Sean Musial, Managing Editor
Due to the expansive world that has become modern media, becoming your own independent creator is something that has turned into a much easier route and a universal way to break through. Don’t get me wrong: it is still a difficult feat to enter the expansive zeitgeist that has emerged out of the 2020s so far. That still hasn’t stopped a plethora of creators from making content until they’ve become household names or gained the attention of major studios.
Curry Barker and Kane Parsons are two of the best examples of YouTubers and social media creators breaking into the world of Hollywood. Barker started his career by doing comedy sketches on his channel “That’s A Bad Idea” with creative partner Cooper Tomlinson. This year, he made his feature film debut with Obsession. The film had a budget of around $750,000 and grossed $519 million worldwide in just a few months. Parsons started creating the short film series “The Backrooms” on his YouTube channel, where he gained the attention of A24, which helped bring his strange story to the big screen with a budget of 10 million. Ultimately, the movie made $400.6 million worldwide.
Stepping away from the film industry, independent journalists are starting to shine online with their approaches and storytelling. Social media has countless people telling stories on their feeds telling viewers what’s going on in the world—politics, business, entertainment, society, etc. People are finding their voices in these niches and are arguably gaining more traction because they have taken action into their own hands. An extreme example of this is “Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan,” a YouTube documentary series covering topics ranging from an alleged alien cult, a rundown of the streets of Kensington, a looksmaxxing sleepaway camp, interviews with celebrities, and other forms of immersive content that span various different subcultures.
Podcasts have become an interesting form of media over the last decade or so. Similar to radio, the audience of a particular genre can tune in to whoever podcaster can scratch the entertainment itch you’ve been looking for. From true crime to interviews, self-help to business, many independent creators are out there providing the world with the information or enjoyment we need.
Realistically, anyone can go on the internet and create. A writer can go onto a website and self-publish a book. A musician can create a song and leave it up to chance to gain an audience. A couple could even go on TikTok or Instagram and make relationship jokes, gaining a following only weeks later. The possibilities are endless. The power is just in the hands of those who start and do not give up.
Independent media, thanks to the intense growth the internet has gone through since its birth, is all around us in modern society. A person with the iota of creative ability can become someone who graces the screens of millions of people if they decide to go for it. Remember that you don’t always need a big break, just the ability to produce the media you have created and fight to keep it alive and relevant.
