Advertisers are not the only ones paying social media influencers to hawk their products. It’s now normal for video publishers and streaming platforms to cast online celebrities in their latest video series. The thinking is simple: Working with influential social media stars gives producers a built-in audience for a show.
Trouble is, just having big social media following doesn’t mean you can act. Or as one veteran TV and digital video producer put it, “the market is being flooded with shitty content because there’s an influencer in it.” In this edition of our Confessions series, the producer lays out how digital media companies have come to rely on social media stars for original content and why that needs to change. As always, we’ve granted anonymity in exchange for honesty.
What’s the problem with casting social media stars in web series?
You have all these platforms entering the marketplace that have no audience. So what’s the best bet? You’re going to get an influencer and hope their audience follows them to the platform — and it’s been proven that doesn’t work. If you’re going to develop around talent, that’s a lot easier said than done. There are not a lot of people who really understand the development and creative process. So just slapping [the stars] into these things and hoping they’re good enough to hold the center of the show is just wishful thinking. READ MORE at: Original Article: digiday.com
