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For a generation of mobile millennials who enjoy curated entertainment experiences on-demand, major networks and media companies alike are breaking new ground in the digital entertainment space.
In 2014, over $5.9 billion was spent on digital video advertising, growing by 41.9% from 2013. Although the number of dollars dedicated to linear ad spending grew at a much smaller percentage, total spending still surpassed a staggering $68.5 billion. More notably, since 2014, upward of $30 billion has been invested into developing original cross-platform television programming, with the total number of scripted shows increasing by 71% in the last five years.
Despite the rapid emergence of digital video and an evident decline in traditional television, the total amount of ad dollars allocated to cable networks still eclipses digital exponentially. Yet, with today’s consumers naturally connected to their mobile devices and accustomed to subscription-based streaming services, the tables are turning at an accelerated pace.
The dominance of digital streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, paired with the introduction of YouTube Red and powers like Apple Music and Spotify shifting their focus to developing original programming -- a door has opened for content creators to redesign business models and rewrite the rules for breaking into the industry. Equipped with talent, resources and the unrestricted ability to build a loyal audience, Hollywood’s playing field has been leveled for more people to have a fair shot at the spotlight.
As witnessed through the success of Issa Rae’s HBO hit Insecure and Justin Simien’s standout Netflix original Dear White People, transitioning from internet phenomenon to primetime sensation is an attainable achievement with the right mix of compelling storylines, smart strategy and a level of authenticity that engages the masses.
Nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, Giants is an acclaimed scripted drama created by 32-year-old producer James Bland. Launched in 2017, the series chronicles the journey of three friends who share a firm commitment to living life on their own terms. But, when unable to escape conflicts of identity, sexuality and circumstance -- each character reaches a sobering turning point that forces them to either give up or fight for their lives.
Distributed through Issa Rae’s YouTube channel, the series recently completed its second season, tallying over 2.2 million views and attracting an audience of more than 200,000 viewers per episode. Now, stepping into his third season as the writer, producer and co-star of the series, Bland is poised to continue breaking barriers on and off-screen.
I spoke with James Bland about the vision behind Giants, the evolution of premium content, and the blueprint for creating a successful series in the digital world.
What was the spark or opportunity you saw that inspired the idea behind Giants and how did you know it was something people really needed?
James Bland: Prior to Giants, I developed and worked on five other digital shows. Several years ago, I created a show called Fail that I believed would be a big hit. We invested money into it and the production value was higher than other shows on the internet. We also had a very talented cast, including King Bach before his career really took off. In many ways, it felt like we were ahead of our time. But, even with all of these factors, Fail wasn’t a show the culture wanted at that particular time. At the same time, Issa Rae was producing Awkward Black Girl. That show confirmed to me that it was time to take control and tell the stories I wanted to tell, but I wasn't ready yet. It took me a number of years to reach the place where I found the courage to tell the fullness of my story. Writing and producing Giants was about me speaking about the things that mattered to me and were on my heart. Ultimately, creating the show reflected everything I wanted to say at the time, not knowing that it would really resonate with audiences in an impactful way. Seeing the response is what let me know that Giants served a greater purpose. After we released episode four of season one, the episode in which we dived into Journee's struggle with manic depression, we released a video of Vanessa Baden Kelly (Journee) speaking about her personal experience battling with mental health. Soon after we released the video, our inbox was flooded with messages from people saying how the story spoke to them, and for some people, how it saved their life. By seeing the power in that, I realized that the same sense of humanity that propelled Awkward Black Girl to success was the same key that unlocked our success. It’s about telling honest stories that real people relate to and allowing them to see themselves in our characters. From identity and sexuality, to handling life and dealing with mental health — Giants holds a mirror up to the world we live in and helps people face themselves in a powerful way.
How do you balance between telling stories for you and telling stories specifically for the audience that you feel people need to see?
James Bland: Initially, I wasn’t thinking about anyone else when I was creating Giants. It was more so about me telling stories that reflected my reality and using my platform as an artist to express them. With season two, now having put those stories out, we had feedback from our audience. Listening to their responses has allowed me to tailor certain storylines to hit on things I know our audience will respond to. When you’re just starting something, you have to tell stories that are true to you and create from an honest place. You have to remain authentic and not concern yourself too much with what other people think, or try to alter your message to be more acceptable. Doing so taints the art and restricts your creativity. People naturally gravitate towards authenticity, and we’re in a time where it pays to be exactly who you are. There’s so much competition and the market is so saturated that it’s hard to win by attempting to copy someone else’s blueprint. Don’t try to create something that appeals to trends, because people can sense when something is inauthentic. You shouldn’t create art for other people, but instead you should create art for yourself. It’s your art, so it’s not about how many people like you or agree with your point of view. Instead, it’s about how honest you are and being brave enough to be vulnerable. That’s a philosophy I try to follow in everything that I do.
Speak to the process of creating things that don’t work and how you push through the failures to eventually find success?
James Bland: For me, the main thing that has kept me going is knowing that I was made to be a creator. There’s nothing else I want to do in this life but create content. I also realized that everything I do is a stepping stone to prepare me for the next thing. I always approach each project with that mindset, knowing that even if it fails or isn’t a huge success, each experience teaches me valuable lessons. Some failures teach me about what I never want to do again, and the types of people I don’t want to work with. You have to know that eventually something is going to work, and believe it’s going to happen at the right time. You just have to find your lane, and more importantly, find your voice. There were projects that didn’t work in the past simply because my voice wasn’t there yet. I wasn’t telling stories that honestly resonated from my heart, which is a big reason they didn’t resonate with the audience. I was more focused on doing things that I just thought would work, instead of following my gut and creating what I really felt. I had to go through the process of finding my voice, finding my truth, and being fearless in sharing it. The key is not allowing the failures to make you feel like you’re not talented enough or no longer supposed to be creating. You have to see it all as a part of your growth and evolution.
Describe the difference between chasing ideas versus finding your voice and which have you found to be more important?
James Bland: I think there has to be a perfect marriage of the two. You can have a great idea, but it has to be rooted in truth. When you think about it, there really aren’t any original ideas. What separates a great project from one that falls short is how authentic and honest you’re willing to be with your art. In the digital market specifically, there are so many ideas circulating, so just having a great idea isn’t good enough. You have to cut through the clutter and create something that stands out, which can very difficult. If you look at Twitter, people are tweeting out memes, jokes, thoughts and ideas every day. But, the tweets that have a very specific voice and tone rise to the top and gain the attention of the masses. When you look at hits like Atlanta and Insecure, those are both shows about young people finding themselves, and each gives an accurate depiction of the millennial generation. Both of those shows are great ideas, but what makes them successful is the ability to connect with personal experiences we all face and they tap into the nuances that are relatable on a large scale. As a creator, you have to realize that your particular voice is the sauce that makes your idea special and different.
How would you describe the business model driving the digital space today and what are the keys to building a successful digital series or brand in this era?
James Bland: The business model begins with building an audience. Once you build a loyal audience, those people will follow you to the theaters and other places where they will ultimately have to pay for the art. I started by giving the art out for free. I wanted to create something that evokes emotion and engages with as many people as possible. From there, I built a community of people who encourage and empower me to be myself, which allows me to create work that they’re willing to pay for. For the last season of Giants, we put it out on Issa Rae’s YouTube channel and focused on cultivating our audience, looking to eventually take it to a Netflix or YouTube Red that operates on a subscription model. By building an audience and giving them content for free, those viewers are likely to pay a subscription fee to access our content on a bigger platform. Because these people are now also fans of my work, even if I create another series outside of Giants, my voice will carry and bring them with me. It’s about creating other streams of income and creating a franchise that people can engage with in different ways. You can look at Awkward Black Girl as an example — the series spawned into a book, speaking tour, merchandise and eventually became a show on HBO. Now, for me, it’s about figuring out what are those other lanes we can naturally tap into. One of those lanes is teaching, so I’m launching a webinar to share my keys to creating an impactful digital series. From there, I plan to rollout in-person workshops, and ultimately write a book that gives people tips and tools to get their own projects out. As our platform and audience continues to grow, we’ll also attach more brand partnerships and product placement into the show that will generate additional revenue.
Explain the do-it-yourself model of building a digital franchise like Giants and the role you play in bringing the bigger vision to life?
James Bland: As the show runner, I’m the captain of the ship. I work hard to build a strong team around myself, reflecting what's needed to make the show happen at the next level. I’ve worked on set at major networks, in addition to producing digital content, which has given me a clear perspective on what it takes to produce a show at the highest level. I know the inner workings of major networks and have seen how they have an entire PR department, marketing department, production team, and all of these other teams that have specific jobs. That experience taught me that it truly requires a collective to make things happen. When you’re producing a digital series from the ground up without a budget, you have to be a complete visionary who can also be a utility player. As the captain, I must be able to orchestrate how all of these elements come together, while still writing and starring in the show. It’s been tough, but I realized that in order to really do this, I have to take on all of these jobs. I left the major network world to focus full-time on my show, and I literally have my hands in every area. My goal is not to control every area or micro-manage everything, I just have a responsibility to make sure everything is in sync and moving collectively together. I’ve been fortunate to find really great people to come along and be a part of the project, which has been huge to the success of the show. My leadership style is rooted in exploring how can we be innovative, original, raise the bar and leverage a limited budget to make magic happen every day.
How important is understanding your position as an entrepreneur and investing just as much energy into building the business as you do into being creative?
James Bland: Seeing yourself as an entrepreneur is equally as important as being a producer or creator. You can’t keep the lights on through the art alone, you have to also see your idea as a business. My background is in business. I didn’t go to art school, I went to business school. I already had that side of my brain trained, so making the decision to come to LA and be a professional artist, I knew it came down to being able to balance both sides. With Giants, I made a particular decision to just hit the button and launch. I knew we would have to improve our scripts, tighten up our storylines and steadily improve production. But, as a business owner, I also knew we needed to put a product into the market and couldn’t be paralyzed by perfection. There’s an obsession with perfection that artists sometimes have which, as a businessman, you have to break out of to be successful. You have to be aware enough to know when to launch, when to make a deal, and when to marry the two. We funded the entire second season primarily through product placement and brand deals. We found ways to incorporate brands and products organically into the show in order to pay the crew, secure locations and cover our budget. In short, I have to wear both hats at all times. Even when I’m on set playing Malachi, I’m still the show runner and producer. I still have to be mindful about how much time we have, and are we getting everything done as needed. It’s a balancing act, but it literally is the difference maker between just having a great show and having a hit show that also scales and continues to thrive as a business.
After receiving multiple Emmy nominations and building a successful digital series — What are some the things a person actually needs to make it versus what experts say you need?
James Bland: For so long, everybody told me that I just needed to pick one lane. They told me that I needed more focus — are you going to be an actor, writer, director, producer or business owner? I was told I needed to pick one, because you can’t be all of them at once and be successful. Or, I was told to master one first, then maybe I could take on the other roles. When I first moved to LA, people would always ask me which one I was. When I would say I’m a combination of everything, people would immediately write me off or wouldn’t take me seriously. I had two executives tell me that they couldn’t help me because they didn’t know what box to put me in. At the time, I felt like I needed to force myself to choose a lane. As I matured and became more confident, I made up my mind that I’m a content creator. As such, I’m multi-faceted and do many things. As a result of people like Issa Rae, Lena Waithe and Donald Glover, being a multi-hyphenate is more acceptable. But, it wasn’t popular back then. I had to trust my calling and believe in what I knew I was capable of doing. As a result of me trusting that, a show like Giants was born. If I would’ve decided to just be an actor or just be a director, there would’ve never been a Giants. That’s one valuable lesson I’ve learned — you can be a multi-hyphenate and still be successful. You don’t have to limit yourself and choose one path, you can be all of the things you see for yourself. I have so many gifts and so many tools, so I had to accept the fact that it’s just who I am. You’re not the labels people try to place on you. Instead, you are as limitless as the vision you have for yourself.
