MrBeast, Dude Perfect and Other Top YouTube Creators to Headline Their Own Upfront Presentation in Bid for TV Ad Dollars

MrBeast, Dude Perfect and other top YouTube creators are teaming up with Spotter to launch their own upfront event on March 27 in an effort to lure advertising dollars away from traditional TV.

Spotter Showcase will offer an inside look at their content calendars, formats, tentpole series, audience data and upcoming ideas. Other creators appearing during the invite-only event include Kinigra Deon, Ryan Trahan, Rebecca Zamolo and Jordan Matter. Conversations will be led by Colin & Samir, who are also producing the event alongside the Spotter team.

More than 150 top chief marketing officers and marketers are expected to be in attendance for the New York event. Together, the showcase’s roster of creators had over 77 billion minuted watched in the U.S. by adults ages 18 to 49 in 2024.

“Creators are not just making videos, they’re building modern media networks,” Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry said. “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 on stage 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.”

The move comes as YouTube has consistently led TV time spent in the streaming category in Nielsen’s monthly Gauge reports, with a record share of 11.1% in January. Streaming accounted for a total of 43.3% of TV usage for the month, while broadcast made up 22.4% and cable made up 23.8%.

“For decades, advertisers were about owning hit shows, moments and attention across broadcast and cable. Today, that landscape has fundamentally shifted,” Spotter president Nic Paul said in a statement. “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.”

The event is separate from YouTube’s annual Brandcast presentation for advertisers, which has become the closing presentation for upfronts week.

“Spotter Showcase will help brands reach today’s top YouTube creators, giving them direct access to the voices shaping culture and driving consumer engagement,” Spotter founder and CEO Aaron DeBevoise added. “It’s not just about ad placements — it’s about deep consumer attention and fostering authentic collaborations that give brands access to the unrivaled scale, trust and engagement of creator audiences.” 

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