Creator Clash 2, a boxing charity organized by online influencers, was unable to raise money for the 14 charities the creators had pledged to support, with one of the co-founders saying the event lost $250,000.
Creator Ian Jomha, known as iDubbbz, said after last year’s successful event that he “foolishly thought” that inviting more creators to raise funds would translate into more pay-per-view buys. However, efforts to increase the $1.3 million raised last year (for the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Heart Association and the Healing Horse Therapy Center) were a failure.
“Despite being a fun event, despite good fights and many creators sacrificing a lot of time, money and energy, we lost $250,000 on the event,” Jomha said in a YouTube video, titled “The Harsh Reality of Creator Clash 2 “. , uploaded on monday.
After events are over, organizers typically start by paying expenses — broadcast, hotel, travel and other costs — before paying charities, Jomha said.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t even break even,” he added.
Jomha and a spokesperson for the event did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Representatives for the charities listed on the event website — the National Alliance on Mental Illness, AbleGamers Charity, American Kidney Front, Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, Kids Cancer Foundation, Sarcoma Foundation of America, American Heart Association, Critical Role Foundation, The Longest Day, the Paralympic Sports Association, the Humane Society of the United States, Merrimack Hall, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Healing Horse Therapy Center also did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
“I was wrong and I am very ashamed because so many people trusted me and our team to protect the event and the charities,” Jomha said. “It feels particularly bad because this isn’t like a regular business where everything is a personal loss and I can just… walk away from it.”
In his video, which has amassed more than 131,000 views since it went live on Monday afternoon, Jomha blamed the loss on a lack of hacking prevention measures at the event. Of the 1.3 million to 3 million people who accessed the broadcast, he said she, only about 50,000 were pay-per-view viewers.
In addition to the hacking, he said, Creator Clash 2 was more expensive due to the larger arena and more elaborate streaming.
The event, which brought together unlikely internet celebrities to box in April, was expected to be bigger this year. It was held at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, which was double the size of last year’s venue. There were three additional fights, as well as more commentators and charity partners.
Booking hotels for creators and paying to feature more fighters incurred additional expenses, Jomha said.
In addition to Jomha, other creators participating in the event included: Alex Wassabi, John Randall Hennigan, Harley Morenstein, Michelle Khare, Andrea Botez, William Haynes, Chris Ray Gun, Haley Sharpe, Marisha Ray, Myth, Hundar, Arin Hanson, Jarvis Johnson, Mika, Alanah Pearce, Leonhart, CrankGamePlays, Dad (Nathan Barnatt), AB (Ab Ayad), Jaelaray, Abelina Sabrina, Jack Manifold, and Dakota Olave. Neither of them immediately responded to requests for comment Monday.
In the weeks leading up to the fight, organizers faced backlash when the event announced that YouTube rapper Tyler Cassidy, known as Froggy Fresh, had been removed from the lineup because violated the event code of conduct.
cassidy said he was never notified of the violations. He also alleged that Jomha threatened to sue him and asked him to return the $15,000 he received for training expenses.
In an interview in April before the event, Jomha denied suing or planning to sue Cassidy, but added that the organizers asked him to pay for training expenses so they could put the money toward resources for a new wrestler.
Following the decision to drop Cassidy, backlash and speculation about the reason he was removed fueled numerous dramatic YouTube videos. Fans threatened to boycott the event, with some accusing the organizers of being insincere about their charitable efforts.
In Monday’s video, Jomha addressed those allegations directly.
“There are some people who are circulating rumors that we are taking money from Creator Clash, and that is extremely painful, because it has been just the opposite,” he said, adding that the event has come with “great sacrifice”. .
Jomha said he is still not sure which way to go. For now, he said, he plans to upload the full Creator Clash 2 stream on YouTube for free. He said that he hopes some viewers choose to donate.
“I want to do it more well,” Jomha said, adding that while he agrees with organizers screwing up and taking a financial hit, “he doesn’t agree with charities not getting money.”
In the video’s caption, Jomha wrote that he intends to upload the stream on Tuesday.
