Break through the COLD START Problem on YouTube, and Learn How to Stand Out in Your Niche, even if you think it's "Saturated" and How to Dominate and Become a Destination Channel.

Unlock the most scalable, overlooked income stream on YouTube—digital products. Whether you have 1,000 subscribers or 1 million, learn how to turn your audience into real consistent revenue (beyond AdSense and brand deals).

“YouTube Shorts don’t pay.” “They ruin your longform channel.” “Consistency just means posting daily.” If you’ve heard any of these, you’re not alone, and you’re not getting the full story. In this mythbusting session, creator and strategist Palestrina McCaffrey will break down the most common misconceptions about Shorts and show how they can become a powerful part of your content strategy when used correctly. She’ll share real examples from the @littleremyfood channel, including monetization insights, format strategies, visual design tactics, and how to define real consistency across style, storytelling, and output. You'll get practical takeaways, creator-tested insights, and a clearer understanding of how Shorts can drive real growth without sacrificing your long-form potential. This talk is for creators who are tired of guessing, burned out on bad advice, and ready to make Shorts work on their terms.

In an industry where burnout is rampant and revenue sources can disappear at the speed of a poorly-worded tweet, long-term planning can sometimes feel pointless. However, I believe that with a simple “ABCD approach” to creation and management, any creator can create a business and a brand that is bigger than themselves. What will be discussed: 1) Building an A-Team, 2) Adopting a Business Mindset, 3) Taking on Calculated Risks, and 4) Mistakes are Okay. Yes, Linus is aware that an O is not a D, but his point stands that whatever happens, all that matters is finding a path forward.

After a decade of creating content and struggling to break through the noise, Dzung and Nathan Lewis are pulling back the curtain on what it really took to build momentum—and what finally worked. In this candid session, they walk through the10-year journey of trial, error, pivots, and plateaus… and how launching a Shorts-focused channel flipped everything. Whether you’re just getting started or feeling stuck after years of creating, this session offers a raw, relatable, and ultimately tested roadmap for creators looking to break through

From dusty fields in Nebraska to dominating feeds on YouTube, Laura Farms didn’t blow up her channel by pretending to be something she’s not—she leaned all the way in to who she actually is. In this powerful, down-to-earth session, Laura unpacks her journey from farm kid to full-time content creator, and the lessons she’s learned over six years in the digital trenches. She’ll walk you through how staying real (and not chasing trends) helped her build a loyal community, massive reach, and a business that’s as sustainable as her farming practices.

What does it take to build a massively successful animation channel on YouTube? In this session, animation creator Javadoodles shares the behind-the-scenes journey of growing an animation channel from scratch to over 2-million subscribers. You'll learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to turn your unique creative voice into a thriving personal brand. Whether you’re just getting started with your own animation ideas or looking to scale your pre-existing channel, you’ll walk away with actionable insights on content strategy, audience engagement, monetization, and your personal creative workflow, tailored specifically for animation creators. This is a masterclass and deep dive into how to succeed as an animator and storyteller, not just a creator!

You will learn how to use 1of10 and its AI features to explode your views and save hours of research by generating endless viral content ideas and craft titles and thumbnails that viewers can’t resist clicking.

This desperation to pivot my channel put me on a journey of experimentation. I joined Channel JumpStart, which helped me learn everything I had done wrong when I first started. With sound advice from other creators, I began to try and slowly pivot my channel with long-form videos and even slower success. But then everything changed when I noticed other creators finding success with YouTube Shorts. Was this the light at the end of the tunnel for me? Could I finally make content I actually enjoyed? This was the perfect test! At that point I really had nothing to lose. I decided to take everything I learned and poured it into short-form content, but this time staying true to who I was at the core. Since then, my channel has exploded to 1.5M (and counting) subscribers. I’m averaging 7-million views per short with 15-million returning viewers per month. Now, I’m starting to bring this audience over to my long-form content, and it’s working! The best part? I love the audience I’m making videos for and the community I’ve built! In this presentation, I’ll share practical steps to pivot your channel with Shorts, build a loyal audience, and convert them to long-form viewers.

Very few creators make seven figures a year, but this talk will change your odds by helping you land bigger sponsorships, make better hiring decisions, and avoid contracts that’ll screw you over without you realizing. This keynote is packed with practical tips from Amanda Marcovitch, who has been named one of Business Insider’s “Top Rising Star Managers” and works with brands like American Express, Spotify, and Walmart in addition to managing one of today’s fastest-growing creators, Jon Youshaei. She’ll outline the step-by-step process they used to lower costs, build a team of 10, and generate over seven figures per year, all in their first few years of starting their YouTube channel.

Many creators have a similar problem, they don't know how to find exceptional editors or build post production pipelines that work. In this presentation, Gavin breaks down how to build a post production team the RIGHT way. You will leave the presentation with actionable advice and a roadmap on how to scale your team effectively!

Before attending VidSummit in 2023, my channel barely averaged 1,000 views per day. Now it gets more than 1-million views per month. Here are the three steps I took that made all the difference. The good news is that you are doing one of them right now, so attend this session if you are ready to be transformed.

Designed for creators preparing to leave a salaried role, this finance-first workshop maps the path from corporate to full-time creator. Led by AV (@AVtothe7thPower)—who left law school and a 15-year corporate communications career to build a profitable legal media company—attendees learn simple runway math to set a quit date, cash-flow planning to smooth volatility, and a revenue stack that actually pays: ads, flat-fee sponsorships, community activation, and digital sales. Then the focus shifts to the operations that fund profitability on YouTube: a proven live→VOD packaging system, a discovery funnel that feeds long-form, and a 30/60/90 action plan. Attendees leave with valuable, practical tools to build a sustainable, enjoyable creator business.

This presentation explores how partnerships for creators are rapidly evolving in an AI-driven world, moving beyond traditional brand deals toward strategic, scalable business collaborations.

Are you excited (or worried?) about AI and how it will affect creativity, content, and your connection with your audience? Creator-attorney and IP edutainer, Brittany Ratelle, will break down exactly what you need to be doing to preserve the copyrightability of your IP in the age of AI. Brittany will give the scoop on the latest AI caselaw and how creators can build a competitive moat around their intellectual property. Whether you are Team AI or channeling Sarah Connor, come get some practical tips for navigating AI in the modern creator economy.

In a world dominated by trends, quick cuts, and algorithm hacks, how do you go viral in a niche with none of that? Sam Eckholm has built one of the fastest-growing documentary-style YouTube channels in the realm of aerospace and defense, a world filled with government restrictions, limited access, and zero margin for error. From filming with the Secret Service to flying in fighter jets, Sam has figured out how to tell complex, cinematic stories that hook millions of viewers while earning the trust of institutions like the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy. In this talk, Sam breaks down how to grow as a creator in a niche that doesn’t play by the usual rules. He’ll share how to land game-changing access, structure a lean and agile production team, and package your story to attract both viewers and top-tier sponsors. He’ll also reveal unique monetization strategies that go beyond AdSense, from brand deals that align with your mission to partnerships that unlock unprecedented access. Whether you’re in a niche industry, trying to break out of a rut, or just looking for a more meaningful way to build an audience, this session will leave you with a blueprint to do just that, while creating content you’re proud of.

In an age where watch time and click-through rate dominate the discourse, this session dives into two overlooked metrics that are redefining success on YouTube: sentiment and suitability. Join us as we explore how audience emotion and brand alignment are becoming the new power levers for creators and marketers alike. You’ll learn how to go beyond surface-level stats and tap into what your audience is actually saying and feeling—turning comments into insights, and insights into strategy. Whether you're trying to grow a loyal fanbase or land bigger brand deals, this talk will show you how measuring sentiment can reveal hidden opportunities, and how suitability data can help you become a magnet for advertisers. We’ll break down real-world examples, show you the tools and workflows creators are already using, and leave you with practical takeaways to future-proof your channel in a world where attention is currency—but connection is king.

What does it take to turn a digital creator brand into a lasting, multi-platform franchise? Tobias Hoss shares a proven framework for expanding creator-led content into 360-degree IP spanning fashion, music, streaming, ecommerce, memberships, and live experiences. Through real-world case studies, you'll learn if and when to move into streaming, how to launch and scale consumer products, how to launch a membership, and how to successfully enter new formats and platforms. This session delivers actionable strategies to grow your brand beyond social media and reveals why ownership and IP are the creator economy’s most powerful long-term assets—and why the next Disney might just start on YouTube. Walk away with practical tactics and insights to build creator IP that scales across content, commerce, and culture.

In this presentation, Mario will be sharing some of the most important insights behind retention that works for content with hundreds of millions of views. As an extra twist, he’ll be talking about the way he was able to connect neuroscience to retention and how VidSummit attendees can use this knowledge to optimize their own content. The overall takeaway—to see how retention gets optimized at the highest level of content creation.

When I started on YouTube, I was just reviewing tech products, trying to figure out what kind of creator I wanted to be. Fast forward to today, I’ve built a global brand with millions of subscribers, characters and stories people actually care about, and channels in multiple languages thanks to AI tools like DittoDub. I didn’t get here by having it all figured out, I got here by evolving, taking risks, and letting the process guide me. In this talk, I’m going to show you exactly how I scaled my creativity, used AI to break language barriers, and built a universe of content that goes way beyond views. Whether you're just starting out or you’ve hit that plateau moment, my goal is to help you break through it. I’ll share the systems I use, the mistakes I’ve learned from, and how trying something totally new, like turning my characters into music artists, led to one of the biggest wins of my journey. If there’s one thing I want you to walk away with, it’s this: don’t limit yourself. The future of content creation belongs to those bold enough to learn, evolve, and reinvent themselves again and again.

Viral videos aren’t just luck. They’re built on systems that can be planned, paced and repeated. In this panel, Jules (JustJules), Angelia (@angeliaamor), Gabi (Glam Girl Gabi), Wiggi, and Chelsea Laufer reveal exactly how they turn creative sparks into consistent, high-performing content. You’ll learn how to pace your output, keep ideas flowing, and operationalize your creativity so it’s repeatable, scalable, and sustainable. If you’ve ever wondered how successful creators seem to “always have another banger,” this is where they spill the playbook.

Tired of getting ghosted or rejected when pitching brands for sponsorships? Join Justin Moore, author of Sponsor Magnet, for a hands-on workshop to help you craft a pitch that no brand will ignore.

Most creators don’t realize they’re leaving thousands of dollars on the table every year ... not because they aren’t working hard, but because their accountants don’t actually understand the creator economy. In this session, Nate Coughran, CPA and founder of Cookie Finance, will share the best practices and tax strategies that traditional accountants simply overlook. Cookie Finance exclusively works with influencers, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs, which means we’ve seen it all: from write-offs that make a real difference to the pitfalls that end up costing creators big. You’ll walk away knowing what most CPAs miss, and exactly how to keep more of your money as a content creator.

Most creators rely on ChatGPT to review contracts or leave negotiations to their manager. But being a creator in 2025 means being a business owner, and that means understanding the basics of your own deals. Good contracts = freedom. Financial freedom, freedom to walk away from a bad situation, and peace of mind that your rights are protected. Contracts are the bridge between outdated laws and rapidly evolving technology. In this hands-on workshop, creator economy lawyer, Chelsey Mori, will show you how to find and fix hidden landmines buried in legalese across brand, agency, platform, and management agreements. You’ll learn how to redline properly, what changes to ask for, and how to push back without blowing up the deal. We’ll cover new AI clauses you need to include (and avoid), plus contract hacks around exclusivity, ownership, payment structure, approvals, takedowns, and liability. You’ll learn what templates every creator should have in their contract library, what terms to Control-F before signing, and how to future-proof your content as AI evolves—from recording your creative process for copyright protection to watermarking content and using tools to detect and remove deepfakes and impersonation accounts faster than a cease and desist. Channel your inner Harvey Specter or Elle Woods and learn to redline like a lawyer.

As one of few creators to work inside both YouTube and Instagram, Jon Youshaei has been featured in Inc Magazine for "cracking the code to going viral.” In this keynote, Jon breaks down that code and unravels how the algorithm works after helping many creators to now grow his own channel past 600K+ subscribers. Jon also outlines his best tips to increase your engagement, decrease your production time, and use the latest creator-friendly AI tools, all of which he used to bootstrap his channel to 300M+ views in his first year as a creator.

Panel discussion—Panelists will discuss both the pros and cons of AI on content creation, how it affects the future of content, and tools and resources creators can leverage to improve their content and their reach.

The story of how Christopher Wenzel and Leslie Naoom transformed their YouTube channel into a platform for selling hair products.

With the overwhelming amount of content online, standing out, and production consistency have never been more relevant. Mia Maples has always found joy in staying true to herself when making content while maintaining a dependable balanced schedule. In this session, Mia will share how to tap into your unique perspectives and interests that make you authentically you with the goal of setting yourself apart and fostering a strong genuine connection with the ones who enjoy getting to know you!

Scaling & Monetizing Your Personal Brand is a high-impact, strategy-driven session led by global communications strategist, Maha Abouelenein, designed for professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders ready to elevate their influence and turn their reputation into results. Maha will reveal the foundational principles of building a brand rooted in trust, credibility, and authentic relationships, showing how to position your expertise in a way that opens doors and creates opportunities. Attendees will learn how to grow their presence in a way that strengthens influence and leads to sustainable business growth and monetize their brands. By the end of this session, you’ll walk away with a clear, actionable framework for enhancing your reputation, expanding your reach, and leveraging the right relationships to confidently scale your personal brand.