So I just got back from CES in Las Vegas. I'm tired, but wow, there's a lot to unpack. It was amazing. It was truly amazing.
But here's the one thing everyone is hyper-focused on. It's not just the AI. It's not just the self-driving cars, the robots, the shiny gadgets coming out. The real headline here, and the one I heard over and over again in meetings, panels, and separate conversations, you probably guessed it, storytelling.
In 2026 and beyond, it isn't just about the technology. It's the era where storytellers will become the true MVPs. Every brand I spoke with already knows their product is cool and works. That part is solved. The problem is something else entirely. If the story isn't great, if it doesn't entertain, spark emotion, curiosity, or connection, no one cares how advanced or cool the product, service, or tech really is.
That's why brands are leaning into Hollywood, into creators, into artists, into real storytellers. Because storytelling isn't optional anymore. Quite frankly, it's imperative. It literally is imperative. And it's the difference between relevance and invincibility.
So yeah, more and more brands will launch studios to produce movies and television. We're already seeing that happen, and it's going to happen a lot more this year and in coming years. The creator economy will continue to explode.
But if you look closely, something even more telling is happening. Brands, institutions, and companies are actively hiring storytellers, producers, micro-drama creators, writers, narrative strategists. And it's only accelerating because storytelling is no longer adjacent to the business. It is the business. And the people who can tell great stories, they're about to be in the highest demand.