“I was recently part of a layoff after 23 years in the media industry. Honestly, it feels like everything is collapsing. Traditional media jobs are vanishing, and the creator economy is eating the future. Should I keep trying to find something in media, or should I be looking somewhere else entirely?”
— Laid Off, Not Done
First: you’re not crazy. This industry is collapsing. Or more accurately—it’s deflating. Slowly. Strategically. With a smile.
I’ve been in this game for 25+ years. I’ve watched empires built on cable collapse into FAST channels. I’ve seen entire divisions rebranded, reorged, and finally vaporized while everyone pretended it was “strategic.” I’ve watched legendary execs get pushed out and LinkedIn gurus claim they’ve reinvented television.
So yeah, you’re right to feel like the ground has shifted. It has.
But here’s what hasn’t changed: storytelling still matters. Talent still matters. Strategy still matters. What’s changed is who controls the pipes—and who gets paid for it.
The old model was built for vertical power: make content, license content, monetize at scale. But now we’re in the horizontal era. Platforms. Creators. Aggregators. Everyone’s slicing a different piece of the attention pie—and traditional media isn’t holding the knife anymore.
So should you stay in media?
If you mean the old media? Probably not. Unless you’ve got a senior seat or a pension, most traditional companies are just managing the decline. They’re cutting roles faster than they’re creating them. They’re asking you to “do more with less” while preparing the next round of layoffs.
But if you mean new media—the kind that merges content, commerce, community, and tech? Then yes. There’s a future there. It just looks very different from the past.
Here’s where I’d look:
- Creator-adjacent businesses. Think tools, platforms, production studios, or agencies that support the people actually building audience. Not just YouTubers—but brands, streamers, indie content machines.
- B2B storytelling. Everyone from fintechs to SaaS companies needs people who can think like producers but talk like strategists. “Head of Content” is today’s Trojan horse title for media veterans.
- Crossover roles. Your experience might map better than you think to product marketing, audience development, platform strategy, or even business development—especially if you’ve ever built anything, launched a show, or led a team.
- Smaller, sharper players. The best work is often happening outside the legacy giants. Startups. New networks. Niche streamers. The jobs aren’t always obvious—but the opportunity is real.
And if you’re thinking about going independent? Do it with eyes open. It’s not easy, but the bar for “media company” has never been lower. If you’ve got POV, network, and execution muscle, you can build something real. Just don’t mistake distribution access for distribution leverage.
You’ve still got value. But you need to shift the playing field.
The worst thing you can do right now is wait for the old industry to “stabilize.” It won’t. Not in the way you’re hoping. It’ll consolidate, automate, and restructure until what’s left doesn’t look anything like the place you built a career in.
That’s not your failure. That’s the business model expiring.
Now go find a new one.
Skip Says
Don’t wait for old media to come back. It’s not.
The future’s being built at the edges—by platforms, creators, and hybrids who move faster than your last boss.
You’ve got the skills. Now shift the context.
And remember: your career’s not over. The industry you started in is.
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