What If Movie Theaters Stopped Waiting for Hollywood?
A weekend conversation about movie distribution turned into a bigger question about who gets to decide what plays on the big screen.
Industry
People Will Watch AI Videos for Free. Will They Pay for an AI Movie?
China’s first fully AI-generated feature drew four people to one screening and $253,000 in eleven days. A snapshot of where the AI debate stands, from someone who still believes in the human hand.
Can One Animator Build the Next Great Animation Studio?
Hazbin Hotel started as a YouTube pilot, and Lackadaisy raised $2 million from its fans. For independent animators, building an audience has become the easy part. Turning a hit cartoon into a company that lasts is the real test.
Five Low-Budget Horror Films That Rewrote Hollywood’s Rules
They had little money and no stars, yet these filmmakers turned their limitations into the very thing that frightened audiences. From a Pittsburgh farmhouse to a grimy bathroom in Saw, here’s how five low-budget horror films changed the way Hollywood makes and sells fear.
What Happened to Hollywood’s Middle Class?
Hollywood’s middle class of movies, the $25-80 million dramas, thrillers, and teen classics a generation grew up on, once ruled theaters. Here’s what actually killed it, and it wasn’t just streaming.
The New Hollywood: Why Entertainment Never Really Dies
Every generation is sure its technology is the one that finally kills Hollywood. Television, streaming, now AI. History says otherwise, and the pattern of what actually happens when entertainment disrupts itself is more interesting than the funeral headlines suggest.
The Great Fragmentation of Entertainment
Entertainment / Streaming / Pop Culture Why We May Never Share the Same Pop Culture Again Entertainment is bigger than ever, but the shared cultural moments that once connected everyone are disappearing. By David DerksJuly 8, 2026 Filed Under: Entertainment | Streaming | Pop Culture | Creator Economy | Anime Why We May Never Share […]
Why Low-Budget Movies Often Make Bigger Profits
Film Industry / Box Office / Independent Film Why Low-Budget Movies Make Bigger Profits How three shoestring-budget films outearned Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, dollar for dollar. By David DerksJuly 2, 2026 Filed Under: Film Industry | Box Office | Independent Film | Hollywood Economics How three shoestring-budget films outearned Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, dollar for dollar. Hollywood […]
Hollywood Didn’t Create These Hits. Their Audiences Did.
Creator Economy / Hollywood / Digital Media Creator Economy Success Stories How seven creator-led projects built devoted fan communities before traditional entertainment companies recognized their value. By David DerksJune 30, 2026 Filed Under: Creator Economy | Hollywood | YouTube | Animation | Digital Media How seven creator-led projects built devoted fan communities before traditional entertainment […]
The Audience Is the New Intellectual Property
Hollywood / Creator Economy / Digital Entertainment The Creator Economy Is Coming for Hollywood Studios once built audiences from scratch. Now creators are arriving with loyal communities already in place, and that changes the balance of power. By David Derks derksworld · Digital Entertainment Filed Under: Creator Economy · Hollywood · Animation · Games · […]