Mapping the new entertainment industry
Who's winning and losing in short form video.
There’s a new entertainment industry being built inside the feed. A show can launch on Monday, have a million viewers by Wednesday, and never touch a television. Production teams, repeatable formats — the stuff TV was built on. But made for the feed and at a fraction of the cost.
If you wanted to understand this world, to see who the players are and how they stack up, you couldn’t. No one had mapped it. So we did. The Showrunner Universe is the first attempt to chart the short-form show space: who’s making what, how they’re performing, and where the gravity is. We’ll keep it updated as the landscape shifts.
You can find it here.
Instagram is becoming a home for scripted sitcoms. Creator of Brooklyn Coffee Shop Pooja Tripathi is celebrating 300K followers after just one year on the platform. The show featured big-name comedians Kumail Nanjiani and Atsuko Okatsuka, another example of a social show becoming a routine stop on the celebrity press tour.
A film starring Subway Takes host Kareem Rahma just landed on MUBI and Prime Video. Or Something is the latest sign that show creators can cross over to traditional distribution, if they choose. In a recent interview with Seth Meyers, Kareem revealed his first hit show Keep The Meter Running returns to YouTube in 2026.
MorningBrew and NowThis are doubling down on live shows. Judgy’s Amber Singletary goes live January 24. MB’s Meg Baniewicz and Annie Bennett are doing a ‘Best in Business’ variety show February 5. The studios sold out events in NYC, Chicago, and LA last year.
Kevin Smith is making films for the feed. The nineties indie director behind Clerks made a short called WE(E)’D LOVE TO for Fallen Media’s 15 Second Films series — out now, only on Instagram.
NYC has a new Media & Entertainment commissioner. Rafael Espinal, formerly of the Freelancers Union, just got the job. He says he cares about affordable housing, workspaces, and small venues. Could be good news if you’re a showrunner who needs a place to shoot.
Fia James is leaving Crosswalk Crush. She’s stepping down as host to focus on music. Her single ‘Jealous Baby’ is out now.