Toni Gray\u2019s phone is blowing up these days.<\/p>\n
The head of production at Dhar Mann Studios, which makes shows for YouTube and other online platforms, said entertainment industry friends in Los Angeles had once held out before seeking work in the digital realm. <\/p>\n
But now, with jobs few and far between at the legacy studios, they are reaching out \u201call the time\u201d looking for opportunities at the Burbank-based studio, known for posting family-friendly dramas addressing topics like bullying.<\/p>\n
Seeing some of her peers now flock to be a part of production companies built for distribution on YouTube and other online platforms is exciting for Gray, who worked in traditional television for more than a decade and joined Dhar Mann Studios in February. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s giving people hope that they can get back to work again,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not just monetary hope for their house and their kids. It actually is giving their own being life again to bring their creative element.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pave Studios founder Max Cutler.<\/p>\n
(Christina House \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
In Hollywood\u2019s TV and film industries, droves of workers are competing for jobs at a time when many companies are consolidating and laying off hundreds of people<\/a> at a time. But one segment of the entertainment industry has emerged as a bright spot \u2014 the economy made up of people creating video for YouTube and social media.<\/p>\n That part of the industry, once dominated by amateurs making funny viral videos<\/a> with smartphones has blossomed into a formidable entertainment force, where video creators are setting up real businesses with large studios in Southern California funded through advertising by major brands. <\/p>\n Dhar Mann Studios plans to add 15 positions to its staff of about 75 full-time employees. In Sherman Oaks, Pave Studios, which produces wellness- and true-crime-related shows, is adding 16 full-time workers to its staff of 67 contractors and employees.<\/p>\n Nationwide, there were more than 490,000 jobs supported by YouTube\u2019s creative ecosystem last year, according to the Google-owned video platform, citing data from Oxford Economics. That\u2019s roughly 60,000 more jobs than in 2023, YouTube said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beginning to mature into creators really building businesses,\u201d said Thomas Kim, YouTube\u2019s director of product management for creator monetization. \u201cWe see more and more of that, and that also means that the number of employees and help that they need to sustain their business has grown over time.\u201d <\/p>\n Sean Atkins, chief executive of Dhar Mann Studios, called it a big growth opportunity in the market. YouTube is a major player in streaming<\/a>, representing 12.5% of U.S. TV viewing in May, according to Nielsen, more than streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. <\/p>\n \u201cEverything is so new and nascent,\u201d said Atkins, a former president at MTV. \u201cI imagine, particularly when you walk around our studio … that this is what it looked like in the \u201820s when MGM and Disney and Warner [Bros.] were [founded]. Just this enthusiastic chaos where everyone\u2019s trying to figure out what this environment is.\u201d<\/p>\n The growth in Southern California influencer businesses is a boon to the local production economy that is otherwise struggling. L.A. County saw a 27% decline to 108,564 employees from 2022 to 2024 in the motion picture and sound recording industries, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. <\/p>\n Many Hollywood workers have struggled to find roles, as studios cut down on their programming after the 2023 actor and writer strikes<\/a> and after overspending during the streaming wars. For years, productions have fled the area<\/a> to take advantage of lucrative financial incentives out of state and abroad. Production in L.A. County also took a hit following devastating wildfires in January<\/a>. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, the amount of employment in the creator economy is trending up, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Total workers in the L.A. County creator economy, composed of businesses such as media streaming distribution services and social networks, as well as independent artists, writers and performers, increased 5% to 70,012 from 2022 to 2024, LAEDC said. Companies in the creator economy space also increased 5% to 46,425 businesses during the same time period, according to LAEDC.<\/p>\n The bleak job market has caused more people who have worked in traditional studio and TV networks to apply for jobs at digital media companies that produce content for platforms such as YouTube or work with influencers who are growing their staffs. <\/p>\n The migration reflects changing realities in the business. Consumers\u2019 habits have shifted, where more people are watching YouTube on TV screens<\/a> these days instead of on smartphones in the U.S., eating into territory held by broadcast and cable television. Video creators have adapted, building production teams and expanding into podcasts<\/a>, merchandise and sometimes scoring streaming deals. <\/p>\n For example, one of YouTube\u2019s top creators, Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has a reality competition show on Amazon Prime Video, sells products such as Feastables chocolates and has brand partnerships and sponsorships. His North Carolina holding company, Beast Industries, employs more than 500 people.<\/p>\n Kyle Hjelmeseth, chief executive of talent representation firm G&B Digital Management, said he is receiving more calls from people coming with traditional media backgrounds seeking collaborations with influencers. <\/p>\n \u201cFive years ago, it would have been very different,\u201d he said. \u201cAnytime that somebody from Hollywood or the entertainment complex talked about creators, it was with such a different lens … a little bit like nose in the air.\u201d <\/p>\n His company, which has 25 contractors, part-time and full time employees, added four people last month with plans to hire more.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the pressures of what\u2019s happening in Hollywood and the growth of the creator economy [are] crashing into each other in this moment, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re having a conversation about jobs, because there\u2019s such a shift in the energy, and we\u2019re certainly feeling it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Morgan Absher, left, and Kaelyn Moore, right, record \u201cClues\u201d podcast at Pave Studios.<\/p>\n (Christina House \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Pave Studios launched last year with fewer than 10 employees and now has grown to 67 contractors and employees. Part of that growth is fueled by the increasing audience for its videos and podcasts available on platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The company is hiring for roles including executive producers, with a pay range of $95,000 to $145,000, depending on the show, said founder Max Cutler. <\/p>\n \u201cAs we grow and as the business becomes more complicated, you need more specialists and more people,\u201d Cutler said. \u201cVideo is definitely a leading growth area for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Jen Passovoy joined Pave Studios in January as a producer, after working for 10 years at Paramount on competition series such as \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u201d and \u201cInk Master.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cComing from a traditional TV background, I was drawn to how nimble and audience-focused the company is,\u201d Passovoy said in an email. \u201cThere\u2019s less red tape and more room to actually create. You get the energy of a startup with the same high-quality content you\u2019d expect from a major studio.\u201d<\/p>\n Passovoy, 34, said the job market for traditional studio and TV network workers is really tough right now. <\/p>\n \u201cI know more people out of work right now than working, which says a lot,\u201d she said. \u201cThe traditional TV model just doesn\u2019t exist in the same way anymore. Budgets are shrinking and the jobs that used to be steady aren\u2019t there. There have been so many layoffs across the industry, and it\u2019s forced a lot of incredibly talented people to rethink how and where they create.\u201d<\/p>\n Skills that people develop in traditional studio and TV roles can translate to digital-first roles, including video editors for influencers and digital media companies, industry observers said.<\/p>\n The creator economy also has more specialized roles, such as thumbnail designers \u2014 people who create the images used to tease videos on sites including YouTube. Those jobs can pay six figures annually, as they can be instrumental for getting audiences to click on those videos.<\/p>\n Roster, a hiring platform that lists job postings in the creator space, said the number of employers signing up to hire on the site has increased by nearly 80% from January to June 2025. Based on a sampling of 1,430 creator job posts in 2025, Roster said the most popular open position was video editor (representing 42.5%), followed by thumbnail designer (16.1%) and producer (10.6%). <\/p>\n There are downsides. Not all jobs are full-time. Many creators opt to hire freelancers.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir production needs need to expand and shrink like an accordion,\u201d said Sherry Wong, CEO of Roster. \u201cThat\u2019s why we see a lot of creators, even if they\u2019re really big established creators, they are hiring freelancers, contractors, and being able to keep it as lean as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n With so many people looking for work, there\u2018s intense competition for those jobs, and the ways to apply can be creative and involved. <\/p>\n Miami-based creator Jenny Hoyos found freelancers through a hiring challenge she hosted on Roster. Applicants were given 10 minutes of raw video footage and instructed to edit it down to a video short, roughly 30 to 60 seconds long. <\/p>\n Hoyos, 20, requested that applicants create a final product that was engaging, cohesive and matched her specific style. She received more than 100 submissions. <\/p>\n While there were strong contenders from California, the winners ended up being from Brazil and India. They became her two go-to freelancers, who she said are essentially working an amount equivalent to full-time editors. <\/p>\n This method of seeking talent was Hoyos\u2019 way of making sure the people she brought on to her team were willing to go the extra mile, she said. Those hoping to break into the digital media world don\u2019t necessarily have to have grown up with YouTube and social media like she did, but they do have to \u201ccommit to being addicted to watching\u201d content, she said. <\/p>\n Not everyone who works for YouTube creators gets paid. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n