Hollywood Has Given the Game to Indie Creators

Since the dawn of the internet era, Hollywood dismissed online creators as hobbyists beneath its notice.

And all the while, independent film makers produced videos in their bedrooms, aspiring to break into “real” show business.

Now, after multiple years of surprise flops from Big Franchise X and one season of YouTubers-turned-director blowing up out of left field, Hollywood is seeking to hire independents.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

Last week, Rolling Stone divulged studios’ growing interest in YouTubers who’ve amassed considerable audiences outside the studio system. Hollywood has turned from paying influencers for film promotions to giving them their own movie deals.

For more than a century, hopeful entertainers had to convince industry gatekeepers that they deserved access to the mass audience. Now, at last, the creator economy has flipped the old arrangement on its head.

A kid with a camera and an internet connection can shoot his own material. He can get financing on Kickstarter, distribution on YouTube, and marketing through social media.

So instead of big studios deciding who merits an audience, audiences themselves now choose who deserves their attention.

Read the full post on Substack.

SOULDANCER RETURNS, THE CYCLE CONTINUES

Ten years after winning the first-ever Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel, Souldancer returns with the definitive anniversary edition and an all-new companion novella, The Other Side of Fear.

The Kickstarter launches September 1, featuring early bird rewards and a crowdfunder-exclusive hardcover of the new novella.

Follow the Kickstarter now to be notified the moment limited rewards go live!