{"id":7997258,"date":"2026-04-10T06:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/?p=7997258"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:31:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:31:57","slug":"creator-business-hollywood-brad-haugen-dunia-mcneily-kudzi-chikumbu-panel-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/industry-news\/business\/creator-business-hollywood-brad-haugen-dunia-mcneily-kudzi-chikumbu-panel-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionsgate, Tubi Execs Share Their Secret to Creator Success in Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

While many in Hollywood are still grappling with the exploding creator economy, many of its executives are approaching partnerships in the area the same way as the average green light for a TV show<\/a> or film<\/a>: finding a good, original story and a collaborator who is passionate about the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA creator builds their audience or cuts through because they have something unique to say or something different to say. There’s something about them that works,\u201d Lionsgate\u2019s EVP of Digital Strategy & Growth Brad Haugen said during TheWrap\u2019s Creators x Hollywood Summit on Wednesday. \u201cWe’re looking for people who have a point of view, who have a story to tell, who have an audience, big or small, that they believe that they can grow or bring with them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to love it, you have to believe in it, and you have to want to market it from the rooftops,\u201d added 3 Arts Entertainment partner Dunia McNeily, who represents clients such as \u201cDancing With the Stars\u201d host Julianne Hough. \u201cIf you don’t feel that from the very beginning, say no. Don’t touch it and move on.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those comments come amid Hollywood finally taking creators more seriously and pouring money into the area. Tubi, for instance, has partnered with several creators to produce programming for its ad-supported free streaming service, while Lionsgate has embraced creators as part of its marketing strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key benefit is working with creators who have their own niche and built-in audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether they’re doing get ready with me videos or making adult animation or horror or whatever, they’re creating worlds. And they’re creating worlds for themselves usually to start because it’s something they believe in and then they’re bringing their audiences along for that,\u201d Haugen said. \u201cEveryone in the industry loves to talk about Markiplier, it was awesome what he did with \u2018Iron Lung.\u2019 But what he did really was he brought everyone into that world and along for the journey of making that film. But by the time the film came out, the fans were there for him. That\u2019s what we\u2019re looking for when we talk about partnering with creators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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While content and finding a niche is king, executives also said it\u2019s crucial for creators to think about being multi-platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need to be everywhere. There\u2019s 35% of Tubi users that are not on YouTube. People are like, \u2018Why is Mr. Beast, the biggest YouTuber, on Tubi?\u2019 It\u2019s because he knows incremental audience, incremental revenue and there’s different people who go to different things to look for different things,\u201d Kudzi Chikumbu, Tubi\u2019s vice president of creator partnerships, said. \u201cAs a creator of multi-platform, the way to do it is to build yourself like a studio. Whether you’re small or big, you really need to think production-mind versus just views and virality on one platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, Haugen admitted that his own team at Lionsgate has been trying to think more like creators by experimenting with different mediums over the last year to take advantage of their vast library of content, such as launching individual channels based on its IP or putting its shows and movies on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and ReelShort.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s not just about putting it out on one platform and hoping that it works and just grinding it out for 13 years,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can do that and frankly, the biggest creators in the world have done that. But we’re in a different era.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McNeily also emphasized the importance of building a \u201c360-degree business\u201d around whatever your content or niche is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Content is where it all begins and that’s what drives up the price tag on a bunch of different things. But if I were a creator, I’d be thinking as a business person,” she said. “If they launched in their bedroom in high school and YouTube, then what is the natural evolution of what they’re doing and what they’re talking about? It’s case by case, but it could lead itself to a podcast, and there’s tons of money in podcasts, it could then lend itself to merch, product lines.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s all about strategic and thoughtful scaling,” she added. “Anything you can think of, you can build around a creator if it makes sense.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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When asked to give advice to creators, McNeily said to \u201cwork smarter, not harder\u201d by surrounding themselves with people who have different skillsets and delegate work that they don\u2019t want to do or aren\u2019t good at. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt all comes down to being responsible and strategic. What I’ve done with some of my larger creators is use these big paydays to hire talented people to help with the massive amount of output that becomes necessary for them to keep feeding their audiences, to hit the deliverable deadlines with the brands or the streaming partners that are paying them,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s just about alleviating the creator’s artist brain and allowing them to go away and really nurture that while other people who they trust and who are talented are dealing with more of the granular output.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also told creators to find partners that give you the trust and space to do your best work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe challenges in working with brands are when we work with a brand that is so hyper focused on their ROI and not the creative and engaging with the creator’s audience,\u201d McNeily said.\u201cMy favorite thing is the power of no because there are so many opportunities coming to these creators, whether it’s through their team, whether it’s in their DMs, whatever it is. It’s like, \u2018here’s money, here’s money, here’s money, here’s an opportunity, here’s a collab op.\u2019 But you have to say no and you have to take a step back and think like a true business person for longevity and long term success.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Haugen advised creators to focus less on how they\u2019re being perceived by Hollywood and the public and more on figuring out what they\u2019re good at and staying true to their story and audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have this hot take that I don’t think the creator economy is actually a real thing. I think it’s traditional Hollywood people bucketing a new generation of talent coming up in a new and different way, and they don’t know how to define it,\u201d he said. \u201cSo what I tell creators is, don’t think of yourself as like, \u2018Oh, I’m a creator because I do things on the Internet.\u2019 Just focus on what’s your story and tell that story because talent always rises to the top in this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome out there might think that that\u2019s not good content or don\u2019t like that. Well, guess what? Someone out there didn\u2019t like the Best Picture winner or Best Actor winner this year and that\u2019s okay,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of storytelling. It hits different people at different times and it’s all about eliciting emotion. And if you don’t forget where you came from and you don’t forget your audience and you stay true to just the story you want to tell, then I think you’re going to do just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TheWrap\u2019s Creators x Hollywood Summit is an invite-only gathering of the top creators, entertainment leaders and brand partners who are shaping the future of storytelling and the new entertainment economy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event is presented in partnership with global creator agency Whalar and The Lighthouse, both part of the Whalar Group. It is sponsored by City National Bank, Fox Entertainment, Lionsgate, Loeb & Loeb LLP and WEBTOON.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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TheWrap\u2019s Creators x Hollywood Summit: 3 Arts Entertainment’s Dunia McNeily also emphasizes the importance of creating a \u201c360 degree business\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10131,"featured_media":7996487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":504716,"post_id":7303318}}]},"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"nb_breaking_email_type":"20ea2010-a7ac-4136-bfc8-12173d880a45","nb_breaking_template":"pro-single-story.html","nb_breaking_from_name":"WrapPRO","nb_breaking_subject":"","nb_breaking_preview":"","nb_breaking_list":[],"nb_breaking_header_img":7562034,"nb_breaking_should_send":false,"nb_breaking_content":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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