Every creator wants to be the next Disney… But none of them actually are

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Top creators are increasingly positioning themselves as the “next Disney,” but the comparison is more complicated than the pitch decks suggest. MrBeast, Dude Perfect, and Steven Bartlett have each raised massive sums by promising Disney-like worlds, yet what they’re building looks radically different from the legacy entertainment giant. Instead of traditional characters and storytelling, these creators are constructing new forms of spectacle, activity-driven experiences, and digital infrastructure that expand far beyond personality-led content.  MrBeast is developing immersive, stunt-driven environments, Dude Perfect is creating large-scale activity parks built around participatory sports formats, and Bartlett is assembling a tech-and-media ecosystem designed to power creator businesses. Their strategies reflect a broader shift in the creator economy, where influence is evolving into full-fledged companies with scalable IP and long-term ambitions. As creators move from content to world-building, the race to become “the next Disney” may not crown a single winner—because the future they’re building looks less like Disney and more like something entirely new.

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00:00Why is every top creator suddenly trying to become Disney? And who's actually most likely to win?

00:06Because Disney doesn't just mean movies. It means worlds, characters, parks, products,

00:11and stories that outlive the people who made them. But here's the twist. Every time a major

00:16creator raises real money, whether it's 10 million, 100 million, or even 400 million,

00:21they all use the exact same phrase in their pitch. We're building the next Disney. Mr. B says it.

00:28Dude Perfect says it. Stephen Bartlett literally says it. But when you look closer at what they're

00:32actually building, none of them look like Disney at all. They're building something entirely new.

00:37Now let's start with Mr. Beast, the biggest creator on earth who literally opened a real-life theme

00:42park. A full 188,000 square meter beastland in Saudi Arabia, packed with rides, game zones,

00:49challenge arenas, basically a physical Mr. Beast video you can walk around inside. And yes,

00:54the Disney comparison is unavoidable. He built a world, not a brand collab, not a pop-up,

00:59a literal world. But his world is built on spectacle, not story, on challenges, high stakes,

01:05and physical stunts. It's less Disneyland and more live action video game. Then there's Dude Perfect.

01:12When they raised more than 100 million to build their massive entertainment park in Texas,

01:16their investors describe them as a modern Disney for sports. Because Dude Perfect isn't about

01:21personalities. It's about format IP, trick shots, battle games, family-friendly competition.

01:28Their world is built around activity, a universe where you are part of the show.

01:32And then there's Stephen Bartlett, aka the Diary of a CEO. His company, Stephen.com,

01:37was just valued at $425 million. And he openly calls his vision the Disney of the creator economy.

01:44But he's not building theme parks yet. He's building infrastructure. He's got Flight Story,

01:48which is media, flight cast, creator tech built with a former Mr. Beast engineer,

01:53a $100 million venture fund, and software to help creators scale beyond themselves.

01:57So if Mr. Beast builds worlds you can walk into and Dude Perfect builds worlds you can play in,

02:02Stephen Bartlett is building the company behind the worlds.

02:05So why does every major creator say they want to be the next Disney? Well, because Disney represents

02:10IP, multi-platform distribution, systems, generational impact,

02:15and a world people emotionally belong to. But here's what people actually miss.

02:20Disney wasn't just a personality brand. Disney was an infrastructure brand. Mickey Mouse was the

02:24spark, not the business model. And creator-led companies still carry key person risk. One scandal,

02:30one burnout cycle, one algorithm shift, and the whole empire wobbles. Stephen Bartlett already

02:35faced scrutiny from the BBC and the Advertising Standards Authority over ad disclosures tied to

02:41brands he invests in. And that comes with the scale, which is why creators who will succeed long

02:45term like Dude Perfect, Mr. Beast, and Diary of a CEO will do so by building format IP that survives

02:51beyond the founder. For instance, Hot Ones went from a niche YouTube show to a global media property

02:57backed by Soros Fund Management with international broadcast formats. When you build worlds and formats,

03:03instead of just content, you build longevity and diverse revenue streams. Right now,

03:07creator ecosystem is shifting faster than traditional media can even keep up. Creator-led content is

03:12growing nearly 20% year over year, and in some categories, already outperforming legacy media.

03:18Investors are used to treating creators like small businesses, and now they see them as global

03:22entertainment companies. But this moment isn't about creators leaving platforms. It's about creators

03:27graduating from content to companies. Creators aren't just filming videos. They're raising capital,

03:33acquiring talent, building software, and creating formats that can live across digital,

03:37and physical worlds. So yes, every creator says they're building the next Disney. But the truth

03:42is way more interesting. Disney began with a character. Creators begin with a relationship.

03:47Disney scaled with studios. Creators scale with trust, community, and technology. Disney imagined

03:53worlds. Creators build worlds with their audiences beside them in real time. So who do you think will

03:58be the next Disney of the creator generation? Or do you agree with me that maybe there won't be

04:02one and all, and it's something entirely new? Subscribe to What's Trending for more deep dives

04:07into viral moments, trends, and creators shaping the online conversation.

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