Hey Drew -- I started this blog exactly for people like you because you are like me. Im 56. Ive produced 30 movies, and a couple dozen series, scripted and unscripted, and have built a significant production company in Lat Am and US. And yet I could see how none of the reputational karma was going to translate in the changing world. But my thesis with open gardens has been, and has proven out, that the creator economy cannot scale without the institutional knowledge and talent of the legacy business. And we've seen the convergence accelerating over the last year. I use this blog as a learning tool to figure out the playbook for the future. We are working with a handful of creators building out shows for legacy platforms, we are building out C3 plays with digital first content leading to commerce. to me the recommendation is keep focused on legacy opportunities, the business isnt going away to sustain overhead and start dabbling in the creator verse. Age is not an issue. there are people entering this space at all ages. the best thing about the creator-verse-- there is no asking for permission and its actually a much more welcoming collaborative place than Hollywood and the global entertainment universe.
Excellent article. I've worked as below the line for 20 years and what's happening to the narrative market horrible. I think your article is showing Studios and investors are following eyeballs and that's in the creator economy. The advertisers have been there a while and traditional studios are playing catch up. Music and books have been in the direct to consumer model a while as well imo. Film and TV are catching up. One disagreement with the article is Wesley Wang. The interviews I have heard was he did a tremendous amount of his own fundraising as well as multiple short films before the one that led to the deal. But yes and inspiring story for others. Direct to consumer is the way then it seems like you, as the creator, can decide to partner with legacy Media companies or not
It's interesting how you're tackling disconnect between classic training and creator economy head-on; your class sounds incredibly relevant. Mitch's practicle insights are brilliant for showing students real paths, but it does make me reflect on how quickly any field driven by tech and evolving platforms outpaces traditional curricula, something we often grapple with even in computer science.
Loved this. I recently interviewed Emmy/Tony nominated Director, Ben DeJesus and his biggest advice was to stop waiting for permission to create. He couldn’t emphasize enough how crucial it is to pave your own way in the film industry instead of waiting for permission from execs.
Very cool! I'm trying to shift my mindset and skillset toward a path like this. Much like the students mentioned, I came up through the old model. I say old, because the more I learn about the realities of today, the more that model feels antiquated.
It’s so interesting when you say “Social and vertical content are not replacements for filmmaking. They are the laboratory.” We really live in a moment in cinema time when the lines are blurred and there’s isn’t only one route to get to the spot of your dreams. Thanks for being so detailed in your post!
Inspiring examples! Gave me even more power to build what I’m building - an urban fantasy universe that features web series along with short stories and novels! The direct to audience model seems the most sensible one nowadays. These examples prove gatekeepers lost their touch. And ultimately, it’s always about the audience after all.
This is a wonderful post. I started in digital way back when and transitioned into more traditional film and TV quickly including growing a broadcast channel in Ethiopia that was acquired by a European broadcast network. I now work with creators across the spectrum and mostly outside of the U.S. I completely agree that scaling requires institutional knowledge on the legacy side but I still think so many producers in cinema are resistant to seeing the connection between the two universes. Thank you for opening up a space for more to learn along.
A fantastic article but we’re missing examples from varied demographics! Let’s not forget creators like Cheyenne Ewulu and the Comic Shop doing her thing 🙌🏾
Hey Drew -- I started this blog exactly for people like you because you are like me. Im 56. Ive produced 30 movies, and a couple dozen series, scripted and unscripted, and have built a significant production company in Lat Am and US. And yet I could see how none of the reputational karma was going to translate in the changing world. But my thesis with open gardens has been, and has proven out, that the creator economy cannot scale without the institutional knowledge and talent of the legacy business. And we've seen the convergence accelerating over the last year. I use this blog as a learning tool to figure out the playbook for the future. We are working with a handful of creators building out shows for legacy platforms, we are building out C3 plays with digital first content leading to commerce. to me the recommendation is keep focused on legacy opportunities, the business isnt going away to sustain overhead and start dabbling in the creator verse. Age is not an issue. there are people entering this space at all ages. the best thing about the creator-verse-- there is no asking for permission and its actually a much more welcoming collaborative place than Hollywood and the global entertainment universe.
HNY Natalie!
Excellent article. I've worked as below the line for 20 years and what's happening to the narrative market horrible. I think your article is showing Studios and investors are following eyeballs and that's in the creator economy. The advertisers have been there a while and traditional studios are playing catch up. Music and books have been in the direct to consumer model a while as well imo. Film and TV are catching up. One disagreement with the article is Wesley Wang. The interviews I have heard was he did a tremendous amount of his own fundraising as well as multiple short films before the one that led to the deal. But yes and inspiring story for others. Direct to consumer is the way then it seems like you, as the creator, can decide to partner with legacy Media companies or not
Ok thx we will look into Wesley
It's interesting how you're tackling disconnect between classic training and creator economy head-on; your class sounds incredibly relevant. Mitch's practicle insights are brilliant for showing students real paths, but it does make me reflect on how quickly any field driven by tech and evolving platforms outpaces traditional curricula, something we often grapple with even in computer science.
Agree. It’s hard for traditional institutions to keep up if they don’t build their education structures differently.
Loved this. I recently interviewed Emmy/Tony nominated Director, Ben DeJesus and his biggest advice was to stop waiting for permission to create. He couldn’t emphasize enough how crucial it is to pave your own way in the film industry instead of waiting for permission from execs.
Very cool! I'm trying to shift my mindset and skillset toward a path like this. Much like the students mentioned, I came up through the old model. I say old, because the more I learn about the realities of today, the more that model feels antiquated.
It’s so interesting when you say “Social and vertical content are not replacements for filmmaking. They are the laboratory.” We really live in a moment in cinema time when the lines are blurred and there’s isn’t only one route to get to the spot of your dreams. Thanks for being so detailed in your post!
Great article 😊
Inspiring examples! Gave me even more power to build what I’m building - an urban fantasy universe that features web series along with short stories and novels! The direct to audience model seems the most sensible one nowadays. These examples prove gatekeepers lost their touch. And ultimately, it’s always about the audience after all.
thank you for sharing, incredibly insightful.
This is a wonderful post. I started in digital way back when and transitioned into more traditional film and TV quickly including growing a broadcast channel in Ethiopia that was acquired by a European broadcast network. I now work with creators across the spectrum and mostly outside of the U.S. I completely agree that scaling requires institutional knowledge on the legacy side but I still think so many producers in cinema are resistant to seeing the connection between the two universes. Thank you for opening up a space for more to learn along.
Great roadmap.
This is terrific, thank you for sharing with the case studies too!
Inspiring examples! I think it’s such a cool development of the market, now you can really create your own career!
Great words! And something I’ve been trying to do here at raindance since 1993! And every once in a while we stumble across someone
I’m hoping to make sure our entire programming team reads this one!
Thanks Elliot!
Congrats
The best analysis ever
A fantastic article but we’re missing examples from varied demographics! Let’s not forget creators like Cheyenne Ewulu and the Comic Shop doing her thing 🙌🏾
Thank you for the rec! I loved Comic Shop!
Do you have a contact for Cheyenne? Please DM me if so! I'd love to speak with her.