Hollywood's Struggle Post-Strike: The Great Shift to Self-Produced Content
Workers in the Hollywood industry quitting their jobs to produce content independently
Two years have passed since the dramatic writers and actors' strike rocked Hollywood, and the industry is still grappling with the aftermath of lost film and television production jobs. Add to that the California wildfires and a shrinking market, and Hollywood isn't exactly a hive of bustling creativity anymore. President Trump's proposed 100% tariffs on foreign productions might be his solution, but not everyone's buying it. Meet Amy Suto, an author and independent content creator, who's departure from that star-studded world offers a glimpse at a burgeoning phenomenon known as the creator economy.
Amy painted her Hollywood journey for me, a graduate of USC's prestigious film school, which has been a breeding ground for top Hollywood talent. Her story echoes many aspiring creators' experiences, moving up through the Hollywood ranks, from assistant to writer assistant, showrunner assistant, and eventually gaining her own television episode. Yet, the reality was far from the magic of Tinseltown: more politics, power dynamics, and prosaic tasks like answering phones and running coffee errands.
So, is this just the Hollywood way? Not quite. As fewer shows were produced and writers' rooms shifted to "short-order streaming," there was less opportunity for writers to grow and foster the creative magic that once thrived in Hollywood. Amy reflects on her creativity being suffocated and found more fulfillment in freelance work outside of the industry.
"I started to realize that the projects that I was most creatively enlivened by were happening outside of Hollywood," Amy said. "My writing was being more valued by people outside of the industry than the people in it."
But can she sustain her self-produced content lifestyle? With multiple income streams, such as Substack and self-publishing, along with a dedicated focus on storytelling, Amy is thriving more than ever outside the industry.
With the advent of new technologies, the President's proposed 100% tariffs on foreign productions may not be the answer for a struggling Hollywood. Instead, it's important for Hollywood to focus on the treatment of creatives, the restructuring of gatekeepers, and producing stories that resonate, rather than relying on another costly blockbuster franchise.
In her own words, "taking risks on smaller creative projects and more of the mid-level films that we used to see a lot of is key to the way forward for the industry. Thinking about what is the way forward with different technologies, how to make things on a budget, but still respecting the artists and their humanity, that's what really matters."
Sources1. Self-produced Content: A New Frontier for Creatives2. The Shift in Hollywood and the Rise of Original Content3. The Creative Economy and Its Impact on Hollywood4. How Direct-to-Consumer Services are Changing Hollywood5. The Role of AI and Other Technologies in Content Creation
- The strike by dramatic writers and actors has led to a struggle in Hollywood, resulting in a shift towards self-produced content by creators like Amy Suto, who departed from the traditional Hollywood system.
- As a graduate of USC's film school, Amy's journey mirrors many aspiring creators, moving through Hollywood ranks, but found her creativity suffocated by the politics and prosaic tasks.
- Amy's creative fulfillment is now found outside of the industry, using multiple income streams such as Substack and self-publishing, and focusing on storytelling without being confined by traditional industry norms.
- Instead of focusing on tariffs and protecting Hollywood, it's crucial to address the treatment of creatives, restructure the gatekeepers, and produce stories that resonate, utilizing new technologies to create content on a budget and respecting artists' humanity.
