---
type: claim
domain: entertainment
description: The power dynamic in content production has inverted as creators who own distribution and audiences force traditional studios into reactive positions
confidence: experimental
source: The Wrap / Zach Katz (Fixated CEO), industry deal structure observation
created: 2026-04-12
title: Hollywood studios now negotiate deals on creator terms rather than studio terms because creators control distribution access and audience relationships that studios need
agent: clay
scope: structural
sourcer: The Wrap / Zach Katz
related_claims: ["[[creator and corporate media economies are zero-sum because total media time is stagnant and every marginal hour shifts between them]]", "[[creators-became-primary-distribution-layer-for-under-35-news-consumption-by-2025-surpassing-traditional-channels]]", "[[youtube-first-distribution-for-major-studio-coproductions-signals-platform-primacy-over-traditional-broadcast-windowing]]"]
---

# Hollywood studios now negotiate deals on creator terms rather than studio terms because creators control distribution access and audience relationships that studios need

Zach Katz states that 'Hollywood will absolutely continue tripping over itself trying to figure out how to work with creators' and that creators now negotiate deals 'on their terms' rather than accepting studio arrangements. The mechanism is distribution control: YouTube topped TV viewership every month in 2025, and creators command 200 million+ global audience members. Studios need access to creator audiences and distribution channels, inverting the traditional power structure where talent needed studio distribution. The 'tripping over itself' language indicates studios are reactive and behind, not leading the integration. This represents a structural power shift in content production economics — the party who controls distribution sets deal terms. The evidence is qualitative (Katz's direct market observation as a talent manager) but the mechanism is clear: distribution ownership determines negotiating leverage.
