Hollywood's traditional power structure is being rewritten by the creator economy, and the entertainment industry's top legal minds are working to build the framework for what comes next. At Deadline's inaugural L.A. Law Summit, held last week at PMC's Los Angeles headquarters, leading creator attorneys gathered to discuss how technology that allows anyone to establish a completely unmitigated creative presence is transforming the business of entertainment.
The central theme of the summit was what participants described as turning creative authority into economic authority. As creators gain direct access to audiences through digital platforms, the legal and business infrastructure that once served only studios, networks, and legacy talent is being reengineered to serve a new class of entertainment entrepreneurs. Attorneys at the summit emphasized that the shift is not merely about new clients — it represents a fundamental change in how entertainment deals are structured, how intellectual property is valued, and how revenue flows through the industry.
The creator economy has become one of the most significant forces reshaping Hollywood's business model. Where traditional talent once depended on studios and networks for distribution and financing, creators can now build audiences and monetize them directly, bypassing many of the gatekeepers that defined the old system. That independence has created demand for legal expertise in areas including brand partnerships, licensing, equity deals, and multi-platform content agreements — areas where the old studio playbook offers little guidance.
Summit panelists noted that the legal profession itself is adapting to keep pace. Attorneys who once negotiated film and television contracts are now structuring deals that span social media platforms, direct-to-consumer products, live events, and merchandise. The question of who owns what — and how value is split — has become more complex as creators operate across multiple platforms simultaneously, often with different terms of service and revenue-sharing arrangements governing each one.
The L.A. Law Summit marked Deadline's first foray into convening legal professionals around the business of entertainment, signaling that the creator economy has moved from the margins of the industry to its center. The event drew some of the industry's top minds, reflecting the growing recognition that the legal frameworks governing creator deals will shape the next decade of entertainment business.
For the broader entertainment industry, the summit underscored a shift that has been accelerating for years: the line between independent creator and traditional entertainment professional is blurring. Creators are no longer seen as outsiders to Hollywood but as a new pillar of its economy, with their own representation, deal structures, and revenue models. The attorneys who gathered in Los Angeles are positioning themselves at the intersection of that transformation, helping to define how creative authority translates into lasting economic power.