NEW YORK — The next generation of Hollywood directors isn’t coming from traditional film schools. Increasingly, they’re arriving with millions of online subscribers and a proven ability to capture an audience’s attention.
The back-to-back success of two films — “Obsession” and “Backrooms” — both helmed by filmmakers in their 20s who got their start on YouTube, has shined a bright light on a growing trend in the entertainment industry.
Studio executives are now actively combing through platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram in search of the next great directing talent. These digital spaces aren’t just where young creators hone their skills — they’re also where those creators build loyal, engaged fan bases that can follow them straight to the multiplex.
Mike De Luca, co-chair of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, spoke about the phenomenon at a conference last month. “These filmmakers are in a dialogue with their audience from the word ‘Go’. Their subscribers have direct input in each iteration of these things,” he said. “By the time you get to the movie, they’ve had a billion test screenings.”
This isn’t entirely new territory. Issa Rae and Bo Burnham are among the well-known names who first found their footing on YouTube. But the number of today’s independent filmmakers with digital roots continues to grow. Here’s a look at some of the creators who have already made the leap — and a few who appear to be on their way.
Known online as “Kane Pixels,” 20-year-old Parsons is the director behind the A24 horror hit “Backrooms.” A native of Petaluma, California, he started posting videos online when he was just 9 years old. A video series he created based on the creepypasta Backrooms internet meme eventually led to his feature film debut, which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. The film has earned $250 million at the worldwide box office, and a sequel is already in the works.
At 26, Barker grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and briefly attended film school in Los Angeles before shifting his focus to YouTube sketch videos. He later produced a horror short called “The Chair” and a found-footage horror film titled “Milk & Serial” — made for just $800. After Tea Shop Productions saw “The Chair,” the company backed Barker’s next project, “Obsession,” with a $750,000 budget. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Focus Features picked it up for $15 million. It is expected to surpass $300 million in global ticket sales soon. Barker has already completed his next film, “Anything But Ghosts,” for Blumhouse Productions, and A24 has tapped him to direct a reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Mark Fischbach — better known online as Markiplier — is 36 years old and built a YouTube following of more than 38 million subscribers through video game playthrough content. He branched out into series and podcasts before making his directorial debut earlier this year with “Iron Lung,” a sci-fi horror film he also wrote and edited. Based on a 2022 video game, the film was made for under $5 million and self-distributed, yet it pulled in more than $50 million at the box office.
At 34, Firstman grew up in New Jersey and first gained attention through a series of comedic short skits posted on Instagram Live during the pandemic. As a comedian, writer, and actor, he followed a more conventional path toward filmmaking — co-starring in the 2025 HBO series “I Love LA” and serving as a consulting producer on the animated series “Big Mouth.” In May of this year, Firstman made his directorial debut with “Club Kid” at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, in which Firstman plays a gay nightclub promoter who learns he has a son, was a standout at the festival. Following a bidding war, A24 acquired it for $17 million.
Clark, who is from northern Virginia, has spent the past eight years posting horror short films on YouTube. He is now developing his most popular short, “Portrait of God,” into a full-length feature, with Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi on board as producers. Clark has also been chosen by Lionsgate and Blumhouse to direct a new version of “The Blair Witch Project.”
In April, Neon announced that Evenson will direct a feature-length adaptation of his viral 2014 short film “Mora.” The 12-minute short, which has been viewed nearly 5 million times on Evenson’s YouTube channel, Grimoire Horror, follows a struggling artist searching for a bloody, disfigured woman who keeps appearing in AI-generated images. Roy Lee, producer of “Weapons,” is attached to produce. The project will serve as Evenson’s directorial debut, though he already has an extensive visual effects resume that includes credits on “Dune: Part Two” and “The Last of Us.”
