For years, advertising executives from across the country would journey to New York City for the annual “upfronts,” an annual series of events where television networks present their upcoming programming to advertisers. The goal for the networks was to secure advertising commitments before the new TV season began.
ABC held the first upfront presentation in 1962 to gauge advertiser interest in the network’s new slate of shows. Over the years, the other networks joined in, and the upfronts evolved from straightforward business pitch meetings to elaborate showcases featuring celebrity-packed presentations and lavish events and parties.
As digital media took hold, digital media agency Digitas organized the first “NewFronts” in 2008 to showcase digital content to a new suite of advertisers. YouTube was taking off, and the agency acted as a go-between for top YouTube stars, brands, and distributors. Rhett and Link, hosts of the daily YouTube show “Good Mythical Morning,” helped host the event.
Like the upfronts, the NewFronts quickly snowballed and became the place to debut your hot new web series. Media companies poured millions into NewFronts events. In 2014, AOL brought 1,700 guests to a blowout party at the Brooklyn Navy Yard by ferry. The 2023 edition saw Amazon bring out Marcus Mumford to perform “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)” from Daisy Jones & The Six.
Now, a group of content creators, along with Spotter, a company that helps YouTubers monetize and grow their businesses, is launching the Spotter Showcase, which they hope will be a new upfronts and NewFronts-type event for the creator generation. The event will be held in New York on March 27th. YouTubers Colin and Samir will host conversations with top creators and are helping to produce the event, which more than 150 CMOs are set to attend.
“For decades, advertisers were about owning hit shows, moments, and attention across broadcast and cable,” Spotter president Nic Paul said in a statement. “Today, that landscape has fundamentally shifted. To capture cultural moments and audience engagement, brands must align with Creators — who now command the largest and most engaged audiences across digital platforms. Spotter Showcase is a manifestation of this new reality, where Creators, not traditional networks, are starting to lead the entertainment industry.”
“Creators are not just making videos, they’re building modern media networks,” said Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, hosts of The Colin and Samir Show. “YouTube channels are becoming home to hit series, like Ryan Trahan’s ‘Penny Series’ and Kinigra Deon’s ‘Vampire Siblings,’ with millions of fans tuning in weekly. The Creators onstage at Spotter Showcase are some of the internet’s best storytellers, and this event gives them a platform to tell their story to advertisers. It marks a maturation in our industry and a shift from one-off brand deals to deep, strategic partnerships shaping the future of entertainment.”
How the Spotter Showcase will fit into the broader expanded upfront ecosystem remains to be seen. As more creators make deals with streamers like Netflix and Amazon, do creators need their own separate upfront-style event? YouTube’s Brandcast event is already the closing event of TV’s upfront week.
One thing that could entice advertisers to Spotter Showcase is the big internet stars attending. YouTubers MrBeast, Ryan Trahan, and Dude Perfect are all expected to unveil new content slates, giving brands and streamers an easy one-stop way to peruse some of the best the social media creator landscape has to offer.
In 2018, Digitas’ global chief creative officer, Mark Beeching, told Digiday that the NewFronts were already beginning to feel a bit old school. “I’m delighted in letting this take on its own life,” he said before adding. “In some ways, I worry that now it’s becoming too establishment, too many middlemen trying to control the market.” Maybe the Spotter Showcase is just the type of flashy new event the industry is looking for.
There’s a new group of creators shaping the industry. They’re the ones making content for businesses and professionals—and seeing big payoffs. In fact, Teachable’s recent report showed that these creators are twice as likely to make $10K+ per month than those speaking to general consumers.
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