Burbank’s historic entertainment infrastructure is increasingly being occupied by a new generation of creator-led production companies as conventional Hollywood filming continues to struggle. Digital producers including Smosh, Mythical Entertainment, Alan Chikin Chow and Dhar Mann Studios are operating increasingly sophisticated facilities, employing sizable staffs and attracting partnerships with major entertainment companies. Smosh moved into a 32,000-square-foot facility this spring, while digital-production shoot days increased 47% year over year during the second quarter to 661, even as overall Los Angeles-area on-location production declined. The transformation suggests something larger than influencers simply graduating to soundstages: an entrepreneurial entertainment sector built around direct audience relationships, lower overhead, rapid production and fewer institutional layers is beginning to compete with—and increasingly supply content to—the legacy Hollywood establishment.
Key Takeaways
- Digital production is moving in the opposite direction from much of traditional Hollywood: creator-related shoot days increased 47% year over year in the second quarter while overall Los Angeles-area filming continued its prolonged decline.
- Creator companies are becoming genuine production businesses rather than merely social-media personalities. Smosh now occupies 32,000 square feet, while Dhar Mann Studios has operated a massive multi-stage production operation and creator-led businesses are increasingly employing professional crews, sets and production infrastructure.
- The dividing line between creators and traditional entertainment is rapidly disappearing. Major entertainment companies are striking distribution and production agreements with established digital creators, including a 20-episode youth-and-family programming order for Dhar Mann Studios and streaming arrangements involving Mythical programming, demonstrating that legacy Hollywood increasingly wants access to audiences creators built independently.
In-Depth
Burbank’s entertainment economy is undergoing a market-driven transition that should command Hollywood’s attention. While traditional film and television production contracts, creator-led companies are expanding studios, hiring workers and producing content at a pace suited to audiences increasingly consuming entertainment online. Smosh moved into a 32,000-square-foot Burbank facility this spring, while Mythical Entertainment, Alan Chikin Chow and other digital producers have established operations in the city.
The numbers underscore the shift. Digital-production shoot days rose 47% year over year in the second quarter, reaching 661, even as overall Los Angeles on-location production fell. Regional data recorded only 4,711 total shoot days during the quarter, down 12.7% from the prior year and far below historical norms. Online videos, short films and documentaries were among the stronger categories.
More important, legacy entertainment companies increasingly treat creators as commercial partners rather than amateur competitors. Mythical programming is moving onto Netflix while remaining available through established online distribution, and Dhar Mann Studios secured a 20-episode Disney order for youth and family programming. Mann’s operation illustrates how far the creator model has matured, combining direct-to-consumer reach with production infrastructure.
The broader lesson is straightforward: audiences, not institutions, ultimately determine which entertainment models survive. Creator businesses developed outside Hollywood’s traditional gatekeeping structure, built their own followings and proved their economic value before legacy studios came calling. Burbank’s changing soundstages represent more than a production trend. They are evidence that entrepreneurial competition can reorder an industry when established systems become expensive, slow and disconnected from changing consumer habits.
Sources
- https://filmla.com/california-film-tax-incentives-continue-to-create-job-opportunities-in-scripted-production/
- https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/filmla-production-decline-q2-2026/
- https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/mythical-netflix-creator-partnership-mythical-kitchen-last-meals/
- https://www.c21media.net/news/disney-strikes-original-content-deal-with-dhar-mann-orders-20-episode-series/