Film Industry Trends

Once upon a time, Hollywood's appeal was its exclusivity. Its centrality. Its independence from the rest of the industry. Not anymore. Creators are not only building their own studios (there have long been creators with tonnes of resource making high production pieces)... …they're democratising the entire studio concept. Pooling talent from the likes of MTV, The Walt Disney Company, and Lionsgate. Sprouting studios in places that Hollywood never touched, like Greenville (North Carolina), Birmingham (Alabama), and Frisco (Texas). ALL for 1/100th of the price. Think about that: TV-experienced professionals creating content that reaches MORE eyeballs, in LESS time, for PENNIES on the pound... The traditional studio system still produces incredible entertainment, but creators are building something extraordinary alongside it – a parallel ecosystem that's faster, leaner, and directly connected to audiences. Smart brands are already recognising this shift, partnering with creator ecosystems (content + merch + product lines + proper community following) alongside their traditional media investments. By the decade's end, creators won't just have a seat at the table – they'll be building entirely new tables. Anyone who knows me knows my perspective on this... It's about time! Exciting times ahead 👀

From BBC: For over a decade, business was booming in Hollywood, with studios battling to catch up to new companies like Netflix and Hulu . But the good times ground to a halt in May 2023, when Hollywood’s writers went on strike. The strikes lasted multiple months and marked the first time since the 1960s that both writers and actors joined forces - effectively shutting down #Hollywood production. But rather than roaring back, in the one year since the strikes ended, production has fizzled. Projects have been cancelled and production was cut across the city as jobs have dried up, with layoffs at many studios - most recently at Paramount. It had a second round of layoffs this week, as the storied movie company moves to cut 15% of its workforce ahead of a merger with the production company Skydance . Unemployment in film and TV in the United States was at 12.5% in August, but many think those numbers are actually much higher, because many film workers either do not file for unemployment benefits because they’re not eligible or they’ve exhausted those benefits after months of not working. As a whole, the number of US productions during the second quarter of 2024 was down about 40% compared to the same period in 2022. Globally, there was a 20% decline over that period, according to ProdPro , which tracks TV and #film productions. That means less new movies and binge-worthy shows for us. But experts say the streaming boom wasn’t sustainable. And studios are trying to figure out how to be profitable in a new world when people don’t pay for cable #TV funded by commercials. "The air has come out of the content bubble,” says Matthew Belloni, the founder of Puck News, which covers the #entertainment industry. “Crisis is a good word. I try not to be alarmist, but crisis is what people are feeling.” Part of the boom was fuelled by Wall Street, where #tech giants like Netflix saw record growth and studios, like Paramount , saw their share prices soar for adding their own streaming service offers. “It caused an overheating of the content market. There were 600 scripted live action series airing just a few years ago and then the stock market stopped rewarding that,” Mr Belloni says. “Netflix crashed – all the other companies crashed. Netflix has since recovered – but the others are really struggling to get to profitability.” And along with the #streaming bubble bursting, some productions are also being lured away from California by attractive tax incentives in other states and countries.

“There is a felt need for the presence of strong and independent agencies in the Indian advertising industry to drive innovation, creativity, and a competitive ecosystem. Smaller boutique agencies are more experimental and take bolder risks to make a mark. They are more agile and less bureaucratic . Young emerging talent,bringing fresh ideas and trends into story telling gets a better chance with such agencies. They are less vested in the status quo. As India is getting more prosperous, it’s celebrating it’s heterogeneous nature. Local languages and local contexts are important for audiences. Most crucially, creative freedom is a state of the mind. The independent agencies can offer cost-effective yet highly impactful campaigns, pushing the industry to balance quality with affordability. Independents prevent market monopolization and ensure a level playing field. The MSME sector is almost exclusively reliant on smaller independents as the large networks may not cater to their needs as well. Their ability to adapt quickly, take risks, and deliver culturally relevant work makes them indispensable to the growth and evolution of the industry.”

Here's my take from #MIPCOM 2024: less budget and an industry wary of risk offers opportunities for social media. Instead of starting new, untested content, companies are betting on the power of IP. Tried-and-true franchises, procedural dramas, and nostalgic formats dominated discussions, signaling a "reuse over release". The market’s leaning toward safer, more bankable content isn't just about cost-cutting—it’s an opportunity to maximizing engagement across all platforms. This 360-degree approach leverages every angle, from streaming to social media, transforming IP into something more than just content; it’s a brand experience. 📝 Key Takeaways 1. Shift in Scripted Programming: TV buyers increasingly favor procedurals and high-volume, returnable series over costly, tentpole dramas. This shift, influenced by post-strike production costs, aims at maintaining steady, reliable programming with less financial risk. 2. Social Media & 360-Degree IP: Studios are putting an even greater emphasis on building multi-platform experiences. A good show now reaches beyond the screen, weaving through social media, merchandise, and events to create a fully immersive IP. This strategy amplifies engagement and drives brand loyalty while offering a cost-effective way to extend the lifecycle of content. 3. Nostalgia-Driven Formats: Studios leaned into nostalgia, with Warner Bros. launching Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking and Friends game shows, and Mattel selling a TV version of Pictionary. Nostalgia-based formats are in demand as they offer familiar content with a proven audience base. 4. European TV's Growing Influence: U.S. buyers are now contributing less to funding, with more European shows filling the gap. U.S. funding for global shows has decreased from 80% to around 20%, with European models proving more cost-effective. 5. Hollywood’s Cautious Return to Sales: Paramount, Disney, NBCU, and Warner Bros. resumed international sales but with limited budgets. Many are cautious in investing in new originals, focusing instead on re-selling existing, well-known franchises. 6. Decline in Attendance: MIPCOM 2024 attendance dropped by nearly 5%, to 10,500. This was attributed to smaller delegations and tighter budgets, though evening events and networking opportunities remained robust. 7. Ongoing Popularity of Dating Shows: Shows like Stranded on Honeymoon Island continue to attract international interest, showing that dating formats remain popular and adaptable across different markets. 8. High Demand for Cozy Crime: Procedural and cozy crime genres were in high demand, with shows like Whitstable Pearl and Doctor Foster leading format sales, underlining the appeal of low-stakes, familiar storytelling in uncertain economic times. Did I miss anything, what did you learn in Cannes? Let us know in the comments 👇 #socialmedia #media

𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 When I began my marketing career in the early 2010s, working with a full-service creative agency was the default choice for most brands. Back then, large agencies dominated the landscape, offering a one-stop solution for all marketing needs. But over the past 5–6 years, I’ve witnessed a meaningful shift. The rise of boutique agencies and independent consultants across every facet of marketing, be it creative design, video production, content writing, PR, performance marketing, or events has transformed the ecosystem. Having worked closely with this new model, I’ve come to appreciate the distinct advantages that boutique firms offer over their larger counterparts: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓: In nearly every instance, the talented individuals who win the business stay involved and execute the work, unlike big agencies where you often meet the A-team during the pitch and the B-team during delivery. 𝑭𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔: A minor copy change that once took three hours at a large agency now happens in minutes. 𝑳𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒚: Many boutique firms adopt profit-sharing models, keeping key talent invested and engaged over the long term. The era when agency size was a competitive advantage is over. In today’s marketing world, shaped by the democratisation of tools, platforms, and talent, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

🎬 🏢 LA soundstages are gathering dust. A new FilmLA report shows only 63% of LA soundstages were occupied in 2024, down from 93.5% between 2016-2022—the fewest on-stage shoot days in recorded history. Meanwhile, competing hubs like the UK, New York, and Georgia have more than doubled their production space over the last five years, creating a perfect storm for Hollywood's bottom line. TV productions, which normally make up 30% of stage bookings, slumped to just 20% in 2023, aligning with industry-wide episode count shrinkage and longer gaps between seasons. Adding to the irony: this vacancy crisis hits just as investment firms went all-in on pouring money into acquiring and building soundstages, with 13 planned studio projects currently in the pipeline for LA. As these struggles continue, the "Stay in LA" initiative keeps fighting against runaway production, pushing for studios to commit at least 10% more LA-based filming over the next three years

As all of us learn as children, no good thing lasts forever. The days of consumers floating in an endless sea of fresh new content are coming to an end. Due to production budgets stabilizing across the industry as well as the production shutdowns resulting from the dual Hollywood strikes, it is very unlikely we will see any calendar year exceed the 599 scripted English series that were delivered in 2022 (per #FX's numbers). The rate of growth for streaming original titles has steadily slowed down in 2023, according to Parrot Analytics. Until this year, there had not been more than one quarter in a row of a shrinking growth rate in global streaming original supply. Now this growth rate has fallen for three consecutive quarters, Q1, Q2, and Q3 of 2023. This is evidence that a slowdown in streaming original output is arguably already happening, as a combination of both major companies shifting business models and cutting back, and the sharper drop off in Q3 likely a result of the dual strikes in Hollywood. #Netflix's volume of December releases in 2023 will be 39% smaller compares to 2022 while the domestic #boxoffice is currently projected to finish below $9B in '23 and '24, per The Numbers. Leaders at major Hollywood destinations such as premium cable network Showtime have emphasized known commodities such as #Dexter and #Billions serving as foundational programming pillars moving forward while #Disney CEO Bob Iger has gone back-and-forth publicly on the value of general entertainment. These comments suggest a focus on established material and genres with proven track records. A potential reluctance from Hollywood for content expansion and risk-taking may be sensible on paper in these more competitive, challenged and budget-conscious times. I'm well aware it isn't *my* money on the line when something gets the greenlight. But force feeding consumers widespread sameness also contributes to churn and apathy at a time when cancellations are on the rise and younger generations are tuning traditional entertainment out. I'd argue that the most in-demand new releases of 2023 (such as #TheLastofUs, #PokerFace, #Barbie) all provide something familiar within exciting and creative new packages. Next year promises to be fascinating for many reasons, but let's hope Hollywood isn't embracing the wrong takeaways amid an assortment of challenges.

“New economic realities cast a formidable shadow over the filmed content sector, particularly impacting the budgets allocated for new content production. Combined with an increasingly competitive landscape vying for viewer attention, those economic realities have prompted a strategic shift in the approach of both linear TV networks and streaming platforms,” the Luminate report states. ... For TV, across linear and streaming, programs in the comedy genre took the biggest year-over-year hit, with the number of premieres dropping 30% (to 134). Drama also took a hit (down 25% to 381). Even unscripted alternative series were down 20% (to 1,038). True crime premieres were up 8% across broadcast and cable channels (to 147 titles) but down 11% on streaming platforms (dropping to 140 titles). In film, non-English language movies ruled the roost as a genre for streamers, with 191 such titles bowing across major platforms, a 22% gain from 2022. Action movies were the other genre to register a double-digit boost last year, climbing 23% to 97 titles across major streamers." #streaming #linearTV #genreIP #IP #contentstrategy #programming #truecrime #audiencemetrics #productionbudgets #contentspend #streamingrevenues

🚨 For years, actors have been told they "need to create content." That advice has never sat right with me. Because not every actor is a writer. Not every actor is a comedian. Not every actor should feel pressure to churn out sketches or short films just to stay relevant. The real shift isn't about content at all. It's about building an ecosystem. The actors who thrive today aren't waiting for auditions to line up. They're becoming owners of their own storytelling engines, whether that's through podcasting, sketch, stand-up, directing, social media, or building community with other creatives. Think of Issa Rae, who turned a web series into an empire. Or Donald Glover, who blended stand-up, writing, music, and TV into one creative identity. And it doesn't have to be at their scale. I have clients booking high-profile opportunities right now because of relationships and creative communities they started building in tiny shows, years ago. When you shift from "creating content" to creating infrastructure for your stories, everything changes. ✨ The audition room is no longer the only gateway. ✨ You're not waiting for the market to find you. ✨ You're telling the world what you have to say, on your terms. Actors don't just have to be talent for hire anymore. They can be storytellers with their own engines.

Back when I was an actor, I would walk into audition rooms with everything I thought mattered: top-tier training, loads of preparation, experience, and a deep love of storytelling. But then something weird happened… I started getting asked: “How many followers do you have?”  All the time! "How many followers do you have?" With everyone vying for eyeballs, producers and creators were leaning heavily on their cast and crew (but mostly cast) to promote their project. More social media followers = more free marketing. If you were like me, you had spent your time refining your skills, not building your social media accounts. That meant followers were friends, not an audience. I can’t tell you how many times I was told I had, BY FAR, the best audition but someone else had over 1 million followers on Insta, so they were getting the part. You know that sign at amusement parks, “You must be this tall to ride this ride”? That’s what was happening: “You must have x number of followers to audition.” I left acting for many reasons but one of them was that I wanted to be valued for my skills and my voice - not just my ability to market myself. Today I work in communications, content, and creative direction. But I am seeing the same patterns I saw in entertainment emerging here. ⚠️ Metrics-over-merit. ⚠️ Visibility-over-value. And, when that happens, I think we’ve lost the plot. It’s not that social media isn’t a useful tool. It can be! Platforms like LinkedIn have created an incredible space for professionals to connect, share knowledge, and amplify important conversations. And today, we all have to be masters of our own "brand" (ick), otherwise someone will assign it to you. But when a follower count becomes a stand-in for skill, experience, or expertise, we lose something incredibly important. Is it only matter of time before companies start asking, “How many followers do you have?” when you submit your resume? I hope not! Let's not give them any ideas! In a recent Vanity Fair interview, Ethan Hawke put words to something so many of us have felt: "If I don’t have this public-facing [platform], I don’t have a career? And if I get more followers I might get that part? What? So many young actors think being an actor is protein shakes and going to the gym… Robert De Niro is not great because he has a six-pack. He’s so much more than that.” Agreed, Ethan. We're more than our follower count. In closing, I want to offer something positive so here’s what I believe: substance still matters. The work still matters. And people who care about that work need to keep showing up for it, even when the system feels rigged toward noise over nuance. If you’ve felt this too, please comment and join me out here on this ledge! #Storytelling #JobMarket #TalentOverFollowers #CommunicationMatters #SkillsMatter #JobSeeker #Communications #CreativeDirector #Opentowork #hireme #contstantlypivotingtosurivive #writer #womeninbusiness #softskills #contentdirector