Disney hosts first 'Created in LA' event featuring Jon Youshaei, The Try Guys, Zach King
350+ of the world's top creators gather for a two-day event to exchange ideas and usher in the next generation of storytellers.
LOS ANGELES -- In a first-of-its kind event, Disney teamed up with creator Jon Youshaei to bring over 350 of the world's top creators to a landmark two-day event called "Created in LA."
"Created in LA" is designed to bring creators together to share their creative processes, encourage collaboration and usher in the next generation of storytellers.
The event kicked off Sept. 17 at the historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA, where the theater hosted its first red carpet premiere of creator videos in its 100-year history.
On The Red Carpet spoke with Youshaei about the occasion. "You know, we've spent years watching creators' videos on our laptops and phones, and the quality has gotten so good that they deserve to be on a screen like that here at the El Capitan and celebrated with a red carpet. And it's just, it's an honor to have so many wonderful people involved, especially Disney."
The first video screened was "The Technoblade Movie," created by brothers Lucas Nicotra and Curtis Nicotra, a.k.a. filmmaking duo Sticks, who have amassed 1.14M subscribers on YouTube. The channel gained popularity by surprising YouTubers such as Ryan Trahan, Mark Rober, Emma Chamberlain and more with their own movies.
"We get to play our film in front of Disney execs," said Lucas Nicotra.
"Yeah, it's crazy that they believed in us and are allowing us to do this," added Curtis Nicotra. "So fun."
"We didn't mean for it to be an animation heavy one in front of Disney," said Lucas Nicotra. His brother joked, "But hey, hey, give us a call Disney."
Following the "The Technoblade Movie" was a screening of creator Zack King's "Cardboard Wars," a completely handmade satire of "Star Wars," before a a mix-and-mingle reception.
Day two kicked off at The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, CA, where a slate of creators and executives gave their insights into the creator economy.
CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Josh D'Amaro gave his opening remarks to the crowd saying, "(At) the Walt Disney Company, we are at our best when we embrace the best-in-class storytellers, when we are unafraid and pushing to new frontiers. So listen, I am thrilled to be here."
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Some of the programming included sessions like creator Zach King's "Behind The Magic: Tips from 18 Years on YouTube," where he shared his creative process- everything from his brainstorming through a "T Test" (developing a basic title, concept and visual), to refinement, filming and understanding the analytics.
Next up was The Try Guys' "How To Make Shows, Not Just Videos." The duo, made up of Zach Kornfeld and Keith Habersberger, explained how they put their "This But That" mindset into action to pitch ideas from new shows, essentially taking concepts they enjoy (TV shows, movies, etc.) and adding a fun new element to make it their own. Their show "Killer Dinner" is "The Traitors," but with "a bunch of idiots," as they put it.
Guests got to hear from Jenny Hoyos in her "Making Anything Go Viral: Lessons from 10 Billion Views" where she taught "if you don't have a good hook, don't make the video."
There were even some Disney executives in the lineup, like Chief Brand Officer Asad Ayaz, who highlighted how the company is integrating creator partnerships into their workflow following Disney's new TikTok deal.
"Through this partnership, you will get creative access to Disney and our brands with the opportunity for your content to not only appear on TikTok, but on Disney+, alongside the stories that inspire them... Beyond that partnership, there's a lot coming up across Disney. From the global rollout of 'Avengers: Doomsday' and all of the events and activations around that, fan events like 'Star Wars Celebration' in April, D23 Asia in June, to new experiences in our parks and cruise ships. And next year alone, Disney has The Super Bowl, The Grammys and The Oscars. Those are just a handful of ways we can work together in the next few months."
The rest of the day included interviews and masterclasses with guests like Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Dude Perfect, Adrian Per, Dhar Mann, Roy Choi, Jordan Matter, AdamW, Sam Eckhold, Jon Youshaei, Jared Bush (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios) and Bobby Kim (Global Creative Director at The Walt Disney Company).
The event culminated in an exclusive tour off Walt's Office and a reception in Legends Plaza.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of this ABC station.
