August 2025

Employees within media, arts & entertainment are deeply conflicted. There is a strong sense of pride and satisfaction in the creative and meaningful nature of the work, especially when original and unassisted by AI. However, this is consistently challenged by the chaotic and demanding reality of the job. Professionals on social media frequently discuss burnout and the emotional toll of an always-on work culture. A common theme is the “feast/famine” nature of the work, where professionals either have unreasonable hours on a project for a single organization or are in between gigs, which makes it difficult to maintain stability. While the passion for the work remains strong, many question its long-term sustainability due to the personal sacrifices required. Others are questioning loyalty to single companies and whether their work is simply being studied by LLMs, ultimately leading to their replacement. Hedging risks through the gig economy appears to be what many are doing to avoid the peril of committing to a single company only to be laid off. Tools such as Veo3 by Gemini and other generative AI tools that create media content almost instantaneously are threatening media professionals’ place in their industry, as well as artists and entertainers, alike.

The media and entertainment sector is in a period of intense restructuring and competition. While official job reports show little change in employment numbers over the last 30 days, there have been signs of trouble. Large media companies in the US announced plans to cut hundreds of jobs as part of a restructuring plan. The industry is also facing stiff competition from social media platforms, which are becoming dominant forces in both content and advertising. This is driving a shift away from traditional media roles towards digital and social media-focused positions.