creators and connect diverse values through Soneium, with the ultimate goal of integrating Web3 services into people's daily lives. While the company acknowledges the challenges faced by Web3, including limited user adoption and the need for mainstream use cases, it remains committed to decentralizing the concentrated power of the current internet landscape.

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      Image Source: iEQ9

      Enneagram

      The Enneagram test is a sophisticated personality assessment that categorizes individuals into nine distinct personality types, each defined by unique motivations, fears,and behavioral patterns. This holistic approach enhances team dynamics in a business setting by fostering self-awareness, improving communication, and facilitating conflict resolution among team members. By understanding different personality types, teams can optimize their composition, tailor professional development, and create a more empathetic and collaborative environment. This framework not only helps leaders adapt their styles to better support diverse team members but also promotes inclusivity and effective collaboration, ultimately leading to improved team performance, productivity, and retention.

      Resources:iEQ9. We recommend getting an Enneagram coach to get the most out of the results.

      Key Features: Focus on core motivations. Accounts for personality shifts under stress or growth. Offers practical, actionable guidance for personal growth. Uses a dynamic, adaptive questioning approach. Claims 95% accuracy rate through advanced techniques.


      Image Source: DiSC Profile

      DiSC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness)

      The DiSC assessment is a widely used behavioral analysis tool that categorizes individuals into four primary personality types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. For businesses, DiSC provides valuable insights into employees' communication styles, work preferences, and motivations. By understanding these behavioral tendencies, teams can improve collaboration, reduce conflicts, and enhance overall productivity. Implementing DiSC in a business setting can lead to more effective leadership, tailored communication strategies, and optimized task allocation based on individual strengths.

      Resources:DiSC Profile.

      Key Features: Designed specifically for workplace applications. Focuses on observable behaviors rather than psychological traits. Widely researched and validated over 40+ years. Provides practical strategies for improving interactions.


      Image Source: The Myers-Briggs Company

      The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

      The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a widely used personality assessment tool that categorizes individuals into 16 distinct personality types based on four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. For businesses, the MBTI provides valuable insights into employees' communication styles, decision-making processes, and work preferences.This helps promote a more productive workplace, and enables employees to become involved in more meaningful ways, all while leveraging everyone’s unique strengths.

      Resources:The Myers-Briggs Company.

      Key Features: Focuses on preferences rather than traits. Focuses on how people perceive and judge information. Widely used in business and career counseling


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