THR Michelle Phan - H 2015
Claudia LuciaYouTube beauty guru Michelle Phan wants to educate up-and-coming digital talent through a new two-day conference for creators.
The Icon Creator Summit — which Phan is hosting with Endemol Beyond USA’s Icon Network — will bring together creators from around the world for educational workshop and original content production. Phan launched the Icon Network with Endemol Beyond in March as a hub for lifestyle content from rising online talent, and this conference is meant to provide them with more resources for creating videos for the web.
“The idea of the summit is to bring storytellers and creators to one place where they can learn from each other, share ideas, network and have fun,” says Phan. “The summit unites all of the creative people together to create projects they are passionate about in a safe, trusting environment. It is almost a throw back to college where you can experiment, and try new things.”
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Leslie Morgan, vp programming at Endemol Beyond, says that the event, which takes place July 20 and 21, will feature a range of panels designed to answer questions like: How do I take my brand to the next level? How do I utilize new platforms to connect with audiences on a deeper level?
Creators from around the world, including Melanie Murphy of Ireland and James Welsh of Great Britain, are planning to attend the event, which is being held just days before VidCon, the annual online video confab in Anaheim, Calif.
Morgan says that the idea for the summit began several years ago when she and Phan realized that consumer-facing YoutTube events weren’t giving creators enough time to share tips and network with each other. “We are giving them an opportunity to connect in a way that they haven’t really been able to prior,” she says. Phan agrees, adding, “this was something I always wish I had when I started out. I always wanted a family environment, a community where a creator like myself could connect and vibe with other creators without feeling competitive.”
To address that, the summit, which is being held at Mack Sennett Studios in Los Angeles, will give creators time to team up for collaborations using pre-built sets and state-of-the-art production equipment and editing software. “We have everything at their disposal,” says Morgan. “All they need to do is come up with an idea and create something together.”
