YouTube is the new Hollywood right? But is a secretive platform driven by an all-powerful and clandestine algorithm really the best bet to be hanging a whole new economy on?
YouTube is now 20 years old. In those two decades it has gone from the simple tagline of ‘Broadcast yourself’ to claiming it is ‘the new television’ and ‘the epicentre of culture’. As the traditional industry struggles with declining audiences and shifting economic sands — Panavision Hollywood is reportedly shuttering its offices next month, and the VFX industry is seemingly in ongoing triage — the idea is that the creator economy continues to expand at breakneck speed and cushions the impact.
