The preacher at the gate: Matt Zien and the fight for creative independence
Matt Zien’s latest video is a cinematic gut-punch, a rallying cry for creators in the age of AI. Visually stunning and emotionally raw, it exposes how new gatekeepers dress up control as empowerment. A must-watch for anyone trying to stay authentic in a world built on polished fences and profit.
I didn’t expect to be gripped by a video sermon this week. But there I was, headphones on, full screen, volume up, staring at what looked like a prophet in the desert, delivering fire and fury about the state of creativity in the age of AI. It wasn’t satire. It wasn’t a trailer. It was a cinematic manifesto. And at the heart of it all stood Matt Zien.
Zien isn’t just another tech bro with a camera and a ChatGPT script. He’s a seasoned documentary producer with real credentials (Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, The Curse of Von Dutch, Slauson Rec at Cannes). But in recent years, he’s stepped into a new role as co-founder of KNGMKR Labs, where he’s exploring what storytelling means when AI becomes part of the creative bloodstream. And what happens when the tools meant to democratize become just another form of control.
His new video, a performance piece, an outcry, a warning, hit me hard. Not just because of the visuals (which are stunning), or the music (which carries the message with near-religious force), but because of the truth I felt under every line.
“This is a message for the wanderers. The seekers. The creative refugees.”
Like a sermon…
That’s how it starts. And if you’ve ever made something, a film, a story, a song, a dream, only to find yourself swimming in algorithms and approvals and monetization models, you’ll feel it. The piece builds like a sermon, but it’s not preaching comfort. It’s warning us: the new world of AI-powered creativity has gatekeepers too. They look like fellow creators, fellow dreamers, fellow freedom fighters but they’re building new fences. Shinier, more seductive, and just as limiting.
“They don’t lock doors,” the voice cries, “They buy the map.”
That line stuck with me. Because I’ve seen it. Platforms that promise empowerment but extract value. Tools that offer you the world, as long as you stay in their ecosystem. Education that teaches you how to play by their rules, but never how to write your own.
Don’t play that game
Matt Zien knows this game. He’s played in the old system: network TV, production companies, press junkets. And now he sees the same machinery being rebuilt under new branding: Creator Economy, AI Democratization, Empowerment. But the foundations haven’t changed. The venture capital flows. The PR swarms. The influencers are paid. The real artists? They’re offered “$500 a day for your genius,” while millions are raised on the back of their labor.
But the video doesn’t leave you in despair. That’s the brilliance of it. It ends with a rallying cry: “Your voice, your unique, raw, imperfect, personal voice is the only real threat to those walls. You don’t need their gates. You don’t need their badges. You are the earthquake.”
Zien isn’t just talking to filmmakers or AI enthusiasts. He’s talking to anyone trying to create something real in a world that wants to package and resell authenticity. He’s asking us to look deeper. To be braver. To keep generating. To keep iterating. But above all, not to sell our souls.
“I know their playbook,” he repeats like a mantra. “I know their playbook!”
Storytelling
And you believe him. Because he’s not just observin, he’s living it. On his social channel, whether it’s Instagram, X, or LinkedIn, you’ll find a mix of creative experiments, sharp commentary, and a deep love for what’s possible when storytelling collides with machine intelligence. But never at the cost of voice. Never at the cost of soul.
So yeah. This wasn’t just a cool video I watched on a Tuesday afternoon. It was a jolt. A reminder. A challenge. And as the so-called “cinematic promised land” opens up to more and more of us, it’s voices like Matt Zien’s that will help make sure we don’t just inherit new tools but a new kind of freedom too.
Don’t miss this piece. Don’t ignore the gates. And if you’re feeling lost in the wilderness of creation, take heart: you are not alone, and you are not for sale.
