Hollywood Showrunners Face Added Role Of Managing Their Personal Brand

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Why it matters: The showrunner has become a prominent position within Hollywood for both the industry and for television viewers, but the job increasingly entails handling being a public figure, with all that entails, in exchange for the potential of significant wealth if they prove to be a consistent and productive creator.

Interacting with the fans: Thanks to social media and fan convention appearances, showrunners have, in many respects, become another type of modern-day influencers. Social media is where they’re able to grow their “brand,” and showrunners can interact with fans in ways they were never able to do prior to this era. Whether that means divulging plot secrets or being lauded for Easter eggs, showrunners are in the spotlight on social media in ways that make them the star.

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What is your brand: Showrunners’ brands (or, in this case, reputations) take the form of what they write, which can be defined by a host of different monikers: comedy or drama, high concept or character driven, prestige or Dad TV, etc. Those labels can make a writer identifiable and easily categorized. But those adjectives can also be limiting, pigeonholing writers into particular niches.

The writers room: Just as showrunners can build their persona online, they still encounter a different but universal type of branding in writers rooms: whether they’re known as an amiable colleague or the kind of co-worker people loathe being around. In Hollywood, however, that binary can often result in just the opposite result one might think it would. Difficult writers are often deemed artistes — and often the only ones allowed to be artistes are white male showrunners.

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This story is published in partnership with The Ankler, a paid subscription publication about the entertainment industry.