Be Texan. Steal Hollywood.

Be Texan. Steal Hollywood. (Bastion's Cut)

By Bastion DeNine — Creative Innovation Officer, The Down Market

I’m 27. I’ve shot in Tokyo alleys and Southtown rooftops. What started as a hobby—capturing short videos and photos—has turned into a leap of faith in telling a global storytelling career rooted in curiosity, vision, and creative grit. I’ve slept in editing bays and pitched at 2 AM in group chats. I’ve watched AI go from background buzz to front-page fire. And right now? It feels like the most chaotic, beautiful, make-or-break moment for creatives in decades.

Here’s what I know: we don’t need permission—not from Hollywood, not from legacy media, not from an algorithm. We need tools. We need taste. And we need each other.

Texas just locked in a $1.5 billion investment into its film and creative media industries. That’s not hype. That’s policy. That’s proof. And it’s our signal: The time is now.

From set designers in Fort Worth to drone shooters in the Valley, we’re already telling better stories than some of the things Netflix is greenlighting. But what’s missing? Trust. Agency. Collaboration.

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And let’s be real—Hollywood doesn’t just gatekeep with casting calls and agent lists. It’s also owned. Literally. BlackRock, one of the most powerful investment firms in the world, holds major stakes (between 6% to 15%) across all the major studios—Disney, Warner Bros, Comcast. When they speak, the industry listens. When they invest, stories shift. Compliance becomes more important than creativity. Narrative gets rewritten to fit strategy—not humanity.

So if you’ve ever wondered why things feel bland, corporate, or algorithmic? That’s why. The machine is bigger than the movie. And that’s exactly why we have to build outside of it.

I’ve seen so many young creatives in San Antonio and across Texas stall out not because they aren’t talented—but because they don’t know who to build with, or where to take their ideas. We’ve made inspiration the easy part and made trust the hardest. That ends now.

At The Down Market, we believe in:

• Worldbuilding over window-dressing.
• Taste over trend.
• Craft over chaos.
• Confluence over clout.

We’re not chasing aesthetics. We’re creating new economies of creative trust. That means pairing AI with authenticity. That means building community pipelines, not gatekeeping pathways.

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And collaboration? That doesn’t mean staying local—it means thinking global. Look beyond your city. Reach out across states, countries, cultures. You’re one DM away from your next creative partner.

I’m not saying it’ll be easy. I’m saying it’ll be worth it.

Start here:

• Collaborate across fields—designers, editors, writers, animators, producers. We rise by remix.
• Make something small and weird and you.
• Apply to grants through FilmSanAntonio.com, tap into SA Arts programs, and show up to rooms even when you don’t feel ready.
• Explore resources at Texas Film Commission, Dallas Film Society, Media for Texas, and Creator Camp.
• Pitch to your hometown like it’s HBO.
• Build your visual literacy like it’s a muscle. Use AI to enhance your work—not replace your eye.

Because the future isn’t just about more content. It’s about better storytelling.

We don’t just serve this creative culture—we shape it.
And as someone building AI pipelines inside this shift?
Let me tell you—the real edge isn’t the tool. It’s your taste, agency, and ability to finish.

So stop asking for permission. Start building with people who get it.

Be Texan. Steal Hollywood.
And this time, roll camera on your terms.

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