Tariffs, Turbulence, and the Tectonic Shift in Global Filmmaking

The Chaos in Trade Policy Signals a New Era for Independent Creators

For those of us working in or around the film industry, 2025 hasn’t exactly been quiet. With Donald Trump back in office like a reboot nobody asked for, and a new wave of U.S. trade tariffs targeting foreign media, Vancouver’s production scene is already feeling the tremors, even though most of these tariffs are still stuck in policy purgatory.

This is the first in a three-part series where I explore how the disruption of global trade, combined with the ongoing aftershocks of the pandemic, the streaming industry collapse, and the rise of AI-powered production tools, all point toward the same truth: the traditional model of film and television is not coming back. But that’s not necessarily bad news. Disruption creates space for innovation; weird new storytelling models; and economic independence that doesn’t require grovelling at the altar of the Big Three (or whatever’s left of them). It’s not the end. It’s the upgrade.

The Tariff Threat: Not Just a Paper Tiger

Even just the authorization of tariffs, without enforcement, creates volatility in the international film market. Distributors pause. Co-productions stall. Financing hesitates. Established partnerships are questioned. This ripple effect has already reached Vancouver.

U.S.-based studios and streamers are reconsidering whether to pull back from Canadian locations like Vancouver, which have long been affordable, high-skill alternatives to L.A. or New York. Others are holding off until it becomes clear how tariffs will apply, based on where content is filmed, edited, or who owns the intellectual property. The policy language is murky by design.

For smaller production companies without U.S. ties, the uncertainty is even riskier. Will American buyers stop acquiring our work? Will we be forced to register shell companies in Delaware to remain eligible for distribution? Will you need a law degree and three passports just to sell a half-hour dramedy? Nobody’s saying. But the hesitation alone is enough to torpedo deals, stall budgets, and leave promising projects stranded in development limbo.

This Isn’t Just a Trade War. It’s a Reordering.

Zoom out, and tariffs are just one visible fault line. The deeper quake has been happening for years:

• The collapse of the theatrical release window

• Streamers? Once darlings of disruption, now spiraling in their own overspending existential crises.

• The rise of AI in content creation, dubbing, and VFX
• A major pivot toward creator-owned, direct-to-audience ecosystems

None of this signals destruction. It reveals the bloated, fragile systems that were already cracking. Tariffs aren’t the cause, they’re an accelerant. We are witnessing the decentralization of content creation in real time.

The Silver Lining: Opportunity for the Agile and Independent

If you’re outside the old Hollywood legacy studio machine, this is the moment you’ve been preparing for. Here’s why:

1. Local Production Becomes a Strength, Not a Liability

If global co-productions are riskier, regional storytelling becomes more valuable. Filmmakers who understand their local landscape and audience can thrive.

2. Audiences Are Already Global and Platform-Agnostic

With or without tariffs, viewers are already consuming content on YouTube, TikTok, and niche streaming platforms. Legacy distribution was already fragmenting. There’s no going back.

3. The Rise of Microbudget Innovation

AI voiceovers, Unreal Engine, and tools like Runway ML have lowered the cost of cinematic production. You don’t need $5 million anymore—you need a laptop, a plan, and creativity.

4. Brand Building > Studio Pitching

In this new ecosystem, audience-building is more powerful than getting into a studio boardroom. U.S. studio partnerships were already rare but now, creators can bypass the gatekeepers entirely.

In Part 2, I’ll explore how all of this is transforming the financing landscape; why your next “greenlight” might come from a DAO, a YouTube subscriber base, or a blockchain-native production fund, not a sales agent or studio pitch.

The rules have changed. The map has been redrawn. And if you’re nimble, that’s very good news.

The Chaos in Trade Policy Signals a New Era for Independent Creators

For those of us working in or around the film industry, 2025 hasn’t exactly been quiet. With Donald Trump back in office like a reboot nobody asked for, and a new wave of U.S. trade tariffs targeting foreign media, Vancouver’s production scene is already feeling the tremors, even though most of these tariffs are still stuck in policy purgatory.

This is the first in a three-part series where I explore how the disruption of global trade, combined with the ongoing aftershocks of the pandemic, the streaming industry collapse, and the rise of AI-powered production tools, all point toward the same truth: the traditional model of film and television is not coming back. But that’s not necessarily bad news. Disruption creates space for innovation; weird new storytelling models; and economic independence that doesn’t require grovelling at the altar of the Big Three (or whatever’s left of them). It’s not the end. It’s the upgrade.

The Tariff Threat: Not Just a Paper Tiger

Even just the authorization of tariffs, without enforcement, creates volatility in the international film market. Distributors pause. Co-productions stall. Financing hesitates. Established partnerships are questioned. This ripple effect has already reached Vancouver.

U.S.-based studios and streamers are reconsidering whether to pull back from Canadian locations like Vancouver, which have long been affordable, high-skill alternatives to L.A. or New York. Others are holding off until it becomes clear how tariffs will apply, based on where content is filmed, edited, or who owns the intellectual property. The policy language is murky by design.

For smaller production companies without U.S. ties, the uncertainty is even riskier. Will American buyers stop acquiring our work? Will we be forced to register shell companies in Delaware to remain eligible for distribution? Will you need a law degree and three passports just to sell a half-hour dramedy? Nobody’s saying. But the hesitation alone is enough to torpedo deals, stall budgets, and leave promising projects stranded in development limbo.

This Isn’t Just a Trade War. It’s a Reordering.

Zoom out, and tariffs are just one visible fault line. The deeper quake has been happening for years:

• The collapse of the theatrical release window

• Streamers? Once darlings of disruption, now spiraling in their own overspending existential crises.

• The rise of AI in content creation, dubbing, and VFX
• A major pivot toward creator-owned, direct-to-audience ecosystems

None of this signals destruction. It reveals the bloated, fragile systems that were already cracking. Tariffs aren’t the cause, they’re an accelerant. We are witnessing the decentralization of content creation in real time.

The Silver Lining: Opportunity for the Agile and Independent

If you’re outside the old Hollywood legacy studio machine, this is the moment you’ve been preparing for. Here’s why:

1. Local Production Becomes a Strength, Not a Liability

If global co-productions are riskier, regional storytelling becomes more valuable. Filmmakers who understand their local landscape and audience can thrive.

2. Audiences Are Already Global and Platform-Agnostic

With or without tariffs, viewers are already consuming content on YouTube, TikTok, and niche streaming platforms. Legacy distribution was already fragmenting. There’s no going back.

3. The Rise of Microbudget Innovation

AI voiceovers, Unreal Engine, and tools like Runway ML have lowered the cost of cinematic production. You don’t need $5 million anymore—you need a laptop, a plan, and creativity.

4. Brand Building > Studio Pitching

In this new ecosystem, audience-building is more powerful than getting into a studio boardroom. U.S. studio partnerships were already rare but now, creators can bypass the gatekeepers entirely.

In Part 2, I’ll explore how all of this is transforming the financing landscape; why your next “greenlight” might come from a DAO, a YouTube subscriber base, or a blockchain-native production fund, not a sales agent or studio pitch.

The rules have changed. The map has been redrawn. And if you’re nimble, that’s very good news.

The Chaos in Trade Policy Signals a New Era for Independent Creators

For those of us working in or around the film industry, 2025 hasn’t exactly been quiet. With Donald Trump back in office like a reboot nobody asked for, and a new wave of U.S. trade tariffs targeting foreign media, Vancouver’s production scene is already feeling the tremors, even though most of these tariffs are still stuck in policy purgatory.

This is the first in a three-part series where I explore how the disruption of global trade, combined with the ongoing aftershocks of the pandemic, the streaming industry collapse, and the rise of AI-powered production tools, all point toward the same truth: the traditional model of film and television is not coming back. But that’s not necessarily bad news. Disruption creates space for innovation; weird new storytelling models; and economic independence that doesn’t require grovelling at the altar of the Big Three (or whatever’s left of them). It’s not the end. It’s the upgrade.

The Tariff Threat: Not Just a Paper Tiger

Even just the authorization of tariffs, without enforcement, creates volatility in the international film market. Distributors pause. Co-productions stall. Financing hesitates. Established partnerships are questioned. This ripple effect has already reached Vancouver.

U.S.-based studios and streamers are reconsidering whether to pull back from Canadian locations like Vancouver, which have long been affordable, high-skill alternatives to L.A. or New York. Others are holding off until it becomes clear how tariffs will apply, based on where content is filmed, edited, or who owns the intellectual property. The policy language is murky by design.

For smaller production companies without U.S. ties, the uncertainty is even riskier. Will American buyers stop acquiring our work? Will we be forced to register shell companies in Delaware to remain eligible for distribution? Will you need a law degree and three passports just to sell a half-hour dramedy? Nobody’s saying. But the hesitation alone is enough to torpedo deals, stall budgets, and leave promising projects stranded in development limbo.

This Isn’t Just a Trade War. It’s a Reordering.

Zoom out, and tariffs are just one visible fault line. The deeper quake has been happening for years:

• The collapse of the theatrical release window

• Streamers? Once darlings of disruption, now spiraling in their own overspending existential crises.

• The rise of AI in content creation, dubbing, and VFX
• A major pivot toward creator-owned, direct-to-audience ecosystems

None of this signals destruction. It reveals the bloated, fragile systems that were already cracking. Tariffs aren’t the cause, they’re an accelerant. We are witnessing the decentralization of content creation in real time.

The Silver Lining: Opportunity for the Agile and Independent

If you’re outside the old Hollywood legacy studio machine, this is the moment you’ve been preparing for. Here’s why:

1. Local Production Becomes a Strength, Not a Liability

If global co-productions are riskier, regional storytelling becomes more valuable. Filmmakers who understand their local landscape and audience can thrive.

2. Audiences Are Already Global and Platform-Agnostic

With or without tariffs, viewers are already consuming content on YouTube, TikTok, and niche streaming platforms. Legacy distribution was already fragmenting. There’s no going back.

3. The Rise of Microbudget Innovation

AI voiceovers, Unreal Engine, and tools like Runway ML have lowered the cost of cinematic production. You don’t need $5 million anymore—you need a laptop, a plan, and creativity.

4. Brand Building > Studio Pitching

In this new ecosystem, audience-building is more powerful than getting into a studio boardroom. U.S. studio partnerships were already rare but now, creators can bypass the gatekeepers entirely.

In Part 2, I’ll explore how all of this is transforming the financing landscape; why your next “greenlight” might come from a DAO, a YouTube subscriber base, or a blockchain-native production fund, not a sales agent or studio pitch.

The rules have changed. The map has been redrawn. And if you’re nimble, that’s very good news.

The Chaos in Trade Policy Signals a New Era for Independent Creators

For those of us working in or around the film industry, 2025 hasn’t exactly been quiet. With Donald Trump back in office like a reboot nobody asked for, and a new wave of U.S. trade tariffs targeting foreign media, Vancouver’s production scene is already feeling the tremors, even though most of these tariffs are still stuck in policy purgatory.

This is the first in a three-part series where I explore how the disruption of global trade, combined with the ongoing aftershocks of the pandemic, the streaming industry collapse, and the rise of AI-powered production tools, all point toward the same truth: the traditional model of film and television is not coming back. But that’s not necessarily bad news. Disruption creates space for innovation; weird new storytelling models; and economic independence that doesn’t require grovelling at the altar of the Big Three (or whatever’s left of them). It’s not the end. It’s the upgrade.

The Tariff Threat: Not Just a Paper Tiger

Even just the authorization of tariffs, without enforcement, creates volatility in the international film market. Distributors pause. Co-productions stall. Financing hesitates. Established partnerships are questioned. This ripple effect has already reached Vancouver.

U.S.-based studios and streamers are reconsidering whether to pull back from Canadian locations like Vancouver, which have long been affordable, high-skill alternatives to L.A. or New York. Others are holding off until it becomes clear how tariffs will apply, based on where content is filmed, edited, or who owns the intellectual property. The policy language is murky by design.

For smaller production companies without U.S. ties, the uncertainty is even riskier. Will American buyers stop acquiring our work? Will we be forced to register shell companies in Delaware to remain eligible for distribution? Will you need a law degree and three passports just to sell a half-hour dramedy? Nobody’s saying. But the hesitation alone is enough to torpedo deals, stall budgets, and leave promising projects stranded in development limbo.

This Isn’t Just a Trade War. It’s a Reordering.

Zoom out, and tariffs are just one visible fault line. The deeper quake has been happening for years:

• The collapse of the theatrical release window

• Streamers? Once darlings of disruption, now spiraling in their own overspending existential crises.

• The rise of AI in content creation, dubbing, and VFX
• A major pivot toward creator-owned, direct-to-audience ecosystems

None of this signals destruction. It reveals the bloated, fragile systems that were already cracking. Tariffs aren’t the cause, they’re an accelerant. We are witnessing the decentralization of content creation in real time.

The Silver Lining: Opportunity for the Agile and Independent

If you’re outside the old Hollywood legacy studio machine, this is the moment you’ve been preparing for. Here’s why:

1. Local Production Becomes a Strength, Not a Liability

If global co-productions are riskier, regional storytelling becomes more valuable. Filmmakers who understand their local landscape and audience can thrive.

2. Audiences Are Already Global and Platform-Agnostic

With or without tariffs, viewers are already consuming content on YouTube, TikTok, and niche streaming platforms. Legacy distribution was already fragmenting. There’s no going back.

3. The Rise of Microbudget Innovation

AI voiceovers, Unreal Engine, and tools like Runway ML have lowered the cost of cinematic production. You don’t need $5 million anymore—you need a laptop, a plan, and creativity.

4. Brand Building > Studio Pitching

In this new ecosystem, audience-building is more powerful than getting into a studio boardroom. U.S. studio partnerships were already rare but now, creators can bypass the gatekeepers entirely.

In Part 2, I’ll explore how all of this is transforming the financing landscape; why your next “greenlight” might come from a DAO, a YouTube subscriber base, or a blockchain-native production fund, not a sales agent or studio pitch.

The rules have changed. The map has been redrawn. And if you’re nimble, that’s very good news.