Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Two of the biggest films of 2026, Obsession and Backrooms, made hundreds of millions at the box office on tiny budgets. Is that a fluke, or the first sign of a decentralized Hollywood?
On this episode of The Spotlight, host Bobby Del Rio sits down with Zack Mahoney to unpack what decentralization actually means, how cheaper cameras, non-linear editing and AI have stripped Los Angeles of its monopoly on talent and technology, and why distribution may be the next domino to fall. Zack also explains Indie Hub, his platform that pays filmmakers directly for every second their film is watched, and argues that consolidation since 2008 is exactly why movie quality has declined. His closing message: the next five to fifteen years will be bumpy, but there's reason to be bullish.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Obsession, Backrooms, and the big question
0:47 What decentralization actually means
2:28 How technology reshaped filmmaking
3:18 Final Cut, cheap cameras, and the Canon 5D moment
4:25 When the industry was locked to LA
5:35 Is Hollywood becoming decentralized?
6:16 Losing the monopoly on talent and infrastructure
7:24 AI as a massively decentralizing force
8:10 Greater risk, greater reward
9:11 Is distribution still centralized?
10:14 No one is ready for what's coming
11:54 Indie Hub explained
13:15 Why the platform is needed
14:31 Streaming doesn't reward risk
15:10 Goals: letting young filmmakers iterate
17:23 $400M films on a $750K budget
18:41 Healthy competition outside the studio system
19:31 The talent left on the side of the road
20:22 Final thoughts: be optimistic, participate
GUESTS
• Zack Mahoney: Founder - Indeehub Studio
The Spotlight
Host: Bobby Del Rio
FOLLOW US
• Subscribe: youtube.com/@TheNewsForum
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/thenewsforum_
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-news-forum
TAGS
#thespotlight #BobbyDelRio #ZackMahoney #Hollywood #Decentralization #IndieFilm #IndieHub #Filmmaking #FilmIndustry #IndieFilmmaker #AIinFilm #Streaming #BoxOffice #StudioSystem #ContentCreation #FutureOfFilm #MovieBusiness #Storytelling #CreatorEconomy #LowBudgetFilm
Two of the biggest films of 2026, Obsession and Backrooms, made hundreds of millions at the box office on tiny budgets. Is that a fluke, or the first sign of a decentralized Hollywood?
On this episode of The Spotlight, host Bobby Del Rio sits down with Zack Mahoney to unpack what decentralization actually means, how cheaper cameras, non-linear editing and AI have stripped Los Angeles of its monopoly on talent and technology, and why distribution may be the next domino to fall. Zack also explains Indie Hub, his platform that pays filmmakers directly for every second their film is watched, and argues that consolidation since 2008 is exactly why movie quality has declined. His closing message: the next five to fifteen years will be bumpy, but there's reason to be bullish.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Obsession, Backrooms, and the big question
0:47 What decentralization actually means
2:28 How technology reshaped filmmaking
3:18 Final Cut, cheap cameras, and the Canon 5D moment
4:25 When the industry was locked to LA
5:35 Is Hollywood becoming decentralized?
6:16 Losing the monopoly on talent and infrastructure
7:24 AI as a massively decentralizing force
8:10 Greater risk, greater reward
9:11 Is distribution still centralized?
10:14 No one is ready for what's coming
11:54 Indie Hub explained
13:15 Why the platform is needed
14:31 Streaming doesn't reward risk
15:10 Goals: letting young filmmakers iterate
17:23 $400M films on a $750K budget
18:41 Healthy competition outside the studio system
19:31 The talent left on the side of the road
20:22 Final thoughts: be optimistic, participate
GUESTS
• Zack Mahoney: Founder - Indeehub Studio
The Spotlight
Host: Bobby Del Rio
FOLLOW US
• Subscribe: youtube.com/@TheNewsForum
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/thenewsforum_
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-news-forum
TAGS
#thespotlight #BobbyDelRio #ZackMahoney #Hollywood #Decentralization #IndieFilm #IndieHub #Filmmaking #FilmIndustry #IndieFilmmaker #AIinFilm #Streaming #BoxOffice #StudioSystem #ContentCreation #FutureOfFilm #MovieBusiness #Storytelling #CreatorEconomy #LowBudgetFilm
