The Garden Harvest: 7/25/25

Your weekly digest on the intersection of the Creator Economy and Legacy Media.

Jul 25, 2025

Welcome back to the Garden Harvest.

Each week, we gather and curate the freshest insights from the worlds of Creators and Legacy Media, so you can stay rooted in what matters and spot new opportunities where others can’t.

Let’s get into it…

FRESH CLIPPINGS

Legacy continues to lean into the creator economy

By now, it’s no secret: Netflix and YouTube are squaring off for dominance in the next chapter of the streaming wars. Just this week, Deadline spotlighted how YouTube shows are increasingly making their way to Netflix, where exec Jeff Gaspin offered a sharp (and admittedly funny) hack for middle-aged TV execs trying to figure out what’s cool.

But while that turf war plays out, more legacy companies are realizing that they too must do something about this whole creator thing and are slowly getting in the game. Exhibit A: Sony Pictures Television just tapped former BBC Studios exec Matt Ford for a newly created role aimed at “engaging with UK content creators, creating digital originals, and building creator partnerships.”

Expect more headlines like this in the months ahead as we enter a new phase: it’s no longer legacy vs. creators (if your feed still screams that, it might be time to hit unfollow).

It’s legacy with creators.

We know the disruption is here. It’s been here. Moving forward, it’s about alignment.

The AI backlash

One of Jim Louderback’s top trends in the creator economy is just how loudly some creators are pushing back against AI, and how fiercely their audiences are reviling along with them. The mood is starting to feel less like skepticism and more like rebellion at the pervasiveness of the technology in our lives. But Jim argues that this anti-AI attitude could hurt creators, not help them.

Regardless of where you land on the AI opinion spectrum, the real issue at the center of it all is that the more advanced AI becomes, the more we might revert to old ways. Jeremy Christensen has the take, he explains that “as AI grows more powerful, able to mimic voices, write flawless emails, generate video deepfakes, and even hold real-time conversations indistinguishable from humans, the trust we once had in digital communication will erode.”

This brings us back to the Doug Shapiro’s line about trust being the new oil. With AI destroying digital trust, will there be a resurrection of a more analogue world in media?

The collapse of the social media platforms

Once upon a time, social media platforms were actually different from each other, or so Zack Honarvar explains.

I mean, can we please take a moment to reminisce about the times when Facebook was for life updates, Instagram for snapshots of your friends, Snapchat for off-the-cuff candids, Twitter for stray thoughts, and YouTube for long-form videos?

Each platform had a clear and unique purpose, until…

TikTok.

Once TikTok entered the fray, the social part of social media faded, only to be replaced by algorithmic entertainment. Suddenly, every platform started looking eerily similar. Today, they all have Stories, they all have short-form video, they all have… you get the gist. And they’re all chasing each other’s tails.

But with all that energy going into competition, where’s the actual innovation? (Hint: it’s not unskippable ads) And how long before audiences get fed up and start looking for something new?

Zack makes the point crystal clear when he reminds us: “Remember how quickly we abandoned our TVs or ditched our Blockbuster memberships when something better showed up?”

GARDEN VIEW

We hope you’ve been following, or at least heard of, Ryan Trahan’s 50 States in 50 Days challenge. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat.

In honor of the challenge being almost over, we figured it was worth spotlighting how impactful the creator economy can be when done right. He’s raised nearly $10 million dollars for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, including donations from major companies such as T-Mobile and Kia.

But beyond the money, it’s a flex in storytelling, scale, and stamina. Daily videos for 50 days straight while traveling? It’s an incredible level of output, but it’s the kind of thing that cuts through the noise.

HARVEST QUOTE

“The $250 billion Creator Economy where half earn less than $15K”

- Marion Ranchet, commenting on the NeoReach 2025 Creator Earnings Report.

While headlines love to show us creators raking in buckets of cash, the reality for most is far less glamorous. Per the data, 57% of U.S. full-time creators still earn below the living wage, and only about 15% crack the $100k per year mark.

This isn’t meant to be discouraging, though. Speaking with one established legacy producer about this recently, he looked me dead in the eye and said, “If we ran the numbers for legacy writers, directors, or actors, then jeez, these are pretty good odds.”

See you next week…