On August 28, TikTok hosted the second Fandom Without Borders Entertainment Summit at Los Angeles’ iconic Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Building on last year’s inaugural summit, this year’s event brought together leaders across entertainment to shed insight on how TikTok is reshaping storytelling, discovery, and fandom in the modern age. Overlooking the city of Los Angeles, attendees gathered for an afternoon full of stories and inspiration.
Conversations from Industry Leaders
The summit began with remarks from Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who spoke to the enduring connection between Hollywood’s legacy and the future of digital creativity.
Panels and presentations from TikTok executives explored how audiences shape entertainment. Attendees heard from TikTok executives driving innovation across the globe.
Dawn Yang, Global Head of Entertainment Partnerships, emphasized TikTok’s role as a discovery engine that constantly surprises and delights audiences. She highlighted how older titles find new life with fresh viewers, often through creative reinterpretations and fan-led trends. What makes these moments so powerful is the level of creativity, production, and storytelling quality that fans bring to their creations, transforming casual fandom into shared content that feels polished, inventive, and culturally resonant. By leaning into this participatory culture, studios and publishers can extend the lifecycle of their IP and spark renewed excitement among global audiences.
Adam Hirschberg, Global Business Development Lead, explored how TikTok is transforming the entertainment ecosystem itself. He pointed to the way fan-made edits and creator-driven remixes are influencing viewing decisions and driving box office attendance. He also attested to TikTok’s uniquely global reach, noting that engagement on film and TV content often includes comments in dozens of languages which is evidence of fandoms connecting across borders in real time.
Ella Neale, Global Entertainment Partnerships Lead, spotlighted the rise of #BookTok and its increasing influence on book-to-screen adaptations. She pointed to the global success of Mercedes Ron’s The Culpables, as an example of the powerful ecosystem generated when BookTok and Filmtok fandoms converge. Ella showed that the success of the Spanish original reinforces just how much “audiences are hungry for global stories.” The case study further illustrates how TikTok fandoms seamlessly transcend language and geography.
With TikTok driving discovery across entertainment, the platform is also making it easier for fans to take action. This month, TikTok and Fandango announced a first-of-its-kind movie ticketing integration powered by TikTok Spotlight, allowing fans to purchase tickets directly in-app.”
Spotlight Chat: Storytelling Without Borders
Looking Ahead
The Fandom Without Borders Entertainment Summit affirmed TikTok’s role as a thriving hub of culture and creativity. From Hollywood blockbusters to global fandom movements, TikTok is where entertainment thrives. Powered by fans, fueled by creativity, and shared without borders.
Stay tuned by joining the TikTok Publisher Newsletter, where we’ll share highlights and key resources as we continue shaping the next era of entertainment.
