Crafting Fame: The Future of Entertainment
In the ever-changing entertainment industry — where the spotlight can be as fleeting as a viral TikTok video — is it even possible to predict the future?
YPO Presents Ask the Experts-The Future of Work in Entertainment recently brought together industry luminaries Gemma Martini, CEO of Martini Film Studios, Steven Galanis, the Co-founder and CEO of Cameo, and Sergio Alfaro, CEO of InventTV, for a candid discussion covering emerging technology, trends, challenges and more. Here’s a glimpse of what they see:
The democratization of fame is here to stay
Social media has given talented performers and creators the keys to break open what had been a mostly gate-kept industry since inception.
“This direct-to-consumer world is really taking over. I think it’s great because anybody can become a star; you don’t need someone to help you along the way,” says Alfaro.
With 20 years of experience producing television events such as Miss Universe and unscripted shows including Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, LA Ink and BBQ Pitmasters, Alfaro likens it to the aspiring small-town singers auditioning for talent shows like American Idol in its heyday. Digital channels such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram give motivated creators access. And with the right access, they have an opportunity to claim the spotlight.
Not only that, creators get to do so while producing the content of their choosing as they build out highly devoted and personalized audiences with whom they can connect with directly.
In fact, Galanis’ Cameo serves that exact purpose. A platform at the intersection of entertainment, technology and social media, Cameo allows fans to browse more than 50,000 celebrities, athletes, creators and influencers and purchase personalized video messages from their favorites.
This creator economy has made the jobs of entertainment executives and producers easier, too, as they source talent to be featured in new projects. When proposing a project today, the number of followers a creator has, their self-produced content and their audience demographics are all part of the pitch.
And though the market might feel saturated, the allure of a lasting creator career is more tangible than ever.
“There are 50 million people in the world [who] consider themselves creators. Now, is every one of them going to become the next Charlie Demilio? They’re not,” says Galanis. “But at least everybody has the potential to do that.”
The rise of celebrity staying power
When the phrase “15 minutes of fame” first entered the lexicon in the 1960s, a future featuring an internet that never forgets and access to a handful of free broadcast channels wasn’t a reality. Now that it is, Galanis predicts that a quarter of an hour is just a starting point.
“Fifteen minutes of fame in the digital age actually can last for 15 years, as long as you have a platform,” he says.
He gives the example of someone who might star in one of Alfaro’s reality shows for only one season. Rather than fade into obscurity, that individual can now parlay their once-only-fleeting fame for income via endorsement deals, collaborations with brands, and of course, working with Cameo.
And it’s not just creators who are finding new sources of income. Ten years ago, if you were to name the biggest brands on Earth, you’d see companies such as Coca-Cola, Nike and General Motors. But 10 years from now, Galanis says, the most recognizable “brands” will be people. Think Taylor Swift and Lionel Messi. “The reach is just absolutely incredible going forward,” he says. “It far surpasses global brands.”
And whether the brand is Beyonce or a charismatic chef who gained digital acclaim sharing aesthetically pleasing how-to videos, look for more creators and talent to become social media channel agnostic.
“There's this big trend of creators and talent needing to own, not rent, their audience from the social networks,” predicts Galanis.
With countries like the United States discussing whether to ban TikTok and disruption like the transition of Twitter to X earlier this year, it’s clear the channels can be unstable, Galanis says. As a result, more and more creators and talent are going to be finding ways to own their distribution.
What we consume won’t change, but where and how will
So, we can expect more people to be famous for longer, but what does that mean about the types of content consumers will be fed in the coming years?
“Content is always king. Tell a good story. Make something binge-worthy. I don’t think our industry’s going to change much,” says Alfaro.
What will change is how and where we consume those stories. With tech making content creation and dissemination easier, as well as the volatility of digital platforms and streaming services that emerge, merge and fold, no one should be married to one way of consumption.
“Will TikTok, Instagram, YouTube still be strong? It’s TBD. But people will always want to be entertained. The past, present and future will always be good storytelling. At the end of the day, you’re still going to want to see a well-produced show, scripted or unscripted with good drama and good payoff.”
Expect more AI integration
AI, the artificial elephant in the room for most “future of” conversations, is markedly present within the entertainment industry, as both the Writers Guild’s and Screen Actors Guild’s strikes negotiated how AI should and shouldn’t be used.
For Galanis at Cameo, the challenge is balancing authenticity with technology. “There is a potential to be really exciting going forward, but authenticity is so important to us,” he says. “When you see a Cameo video, what makes it special is that it is the real person doing it for you.” He says he currently doesn’t see a market for tech-generated messages from celebrities on his platform. However, Cameo has started dabbling in AI via animated characters. Newly launched Cameo Kids allows users to purchase messages from characters featured on popular shows such as CoComelon.
Alfaro advises leaders to get familiar with using AI to stay up-to-date and competitive. But he warns that while it can help generate ideas and build a foundation for a project, it still lacks a human touch.
Because while technically you could use AI to cast a show like The Real Housewives, only a human can truly bring together a dynamic group for a hit show, “[you] need to talk to somebody to know this person is the right kind of bananas to have their own show.”