Diplo, YouTubers: Going Direct to Fans on Social Media Has Shifted Control

Online influencers drawing consumer attention and ad dollars from traditional media have made one thing very clear: They only want to ink deals with Hollywood on their own terms.

“We’ve been really fortunate to have cool conversations with various studios and production companies—but honestly, at this time, no one has really presented an offer that actually made more sense than what we have,” said Michelle Khare, creator of “Challenge Accepted,” a YouTube series with 4.5 million subscribers that she recently submitted to the Daytime Emmy Awards.

“When it’s an algorithm and the audience choosing who’s going to watch it, to me that’s a lot more democratic than a room of suits,” she said at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit Tuesday.