By now, I’m sure you’ve heard: VidCon is back. The annual gathering of online video creators, fans, executives, and media members will return to the Anaheim Convention Center between June 22 and June 25.
If you’re interested in attending, the first thing you’ll need is a pass for at least one of VidCon’s three tracks. Community Track events will include meet-and-greets with featured creators, Industry Track goings-on will be sponsored by Edelman, and the Creator Track will be sponsored by Discord.
Individual tickets will run you at least $59 per day, but if you buy in bulk, you can get a special deal. After receiving tons of inquiries regarding group rates, VidCon is offering 15% off group orders for the same ticket types. To activate the discount, purchase your passes from the VidCon website and use the promo code VCGROUP15.
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Once you have your ticket and either a vax card or a negative COVID test, it will be time for you to tackle the big question: What will you actually do with your time once you arrive in Anaheim? There’s lots of excitement about the return to an in-person VidCon, and as a result, the event’s official schedule is jam-packed. If you’re looking to cut through all that noise in order to find a few intriguing panels to attend, Tubefilter has you covered. Here are a few sessions, discussions, and shows that we’re looking forward to checking out.
All times are local (Pacific Time)
All locations are within the Anaheim Convention Center unless otherwise noted
Wednesday, June 22
Tubefilter’s 10th Annual Tubefilter VidCon Party — fueled by Jellysmack
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- Time: 7 PM
- Location: K1 Speed, 1000 N. Edward Court, Anaheim
- Description: Start revving your engines, because a time-honored Tubefilter tradition is coming back. As we do every year, we’ll kick off VidCon with a night of food, festivities, and surprises. Attendees can enjoy a VIP trackside balcony sponsored by Jellysmack, a musical performance presented by Slip.stream, and free kart racing all night long. I’ll even race against you if you ask me nicely. Come hungry: As usual, multiple food trucks will be parked outside the venue. Tickets are available via Eventbrite.
Thursday, June 23
Snapchat can help you grow your audience and make money
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- Creator Track
- Time: 10 AM
- Location: Room 255
- Description: Short-form content will be a major focus of this year’s VidCon, and while TikTok is expected to have a larger presence than most of its competitors, that doesn’t mean Snap will be invisible. The company behind the TikTok-esque Spotlight format will look to woo creators right from the jump. At a Thursday morning presentation, Snap head of talent development Brooke Berry and creator Lisa Asano will discuss all the revenue streams that are available to Snapchat users.
Candle Media: Building a next-generation media company
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- Industry Track
- Time: 11:30 AM
- Location: Ballroom ABC
- Description: Has a digital media company ever had a splashier first year than Candle Media? The venture founded by former Disney execs Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer has spent billions to acquire production entities like Hello Sunshine and Moonbug. At VidCon, representatives from those companies will be joined by Candle’s Brent Weinstein to discuss strategy. This will be one of Candle’s first public-facing events, and given the amount of money the company is spending, its ideas and plans are worth paying attention to.
Regulation, accountability, and trust of social platforms
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- Industry Track
- Time: 2 PM
- Location: 304 AB
- Description: Are social media companies responsible for the content they host? Lately, this question has been on the minds of politicians across the world, from the U.S. to the E.U. to Australia. There’s no easy answer to this question, but the members of this panel — including Electric Monster CEO and occasional Tubefilter contributor Matt Gielen — will try to define what “trust” should look like for social media platforms and their users. I hope the Texas Legislature will be paying attention.
Appreciation or appropriation?
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- Community Track
- Time: 4 PM
- Location: Room 210
- Description: TikTok is making cultural appropriation one of the main themes of its VidCon presence. Over the years, there have been too many examples of creators of color engineering social media trends, only for those trends to be co-opted by popular white creators. This session will discuss what viewers can do to “celebrate diversity and admire culture without appropriating it.” Panelists will include YouTuber Kat Blaque and beauty guru MissDarcei.
Friday, June 24
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- Creator Track
- Time: 10 AM
- Location: Room 258
- Description: This panel has it all. Provocative title? Check. Frank discussion of a topic that has mystified YouTubers for years? Check. MrBeast? Check. Jimmy Donaldson will join YouTube director of product management Todd Beaupré to figure out what is going on inside the black box that selects all your recommended videos. Creators who are looking to grow their YouTube channels should not miss this one.
Creator to creator: Code Miko and Paige Piskin
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- Creator Track
- Time: 11:30 AM
- Location: Room 256
- Description: Across the three days of VidCon, there will be multiple “creator to creator” conversations that will highlight the myriad paths that can lead to digital media stardom. This one caught my eye, as it pairs up two tastemakers with unusual backgrounds. Code Miko is one of the most famous VTubers in the world, while Paige Piskin is the creator of the controversial Lil Icy Eyes filter. If you’re confused about what any of those words mean, you might find this tête-a-tête to be rather enlightening.
NFTs – Good or bad for creators?
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- Industry Track
- Time: 3:25 PM
- Location: Anaheim Ballroom D
- Description: On Friday’s Industry Track schedule, web3 will be a major focus. There will be panels about the metaverse and crypto, but I’m most looking forward to this debate about NFTs and their impact on the creator economy. Are non-fungible tokens a volatile fad or a revenue stream of the future, or both? Somehow, I feel like that debate will continue long after this official event ends.
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- Community Track
- Time: 6:30 PM
- Location: Spotify Arena
- Description: This is TikTok’s first year as the presenting sponsor of VidCon, and on Friday night, the platform will look to prove that its homegrown community is brimming with talent. That sounds like good news for attendees, who will get to witness 90 minutes of dances, musical performances, trickshot routines, magic shows, and much more. Creators KallMeKris and CelinaSpookyBoo will host.
Saturday, June 25
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- Community Track
- Time: 10 AM
- Location: Room 211
- Description: Have you ever wondered how us reporters dig through all the social media chaff to identify the stories that deserve your time and attention? On this panel, a trio of journalists will discuss their best practices in the age of misinformation. Even if you can’t make it to this event, you should still check out Taylor Lorenz‘s diligent work over at The Washington Post and E.J. Dickson‘s fascinating Rolling Stone cover story about MrBeast.
Your teen found success online, now what?
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- Community Track
- Time: 1 PM
- Location: Room 208
- Description: An old saying asks us to “think of the children,” but this panel will think of the parents as well. Influencers seem to be getting younger every year, which puts more pressure on parents to juggle their kids’ budding careers with their daily lives and mental health needs. If you have a child who is navigating that tricky landscape, these four panelists — all of whom are both TikTok creators and parents — can offer some frank advice.
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- Community Track
- Time: 4 PM
- Location: For You Stage presented by TikTok
- Description: This address will be the culmination of title sponsor TikTok’s presence at VidCon. While the platform’s competitors tout wide audiences and big paydays in hopes of wooing short-form creators to their shores, TikTok is reiterating its status as a driver of youth culture. This session will celebrate the “diverse creatives” who are originating the TikTok trends that are spread far and wide across the internet. Panelists will include TikTok star Drew Afualo (a.k.a. Baba Yaga) and the company’s director of creator community, Kudzi Chikumbu.
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- Creator Track
- Time: 4 PM
- Location: Ballroom ABC
- Description: While TikTok closes out the Community Track by hyping up its culture, eight individuals will address their colleagues at VidCon’s annual creator keynotes. These speeches, which feature impassioned rhetoric and diverse perspectives, often end up as VidCon highlights. Creators who are scheduled to deliver this year’s keynotes include Michelle Khare, Amanda Rach Lee, and Jon ‘Paint’ Cozart. If you want to check them out, come early, as this session tends to fill up quickly.
So there you have it. If you’ll be attending VidCon, I hope to see you around. And if you can’t make it to Anaheim this year, don’t worry. Select programming from all three tracks will be streamed on YouTube, so tune into the official VidCon channel if you’d like to join the fun.
