COVID-19 changed our world forever. Businesses are closed up, food is scarce and toilet paper is impossible to find! The spread of the virus put most of the world into a lock down leaving people stuck at home with nothing to do. We are now 2+ months in and it’s been incredibly interesting seeing how people adapt and survive through tough situations. Unemployment is sky high, suicide rates are through the roof and then there are people who are thriving through all of this. Luckily for me, I am thriving…I’ll get to that in a bit….
TV networks and movie studios have been shut down with no new content being created for audiences. Movie theaters are going to have a rough summer and may not even survive when things slowly open back up. I personally have no desire to rush back into a theater, especially if I have to wear a mask.
Disney+ when it was first announced.
Streaming networks on the other hand have been surging, Disney+ was just launched in November of 2019 and it’s now become one of the biggest streamers out there. Its launch couldn’t have come at a better time. As theaters started shuttered just a week into Disney/Pixar’s Onward, Disney+ became the perfect platform to bring the big budget movie over to early. Other films followed and still have been a great success at home. The same will go for other content that was set to hit theaters this summer. Netflix has found hits during quarantine in “Tiger King” becoming one of its most watched series ever. But soon, if things don’t pick up, hit shows will be delayed and big budget production content will be scarce and that’s actually already happening.
A short, filmed in April 2019 and edited in April of 2020
This is also the time for content creators at home to rise. I’ve seen more creativity flourishing on my social media than I have ever seen! TikTok has massively grown over quarantine, with users creating their own content that has helped entertain people at home. As a content creator, I had more time to create at home as well. There are always projects on the shelf I can easily pull off and tackle. As hiking trails opened up, I ventured out and created even more new content with a drone I bought. Now is the time to get up and create stuff. My Fluffy Friends channel saw huge boosts as my comedy content helped add a sense of laughter to peoples days. Yes, I know, COVID-19 is a serious matter but also helping people cope and keep smiling is just as serious. I was born to entertain, this is what I do.
“I never really understood people who just sit around and do nothing all day…”
Sikora has been having adventures with his drone.
There are videographers, photographers, designers, and more out there creating stuff digitally and physically. Not everyone is blessed with creativity but that doesn’t mean you can’t hone in on something and become creative. I never really understood people who just sit around and do nothing all day and don’t aspire to really be anything great. Going to the bars and clubs every weekend, isn’t living…it’s pretty mundane and now those people are stuck at home bored to death. I can’t say I am ever bored, I always have something to work on and I am grateful for that because that’s me but that’s not everyone. That’s what sets people apart. It’s an adapt or die type of situation. We have all been put into this lock down, it’s like OK, now let’s figure this out, how do I get through this and come out on top?
“We as creators, are on the rise…”
This is also the time for content creators at home to rise. I’ve seen more creativity flourishing on my social media than I have ever seen! TikTok has massively grown over quarantine, with users creating their own content that has helped entertain people at home. As a content creator, I had more time to create at home as well. There are always projects on the shelf I can easily pull off and tackle. As hiking trails opened up, I ventured out and created even more new content with a drone I bought. Now is the time to get up and create stuff. My Fluffy Friends channel saw huge boosts as my comedy content helped add a sense of laughter to peoples days. Yes, I know, COVID-19 is a serious matter but also helping people cope and keep smiling is just as serious. I was born to entertain, this is what I do.
The world of entertainment this summer is going to be one for the books. No major blockbuster competition we are all used to seeing with movies back to back. We really only have a couple big movies this summer and even they may get rescheduled. Mulan is set to hit theaters at the end of July and personally I think that is too soon. TV shows are doing reruns while other studios are slowly trickling out content to keep people happy. Some shows got incredibly creative by filming their own ‘at home’ specials. NBC’s The Blacklist had a season finale that was half animated! Shows typically all end in May, leaving a smaller summer catalog of game shows or other one-off content to entertain folks at home. But as we enter the summer months, it’s going to be an even dryer season for entertainment since productions are halted and delayed. That’s why people are turning to content online like never before. That’s why we as creators, are on the rise.
“This is the time to get off your butt and make something…”
If you’ve always talked about doing this or making that, this is the time to get off your butt and make something out of that statement. Film your own little movie at home, start writing your fantasy novel, learn editing from YouTube tutorials, finally jump in and learn Photoshop or start producing your own music. There are endless things you can do to explore your creativity. Now is the time we are being watched, now is the time your career can take off. It won’t be long until studios start creating their big budget content again and they may end up calling on you to do it after your little ‘at home production’ goes viral. You never know!
So, I am here to push you a little bit…go out there and bring your dreams to life. – William Sikora III
