The First Time Media Became Public
The room was dark and filled with smoke, as the viewers sat patiently waiting. All of a sudden, a sound emerged, clunk, clunk, clunk… and a light illuminated the wall, brightening the audience's faces. You may know this story as the first public screening by the Lumière Brothers. I think about it as the first time the media became publicly accessible. Similar to the printing press, information would not just be for a select few but for everyone. 

The Structure That Never Went Away

The Cinematograph created Hollywood as we know it today. While creators no longer use the Cinematograph itself, they still work within the structure it introduced. Creators film, process, and showcase projects, just like the Cinematograph allowed when it was first created. Whether with our phones or with a prompt, the production-to-distribution pipeline has changed. These are all positive, but why are people still unable to share their projects? Well... what is really causing the bottleneck are not the tools, but the middlemen.

The Middleman Problem

I think that middlemen are a blessing and a curse. They can create curation allowing for more refined spaces, but as time goes on, they stay stuck in their ways, totally missing the opportunity for growth. The unfortunate part is that some of these middlemen create systems that are so good that even when they die, a new person has to maintain it.  They are forced to maintain a structure from decades ago and think it can still be applicable today. The only constant is change. That’s why I find AI so interesting. 

AI Isn’t About Replacing Jobs — It’s About Replacing Systems

Many people think AI is disrupting their jobs, but in reality it’s disrupting systems. Jobs today are shifting because AI is changing how the entire industry flows. What used to take 10 people takes two. You can upskill with AI, you can work faster, you can work efficiently. It’s a total game changer for someone who does not have the funds for a whole team or a small org that does not have the funds to hire outside of the company. The middlemen who shame the use of AI are the same ones it’s making obsolete. So oftentimes those are the people with the most pushback. 

The Gatekeepers Don’t Disappear — They Rebrand
This pattern isn't unique to film or media. Across industries—finance, real estate, music, publishing—middlemen are being displaced by tools that let people transact directly. And rather than fade quietly, they're doing what they've always done: finding ways to insert themselves into the new infrastructure. The danger isn't that these gatekeepers disappear. It's that they reappear wearing different clothes.

So What Happens Next?
The good news for us is that we are not stuck to a specific system. We have the ability to create new ones. Especially in 2026. I have a feeling we will see more people taking initiative than before. I plan on sharing my 2026 speculations, and 2026 is only 3 days away! But I think this will be a great year to build. So let me ask you, would you like to remove the middleman or become one?