The New Creator Economy: Why Creators Don't Need Hollywood Anymore

Stop waiting for Hollywood to greenlight your ideas. Christian Tom explains how creators can now build their own intellectual property. In this episode of Post Credits, Ian Schafer sits down with Christian Tom, co-founder and CEO of AND Media and former White House Director of Digital Strategy. They discuss the critical shift in the media landscape where creators are no longer dependent on traditional studios to fund or distribute their projects. Tom outlines how his company provides the necessary capital and development support to empower independent creators, allowing them to own their work from the start. This conversation is essential for anyone interested in the future of the creator economy. By removing the traditional gatekeepers, we are witnessing a fundamental change in how entertainment gets made. Tom and Schafer unpack the mechanics of this new model, detailing how it reshapes who gets to profit from original content. They also explore the ongoing convergence of media and what it means for the next generation of storytellers looking to build sustainable, independent businesses. Subscribe for weekly insights on the decentralization of entertainment, and let us know in the comments: what is the biggest barrier you face as a creator today? Watch POST CREDITS Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Bloomberg TV, or catch the full episode Wednesdays at 6 p.m. ET on our YouTube channel. Video Chapters: 0:00 The changing media landscape 1:30 Disruption of information 4:53 Venture studios and creators 8:03 Defining professional media 10:46 Strategy of content growth 12:38 Values-aligned media 16:05 Venture studio mechanics 20:20 Measuring success 23:36 The role of trust 26:54 Navigating creator deals 29:14 Trust in entertainment 32:42 Maintaining authenticity 34:46 Podcasts vs. shows 37:25 New media models 40:02 The power of algorithms 42:18 Rapid fire and conclusion About Post Credits: Presented by Bloomberg, Post Credits is a bold new series that explores how power in the entertainment industry is shifting — from studios to creators, from gatekeepers to algorithms, and from interruptive advertising to brand-funded storytelling and distribution. Hosted by Ian Schafer, co-founder of Ensemble and branded entertainment pioneer, each episode pulls back the curtain on how today’s most culturally relevant content is getting made — and who’s really making it happen. Follow POST CREDITS: Instagram: www.instagram.com/postcreditstv TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@postcreditstv X: www.x.com/@postcreditstv Newsletter: newsletter.postcredits.tv/