What’s interesting to me is the lack of crossover between the two. As far as I’m aware, no popular Youtube creator has ever successfully transitioned to doing Hollywood movies or TV shows. Sure there’s been the occasional cameo, short-lived series, or direct to streaming movie, but none of them had any staying power. Why isn’t Hollywood treating youtube as a farm league for new talent and IP that they can snatch up and exploit after the market for it is proven?
To be clear, I’m not saying I want that to happen. The good content creators deserve better as far as I’m concerned. But the opportunity seems so obvious that I’m truly baffled at the apparent lack of interest.
It may just be a factor that a lot of YouTubers don’t want to give up creative control. Working with Hollywood ultimately usually means giving up a lot of control on the type and content of your work. They’re paying for the big production budget; they get final say in all creative decisions.
YouTubing is a career type that naturally attracts those that want creative independence. And by the time someone would be of the clout to make a deal with a studio or network, they’re probably already earning enough money to be making a comfortable living from their work. 10,000-follower YouTube channels aren’t getting calls from Discovery, Nickelodian, or Fox News. They’re only going to be recruiting from the top channels. And people at that level are probably already earning a nice full-time living. Channels of that level are often entire miniature production companies. The biggest YouTubers aren’t individuals, but creative teams.
That’s a level of success many people would consider ideal. You get to live comfortably, you get to have a decent amount of social esteem, you get to pursue what projects you want. And you get the personal satisfaction of providing incomes for a whole bunch of your closest colleagues and maybe even closest friends. Many would call that about as perfect a life as there is possible. And you want to maybe give all that up to go work for a cable network?
I suppose for enough money, you could buy people out. But there’s more to life than money after all. If you’re already living quite comfortably, already very financially secure, would you really want to give up what you have - complete creative independence*, just to make a bit more? YouTube’s top ranks are filled with people who left the rat race to get into YouTube. Many simply won’t want to go back into that big corporate world, regardless of how gilded their chains may be.
*Obviously, creative independence is relative. All forms of ad-funded content will have to pander to the whims of advertisers. Even completely audience-funded works are subject to the whims of the audience.
David F. Sandberg aka “ponysmasher” comes to mind. He started doing largely horror films himself on no/low budgets. One of his own films got opportunity to become a feature film. That then gave him future opportunities, the largest of which was Shazam! (2019).
Additionally when YouTube Premium (YouTube Red at the time) first launched they also launched YouTube Originals. Many of those programs were created by YouTubers.
The “Originals” eventually stopped being made, but it’s not clear if the issue was the content, the service or a bit of both.
Olan Rogers made Final Space and he’s working on Lightspeed right now. It had a pretty successful run and has a loyal fanbase, despite it being cancelled.
There have been semi-successful Youtube creators who transitioned into the studio system, who mostly never were big on-screen personas but rather worked behind the cameras.
The Corridor Crew has talked about how they always wanted to make it in Hollywood, but when they were finally being offered deals it simply was not financially or creatively wise to give up their business just in order to be part of a system where others are in control.
What’s interesting to me is the lack of crossover between the two. As far as I’m aware, no popular Youtube creator has ever successfully transitioned to doing Hollywood movies or TV shows. Sure there’s been the occasional cameo, short-lived series, or direct to streaming movie, but none of them had any staying power. Why isn’t Hollywood treating youtube as a farm league for new talent and IP that they can snatch up and exploit after the market for it is proven?
To be clear, I’m not saying I want that to happen. The good content creators deserve better as far as I’m concerned. But the opportunity seems so obvious that I’m truly baffled at the apparent lack of interest.
It may just be a factor that a lot of YouTubers don’t want to give up creative control. Working with Hollywood ultimately usually means giving up a lot of control on the type and content of your work. They’re paying for the big production budget; they get final say in all creative decisions.
YouTubing is a career type that naturally attracts those that want creative independence. And by the time someone would be of the clout to make a deal with a studio or network, they’re probably already earning enough money to be making a comfortable living from their work. 10,000-follower YouTube channels aren’t getting calls from Discovery, Nickelodian, or Fox News. They’re only going to be recruiting from the top channels. And people at that level are probably already earning a nice full-time living. Channels of that level are often entire miniature production companies. The biggest YouTubers aren’t individuals, but creative teams.
That’s a level of success many people would consider ideal. You get to live comfortably, you get to have a decent amount of social esteem, you get to pursue what projects you want. And you get the personal satisfaction of providing incomes for a whole bunch of your closest colleagues and maybe even closest friends. Many would call that about as perfect a life as there is possible. And you want to maybe give all that up to go work for a cable network?
I suppose for enough money, you could buy people out. But there’s more to life than money after all. If you’re already living quite comfortably, already very financially secure, would you really want to give up what you have - complete creative independence*, just to make a bit more? YouTube’s top ranks are filled with people who left the rat race to get into YouTube. Many simply won’t want to go back into that big corporate world, regardless of how gilded their chains may be.
*Obviously, creative independence is relative. All forms of ad-funded content will have to pander to the whims of advertisers. Even completely audience-funded works are subject to the whims of the audience.
A lot of YouTubers get burnt out and retire. I’m not saying that’s the only or even primary factor but it could be one of them.
David F. Sandberg aka “ponysmasher” comes to mind. He started doing largely horror films himself on no/low budgets. One of his own films got opportunity to become a feature film. That then gave him future opportunities, the largest of which was Shazam! (2019).
Additionally when YouTube Premium (YouTube Red at the time) first launched they also launched YouTube Originals. Many of those programs were created by YouTubers.
The “Originals” eventually stopped being made, but it’s not clear if the issue was the content, the service or a bit of both.
Olan Rogers made Final Space and he’s working on Lightspeed right now. It had a pretty successful run and has a loyal fanbase, despite it being cancelled.
But yeah, stories like these are very rare.
Bee and Puppycat to Netflix too.
There have been semi-successful Youtube creators who transitioned into the studio system, who mostly never were big on-screen personas but rather worked behind the cameras.
The Corridor Crew has talked about how they always wanted to make it in Hollywood, but when they were finally being offered deals it simply was not financially or creatively wise to give up their business just in order to be part of a system where others are in control.