The entertainment industry has no shortage of networks, agencies, and production shops. But Max Cutler, head of creator studio PAVE, thinks most of them are solving the wrong problem. Cutler explains why PAVE’s model — developing new intellectual property alongside creators rather than monetizing what already exists — is closer to the old Hollywood studio system than anything that came before it, and where he sees the real white space left in true crime.
Cynopsis: How does PAVE structure its deals — do you take an ownership stake in a creator’s IP, act as a service partner, or something in between?
MAX CUTLER: The way I think about it, we invest in creators the way studios once invested in stars, therefore PAVE is neither of those, and that is intentional. We do not take a stake in what a creator has already built, and we are not a work-for-hire production shop. Instead, we develop and produce new intellectual property together with the creator from day one, and we structure the deal so the creator shares meaningfully in the upside of what we build together. That means putting our own capital, production resources, and distribution behind new shows and new brands, rather than taking a percentage of something that existed before we arrived. Every deal looks a little different depending on the creator and the format, but the constant is that we are building something new together and both sides are invested in its success.
What’s the difference between what PAVE offers and what a traditional talent agency or a podcast network would offer these creators?We are a studio that develops original IP with creators, funds and produces it, and builds the audience around it across audio, video, live experiences and more. An agency represents a creator and earns a commission on deals other people make. A network typically sells advertising against a show the creator already produces. However, when a creator joins PAVE, they are not handing us an existing show to monetize. They are gaining a partner that develops new formats with them, produces at a professional level, and puts them in front of audiences they have not reached before. Our Crime House brand is a good example. We have built it as a true crime destination, and a new creator joining us benefits from an existing audience infrastructure on day one. Then, every new show strengthens the brand for everyone else involved. Agencies and networks serve real purposes, but neither one is in the business of building new IP alongside the creator, and that is the entire business we are in.
True crime and legal content are crowded spaces — what’s PAVE’s thesis on where the white space still is?
The volume in true crime is high, but most of it is the same format: two hosts retelling a case. The first part of the white space is in perspective, expertise and storytelling. Audiences are increasingly drawn to creators who bring genuine credentials to the genre, whether that is a legal background, investigative experience, or a career inside law enforcement or intelligence. That expertise changes the content from retelling to analysis, and it builds trust with an audience that has become sophisticated about the genre.
The second piece of white space is format. True crime has been dominated by weekly audio, and we see significant room in video-first storytelling, daily programming, and extensions into live events that most independent creators cannot produce on their own. And the third is brand. True crime is crowded with individual shows but has very few trusted destinations. That is what we are building with Crime House: a place where the audience knows the standard of what they will get, which makes discovery easier for listeners and growth faster for creators.
