Shifting Landscape of Online Brands: Managing the Stars of YouTube

By emeadows
September 20, 2012

Entertainment veteran Michael Green started The Collective in 2005, a media company that represents YouTube talent.
“The company aims to capitalize on the shifting landscape in the entertainment business, in part, says Green, by partnering with artists… who he believes are well positioned to take advantage of the continued decentralization of media consumption,” writes Businessweek.
Noticing the trend, YouTube executives have gone out to recruit established brands to set up content channels. Media companies like the Onion, Pitchfork and Vice are producing content that competes with YouTube’s homegrown talent.
In order to compete and stay relevant, many of these self-funded artists and entertainers are signing on with agencies like The Collective.
“Green says that partnering with The Collective frees up artists to focus on creative challenges while his team concentrates on the business side,” notes the article. “In general, The Collective tries to retain ownership rights to their client’s material while maximizing licensing deals with third parties.”
This is a growing area of entertainment business, notes Businessweek: “Brand spending in the digital video world has ballooned in recent years, growing from $324 million in 2007 to $1.8 billion in 2011, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.”

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