Creators fighting the algorithm may need to have a change of heart, according to Tubi Vice President of Creator Partnerships Kudzi Chikumbu.

He took the stage at AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 alongside Patreon’s Head of Business Development Stephanie Smellie on a panel moderated by Dream Con’s CFO Kendale King about how creators can break the revenue ceiling.

Chikumbu suggests creators view platforms like businesses that they are looking to scale. They should evolve their content according to user and consumer taste, and lean into what platforms are telling them to be.

“People need to stop blaming the algorithm and start being more flexible,” he said.

He highlighted the push towards long-form content, which has remained a superpower for Tubi, and has captured the hearts of Gen Z and millennials through original IP and stories.

“When people talk about ‘Why can’t I just post my pictures anymore? Why do I need to push for content, long-form content?’ It’s because that’s what people are enjoying, that’s what people are watching,” Chikumbu explained at the “Blavity Creators Summit in Partnership with Dream Con.”

“So as a creator, the way to get ahead of that is to stop wanting the past to come back — because that’s never going to come back — and really think through what is the platform trying to tell me. And the best way to do it is to think through ‘What are the new features,'” he shared.

“A big part of our audience is Gen Z, and they love creator-led content next to Hollywood content. So as a creator, it means, if you’re evolving, think through your long-form strategy, think through your premium storytelling strategy, and think through your syndication strategy so you don’t have to think through ‘I’m trying to fight the algorithm.’ You’re actually in flow with the algorithm. You just need to be more flexible and evolve over time,” he added.

In June, the streaming service announced Tubi for Creators, a program that brings “talented creators” to Hollywood to produce content for Tubi’s active users, which amounts to over 100 million, according to a press release.

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