Lights, camera… iPhone.
A lone creator hits record in their bedroom, and millions tune in. No big studio, no director, no executive named Bill Phecker over his shoulder. This isn’t the traditional studio system at work; it’s the rise of individual IP, where the creator is the content, the platform, and the brand all at once.
In the old days, a star needed Hollywood’s backing. Now the script has flipped, literally (correct usage, by the way, I’m a literal mastermind).
A new breed of media entrepreneur is taking center stage, part strategist, part showman, and they’re not performing for IP owners. They are the IP owners. This isn’t show business as usual.
The Chief Entertainment Officer
Steven Bartlett was turning down deals most hosts would grab in a heartbeat. Bartlett heard the $100 million offer and walked away. Why? Because he knew he could grow his show his way, better than any old-media exec could. Fax! As in, facts—and also the machine most of those execs came up on.
Bartlett isn’t just a podcaster; he’s a creator-CEO with a content empire in motion. The Diary of a CEO now reaches over 50 million listeners a month, and – according to Forbes – pulled in about $20 million in 2024 through partnerships, merch, and speaking gigs.
(Note to self: send résumé to Steven.com, via email, not fax).
While podcast royalty like Joe Rogan took the Spotify payday, Bartlett chose independence. Instead of giving up control, he doubled down on being a free agent, owning his content, his distribution, and his audience relationships outright.
Now, Bartlett is scaling up like a modern Walt Disney. His new venture, Steven.com, raised an eight-figure round, valuing the company at $425 million, aiming to become the “Disney of the creator economy.” But this time, Mickey Mouse isn’t the star—the creator is. “The IP isn’t a fictional character. The creator is the new franchise.”
Their home studios could build the next Magic Kingdom… which, ironically, is also what I call my bedroom.
Fueling the Beast
Meanwhile, down in North Carolina, a 27-year-old named Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is running what might be the world’s busiest production studio, and it’s headquartered on YouTube. Think less Warner Bros., more one bro.
He started as a teenager filming stunts at home. Now he’s running an empire that makes some networks look small. His flagship channel has more than 440 million subscribers, and his total reach tops what most legacy media companies could dream of. Jimmy Donaldson is reaching an audience that would make Sam Donaldson jealous.
Every viral video, whether it’s a Willy Wonka chocolate-factory remake or a real-life Squid Game, can cost $3 to $4 million to produce. The result? Billions of views a month and a brand that roars far beyond YouTube (yes, the “roar” line was cheesy, but I’m staying on brand here.)
Investors have noticed. His company, Beast Industries, recently raised capital at a $5.2 billion valuation. That’s not a typo. One talent. One brand. Five billion dollars.
He didn’t hand his show to Netflix or sell the format to TV. He turned the platform into his partner. YouTube provides the stage and shares the ad revenue. He keeps creative control and most of the upside from merch, sponsorships, spin-offs, and those candy bars my kids make me buy every time we’re near a Safeway checkout. They call it “supporting the Beast.” I call it “being financially ambushed by branding genius.”
MrBeast proved creators can build empires from bedrooms. For the record, I call mine The Beast Lair.
Call Her Mogul
If you need another proof point that the future belongs to individual IP, just call her Daddy.
In 2018, Alex Cooper launched Call Her Daddy. Fast forward: she signed a $60 million Spotify exclusive in 2021, then a $125 million SiriusXM deal in 2024. That SiriusXM deal wasn’t a goodbye to independence; it was fuel for her own empire.
Cooper didn’t just take the check and relax in her cozy sweats and hoodies. She founded The Unwell Network in 2023, a content network and creative agency she controls.
Like Bartlett and MrBeast, Alex Cooper took the wheel. By owning her content and her fanbase, she commands leverage once reserved for studio bosses and publicly traded media giants. The Daddy Gang buys her merch. Streamers queue up her doc. A-list celebrities line up for her show, ready to spill tea that would make Barbara Walters blush.
(And yes, this might be the only thing you’ll read today about the state of modern media that references both Sam Donaldson and Barbara Walters in the same post).
Alex Cooper learned early that authenticity beats perfection. She turned humor, storytelling, and charisma into a multimillion-dollar brand. From Barstool to Spotify to SiriusXM to Hulu, she proved it: fans will follow the creator across platforms and even to competing companies when the vision is real and the voice is theirs.
The Gatekeepers Lost Their Keys
This shift isn’t happening because Hollywood suddenly got generous. It’s happening because the old gatekeepers are losing their denture grip. The traditional studios, labels, and talent managers, once the kingmakers, are watching algorithms and audiences crown the new royalty.
And now each of them is using their reach for a bigger reason. Bartlett builds tools that help other creators own their ideas. MrBeast turns influence into impact. Cooper pays it forward by developing new talent under her brand.
Creativity scales best when the creator’s behind the wheel and still holding the keys.
Drive Your Own Story
So if you’re a creator reading this, take note.
You don’t need a studio lot, a record label, or an exec with a LinkedIn headshot in black and white to tell you you’ve made it.
(although, full disclosure, my own Instagram icon is black and white, so I’ll take the L on that one).
You are the studio.
You are the platform.
You are the IP.
Know your worth, keep your rights, and build your empire one upload, one episode, one idea at a time.
Because the real power move isn’t going viral, it’s going long-term.
Every time you hit record, you’re not just creating content, you’re creating capital.
So be your own fuel. Drive your own story. Keep your keys.
And if you ever forget the power you have, just think of me sitting in The Beast Lair, enjoying a chocolate bar.
-Phil Becker