The other side of the UGC coin: fans as part of the creative process

Algorithmic personalisation and niche scenes have seemingly undermined mainstream culture. Labels struggle to break new superstars and Hollywood productions have fallen into a repetitive cycle of remakes and franchises. However, the success of Obsession and Backrooms, independent films that have smashed box office records and taken the cultural zeitgeist by storm, demonstrate that perhaps cultural fragmentation is not the problem it seems to be. 

Social media, horror, and the need for new voices 

Both projects originated on social platforms. Backrooms started as a creepypasta (short, user-generated internet horror story passed along to frighten readers) on 4Chan. Director Kane Parsons developed the idea into an analogue found-footage web series on YouTube before he was approached by studios to create the film – ultimately distributing through A24. Obsession creator Curry Barker got his start on YouTube through comedy skits before releasing a self-made short horror film The Chair in 2022. 

The horror genre has been the starting point for some of the biggest names in film and television, such as  Peter Jackson, David Lynch, and Guillermo Del Toro. The reason being that the genre is highly flexible, typically very low cost to create, and can perform well despite unconventional writing or budgetary constraints. 

Obsession and Backrooms have not succeeded just because horror has suddenly become popular. Rather, they demonstrate the demand for new voices and creative concepts that speak to contemporary culture. Their success indicates that there is still a mainstream, digital-first culture to speak to – but it is traditional entertainment companies that seem to be struggling to connect with it. Low appetite for risk is getting in the way of backing new projects that stand out. This is pushing the next generation of talent to build their own careers through new channels entirely – predominately, on social platforms. 

The new, non-traditional talent pipeline 

Social platforms are mediums with low barriers to entry and instant audience feedback. As a result, they have become the default development spaces for new creatives. Creator talent agencies, sponsorships, and the platforms have become the new instruments for funding, developing, and launching these creatives’ careers. Production companies and major labels have been relegated to capturing only the top level once it’s already big (although this is mainly a phenomenon in western markets).

As digital natives who got their start on UGC platforms, these new creators have unique relationships with IP. After a series of copyright takedown requests made by A24, Backrooms creator Kane Parsons allegedly stood up for fans creating spinoff works. While he and A24 own the rights to his specific characters and universe, the original Backrooms concept was developed by many internet users over several years and is, in his view, open-source and collaborative, and fans cannot be cut out of the picture. 

This is the other side of the UGC coin. The same new creators who speak to their audiences, increasingly view those audiences as a part of the creative process – not just consumers of an end product. This is the fandom tradeoff in the contemporary entertainment ecosystem. 

New creators are in demand, and mainstream audiences can still come together around something that speaks to them – often because they’ve been part of that conversation from the start.