VidCon Hires First Content Director, Enters Original Programming Fray With Inaugural Series

VidCon is moving beyond its flagship business of conference production to join the original programming fray.

The Viacom-owned video convention, which was launched by YouTube vets John and Hank Green in 2010, wants to touch fans around the clock with a new digital series called VidCon Now. To this end, the company has hired Stacey Kelly as VidCon’s first content director. She will oversee the development of the show — premiering today across VidCon’s various social media channels — and report to VidCon GM Jim Louderback.

VidCon Now, which is being produced under the auspices of Viacom Digital Studios, will seek to celebrate creators by sharing their latest projects and supporting nascent voices. New episodes will premiere on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays on YouTube, IGTV, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Each episode will comprise three recurring segments: top new stories about content creators or trends in the space; ICYMI, spotlighting a creator project, such as merch or charity; and a #VOTD (video of the day), as selected from user submissions.

On Friday, VidCon Now will also host a live show on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, where the news of the week will be gamified to foster viewer engagement.

“I am excited to find new ways to build and engage our digital-first audiences 365 days a year, expanding upon our reach at  the conventions VidCon hosts around the globe,” Kelly said in a statement. “As part of our new programming initiative, VidCon Now offers more original content opportunities for creators, as well as brand partners who want to engage with fans on a weekly basis.”

Prior to joining VidCon, Kelly had positions at mtvU, Michelle Phan’s ICON, and BuzzFeed — where she worked as a branded creative producer.