From YouTube to Hollywood: How Digital-Native Creators Are Reshaping Entertainment

From left to right: Alan Chikin Chow's Alan's Universe, Pooja Tripathi's Brooklyn Coffee Shop, Kareem Rahma's Keep the Meter Running

This summer may mark a turning point in the relationship between Hollywood and the creator economy. Recent theatrical successes like Backrooms and Obsession have demonstrated something industry insiders have been discussing for years: some of the most exciting filmmakers, storytellers, and creative franchises are no longer emerging from traditional studio systems. They're emerging from YouTube.

Built on modest budgets but backed by highly engaged audiences, both films outperformed major studio releases at the box office and reinforced a growing reality for Hollywood executives: digital-native creators aren't simply influencers with large followings—they're creators who have spent years developing characters, worlds, formats, and production expertise.

As Business Insider recently highlighted, the next generation of filmmakers may already be building their careers online. Several Underscore Talent clients are part of that conversation.

Creator and filmmaker Alan Chikin Chow was highlighted for the expansive world-building behind Alan's Universe, his scripted franchise that has grown beyond YouTube onto platforms including Prime Video, Roku, and Tubi. The article also spotlighted Baron Ryan, whose feature film Two Sleepy People screened in theaters across the United States before securing international distribution. Meanwhile, Pooja Tripathi's scripted comedy series Brooklyn Coffee Shop has become one of the strongest examples of creator-led storytelling finding recognition from traditional entertainment institutions, earning a place in the Tribeca Festival's creator showcase while building a substantial audience online. They also highlighted Kareem Rahma, whose work continues to blur the lines between creator content and premium entertainment. Following the success of Subway Takes, Kareem recently partnered with YouTube to launch Keep The Meter Running as a full-fledged original series, further cementing his position as one of the most distinctive creative voices working today.

The opportunities aren't limited to creators moving behind the camera. Across Underscore's roster, we're seeing a growing number of digitally-native talents successfully cross into television, film, voice acting, and unscripted entertainment. Kelon Campbell (known online as Psyiconic, or Terri Joe) recently expanded his Terri Joe universe into film through a Tubi project, proving that internet-born characters can successfully translate into longer-form entertainment formats. Noah Beck continues to build an impressive acting career, starring in Tubi's successful Sidelined franchise and also joining the cast of Fox's highly anticipated Baywatch reboot.

Vinnie Hacker has emerged as another example of creator crossover success. Alongside building one of social media's most recognizable brands, he has established himself as a voice actor through his role as Slur in Netflix's English dub of Sakamoto Days, appeared in Season 3 of HBO's Euphoria, and was recently announced as a lead in the upcoming feature film My Boyfriend Is a Demon.

The same trend is increasingly visible in unscripted television. Creators Nicole Sahebi and Suede Brooks recently made the leap from social platforms to Netflix as stars of Calabasas Confidential, which debuted in Netflix's U.S. Top 10. Their success reflects how reality television is increasingly looking toward creator culture as a pipeline for compelling personalities and built-in fan communities.

At Underscore Talent, we've long believed that the distinction between "creator" and "traditional talent" would continue to disappear. Today's creators aren't just building audiences. They're developing intellectual property, producing premium content and cultivating communities that follow them across formats and platforms. The skills required to build a successful digital media business (writing, producing, directing, editing, audience development, creative direction) often mirror the exact skills needed to succeed in traditional entertainment.

Our role is to help creators identify the opportunities that best align with their long-term ambitions, whether that's launching original series, developing film projects, expanding into television, pursuing voice acting, building franchises, or creating entirely new categories of entertainment. What's becoming increasingly clear is that traditional media is no longer simply serving as the destination creators aspire to reach. Instead, studios, networks, streamers, and production companies are actively looking toward the creator economy for the next generation of storytellers, intellectual property, and cultural franchises.

The future of entertainment won't be defined by creators moving into traditional media or traditional media moving into digital. It will be defined by the convergence of both, and we're excited to continue helping our clients push those boundaries and create the next generation of entertainment.