You might have heard the news by now, be it from Ad Age or someone else: Los Angeles, California’s largest city, is poised to usher its reputation as a source of inspiration and rebirth for countless generations into the 21st century by staking its claim as the new nexus of digital content creation.
For several decades, Los Angeles has been viewed as playing second fiddle to the whiz kids up north in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco when it comes to all things digital, content to maintain its reputation as a hotspot for more “traditional” content. Now that digital is an everyday component of consumers’ lives outpacing television, however, L.A. is looking to offer techies something they can do better than the Bay Area: Unique, original content.
“It’s really becoming a hotbed for creativity in all its forms,” says Pepsi global chief marketing officer Kristin Patrick. Indeed, companies from Apple to Red Bull are flocking to the City of Angels in droves, hiring local talent and setting up shop with an eye toward the city’s renaissance.
Hollywood might still run this city, but this isn’t your Grandpa’s Hollywood. Online production companies like Maker Studios have turned YouTube into a television replacement for the mobile generation, attracting the attention of established studios like Disney and talent agencies like Ayzenberg’s own [ION] as mobile stars take center stage as the new celebrities.
There’s even room for startups here, too. This past year alone saw Facebook acquire virtual reality startup Oculus for $2 billion, the rise of anonymous chat app Whisper and dating service Tinder, and a highly-publicized $10 billion valuation for Snapchat.
Though Los Angeles still has a ways to go to beat back stereotypes regarding its supposed inferiority to San Francisco, it seems clearer than ever that those looking to ride digital content into the future can catch a wave off the “Silicon Beach”.
