What happens when creators stop sitting at the edge of Hollywood and start moving deeper into how entertainment is developed, produced and distributed?

After two days of Created in LA at the El Capitan Theatre and Walt Disney Studios lot, I break down the ideas that stayed with me from conversations and sessions with Asad Ayaz, Zach King, Jenny Hoyos, The Try Guys, Dhar Mann, Dude Perfect, Jordan Matter and others.

We get into how creators are thinking about hooks before production, building shows instead of one-off videos, turning viewers into real fandom, and creating businesses that increasingly operate like studios. I also look at Disney’s side of the equation, including new pathways into campaigns, scripted projects and films, plus the growing connection between creator content, TikTok and Disney+.

This episode is less about recapping Created in LA and more about what the two days may tell us about where the creator economy and traditional entertainment are starting to meet.

And why the next phase could be less about creator reach and much more about creator-built IP, audience intelligence and distribution.

A24 and Dior’s new campaign starts with Sabrina Carpenter, Josh O’Connor, Drew Starkey, Sophie Wilde and Camille Cottin all playing versions of Jonathan Anderson. But the strange, funny film is only the entry point.

In this episode, I break down the bigger two-year A24 × Dior partnership, the early audience response to the launch, why Sabrina is such an effective attention engine, and how the broader ensemble creates multiple ways into the campaign.

More importantly, I look at what happens after the attention. Dior is becoming the premier partner of A24’s Cherry Lane Theatre, creating a potential connection between fashion, film, live programming, talent and physical cultural experiences.

I also look at the early audience movement signals, where the campaign is already working, where the evidence is still thin, how the model compares with Saint Laurent Productions, and why Cherry Lane could ultimately matter more than the launch film itself.

The big question: is this a strong fashion campaign attached to an interesting partnership, or the beginning of something much more repeatable?

Calvin Klein, Gap and American Eagle are all using cultural talent to drive denim demand, but they are doing it in very different ways.

In this episode, I break down the new Calvin Klein x Sadie Sink campaign and why the timing matters, how Feel the Fit is evolving beyond a traditional celebrity campaign, and what Calvin Klein needs to prove next as attention moves from Sadie → brand → denim → product interest.

I also compare Calvin Klein’s approach with Gap’s participation-driven strategy and American Eagle’s push toward conversation and commerce.

The bigger question is not who has the biggest celebrity. It is which brand has the strongest system for turning cultural relevance into actual consumer behavior.

This is an early read on the Sadie Sink campaign, so the focus is on the signals already visible today and what to watch over the next 7, 14 and 30 days.

Disney used D23 to lay out what’s next across its Parks and cruise experiences, with major updates spanning Avengers Campus, Indiana Jones, Encanto, Coco, Cars, Monsters Inc., Villains and more.

In this video, I break down the biggest announcements, what they mean for Disney’s experiences business, and where the company is placing its biggest bets for the next phase of growth.

Key moments:

4:25 — Animatronic musical performance

40:30 — Yeti update and repair announcement

41:58 — Gloria Gaynor performance

55:04 — Avengers Campus

1:00:24 — Indiana Jones + Harrison Ford

1:10:45 — Encanto attraction reveal

1:22:40 — Coco

1:32:18 — Cars

1:45:05 — Monsters Inc.

1:54:55 — Villains

1:56:03 — Glenn Close cameo

2:07:05 — Journey Into Imagination

Formula 1 is back from the summer break, but the audience and business story has changed.

In this episode, I break down where F1 demand is moving heading into Zandvoort, which drivers and teams have the strongest momentum, and where that attention is translating into real commercial opportunity.

We look at Kimi Antonelli’s championship rise, Max Verstappen’s unique Zandvoort moment, Ferrari and McLaren’s growing competitive relevance, and why five different winners in the five races before the break could be one of the most important audience signals for the rest of the season.

I also explore the business behind the fandom — merchandise, sponsors, geographic growth, lifestyle partnerships and the difference between generating attention and actually converting it into viewing, participation and purchase.

Plus, F1 Academy enters the second half with Alisha Palmowski emerging as its central sporting story and a bigger question around whether growing visibility can become repeat, driver-led fandom.

The key question: can a more unpredictable Formula 1 turn the post-summer restart into sustained audience and commercial momentum?

What actually won D23 2026?

This week, I break down why Avengers: Doomsday delivered the strongest immediate conversion, how X-Men and Tangled materially changed audience perception, and why Cars may have been the event’s most interesting franchise commercialization story.

Then we move into this week’s box office, streaming, music, CTV, gaming and licensing signals, from The End of Oak Street and PAW Patrol to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tame Impala, Squishmallows, Mattel and WEBTOON.

Because the biggest entertainment story is rarely the announcement itself.

It is where the audience goes next.

Spider-Man crossed $1 billion worldwide in only six days. The Odyssey crossed $1 billion through a completely different theatrical engine. GTA VI is generating massive demand months before launch. Disney is bringing TikTok creator culture into Disney+. Love Island USA delivered appointment-viewing behavior on Peacock. And entertainment IP kept moving through music, streaming, retail, hotels, beauty, LEGO and live experiences.

The headlines are big.

But the bigger story is audience behavior.

This week showed how the entertainment industry is no longer just competing for awareness. It is competing for action.

Audiences are buying tickets, choosing premium formats, preordering games, streaming nostalgic songs, following creator-led discovery paths, revisiting franchises and entering IP ecosystems across more touchpoints than ever.

In this episode, I break down what Spider-Man, The Odyssey, GTA VI, Disney+, Love Island, Ariana Grande, PAW Patrol, The Hunger Games, Dune, Hexed and this week’s biggest collaborations reveal about the new entertainment demand cycle.

Because awareness is not demand.

Interest is not intent.

And intent is not behavior.

Behavior is when the audience actually moves.

What does it take to turn one of history’s most legendary stories into a modern cinematic epic?

Christopher Nolan joins Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and more for a revealing conversation about the making of The Odyssey.

They discuss the scale of the production, the physical demands of filming, rebuilding an ancient world, finding the humanity inside Homer’s story and creating a movie designed for the full IMAX experience.

This is an inside look at the journey behind one of the year’s biggest films, directly from the filmmaker and stars who brought it to life.

The Odyssey arrives in theaters and IMAX July 17, 2026.

What does it take to translate a multi-billion-dollar animated masterpiece into a culturally grounded, live-action epic? Today, we are stepping behind the curtain of Disney’s live-action Moana (2026).

In this exclusive block-buster episode, we sit down with the reimagined crew of the waka: breakout star Catherine Laga'aia (Moana), global icon Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Maui), and the original voice of Moana turned Executive Producer, Auli’i Cravalho.

Together, they pull back the veil on the intense mechanics of a modern global blockbuster, discussing:

• ​The "Keyhole" Leak Economy: How the cast handles instant internet criticism and why Maui’s polarizing new look is deeply strategic.
• ​The Chemistry: The raw, unscripted trust required between Dwayne and Catherine to make the live-action dynamic soar.
• ​Passing the Paddle: Auli’i Cravalho’s tactical transition from a 14-year-old star to an executive producer dictating cultural tone behind the camera.
• ​Ancestral Stakes: Dwayne Johnson’s emotional revelation of how his grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, directly inspired Maui's live-action presence.​

​From hilarious behind-the-scenes secrets (including Catherine's “accidental” swimming lessons) to the economic reality of empowering local Pacific Islander film crews, this is a masterclass in modern entertainment ecosystem management.

Everyone is talking about Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album.

I’m more interested in what happened after people pressed play.

In this episode of Behind the Curtains, I explore how Olivia Rodrigo’s 2026 campaign evolved into a powerful audience flywheel, connecting music, search behavior, live events, retail, fashion, gaming, and brand partnerships into a self-reinforcing ecosystem.

Rather than focusing on charts or social buzz, I examine the behavioral signals that reveal how audiences move across platforms and experiences—and why those movements create long-term value.

If you work in entertainment, media, streaming, licensing, consumer products, marketing, or audience strategy, this episode offers a different lens for understanding talent and franchise growth.

The future of entertainment won’t be measured by who gets the most attention.

It will be measured by who changes audience behavior.