07-28-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

The creator economy needs the Hollywood treatment

As creators expand from message distribution to brands and entrepreneurs, they need an ecosystem to go with it.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

Spend five minutes reading the coverage coming out of Cannes this year and you’d think there weren’t any movie stars left on billion-dollar yachts in the harbor. The celebrities this year were creators, all making mega deals back on shore.

Brands are building creator strategies. Agencies are launching creator practices. Investors are pouring capital into creator businesses.

But from where I sit, after more than two decades running an entertainment marketing agency, something feels off. The market is investing aggressively in creators, but far less attention is being paid to what actually helps creators become enduring businesses.

I think everyone is missing the big picture.

The first generation of creators proved that individuals could build audiences at........

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