Disney Continues To Be All-In on Creators With Its ‘Created in LA’ Event

Yesterday, Disney and Jon Youshaei kicked off its two-day creator-centric event, Created in LA.

The event kicked off at the historic El Capitan Theatre, where creator-made films would be shown on the El Capitan big screen for the first time in the theater’s 100-year history. The event had a red-carpet premiere, and the debut was highlighted by a new original video from Sticks (filmmaking and digital creator duo with 1.2M in social reach) titled The Technoblade Movie. A project that serves as a tribute to one of the most beloved Minecraft creators. Created in LA looks to usher in the next generation of creator-led entertainment, with Disney at the forefront.

The two-day event features 350 creators from countries including Australia, England, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States, and many more. The 350 creators selected for Created in LA have hundreds of millions of followers across various social platforms. From the outside looking in, it may just look like a creators’ celebration, but Created in LA seems to be a pivotal part in shaping Disney’s creator strategy. Disney Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz recently spoke to Ad Age’s The Creator Brief and told them that Disney is working with creators to develop new IP is absolutely on the table. Ayaz told Ad Age’s The Creator Brief that they planned to use Created in LA as an opportunity to pitch creator partners on the growing number of ways they could work with Disney. That was the case as Disney had teams on hand to meet creators who were interested in writing, directing, or acting. Other teams were on hand to discuss potential content opportunities involving various divisions across The Walt Disney Company, including film premieres, Disney Parks experiences, and more.

Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden also addressed the Created in LA event during night one at the El Capitan Theatre. Walden mentioned the history of El Capitan and how it had hosted the premieres for some of Disney’s biggest films. Walden acknowledged that utilizing the El Capitan to showcase creator-led entertainment was a signal of how important creators are to Disney. Walden also mentioned how creators know their audiences and how creators have to adjust in real time. Walden said she hopes the Created in LA event could benefit both creators and Disney, learning from each other.

The second day of the event on September 18 will feature sessions on The Walt Disney Studios lot. Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro will also address the creators in attendance. The speakers at Created in LA on The Walt Disney Studios lot include Disney Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz discussing “the real paths creators are taking into Disney right now — scripted series, features, brand campaigns — and how creators can take their content to another level with Disney, too.” Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush discussing his storytelling process and how to pursue great ideas. Other speakers include well-known creators such as Dude Perfect, Adrian Per, Dhar Mann, Jordan Matter, The Try Guys, and several others.

The key takeaway from Created in LA so far is that Disney doesn’t view creators as influencers; they view them as actual creators and storytellers.

It’s a clear shift from seeing creators solely doing ads and promotion to entrusting creators to create new stories and IP that will engage Disney audiences. The event also aligns with Disney’s overall creators strategy as Disney develops a more robust companywide YouTube strategy while also making Disney+, the digital centerpiece of The Walt Disney Company. The lines of traditional and digital entertainment are blurring more than ever, and Created in LA captures that.

Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times