The creator economy has moved far beyond the grainy webcam era, and YouTube is increasingly rewriting the rules around who gets to make entertainment. From Jawed Karim’s 19-second Me at the Zoo in 2005 to creator-led productions that now resemble studio projects, the platform has travelled a remarkable distance. Its latest moves suggest that creators are no longer simply part of YouTube’s ecosystem, but increasingly central to how it sees the future of entertainment. 

Two decades later, YouTube creators are running production companies, building brands, hiring teams and making projects that can cross directly into mainstream entertainment. 

So, if the old Hollywood question was who got a studio greenlight, the newer question may be who can build the audience before asking for one. That is where Andreas Briese comes in.

Speaking to Deadline after appearing at the Zurich Summit, the Managing Director of YouTube Germany and Regional Director for Central and Northern Europe, Andreas Briese, pointed to Kane Parsons’ Backrooms and Curry Barker’s Obsession as examples of creators pushing into more ambitious filmmaking territory.

“Creators are the new Hollywood,” Briese said.

He added, "Many of them, especially the midsize and large creators, are entrepreneurs. They really run their business.

Briese also told Deadline that traditional media has changed substantially, with broadcasters and distributors increasingly turning toward YouTube for new audiences and opportunities. YouTube says it has paid more than $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies over the past four years, while its latest strategy puts creator businesses, brand partnerships, AI-assisted production and new monetization tools firmly at the centre. Creators can now control development, distribution, audience relationships and commercialization in ways that once required several layers of the entertainment business. 

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The interesting part is that YouTube is not merely talking about this shift. It is building policy and infrastructure around it.

YouTube’s recent moves make the creator-first strategy difficult to miss. In August, the platform announced major updates to the YouTube Partner Program, including new revenue opportunities and incentives tied to Shorts, shopping and brand partnerships. Then, at Made on YouTube in September, it expanded Creator Partnerships and YouTube Shopping, with the affiliate program set to reach 35 countries by the end of 2026. More than 3 million creators are already in the Partner Program.

That business model is increasingly visible at the Zurich Film Festival ecosystem itself. The 2026 Zurich Summit placed the creator economy, YouTube and TikTok among its central industry conversations, with Parsons, Briese and other entertainment executives appearing alongside traditional film figures. The symbolism is hard to miss: a festival conference discussing the future of cinema now has creators sitting in the same room as studio, agency and film-industry decision-makers.

The question now is whether the traditional industry catches up with that audience-first model, or whether the audience simply moves on without waiting for it.

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What do you think? Are creators becoming the next Hollywood powerhouses, or is traditional Hollywood still holding the keys? Share your thoughts in the comments.