This digital archivist thinks Hollywood’s ‘competition era’ is over

on the topic of money and ownership. Earlier this year, after several black TV shows were canceled, you wrote“Studios and streamers no longer care about loyalty or lasting legacy.” Why is Hollywood having so much trouble aligning its legacy with its business, even in 2024?

Well, the thing is, in the business they inherited, they feel like the work is left behind them.

But isn’t that what Hollywood is based on?

Yes, but forging new legacies and new avenues is less important to them than squeezing every possible dollar out of existing IP. Building something is far more expensive than resting on existing laurels. To me, the beginning of the end for that was when Warner Bros. and UPN merged to form The CW. Now, 20 years later, The CW is a shell of itself. In a merger, you’re no longer competing with anyone to create the best content. With the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery, they own, what, a quarter of TV? That competitive era of television – that’s over.

Which has a direct impact on the creative aspect.

The legacy-driven model is now all about appearances. So a lot of stars are using their own distribution or first-look deals to produce things. And these are the majority of people who are allowed to produce. So what’s the point of Hollywood when the only people who are allowed to produce are given the freedom to produce are those who have already done the hard work – if they’ve done anything to become a star? Hollywood is not in the business of guarantees. Everything has to be proven before it can be made.

And if this is the case then many people will be deprived of it.

The battle for nostalgia as currency has come at a time when some of the highest-rated stuff is non-white. This is no accident. It feels like television, media, and filmmaking are becoming manifest destiny in all the wrong ways. And nothing could be more saddening.

Maybe we need a better framework.

People have turned industries upside down to chase Netflix. And no one has caught up. Everything has fallen in this race. What is happening now is that people are just copying the best and most watched videos. There is no variety in the way things are presented.

You once described “post-2020 Black media as akin to the modern Blaxploitation boom.” That made me think of platforms like Tubi and AllBlack, which are sometimes mocked as a streaming ghetto, but those same streamers have also given opportunities to young creators.

As I was saying, blaxploitation paved the way for Spike Lee, it paved the way for the independent Black movement of the 80s, which of course shapes all of our knowledge of modern Black film and modern Black media. Every valley has a peak. That’s the nature of life. So what do I think is the head start? We should be thinking about the independent models that existed before our current era. There are many ways to make media. As studios have announced pilot season is essentially coming to an end, what are some ways that Black creators can come together to make the things they want?

I mean, I don’t know if I have the answers, but I have curiosity. And often curiosity and care — and leading with them — can change the way we understand history and the future.