Investment Thesis (WIP): Entertainment, Culture, and Opportunity

Business Opportunities
#1

Entertainment: for the purposes of this post, Entertainment will be defined as anything one does with their free time and is conveyed in a medium which utilizes creative expression, storytelling, or cultural participation in some manner. Examples of this include: movies, TV, multimedia (ex: YouTube videos), books, music, games (both electronic and non), etc.

Summary: As a result of both the Left dominating much of the Entertainment industry (in terms of their ideas and values being reflected in the project/product; presumably in hiring practices, in leadership, financing, and greenlighting; as well as the media which reviews those entertainment products) and as many Entertainment industry businesses must now target a global audience to achieve the necessary return on investment, the industry is unable to create or provide entertainment products which strongly resonate with the Right.

My assessment of the industry’s situation as it pertains to the Right:

  • The Left’s industry dominance and the industry’s need to target a more diverse/global audience has created a situation where they are simply providing an inferior cultural product for the Right and, given the industry’s current ideological and financing structure, they will continue to be unable to do so.

  • Both the lack of entertainment products which resonate with the Right, and the overwhelming number of products which push the Left’s (and/or globally friendly) values, messaging, view of society, and which outright is hostile/attacks the culture and morals of the Right has not only left a Right leaning market which is underserved, but has also created a demand for entertainment that reflects the Right’s morals, view of society, traditional themes, etc.

  • Further, because of the Left’s dominance in the industry, there is creative talent on the Right which is being suppressed (those people either have to keep quite about their beliefs, and/or are excluded from the industry). Therefore, there is a lot of talent to draw upon.

Given these key factors, it appears that the entertainment industry’s Right leaning share of the market is completely up for grabs (if entertainment products are produced which are specifically tailored for it), and the current industry players will be unable to defend it. And, because the audience is more specific, the entertainment products have the potential to be actually be superior cultural products to the current offering. Moreover, the financing for these products will be less than what is currently required, given the smaller market size, which will allow for more entrants into the space. Finally, there is also a need for media which can promote and review these Right targeted entertainment products that don’t seek to destroy them, which the current Left dominated review media/outlets seek to do.

Thoughts?

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#2

Yes, I would agree with the above. I lived in Los Angeles for 18 years and experienced this first hand. There is a large group in California and worldwide that would greatly appreciate the right creating entertainment on a scale that the left has dominated with. Now would be the time and is absolutely necessary.

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#3

I know The Daily Wire has been leading the way to bring entertainment to right-leaning audiences. The first major release was a movie called Run Hide Fight that I thought was pretty good. It had a conservative theme and a Die Hard style plot. I believe DW purchased the movie rights and created a partnership with the production company,Bonfire Legend, which also describes itself as a right-leaning company. It’ll be exciting to see what projects they have in the future. It certainly seems like there’s plenty of opportunity in this space, especially as Hollywood and traditional entertainment continue to degrade

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#4

They did move out of LA late last year. I think it was in December to Nashville. I heard they were creating new shows and movies were also on their goal list. Hopefully, that will happen. I know that Candace Owens has a show and they were working with Gina Carano on a movie. I’ll have to check out Run Hide Fight. Hopefully, there will be more companies and opportunities to create, educate and compete. Good post; thanks! :slight_smile:

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#5

Not to mention that IATSE just announced a strike.

#6

Excellent points Christopher. I would add another to this. since the Right is so underserved, when we seek entertainment, we tend to default to all that is available which is highly biased left-leaning and above all propaganda for the progressive agenda. What this means is the right is constantly soaking in the poisonous waters of leftist ideals. The result is that it is constantly dulling the values of the right and undermining what we stand for. This grieves me.

I think you are correct in your assessment that there is room the step in and begin to win back this space. If we don’t we will lose the battle. Thanks for this well-thought-through post! Very helpful!

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#7

Thank you for the compliment. I completely agree on both points. I believe the culture/entertainment battle is at the heart of everything else. Entertainment, storytelling, art, and music are what allows you to communicate and pass on your values, morals, and culture (for lack of a more descriptive term) to the next generation or inspire the current one to action. I believe that not only the their fictional works are supremely important, but Tolkien’s and Lewis’ commentaries on storytelling and the use of the Arts our are guiding stars in this endeavor.

I agree the Left has become more effective at embedding it values and worldview into its entertainment projects. However, I also think the Left actually does not makes as good or long lasting music, art, and storytelling products as the Right. The nature of the Left is to subvert and pervert more than it is to create, as creation/imagination seems to have something to do with reflecting what is in one’s soul (Beauty is part of the inherent nature of the Right). As a side note, Boethius’ De Institutione Musica has some very interesting comments regarding from where inspiration is derived.

To list some vague action steps, what I think we need to do on the Right/New Right is:

  • Identify right leaning artists, composers, and writings with a track record of success

  • Bring them on as consultants in a project to understand how to identify, support, and connect other right leaning “creatives”

  • Connect these right leaning creatives to one another

  • Have these people figure out what types of projects they would like to work on, and we as the Right, then need to figure out a way to help facilitate these projects/ventures.

    • I believe there will be a number of older, more successful, creatives who won’t mind putting there name on these projects and would jump at the opportunity to work on creative ventures that unshackle them from having to alter their projects to appeal to both the left and right (their names on the projects will help with media attention/awareness).

  • Then, bring in right leaning financing (people who understand the risk/reward nature of investing in entertainment products) and media to fund and provide publicity for these projects

  • We should try for small successes first, in industries that are not dominated entirely by left-leaning review media. This will help build a track record of success, increase brand recognition, and thereby allow for larger projects to be undertaken/financed.

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#8

Chris, Great points all. I really appreciate the collaborative vision. I think that is something we are lacking and could do so much better at, coming together to discuss, co-labor, and produce ideas, products, events, and above all culture to gently create a counter groundswell.

Your point about the right producing better art is on point. Historically this is certainly the case, though not universally true I think at this point. Populism lowed the bar there a bit too, but I still agree with you, and especially if there is an intentional push to create and produce excellence for the Glory of God. Bach comes to mind. SDG

Chris are you yourself an artist? Really appreciate your perspective brother!

TM

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#9

Thank you for your kind words. I myself am not an artist. I have worked in investment banking and strategy consulting, so I think about how industries operate as well as how things are financed. I have had the opportunity to mildly interact with one of the most well known and commercially successful composer’s and audio directors in video game industry (hint: think of chanting monks). I learned a lot about the creative and video game development processes through him (it is a much more complicated than people realize). Also, there are a lot of commercial entertainment products (or there used to be anyways) with hidden christological themes in them.

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#10

Here’s a problem with this, no one other than conservatives are going to watch anything made by daily wire or anything that is explicitly tied to the right. Any art must be unaffiliated with politics, unless of course you would be fine settling with a below average crude message accompanied with disingenuous booster reviews by conservative media - exactly what the left does now.

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#11

I appreciate the feedback/critique - it is critical I get it so I can refine my thesis. That being said, as implied in my original post, the whole investment thesis, and opportunity for that matter, is based on appealing to the right by creating right aligned (although not necessarily explicitly) content. The opportunity does not exist if you try to appeal to a left or global audience, and you are more likely to create a thematically worse product that way, in my opinion. The smaller market size just means a smaller budget and potential returns for the investors and creators (although again not necessarily). Therefore, the proper financing/sources of capital and expected return have to be selected to fit the situation. The risk portion of the risk/return profile for the project might even be less than a conventual creative products as it targets a specific audience.

The product itself does not need to explicitly be tied to the right, it can implicitly be right aligned by just containing Christian themes. (Also, having a production company that has a brand that is associated with the right is a far more powerful tool than a creative project that is explicitly right leaning). And, how easily those are detected is definitely an artistic choice. I don’t believe creating art that is just an exercise in allegory “pick out the Jesus character” is very compelling, unless very well done, as it is in the Chronicles of Narnia. The Lord of the Rings is also implicitly right/Christian aligned, and has many many fans on the left as well.

I think the key to all of this is the creative talent and finding a way to fairly compensate and provide ownership in the project. I am a very big supporter of the creatives and the art that make. And, I would like to help them be able to create something that resonates with them and get that in front of as many people as possible.

As for reviews, it is marketing for the project and you have to have it one way or the other. Also, the left reviews any right leaning project just as crudely, they just happen to be negative and critical reviews as the projects/products have themes which are in opposition to their beliefs.

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#12

I love this conversation. My debut novel with Baker Publishing is launching in November, followed by a new book next summer, and I’ve been working towards building a storytelling brand that blends Christian themes with the fun of 90’s/early 2000’s-style entertainment (before the wokes ruined everything) in a very contemporary way. I believe so many people are craving good, thoughtful entertainment, and I’m glad others agree!

I also think it’s great to create something specifically for conservatives. Poplitics is a show (powered by TPUSA) that is trying this out, and it seems to be pretty successful given what a small production it is.

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#13

Hi Christopher,
I like your basic premise. I think it might be helpful to think of art (storytelling, visual, textual etc…) not so much in terms of left/right values but in terms of universal values such as beauty, truth, courage, faith, kindness(the first two of those being the most important). I think so much of the “art” especially in recent years that is produced by institutions which have been taken over by progressives is distasteful because it is no longer about those things and is more akin to propaganda than art. Looking forward to more of your thoughts on how to put the culture back on track.

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#14

I worked in Hollywood for a couple years a while back and I’ve had an idea for a more nationalist/masculine minded entertainment channel for some time. This would be a streaming service with legacy programming as well new content. We definitely need to start creating our own content to have a true impact on politics and pop culture or we will ultimately be overwhelmed by those who have been influenced by Leftist entertainment media. I would love to speak with investors or anyone who could help launch this type of channel.

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#15

Ed, I appreciate your comment. However, based on my experience, the actual (theological) left represent and create the opposite of those values, intentionally or not. I believe that is part of the nature of the left. However, I would leave how the portray those values to the creative talent in any project. I am really not interested in moderation, because I believe we are past that point, and I don’t think the left has any desire to do so - they are close to their goals and control the power centers so why would they. And, I don’t think the business opportunity makes sense with that stance. You need to separate yourself to have any value to the target market. Personally, I favor a much more aggressive posture and look to the value of courage to speak the truth. Truth = Beauty = the Good = God, which at the end of the day is what I want my business ventures/life to be about.

Now is the time to stand and be counted, to keep the bridge, so to speak.

And, as Andrew Breitbart said,
“Walk toward the fire. Don’t worry about what they call you. All those things are said against you because they want to stop you in your tracks. But if you keep going, you’re sending a message to people who are rooting for you, who are agreeing with you. The message is that they can do it, too.”

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#16

Hi Christopher,
Well said. I agree. Intentionally or not, alot of what is being created by the progressive left is ugly, and false. Though what I have been thinking about is the underpinnings rather than the maybe more difficult, practical effort to create a business. Have you ever had a look at remodernism. Which is dedicated to returning to universal values in art (primarily painting), but I think alot of those ideas can and should be applied to more popular accessible artforms. This blog is a pretty good explication. WHAT IS REMODERNISM? |
Thanks for the reminder to stand up and be visible in service to the truth.
Best,
Ed

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#17

I’ll take a look at it- thanks, Ed.

#18

Going all in on explicitly politically right content is just going to fail. That just paints a bright red target on your chest. You make it too easy for those in power to undermine your attempts. You need moderate content to give them something that the left cannot just dismiss to bring people in to your content, and convert them. We can’t win by just being the opposite of them, we have to be better than them. We have to be able to appeal to more than just those on the right. The left didn’t get where they are because they went all in on leftist ideas. They were slow and methodical. They just sprinkle in a little here or a little there, until they were able to be more explicit.

I understand the desire to go all in on politically right content, but strategically it is the wrong choice. Having some of that kind of content is fine, but you really need that moderate content if you actually want to be able to push back. It is the only way to get the masses on your side, and we need the masses not just the politically active right.

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#19

I believe that your assessment is correct! I have both knowledge and experience in both film and music production as well as live production. I can no longer find work in those realms due to how “woke” (meaning - virtue signaling, weak, and asleep) those industries have become. Even country music is controlled by the leftists. It’s just sad.

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#20

I would like to see TV shows of families with 2 parents (Mom and a Dad), who homeschool and attend church. People who are positive towards each other and loving families. People who work for a living, maybe self employed. People who garden for food and shop locally. Maybe a reboot of the “Promised Land” or something similar.

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