A number of major YouTube creators will host their own upfront-style event later this month in a bid to lure marketing dollars from traditional TV to creator-driven content. MrBeast, Dude Perfect, Ryan Trahan, Kinigra Deon, Rebecca Zamolo, Jordan Matter, and Colin & Samir are confirmed to participate.
The creator-focused firm Spotter is behind the event, which is called the Spotter Showcase, and will be held in New York on March 27.
Colin & Samir will lead conversations with creators and will also produce the event alongside Spotter. More than 150 CMOs of major brands are expected to attend, alongside other creators.
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Perhaps most notably, the creators will also pull back the curtain for the first time, unveiling content slates (which would allow brands to buy in early), audience data and other new information.
Or, as Spotter says, the creators, “will share their content calendars, formats, tentpole series, audience data, and upcoming ideas.”
“For decades, advertisers were about owning hit shows, moments, and attention across broadcast and cable,” Spotter president Nic Paul said in a statement. “Today, that landscape has fundamentally shifted. To capture cultural moments and audience engagement, brands must align with Creators — who now command the largest and most engaged audiences across digital platforms. Spotter Showcase is a manifestation of this new reality, where Creators, not traditional networks, are starting to lead the entertainment industry.”
The Spotter Showcase comes as creator-driven platforms are upending the media landscape, with YouTube now firmly the most watched video platform on TV sets, and TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat transforming mobile video.
“Creators are not just making videos, they’re building modern media networks,” said Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, hosts of The Colin and Samir Show. “YouTube channels are becoming home to hit series, like Ryan Trahan’s ‘Penny Series’ and Kinigra Deon’s ‘Vampire Siblings,’ with millions of fans tuning in weekly. The Creators onstage at Spotter Showcase are some of the internet’s best storytellers, and this event gives them a platform to tell their story to advertisers. It marks a maturation in our industry and a shift from one-off brand deals to deep, strategic partnerships shaping the future of entertainment.”
And it joins a landscape where the platforms like YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok are all seeking a piece of that pie as well. YouTube’s Brandcast event has become the closing event of TV’s upfront week.
“Spotter Showcase will help brands reach today’s top YouTube Creators, giving them direct access to the voices shaping culture and driving consumer engagement,” adds Aaron DeBevoise, CEO and founder of Spotter. “It’s not just about ad placements — it’s about deep consumer attention and fostering authentic collaborations that give brands access to the unrivaled scale, trust, and engagement of Creator audiences.”
Spotter added partnered with Amazon last year, in an agreement that could also give its creators “compelling new business opportunities” with the tech giant.
