Influencers + Content Houses

Source: Dana Galo I LA Content Collectives

This new formula of unknown influencers to fame can also be achieved through collaboration, which is the concept that has made content houses so popular. Some of the most well known content houses are the Sway House, the Hype House, the Not A Content House/Just A House, and the Clout House. Content houses basically switched up the idea of living with your friends to save money, into living with your friends to make money by creating content together and feeding off of each other's growing popularity. The members tag each other in their posts and generate momentum individually as well as collectively. Instead of purchasing a studio as a creative space for filming, content houses are beautiful mansions in Los Angeles, often paid for through a sponsorship deal with a brand. In case you’re wondering why influencers can’t just rent a house or an Airbnb, that is due to the fact that many in LA have a rule against filming, as the homeowners are wary of damages to the property from stunts or over-the-top videos.

These content houses that we see popping up among different groups of TikTokers become recognizable locations, like a set in someone's favorite movie or an iconic setting like Central Perk in ‘Friends.’ The New York Times article “Hype House and the Los Angeles TikTok Mansion Gold Rush” describes the Hype House as “the physical location of a new content creator collective, a Spanish-style mansion perched at the top of a hill on a gated street in Los Angeles. It has a palatial backyard, a pool and enormous kitchen, dining and living quarters.” The main requirement for a content house itself is to be photogenic, but the location is also crucial, because ideally, it needs to be an open but private environment without close proximity to neighbors. In order to prevent fans and crowds from unexpectedly visiting the residence, gated communities have become desirable. Since they will be filming there every day, the amenities are important as well, as they will most likely be used in shoots, so it's useful for a large yard to be able to fit unexpected activities.

In the case of the Hype House, 19 of the most talked about creators on TikTok were gaining momentum individually and joined the content house to skyrocket their fame altogether. After debuting their social posts and group handle on TikTok, the official Hype House account broke the 3 million follower count barrier in a week and a half. Youtuber Sam Sheffer told The New York Times, “it’s a brilliant move for power players on these platforms to lift each other up” and praised the strategy of TikTokers who “elevate others to elevate yourself,” which “really rings true with this new generation of TikTokers.” The founder of the Hype House, Thomas Petrou, explained to The New York Times that the house has rules that must be followed because it's not a party house -- it's a work environment. Members must create content in order to be associated with the content collective, clarifying that “if someone slips up constantly, they’ll not be a part of this team anymore. You can’t come and stay with us for a week and not make any videos, it’s not going to work. This whole house is designed for productivity. If you want to party, there’s hundreds of houses that throw parties in L.A. every weekend.” In fact, Petrou stated “this house is about creating something big, and you can’t do that if you’re going out on the weekends.” Clearly, these ambitious creators know what they want and must be willing to put in the work to make it happen.

Credit: Dana Galo I Statistics from Statista

The first collab house started with the top talent on Vine, a social media platform that launched in 2012 for six second looping short-form videos, which some describe as the first taste of TikTok. The stars of Vine moved into a large apartment complex, which initiated this new norm in the world of influencers. Shortly, there are more and more mansions being acquired to house content creators and Youtubers. The Vlog Squad and Jake Paul’s Team 10 each moved into their own LA homes, blew up, and then moved into larger mansions once becoming household names.

One of the most interesting features of a content house is the aspect of community. These creators are not only roommates, but they become friends, peers, and co-workers who deal with the same issues and criticisms from the internet. It's admirable that these young and energetic creators have established safe spaces where they can communicate and help each other as they navigate fame and business, as well as learn from each other and grow.