Film directors as hubs

Working relationships in Hollywood's film industry are some of the most tightly organized, and yet understudied, relationships in contemporary society. In this paper we study the linkages across the film industry by focusing on Hollywood directors as hubs in a network, with particular focus on the inhomogeneous networks that establish connectivity and dominance in a few particular cities (L.A., N.Y.). To date, no one has used a technique that directly connects individuals across space and empirically follows the social networks of film industry crews across major economic hubs. Overall, our analysis uses a dataset from the website imdb (including 177 movie titles, 25 film roles, and 11 directors) to study this social group and its network structures. In the end, our research makes clear that spatial proximity is crucial to cultivating creativity and innovation in the film industry, which further strengthens social and spatial networks. These findings prompt us to provide specific recommendations for the planning of urban spaces to further foster growth in this industry.