The Hype for Failure: The Challenges Contributing to Content Houses' Short Lifespans

Since the rise of social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, where creators and influencers can gain large numbers of followers through their content, the creation of content houses has exploded. Content houses, also called creator houses or influencer houses, are spaces for collaboration between creators and influencers (Santora, 2024). Content houses have been around for about a decade, beginning with 2014’s Our Second Life YouTube collaboration, and are cultural spaces where collaborators can create content together to gain more popularity (Santora, 2024). One of the most popular content houses was the Hype House, founded by Chase Hudson and Thomas Petrou in 2019, where around 20 influencers lived together and became one of the largest TikTok content houses (Santora, 2024). Other notable popular content houses based in LA were Jake Paul’s 2016 Team 10 and Isaak Presley’s 2020 Clubhouse For The Boys (FTB). 

Despite these content houses being extremely popular and bringing success to these influencers and creators, most have a common factor: the content house’s downfall. Thus, using the Hype House as a primary example, what challenges faced by content houses in Los Angeles contribute to their short lifespan?

Aiming to analyze various factors that contribute to content houses having short lifespans, despite their growing popularity and large influence on digital culture on media platforms, will help better understand the failures of content houses and the various social, economic, and cultural challenges faced by influencers living in content houses as they pursue their dream of “going viral.” In the age where the dream is to go “viral” on platforms like TikTok or YouTube, comprehending the concept of content houses is important. Especially with the repeating trend of the downfall of these houses, it is valuable to understand why this dream persists. Firstly, relevant theory will be discussed to develop a basis for understanding content houses and the various factors contributing to both their popularity and downfall. These insights will then be applied to the case study of the Hype House as a real-life example of the challenges faced. 

The Influence of Content Houses on Digital Culture

Content houses are established places where influences work and live together. Content houses are often luxurious big homes where content creation can constantly and spontaneously in production. With such luxurious houses, multiple people can film at the same time with versatile settings day and night. Content houses often have strict rules for both getting in and living inside the home, as these houses are designed for productivity rather than just a party house (IZEA, 2021).

Content houses have had numerous effects on digital culture. Firstly, content houses are based in Los Angeles (LA), a hub for talent and an area allowing for globalization, allowing influencers to spread their content internationally (Setlich, 2024). Hollywood’s capability of media distribution across the globe impacts the location of content houses, which is why most are located in the LA area, so that content can spread more efficiently (Setlich, 2024). Furthermore, internet trends popular on platforms like TikTok often originate from the United States. 

Content houses originate from the LA area and have developed their own culture. This culture on social media has influenced global content creation, as there are inspired content houses outside of the LA area and even outside of the United States that produce very similar content to those of LA (Setlich, 2024). Hence, content houses allow influencers to have a global media impact through trendsetting and the type of content produced, leading to their popularity. Lastly, content houses greatly influence the dream of “going viral”, with around 54% of young Americans saying they would become social media influencers if given a chance (Swanson, 2021).

The Short Lifespan of Content Houses

There are numerous factors contributing to the short lifespan of influencer houses. Economically, the business aspect of collab houses is a problem. Content houses often have difficulty setting up investors, brand deals, legal counsels, and more, which are required forthem to keep their success running (Merrilees, 2020b). The business model of content houses is said to be contradictory: “They are designed to incubate talent and build a collective brand, but launch the individual careers of the most famous in the group” (Greenblatt, 2022, para. 4). Moreover, the entertainment business and brands prefer choosing individual creators over groups, and content houses run by exploitative management companies tend to have higher chances of failure (Greenblatt, 2022). Having a good business model and proper management is key for the success of content houses, unfortunately not many have that.

Socially, drama between content house members and even outsiders contributes to the short life span of content houses: “All living and creating together, drama inevitably erupts between those who are dating, friends, etc., which can then affect how the house operates” (Merrilees, 2020b, para. 8). Secondly, being in the public eye allows for easy criticism and becoming a target of cancel culture, which leads to many controversies. For example, Jake Paul from Team 10 was claimed to be sexist, and members of the Hype House were criticized for lack of diversity (Setlich, 2024). 

Internet culture is constantly changing, with new internet influencers emerging very frequently. Most content houses “blow up” momentarily and gain large attraction before another content house, or influencer, “blows up” and steals the spotlight (Merrilees, 2020b). In addition, in order to stay popular, influencers must feed into their parasocial relationship with their fans or give the impression of a face-to-face relationship (Horton & Wohl, 1956). There is pressure on influencers in content houses to construct authenticity that feels immediate and accessible to their online audiences (Marwick, 2013, pp. 114, 120). Pressure to maintain immediacy can lead to challenges such as burnout (around 61% of content creators face burnout (Oladipo, 2022)) and problems maintaining authenticity with their audience, or the “just being me” persona (Duffy & Wissinger, 2017, p. 4662).

Hence, many economic, social, and cultural factors can lead to the downfall of influencer houses. A content house’s business model is important as many influencers depend on brand deals and investors. Furthermore, influencers must keep up with trends and changing internet culture to stay in the spotlight. Lastly, and most importantly, keeping a content house clean from controversies is important, especially due to the high risks associated with the internet’s cancel culture. 

The Downfall of the Hype House: A Case Study

A wide range of challenges lead to the downfall of the Hype House. Beginning with the Hype House’s business aspect, there were already business-related disputes early on in the creation of the hype house. Influencer Daisy Keech, cofounder of the content house, claimed that the other cofounders of the house had undermined her in making business decisions and received no credit for her work (Merrilees, 2020b). She stated that she had been excluded from business deals and opportunities (Merrilees, 2020a), and she eventually left to create her own content house (Merrilees, 2020b). Another economic challenge was the revenue from the Hype House or lack thereof. Chase Hudson and Alex Warren have spoken up about making no money off the Hype House (Zach Sang Show, 2024) (Zach Sang Show Clips, 2023). In fact, Warren stated that no member of the Hype House made any money from the content house itself except for Petrou and that they had to make money themselves from brand deals (Zach Sang Show Clips, 2023).

There were also disputes between the members of the house and the pressure to make content. In an interview, Chase Hudson said: “It felt like we were all competing with each other in a sense” (Zach Sang Show, 2024). There were also some cheating allegations between Hudson and another member’s girlfriend when at the time, Hudson was dating the most followed TikToker in the world and a fellow member of the Hype House: Charli D’Amelio (Haynes, 2020). In addition to cheating allegations, there were also sexual assault allegations between Sienna Mae Gomez and Hype House member Jack Wright, where Wright claimed in a video he was sexually assaulted multiple times (Wright, 2022). Lastly, the landlord filed a lawsuit against the Hype House and said that the members had caused 600,000$ of damage to the house. These damages include damages to the structure of the house, such as broken floor tiles, damages to the jacuzzi, and extensive water and roof damage (KTLA 5, 2023). Furthermore, the members used flamethrowers inside the house and set off fireworks outside despite it being prohibited in the house’s contract (KTLA 5 , 2023). 

With various controversies and even legal issues, the Hype House suffered from being the target of cancel culture, leading to multiple of its members leaving and the content house losing popularity. 

The Downfall of Content Houses

There are three main categories contributing to the short lifespan of content houses. Firstly, there are often business-related issues and poor management within these houses. In the case of the Hype House, these issues were centered around payment and input in business decisions. Secondly, there are almost always disputes, controversies, and allegations between the members of the content house, all of which were displayed in the case of the Hype House. Lastly, the pressure and influence of cancel culture can lead to members leaving the content house and the content house gaining negative attraction. Despite the popularity of these influencer houses and achieving the dream of “going viral,” these challenges faced by the content house ultimately led to their downfall.  

References

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Greenblatt, J. (2022, January 9). Hype House and the failed promise of creator collectives. Retrieved from Dazed: https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/55421/1/hype-house-and-the-failed-promise-of-creator-collectives-netflix-tiktok 

Haynes, T. (2020, July 9). A condensed explainer of all the drama going on in the TikTok Hype House. Retrieved from The Tab: https://archive.thetab.com/uk/2020/07/09/tiktok-hype-house-drama-explained-summary-165562 

Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction. Psychiatry, pp. 215-229. doi:10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049 

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KTLA 5 . (2023, January 20). Lawsuit filed against TikTokers renting "The Hype House" for extensive damage to home. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrwOUAPLGlM 

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Merrilees, K. (2020a, April 7). The Hype House is Imploding. Retrieved from Medium: https://kristinmerrilees.medium.com/the-hype-house-is-imploding-c25aad353b9f 

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Wright, J. (2022, Jan 20). what sienna mae did to me. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJqO8e9kO70 

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Zach Sang Show Clips. (2023, June 21). Alex Warren Made No Money Off The Hype House. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkH73ak9wLc