10 years ago, Netflix spent $0 on original content.

This year:

Netflix: $11B
Apple: $6B
Disney: $1B
+ amazon, hulu HBO etc.
=
$20B+

Here's a crazy startup idea to take a swing at this $20B+ content piñata. 👇 Here's a quick business plan 🤔

The idea ---> @ycombinator for Content

Let's give it a made up name : Zeta Studios

It is a new accelerator model for getting shows & movies made.
@ycombinator = give engineer duos money ($120k), coaching, & give them 3 months to get ready for a Demo Day in front of a room of investors.

Zeta = give storytelling duos money ($120k), coaching, & 3 mo to get a sizzle reel ready for Demo Day w/ buyers from netflix, amazon etc.
Why now? ---> This wouldn't work 10 years ago.

Demand for content has skyrocketed, but supply has not kept up.

You have infinite niches (action, comedy, reality, etc)

I mean there's a f*cking hit show about cleaning your house!

People are CHUGGING content of every flavor.
Plus areas like india, indonesia, africa etc. now have 2B+ new internet users streaming video

There's no such thing as "too much content"

The same way YC is replacing university for the most ambitious engineers. Let's replace film school for the best creatives.
HOW IT WORKS:

Let creatives apply. Pick the most promising & fund them $120k for 7% royalty stream. Create a standard contract for all teams.

Bet on talent & hustle, not connections or resumes.

Every batch could have 50-100 potential shows/movies, ready to be picked up.
The goal is for each team to go from concept, to have something tangible to show at demo day.

Eg. A short scene (like Pixar did early tests of Toy Story) https://t.co/hMpizV3cJA

Or like the $200 pilot of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: https://t.co/HrDXw6Y3tH
You could specialize in a specific style (eg. animation), or a genre (eg. comedy, true crime, etc..) early on, or just leave it broad.

Niches get riches. Crunchyroll is a $1B+ company for anime content. Altbalaji is $100M+ for indian soap operas etc
YC works because it's winners are huge(eg. Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe etc..)

You're shooting for the next Rick & Morty, The Office, or Ratatouille.

Netflix pays $100m per year for The Office. stack those royalty streams up & you have a huge business.
I'm not the founder for this, but someone is. It would be hard, valuable & fun.

If you succeed - you kill the gatekeeper model of hollywood.

No more Harvey Weinsteins abusing power.

YC gave founders power instead of VCs.

We could do the same for creatives.

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Every single time I set foot in every store/restaurant/place of business in Latin America. Only if they are not completely ignoring me from jump. Or following me bc obviously I came to carry out my plans to rob a store that is approximately 2 sq ft. big.


The part that’s also relevant is I’m oftentimes viewed as respectable-negro adjacent in the dominant culture imaginary. So what of those who are never identified as such? I always think about that. I get surveyed & harassed bad...yet and still there’s levels to the profiling.

When I have to do errands in Panama City, I make sure to apply makeup, perfume, an outfit with cleavage, or booty emphasis, heels and an “expensive” purse. There are STARK differences in the service and treatment I get when I do this vs. when I don’t. STARK. Pero, *STARK.*

LatinAmerica is psychotic in identifying who has money and who doesn’t based on how they are dressed, and how they imagine, carrying themselves. An “elegantly dressed” Black person will face less violence on an errand-run versus one who isn’t. This isn’t absolute so sit down plis

And then the times when I am dressed super-revealing. All of the help and care in the world from male workers. The same white mestizo men who would ordinarily follow me to “prevent theft” are happily helping me find things. Again, race, color, gender, class and more.

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