---
type: framework
domain: entertainment
description: Shapiro proposes a purposeful engagement ladder for IP management -- good content then content extensions then loyalty incentives then community tooling then co-creation then co-ownership
confidence: likely
source: Doug Shapiro, 'What is Scarce When Quality is Abundant?', The Mediator (Substack)
created: 2026-03-01
related:
- community-owned-IP-grows-through-complex-contagion-not-viral-spread-because-fandom-requires-multiple-reinforcing-exposures-from-trusted-community-members
- the fanchise engagement ladder from content to co-ownership is a domain-general pattern for converting passive users into active stakeholders that applies beyond entertainment to investment communities and knowledge collectives
- fanchise management is a stack of increasing fan engagement from content extensions through co-creation and co-ownership
reweave_edges:
- community-owned-IP-grows-through-complex-contagion-not-viral-spread-because-fandom-requires-multiple-reinforcing-exposures-from-trusted-community-members|related|2026-04-04
- the fanchise engagement ladder from content to co-ownership is a domain-general pattern for converting passive users into active stakeholders that applies beyond entertainment to investment communities and knowledge collectives|supports|2026-04-20
- Creator-led, platform-mediated IP generates community co-creation at scale without ownership alignment when exceptional quality drives intrinsic fandom, but this path is structurally non-scalable compared to ownership-aligned models|supports|2026-05-02
supports:
- the fanchise engagement ladder from content to co-ownership is a domain-general pattern for converting passive users into active stakeholders that applies beyond entertainment to investment communities and knowledge collectives
- Creator-led, platform-mediated IP generates community co-creation at scale without ownership alignment when exceptional quality drives intrinsic fandom, but this path is structurally non-scalable compared to ownership-aligned models
---

# fanchise management is a stack of increasing fan engagement from content extensions through co-creation and co-ownership

Shapiro introduces the concept of "fanchise management" -- a purposeful, systematic approach to cultivating fandom that goes far beyond traditional franchise management. While franchise management is about IP exploitation (sequels, merchandise, licensing), fanchise management is about fan relationship cultivation. The stack moves through six levels of increasing engagement: (1) good content that earns initial attention, (2) content extensions that deepen the universe (lore, behind-the-scenes, companion content), (3) loyalty incentives that reward continued engagement, (4) community tooling that enables fans to connect with each other, (5) co-creation where fans contribute to the IP universe, and (6) co-ownership where fans have economic participation in the IP's success.

Each level deepens the fan relationship and increases switching costs -- but positive switching costs based on value, not negative switching costs based on lock-in. A fan who has co-created content within a universe, connected with a community, and owns a stake in the IP's success has enormous positive switching costs. They stay not because leaving is hard but because the value of staying is immense. This is the exact inverse of since [[streaming churn may be permanently uneconomic because maintenance marketing consumes up to half of average revenue per user]] -- streaming creates negative switching costs (content you'll miss) while fanchise management creates positive switching costs (community you belong to).

This framework maps directly onto the web3 entertainment model. NFTs and digital collectibles operate at levels 3 (loyalty incentives), 4 (community tooling through holder-gated experiences), and 6 (co-ownership through token appreciation). Social media content creation tools operate at level 5 (co-creation). Traditional studios are stuck at levels 1-2 because their business model has no mechanism for levels 3-6. Since [[entertainment IP should be treated as a multi-sided platform that enables fan creation rather than a unidirectional broadcast asset]], IP-as-platform is the infrastructure that enables levels 4-6, while traditional broadcast IP caps out at level 2.

The fanchise management stack also explains why since value flows to whichever resources are scarce and disruption shifts which resources are scarce making resource-scarcity analysis the core strategic framework, superfans are the scarce resource. Superfans represent fans who have progressed to levels 4-6 -- they spend disproportionately more, evangelize more effectively, and create more content. Cultivating superfans is not a marketing tactic but a strategic imperative because they are the scarcity that filters infinite content into discoverable signal.


### Additional Evidence (extend)
*Source: 2026-02-20-claynosaurz-mediawan-animated-series-update | Added: 2026-03-10 | Extractor: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5*

Claynosaurz-Mediawan production implements the co-creation layer through three specific mechanisms: (1) sharing storyboards with community during pre-production, (2) sharing script portions during writing, and (3) featuring holders' digital collectibles within series episodes. This occurs within a professional co-production with Mediawan Kids & Family (39 episodes × 7 minutes), demonstrating co-creation at scale beyond independent creator projects. The team explicitly frames this as 'involving community at every stage' of production, positioning co-creation as a production methodology rather than post-hoc engagement.


### Additional Evidence (extend)
*Source: 2026-02-20-claynosaurz-mediawan-animated-series-update | Added: 2026-03-12 | Extractor: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5*

Claynosaurz-Mediawan partnership provides concrete implementation of the co-creation layer: (1) sharing storyboards with community during development, (2) sharing portions of scripts for community input, and (3) featuring community-owned digital collectibles within series episodes. This moves beyond abstract 'co-creation' to specific mechanisms. The partnership was secured after the community demonstrated 450M+ views and 530K+ subscribers, showing how proven co-ownership (collectible holders) and content consumption metrics enable progression to co-creation with major studios (Mediawan Kids & Family). The 39-episode series targets kids 6-12 with YouTube-first distribution, suggesting co-creation models are viable at commercial scale with traditional media partners.


### Additional Evidence (confirm)
*Source: 2024-08-01-variety-indie-streaming-dropout-nebula-critical-role | Added: 2026-03-15 | Extractor: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5*

Dropout, Nebula, and Critical Role all serve niche audiences with high willingness-to-pay through community-driven (not algorithm-driven) discovery. Critical Role's Beacon explicitly segments content by engagement level: some YouTube/Twitch-first (broad reach), some Beacon-exclusive (high engagement), some early access on Beacon (intermediate engagement). This tiered access structure maps directly to the fanchise stack concept, with free content as entry point and owned-platform subscriptions as higher engagement tier. Nebula's ~2/3 annual membership rate indicates subscribers making deliberate, high-commitment choices rather than casual consumption.


### Additional Evidence (extend)
*Source: 2026-03-02-transformativeworks-ao3-statistics-2025-update | Added: 2026-03-18*

AO3 represents the 'co-creation without ownership' configuration on the fanchise stack: 17M+ fan-created works across 77,100+ fandoms, 10M registered users, all content freely accessible with no financial stake. The platform's 22% YoY growth and 5M comments/month demonstrate sustained engagement at the co-creation rung without requiring ownership mechanisms. This establishes co-creation as independently viable, not merely a stepping stone to ownership.


### Additional Evidence (extend)
*Source: [[2025-06-23-arxiv-fanfiction-age-of-ai-community-perspectives]] | Added: 2026-03-18*

The engagement ladder has an unmodeled implication: as fans climb toward co-creation (becoming writers), they develop STRONGER resistance to AI, not weaker. 83.58% of AI opponents were writers vs readers. This means the ladder creates a defensive moat—the more invested fans become as creators, the more they protect the creative space from AI. Veteran writers (10+ years) showed strongest resistance. This suggests community-owned IP models that encourage fan creation may be inherently AI-resistant because they convert consumers into creators who then defend the space.


### Additional Evidence (extend)
*Source: [[2025-06-23-arxiv-fanfiction-age-of-ai-community-perspectives]] | Added: 2026-03-19*

The engagement ladder has an unmodeled implication: as fans climb from consumption to co-creation (becoming writers), they develop stronger AI resistance, not weaker. Writers showed 83.58% representation among AI opponents despite being only 57% of sample, and veteran writers (10+ years) showed strongest resistance. This suggests the co-creation tier of the engagement ladder creates identity investment that makes participants defend their creative role against AI replacement, which has design implications for community IP strategies.

---

Relevant Notes:
- [[streaming churn may be permanently uneconomic because maintenance marketing consumes up to half of average revenue per user]] -- fanchise management creates positive switching costs that solve the churn problem streaming cannot
- [[entertainment IP should be treated as a multi-sided platform that enables fan creation rather than a unidirectional broadcast asset]] -- IP-as-platform is the infrastructure that enables the higher levels of the fanchise stack
- value flows to whichever resources are scarce and disruption shifts which resources are scarce making resource-scarcity analysis the core strategic framework -- superfans at levels 4-6 are the scarce resource that filters infinite content
- [[information cascades create power law distributions in culture because consumers use popularity as a quality signal when choice is overwhelming]] -- superfans are the cascade initiators whose engagement creates the social proof that drives mainstream adoption
- [[social video is already 25 percent of all video consumption and growing because dopamine-optimized formats match generational attention patterns]] -- co-creation at level 5 naturally flows through social video distribution channels

Topics:
- [[maps/competitive advantage and moats]]
- [[web3 entertainment and creator economy]]

## Supporting Evidence

**Source:** Amazing Digital Circus theatrical expansion and fan protest, April-May 2026

Amazing Digital Circus moved up the engagement stack from YouTube streaming to theatrical distribution (content extension) and has extensive fan co-creation (game jams, visual novels, Roblox games), but without co-ownership, the community resisted the commercial decision (2-week theatrical exclusivity) rather than supporting it. This confirms that moving up the engagement stack without moving up the ownership stack creates friction.