Hollywood’s old guards have been feeling threatened by the breakout success of Obsession and Backrooms, according to Robert Franke. A few years ago, YouTube would have seemed like an odd way for a new generation of filmmakers to get into Hollywood. It used to be mostly used for short-form experiments, reviews, sketches, and gaming videos, but these days it serves as a platform for directors who want to make a big impact at the box office. This shift has become more evident in the last couple of weeks, with Backrooms and Obsession giving big studio releases a run for their money.

Talking about the same, Robert Franke explains why digital creators like Kane Parsons and Curry Barker now outpace legacy media.

Recently, popular films have been directed by young YouTube creators like Kane Parsons, Curry Barker, and Markiplier, which has greatly boosted the box office. This is "scary as f***" for the older generation since they were earlier accustomed to the idea that if they pour anything into a distribution funnel, it will eventually reach its audience, veteran German CEO Robert Franke told a Seriencamp audience.

“What a lot of people in my age cohort are experiencing is a loss of influence and the fact that the happy days are over,” he told a panel titled Rethinking Story Development Through Culture Thinking in Cologne.

Robert Franke is of the opinion that experienced executives, most of whom come from the Ivy League, like Harvard, can no longer justify every decision they take just on the basis of their educational background. One cannot convey an authentic story if they lack the humility to recognize that their viewpoint may not be valid for other cultures. Furthermore, one cannot own the thing they are attempting to create, but they can be a part of it.

According to Franke, these days, large hits like Adolescence are frequently the result of what at first glance seem to be lesser wagers. Adolescence is, in a sense, the tiny things that became a cultural phenomenon. It was commissioned since it does not harm the commissioners who approved it (in case it does not work), and it grows on the periphery of platforms.

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He also presented a unique insight about Backrooms, which many get wrong at first glance.

While making reference to the current wave of popular YouTubers, Robert Franke emphasized that Kane Parsons and his popular A24 film Backrooms are still present in the system in various ways. He reminds everyone that Backrooms is a traditionally produced film from a system, and A24 is not an indie production house, but an established studio now.

They have just positioned themselves differently and have given up the obsession with algorithmic thinking. Whether the film was from the system or not, it was by someone who was always lurking outside the system, and when he got the opportunity, he stormed his way right in. Anyhow, Franke’s assessment of the situation seems apt, especially in regard to the older brains; they do need to be on their toes going forward.

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