Meta And Rolling Stone Announce Creator Event Series

As TikTok continues to lure creators away from Instagram and Facebook, Meta is making moves to strengthen its apps’ suite of influencer tools.

The company announced a partnership with Rolling Stone that will see both develop engaging experiences around the creator economy at major music and cultural festivals. They’ll debut their inaugural Creator House via an installation at SXSW in Austin, Texas from March 18 to 19. Established and emerging talent like singers Tone Stith and Destiny Rogers will be in attendance for panel discussions and artist showcases.

Meta’s and Rolling Stone’s Creator Houses will give festival attendees a chance to explore creator-focused products and tools including Reels, Meta Quest 2 VR headsets and Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. Creators, artists, journalists and industry leaders will also participate in discussions about influencer marketing and the future of content creation. Each Creator House will feature dedicated activations with Reels, Meta hardware and photo sets for capturing content.

“We want to support and empower these creators who build vibrant communities. Rolling Stone has defined culture, artistry and creativity for decades, so we are excited to partner with them as we amplify and build for this next generation of innovators,” said Frank Spada, who leads strategic partner development for entertainment at Meta.

The partners are also set to launch a new Reels series called “Behind the Creator” to spotlight up-and-coming creators at each Creator House activation. The series will share how influencers use Meta’s products to build community and monetize their content.

At SXSW, Meta and Rolling Stone will also showcase work from local Austin artists across several mediums through a partnership with Essentials Creative, a collective that aims to celebrate underrepresented artists.

The second Creator House will take place at Coachella in April and the partnership will conclude with a custom event in L.A. timed to coincide with Rolling Stone’s inaugural Creator’s Issue in May.

In February, Meta launched Facebook Reels in more than 150 countries worldwide and introduced more ways to help creators earn money and create content. The company’s Reels Play bonus program, which is part of its $1 billion creator investment, pays eligible creators up to $35,000 a month based on the views of their qualifying Reels.

Meta also expanded its test of Facebook Reels overlay ads to all creators in the US, Canada and Mexico. By mid-March, these tests will expand to creators in almost all countries where in-stream ads are available. The company said these early tests will provide important feedback that will help them improve the value of the ads for creators.