YouTube is celebrating its 20th birthday in 2025, and the platform’s creator experience team is going on tour to ring in the occasion alongside creators. At least 38 Creator Collectives are on the docket for 2025, with each one taking place in a different U.S. city.
YouTube Creator Collectives are taking multiple forms. At major events like SXSW, VidCon, and DreamCon, YouTube is hosting gatherings for members of its community. A more specialized series of meetups is catered to short-form creators, who will be able to get some face time with YouTube team members during the winter and spring of 2025.
YouTube discussed its Creator Collectives slate in a blog post. “Whether you’re just getting started on YouTube, building a community or feeling established and looking to expand your network, we’re coming to you – wherever you call home,” reads the post. “What better way to mark YouTube’s 20th anniversary this year?”
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The Shorts-oriented gatherings began with an event in Little Rock, AR on February 27. From that point until May 2, when the current Creator Collective slate concludes in Jersey City, YouTube will visit a new city almost every day. If you’re a YouTuber in Des Moines, IA, Jackson, MS, or Cheyenne, WY, now’s your chance to pick up some useful strategies for short-form video production.
For years, YouTube engaged with creators through its YouTube Spaces, which popped up in major cities around the globe before unceremoniously shutting their doors for good during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, individual creators have picked up the mantle by launching their own studio and event spaces in cities like Los Angeles and Dallas.
YouTube, meanwhile, has shifted its focus to regional events, as its Creator Collective lineup shows. That change better reflects the current state of creator communities. Top internet stars are no longer confined to hotspots like Los Angeles, with smaller cities and even rural villages generating larger percentages of creator activity.
With that shift in mind, YouTube plans to turn its Creator Collectives into a recurring series. You can sign up here if you want to receive up-to-date information about future gatherings. And if you can only attend one Creator Collective, I’d recommend the one in Kansas City, MO. It is scheduled for April 23, 2025 — the literal 20-year anniversary of YouTube’s first video.
