New Game, No Rules...Yet.

lessons from basketball, the new media, and yes, the creator economy

Game Recognizes Game

When doing new things such as starting a film label in an industry that seems to actively be falling apart, it’s good to sometimes look outside of your industry to gain inspiration from others successfully navigating theirs.

Take basketball for example.

Draymond Green is no stranger to noise. As the vocal backbone of the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty, he’s made a career out of being unapologetically himself—whether it’s diving for a loose ball, barking defensive coverages, or speaking his truth in front of a microphone. But in recent years, Green’s influence has extended far beyond the hardwood. He’s emerged as one of the leading voices in the new media movement —

a growing trend of athletes reclaiming their narratives, breaking down the game with insight only insiders can offer, and challenging the conventions of sports commentary.

That’s what separates the new media from the old. It’s not just about who has the mic—it’s about who has the insight.

“The new media means to me means explaining the game of basketball, teaching the game of basketball, really talking from a place of basketball knowledge and not just saying things and outlandish statements to start controversy,” Green said. “And understanding that it’s ok to give guys flowers while they still can smell them; it’s okay to say someone is great and not try to tear someone down. It’s okay. But ultimately understanding that when you speak, it should be built on BASKETBALL KNOWLEDGE and not controversy.”

That mindset is a direct contrast to what Green views as a flaw in traditional sports talk culture: an overreliance on hot takes, negative narratives, and inflammatory opinions designed more to trend on social media than to enlighten audiences.

Whether it’s questioning a star player’s legacy after one bad game or pitting teammates against each other with speculative drama, the old formula doesn’t sit well with today’s players…who know how much nuance gets lost in the noise.

Fans today crave more than just box scores and debate shows—they want context, authenticity, and behind-the-scenes access.

It’s a refreshing perspective in an industry that can often feel like a competition for who can criticize the loudest. For Green, giving someone their flowers doesn’t make you soft—it makes you real. And in a league built on mutual respect and competition, that authenticity matters.

Draymond Green isn’t just challenging the way we talk about basketball—he’s redefining who gets to lead the conversation. He’s shown that media doesn’t have to be a retirement plan; it can be a real-time extension of a player’s career, a way to impact the culture even while the game is still being played.

from Draymond Green on the “New Media,” Critics, and Giving Flowers While They’re Due by Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson

Which brings us back to film and its undeniable present state of shapeshifting. To some this change and transitioning might seem like THE END, but to those who are looking outside at the bigger picture what you’ll quickly realize is while old systems might be falling apart, new ones are already being born.

The A Way Forward

The lesson Draymond teaches us is that more and more people will continue to crave information directly from the source. Whose opinion would you ultimately rather hear from? The person who played the game, or the person who watched the game? Both have merits, but historically the microphone has been dominated mainly by those who watch the game, but guess what? The players now have a microphone too. And it’s time filmmakers take notes, and get to amplifying their own voices. Control your narrative and connect with your audience. They want to hear from you. It’s already happening (more on that next week!)

If you’re an independent producer and you’re not building community, if you don’t have a community manager, if you’re not thinking about how to build your own audience, and you ONLY rely on selling to the gatekeepers, the next decade won’t be very promising for you. Because selling a show to Netflix will become less & less profitable as the decade progresses. I assure you. -Evan Shapiro

I pointed out that I was more sure that they would lose their jobs soon to the rise of the creator economy and its direct, genuine connections to fans, than to AI robots in the next three years. Savvy creators are launching new film fests, new studios (being managed by refugees from Hollywood), and are leap-frogging the indie filmmakers who have never bothered to embrace participatory culture. - Brian Newman

We all need to be looking in new directions. The problem, however, is that much of our industry leadership is focused on putting out the fires, and on reading the old maps. -Brian Newman

We need new maps for the new roads being paved (or at least currently being bulldozed) in the film world. We need more people who aren’t afraid to chart new territories, to try new things, and yes sometimes - temporarily - fail. We need people who know how to pivot. We need more people with a hunger and willingness for the new that goes beyond their fear of the unknown. Because I’ll let you in on a little secret - the unknown is becoming known more each and every day.

The creator economy and the film world have already reached the inevitable next stage of their relationship. People are already finding new ways to access the audiences hungry for the stories they’re telling bypassing studios and streaming services entirely.

Even the financial models for movies are being reimagined in real time…

We need to make vivid that a future of abundance is achievable. […] We need to “flood the zone” with these stories. The age of thinking one film or article will move the needle is long gone. - Sandy Herz

We invest little grants of $20K here and $50K there in single movies that won’t get picked up for distribution, and then spend $150K running an “impact campaign” to bring them to the few thousand people who already care about the issue.

We need to think more like Mr. Leo and step back, look at the bigger picture and build for the long term. That means investing in slates, or entire studios, focused on new narratives, not just single projects. It means trusting artists – with much bigger investments – to help us shape these narratives. It means thinking much bigger, again (like when we founded ITVS, for example). Let’s start asking new questions, find new answers and tell new narratives.

-Brian Newman, Wrong Questions, New Answers, New Narratives

And for those of you wanting to further explore the financial side of film’s future,

Sam Widdoes

posted some great insight into what that type of investment looks like.

The key insight from micro-cap PE [private equity] is that you don't need to dominate markets—you need to serve them consistently, create efficiencies of scale, and slowly expand their customer base over time…For digital-first brands and creator communities that have built dedicated audiences over time, the right investment could build out those offerings to expanded markets, without abandoning the core message or creator-audience relationship. - Sam Widdoes, The Private Equity Takeover of Indie Film

So if we truly are living in a new era and have all this access and democratization and OPPORTUNITY - why aren’t more people cannonballing right into all this future??

I (Taylor) think it comes down to a mentality shift. Creating new maps for new roads is a lot easier said than done. As much as we love to fantasize about changing our lives, when it comes down to it, we tend to approach it with the same trepidation as a child wading into the deep end for the first time. But THE LABEL is here to show you it’s really not as scary as it sounds. It just takes some strategic planning, hours long conversations and brainstorming, unrelenting imagination and eventually, a simple leap of faith.

He who jumps into the void owes no explanation to those who stand and watch.

- Jean-Luc Godard

Are there psychological barriers blocking TV people getting into the creator market? by

Jen Topping

[this applies to everyone in film not just tv.]

And this is the challenge with the direct to consumer market as there simply aren’t boundaries. There is no one setting rules on content types. No gatekeeper. No regulation beyond the laws of the land especially those related to copyright or being caught somehow trying to game the algorithm. This is a permissionless environment where anything goes.

So if you want to broadcast yourself you can. Equally, if you’d like to make a channel where you never appear, then that too. The only boundary is your creativity and scale of your ambition.

In this new world, sweeping generalisations aren’t a helpful mindset in finding opportunities. To succeed in this new direct to consumer space involves hunting down and targeting a niche, a sub culture, an interest group or a hobby, a fandom or a tribe.

So yes, of course there are still big broad successes out there, however increasingly where you’ll find your edge will be in hunting a niche and building an audience and community around whatever that may be.

The good news is that potential niches are limitless. However, it can make it hard to talk about the creator market in general terms, as there are no clearly defined set of guardrails or rules to follow.

The relative lack of clear genres and categories in the direct to consumer world is a crucial concept… to understand, as once you’ve grasped the rule-less, permission-less, boundary-less nature of this market, the more likely lightbulbs will start going off in your head.

After all, in this space the only limit on success is your ideas, dedication and willingness to keep going until you hit a rich seam with audiences…some of the greatest storytellers in the world - [are] stepping into the direct to consumer market where there are audiences ready and waiting. - Jen Topping

THE LABEL’S TAKE:

The culture shift is already here, and the future is bright.

It’s simply a collective mindset/ perspective shift we need to be able to take hold of the ripe opportunities we have before us and step into a new, better way of developing, marketing, distributing, and seeing films.

And as with anything, this starts on the individual level. We know this is a whole lot easier said than done. So let us help you navigate this new terrain with the insight and understanding we’ve been actively seeking, gathering, and discussing. Ellis and I bonded immediately over the fact that we don’t just want to make movies - we want to change the game itself. And now more than ever before is the time.

“We’ve retreated into a sense that there’s always a new apocalypse on the horizon; it’s a terrible teddy bear that the bourgeois greens hug to themselves and say, ‘We’re all going to die, it’s terrible.’ That’s not the way you change the world” – Adam Curtis

What’s Next?

It’s time to learn some lessons from those doing and learning in real time. Next week we’ll be releasing an interview we did with someone who is actively making change happen in the film world. Join us next Friday for an interview with Creator Camp Co-Founder, Max Reisinger.

A big thank you for coming along for the ride.