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Lloyd Braun is trying to lead a Hollywood revolution — one that keeps the content creators in charge of their own, well, content.
Braun, the former chairman of ABC’s TV stations who founded Santa Monica-based media company Whalerock Industries, is building a collection of personal media networks for big-time stars like Tyler, the Creator, the Kardashians and Howard Stern.
The idea is that these celebrities can publish their own work — whether videos, photos, games, or other kinds of premium content — and funnel more of the revenue into their own pockets, bypassing the traditional networks that have always taken a share.
Put bluntly: “We’re just cutting out the middle man of how businesses work … allowing people like myself to get straight to the point,” said Tyler, the Creator, the 23-year-old rapper and music producer who joined Braun onstage Wednesday as part of the Code/Media conference at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Despite his plan to “cut out the middle man,” Tyler said it’s not about the money. The money will come, he said. It’s about owning his own network and controlling the distribution of his work.
“I won’t even have to use Twitter anymore. I’ll be able to engage with my fans straight on,” he said, pointing out he doesn’t have to listen to “some old white dude” about how best to distribute content to his fans, despite the fact he’s in business with Braun.
“It’s my vision, he just facilitates,” he said of the former TV executive. Later he added, after first meeting Braun, he thought, “I was like, yo. He wasn’t like the other dudes.”
Tyler, the Creator, is the first content producer working with Braun, but the Kardashians and Howard Stern are also in on the idea. Depending on the content creators, these networks can offer paid content or show some of it for free.
“You can get the cheeseburger, but if you want bacon, you gotta pay extra,” said Tyler, who added that he plans to create unique content exclusively for his network.
Braun may have to sell this platform to celebrities. The more-established networks, like E! or Sony Music Entertainment, already offer what are likely to be larger, more familiar audiences. Braun says he hopes to set up 10 or 12 of these networks in the next three years, but they’re also “difficult to do.”
On the flip side, any platform that can provide celebrities with new revenue streams should draw some interest.
Here are some video highlights from the conversation:
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
