On Thursday evening, many of the biggest stars on YouTube gathered marketers from companies like Amazon, Disney, Shopify, Uber, and Airbnb to do something new: Unveil a development slate.
The traditional TV upfronts have long featured a sneak preview of shows in development, and a chance for advertisers to buy in early. YouTube, on the other hand, has long used its Brandcast event to serve as a celebration of creators, a reminder of the scale, breadth and depth of its content.
Now many creators want brands to buy in early, and they are looking to bring them in the loop months ahead of time, in the name of brand integrations and advertising commitments. Spotter, which works with many of the platform’s top creators, hosted the event, with YouTube stars Colin & Samir serving as the night’s emcees. And the creators had news to share.
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“We’re unlocking the next frontier, bringing creators together with brands for the biggest culture-defining moments of the year, to drive real results at scale,” said Spotter president Nic Paul, addressing the room of marketers. “That’s why we’re here tonight. The biggest creators on YouTube are in this room, and they’re ready to show you how your brand can be part of the now of entertainment where the most valuable audiences are actually watching.”
Mr. Beast, perhaps the most famous YouTube creator in the world, announced that he would be relaunching his gaming channel, which has about 50 million subscribers, and is planning content in new genres like adventure and competition series, celebrity collaborations, athlete and sports collaboration. He is also developing a behind-the-scenes series that will show viewers what goes into making his videos. And yes, they confirmed that there will be a second season of Beast Games, though Prime Video is yet to confirm if it is a go on its end.
“Nothing we do at Mr. Beast is traditional or expected. We build viral one of a kind moments, the kind that people watch, share, and most importantly, remember, and we bring brands into the cultural spotlight,” said Melissa Drucker, Mr. beast’s global head of brand partnerships.
The Try Guys announced new seasons of cooking competition shows Phoning It In and Without a Recipe, in addition to a new a Try Every Day series dropping later this summer; Kinigra Deon, who produces original scripted content for YouTube, announced a deal with Kevin Hart’s HartBeat and Spotter to produce her first feature film; Dude Perfect announced a new series called Dude Perfect Vs., a second Trick Shot World Championship, and an upcoming video with Caitlin Clark; Ryan Trahan announced some of his upcoming content, and revealed that his candy brand Joyride would be joining store shelves at Whole Foods and Kroger; and Jordan Matter announced his family’s skincare line Sincerely Yours would launch this year in a partnership with Sephora; Michelle Khare announced new episodes of her series Challenge Accepted; and Airrack announced plans to climb Mount Everest… and do it while livestreaming to YouTube.
The event was smaller in scale than a brandcast or upfront (there were only 150 or so people in the room, compared to 2,500 at Brandcast), but the impact was high. After the presentation guests “shopped” at a store stocked with creator-led brands, shot hoops at a Dude Perfect basketball game, and took selfies with some of the creators in attendance, who combined are responsible for over 77 billion minutes watched in the U.S.
“This was our first external event with our Creator partners, and we’re thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive response,” said Aaron DeBevoise, founder and CEO of Spotter. “Our goal was to bring Creators and brands together—and we did that by showcasing how data, innovation, and engagement are shaping the entertainment industry. Creators are leading culture and changing how audiences engage with content. Spotter Showcase provided brands with a deeper understanding of what drives attention and how to create a meaningful, lasting impact in the creator space.”
