Storyblocks recently had the opportunity to support an awards event hosted by indie film publication Film Threat. It was so inspiring to hear from and speak with filmmakers who are dedicated to their passion. They deal with the daily challenges that most creators face (like overcoming creative blocks, sometimes hating your own work), plus the enormous task of acquiring funding to bring their stories to life. Once their films are released, they are up against major studios with seemingly unlimited resources and struggle to get their work seen by anyone. The indie film community is active and supportive. They love what they do and have meaningful, unique stories to tell.
My Start as a Creator This all got me thinking back to my early career. I aspired to be in documentary television and envisioned myself traveling the world, telling interesting, beautiful stories for a network like Discovery Channel or BBC. And I wanted to earn a stable income doing it. After graduating from school and spending a few months applying to every production or network job I could find, I was a bit discouraged. I took the safer route and accepted a corporate position where I could utilize my video production skills.
Kaitlyn Rossi, Creative Strategist with Storyblocks
I'm ultimately happy with where my career is today and my place at Storyblocks. I still get the chance to tell stories, edit videos and empower other creators, which is pretty great. And I honestly don't spend time contemplating different choices I could have made that may have landed me closer to my perceived dream. However, things like this awards show, and hearing how hard it is for talented filmmakers to be recognized can be discouraging. It makes me think about how the industry could offer better opportunities to those starting out.
Inclusion in American Film The barriers to entry are even higher for marginalized groups like people of color, women, and LGBTQ . The growing contempt towards the Academy Awards and the lack of diversity in their Oscar nominations year after year is no secret. The industry is painfully slow to course-correct. Parasite, a foreign language film out of South Korea, took home the most awards at the 2020 Oscars this week, including Best Director and Best Picture. However, Ang Lee is the only Asian-American to have ever won in either of those top categories.
At its worst, this sends a harmful message to studios and filmmakers about the types of people and stories that can be successful in Hollywood. There are things the industry leaders (like the Academy) could be doing to address this. For example, Film Threat's Award This! has dedicated categories celebrating Best Directress and Best Indie LGBTQ themed film. Ideally, it would be nice to see more balance in big categories, but acknowledgements like this matter to the conversion.
View this post on Instagram
It was a great night for independent filmmakers. Amara Cash won twice! For Indie LGBTQ and Best Directress. Congrats! #AwardThis #AwardThis2020
A post shared by AwardThis (@awardthis) on Feb 8, 2020 at 9:19am PST
--
The Next Generation of Filmmakers So going back to young filmmakers, we should ask ourselves how the industry can do better for the next generation. How can they make inclusivity a priority? Can they offer more opportunities to those getting started that don't involve doing coffee runs to pay their dues ? Can the explosive growth of streaming and self-serve content platforms create more space and opportunity? We should all be challenging the norm.
Some sources suggest that today, 43% of salaries in the film industry pay between $21k $34k annually. However, top-earning executives make millions per project. The gap is tremendous. There are creative, passionate people who don't go to elite film schools in Los Angeles or New York, or who can't afford to work grueling PA jobs for low wages. There are experienced video professionals who have developed skills working for themselves or running successful YouTube channels. These people have value to add to film, and the industry can do better at including them. If you want to see more diversity in stories told through film, diversify the people who are telling them.
There are two things I was taught in school, aspiring to enter the creative arts that really stuck with me - develop a thick skin, and manage your career expectations. The second was a real bummer. It's an elite industry without many spots, and I don't think that means the best of the best succeed. Sometimes it's the most fortunate, even luckiest, who prevail. It's not a healthy standard for the film industry to uphold, and my hope is that the next generation of filmmakers and creatives won't need to experience it.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
Storyblocks recently had the opportunity to support an awards event hosted by indie film publication Film Threat. It was so inspiring to hear from and speak with filmmakers who are dedicated to their passion. They deal with the daily challenges that most creators face (like overcoming creative blocks, sometimes hating your own work), plus the enormous task of acquiring funding to bring their stories to life. Once their films are released, they are up against major studios with seemingly unlimited resources and struggle to get their work seen by anyone. The indie film community is active and supportive. They love what they do and have meaningful, unique stories to tell. 
