What Hollywood Craves: Your Existing Audience

The Future of Filmmaking and the Rise of the Affinity Economy

Four months ago, I launched the In Development newsletter with a question: What should we do next in the entertainment industry as it faces a crisis? Since then, we've explored various topics such as the making and selling of vertical videos, filmmakers getting money from wealthy individuals, and models that might make sense for the future. We've also discussed how filmmakers can own their release strategies and how crews are learning to think like influencers. Additionally, we've examined why living lean is becoming a business strategy.

This week, the focus shifts to a different question: What if your success as a filmmaker is tied to the strength of your personal community? This idea may sound familiar, akin to something you'd hear at a TED Talk, but it's more than just a catchy phrase. It suggests that investors or buyers might value a project not only based on its story, cast, production team, and director's CV, but also on the collective value of the communities they bring to the table.

I'm not referring to Instagram followers, although you might have those too. Instead, I mean the ability to demonstrate there's a group of people who share a specific affinity for your work and for each other. This concept is already evident in events like Comic-Con and the franchises that fill it. But what if this same logic applied to indie filmmakers, emerging producers, actors, or cinematographers?

I believe this is the direction the industry is moving toward. Enter the Affinity Economy, a term coined by Evan Shapiro, a former TV executive known for his data-driven insights. Two years ago, he challenged legacy-media executives at the global conference IBC, declaring they now operated in a creator economy. His bold statement caused some discomfort among attendees, leading to a few people leaving the room.

Today, YouTube is the number-one television channel, and the creator economy is a given. Shapiro has since moved on, describing the Affinity Economy as "a new ecosystem where mainstream media and the creator economy have collided and melded and turned into a Frankenstein monster." This economy doesn't care about being indie or blockbuster, theatrical or TikTok. It's all about the community your work creates or inspires, which cannot be faked or replicated by AI.

When Shapiro returned to IBC this September, the audience reaction was markedly different. He noted that the reception was very positive, with both the audience and organizers expressing enthusiasm. Many delegates shared that they would most want to transform the vision-less CFO-centric culture in the industry and return to vision and mission. This shift is encouraging in a world where major studios are preparing to merge.

The Affinity Economy is an emerging buzzword, but there's evidence that its reality is already here. When speaking with Cineverse executive Erick Opeka about MicroCo, we discussed the upcoming LA vertical drama market and its fan event VertiCon, which draws attendance from as far as Australia. This highlights the importance of community in driving engagement and revenue.

Why does this matter? More importantly, Opeka explained that devotion can translate directly into dollars. If a microdrama star like Kasey Esser shows that his fans convert into paying customers, he can get more money from companies like MicroCo. If creators build their own franchises and gain popularity, they will demand and receive more support.

In essence, those who can convert fans into audiences will succeed. However, this requires young creators to start building a fanbase now—before they've made any significant sale, possibly even before they're really good. This is challenging but essential under the Affinity Economy, as community is the only metric that truly matters.

How to do that? That's a topic for a future issue of In Development.

Weekly Recommendations for Your Career Mindset

5. Microbudget Secrets for NonDē Productions: ORIGINAL MUSIC
By Jake Weisman
Music can make or break a movie, but indie filmmakers often neglect it during post-production due to budget constraints. This article offers a detailed breakdown of options available to artists looking to stretch their budgets and create soundtracks that make their films sound more expensive than they actually are.

4. “Weapons” Is a Marketing Masterclass
By Adam Kritzer
A clever article that analyzes the strategies behind an expensive studio film with a massive marketing budget and applies them to microbudget filmmakers handling their own distribution. Every filmmaker can find something useful here to enhance their marketing campaign.

3. Why Netflix Struggles To Make Good Movies: A Data Explainer
By Daniel Parris
This insightful look into the processes and priorities that lead to many of Netflix's less inspired films provides a reason to feel good about making films independently.

2. Craft Services for the Micro-budget Filmmaker
By Donny Broussard
This article details the parts of filmmaking that often go unnoticed, offering a valuable resource for filmmakers working with limited budgets.

1. 26 Film Social Hot Takes
By Ami Vora
For filmmakers looking to build a following in the Affinity Economy, this fun read offers 26 easily digestible bits of advice on social media marketing.

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