Hollywood Stole $2 Trillion from Black Creators and We're Here to Collect

The Detroit Filmmaker Making Six Figures a Month While Hollywood Sleeps

A filmmaker I know shot a horror film in Detroit for $285,000. Netflix offered him $150,000 for perpetual rights, asking him to give up ownership forever.

He told them to kick rocks, went directly to TUBI, and nearly doubled Netflix’s offer in the first 12 months.

While his film school classmates drown in debt with traditional distributors, he's cashing five-figure monthly checks and owns every frame of his work.

This isn't some unicorn story. This man found the cheat code:

• No upfront fees

• No Hollywood accounting fuckery

• Immediate revenue

• Full rights retention

Let that sink in. A Black creator from Detroit makes more monthly than most Hollywood development executives by completely circumventing the traditional system.

Hollywood’s $2 Trillion Heist from Black Creators

When Jordan Peele's "Get Out" grossed $255 million on a $4.5 million budget, Hollywood didn't rush to fund more Black filmmakers.

Instead, they searched for directors who could "do what Jordan did" while maintaining control of the machinery that profits from our stories.

This pattern isn't random. It's systematic.

Netflix, Disney+, and other streamers trumpet their "groundbreaking African initiatives," but the money tells a different story. Of the estimated $800 million flowing into African content production annually, less than 30% reaches African creators.

The rest disappears into foreign production companies, distributors, and platforms, extracting both stories and profits.

As fascism and anti-Black sentiment rise globally, reclaiming our narratives is more than good business—it's survival.

Our Stories Are Worth Trillions

Hollywood execs still don't get it. We're not a market. We're THE market.

While they're busy greenlighting another "White Savior in Africa" movie, $2 trillion is changing hands across the diaspora. Yeah, you read that right. Two trillion dollars.

The math is simple: 1.4 billion people in Africa plus 200 million in the diaspora equals an economic force stronger than most countries. Lagos to London, Johannesburg to Jamaica, Nairobi to New York—this isn't just a cultural connection, it's financial firepower.

Here's what they don't teach in film school: the African Continental Free Trade Area created the largest economic zone since the WTO, connecting 55 countries and 1.3 billion consumers under one agreement.

Last year alone, the diaspora sent $54 billion back to Africa, and that's just what we can track.

Meanwhile, the African entertainment industry quietly built a $5 billion annual business while everyone slept. Streaming services are spreading faster than gossip after church.

By 2025, consumer spending across Africa will hit $2.1 trillion, with entertainment leading the charge.

This isn't abstract economics. This is cold, hard cash flowing everywhere except our pockets.

For decades, they've sold our trauma back to us at premium prices. They mine our culture, extract our stories, and then make us buy tickets to watch bootleg versions of our own lives.

I'm not saying we need to control our stories.

I'm saying we need to own the whole damn distribution network.

Who Controls the Money

I was in a meeting with a major streamer last year. They paid $42 million for a film about Ghana's independence, yet not a single Ghanaian touched that money.

Hollywood attorney Schuyler Moore, who's structured billions in film deals, bluntly states, "The content is king thing is baloney. Distribution is king. Distribution has control. They absolutely have power at the table."

I've seen it firsthand. Sundance gives a Black director a standing ovation, then whispers, "But can it travel?"—code for "Will white audiences buy this?"

That's how films like Green Book get massive marketing budgets and wide releases, while groundbreaking Black films like Sorry to Bother You fight for scraps of attention.

That's why Netflix promotes countless documentaries on child soldiers but ignores Africa's booming tech and creative economies.

Whoever controls our narrative, and the access to it, controls our reality.

The African Diaspora’s Cultural Currency

We share a powerful cultural currency. "Black Panther" grossed $1.3 billion globally because a worldwide audience is hungry for authentic stories told from our perspective.

Look what's happening right now:

• Burna Boy commands $500,000+ fees without American label backing.

• South African amapiano artists license directly to European clubs at multiples of traditional offers.

• Nollywood films generate millions through direct digital releases targeting diaspora viewers.

• Jamaican creators sell content directly to streaming platforms, keeping 70% of revenue instead of the standard 15%.

These aren't isolated wins—they're proof of an interconnected global audience willing to pay premium prices for authentic Black storytelling.

Now let's talk about why you're still begging for a seat at their table when you could be building your own house.

The Psychological Warfare Keeping Us Begging for Scraps

We've been programmed to doubt ourselves at levels most of us don't even recognize.

It's not just fear of rejection holding us back. It's mental colonization, convincing us our worth is determined by white validation rather than Black dollars.

The most dangerous thoughts in a Black creator's mind aren't, "What if I fail?" but rather:

• "I need their platform to be legitimate."

• "My story isn't universal enough without their approval."

• "Success means recognition from their institutions."

This is by design. They've convinced us we need their validation more than they need our creativity. They've built a system where even when we win, we lose, celebrating Netflix deals paying pennies on the dollar while surrendering our IP.

What we should fear is continuing to hand over our greatest stories, ideas, and cultural power to gatekeepers who don't respect us but eagerly profit from us.

Casablanca Nights Is the New Blueprint

Forget Hollywood's bullshit factory. Join us at Casablanca Nights in Morocco this September, where real money meets real talent.

No pointless panels. No empty promises. No business cards destined for landfill.

We're bringing 50 filmmakers and investors together with one clear mission: close profitable deals.

Morocco sits at the crossroads of three continents for a damn good reason.

While executives in Burbank wonder if your story "might not travel," we're building a direct pipeline from Black creativity to Black capital with no middleman skimming your dreams.

Your Next Move

If you have capital to deploy and want in on Casablanca Nights, email me directly at [email protected].

If you're a filmmaker ready to make money while keeping your integrity, join our workshop starting June 15th. We're revealing the exact model that's made filmmakers millions. Register here.

Own Your Story or Watch Someone Sell It Back To You

By 2050, Africa's population will hit 2.5 billion, with the diaspora adding hundreds of millions more globally.

Right now, six companies in Los Angeles decide how our grandchildren understand their history, beauty, and worth.

Fuck that.

We're building a powerful network across borders. We're creating generational wealth through narrative ownership.

This revolution won't just be televised. It'll be distributed, monetized, and owned by us.