Lions acquired creator and fan convention VidCon Wednesday to form VidCon X Lions Creators. As part of the acquisition, VidCon will leave Anaheim after 15 years.
This past summer Cannes Lions and VidCon happened just a few days a part from each other. Many of the same conversations and even speakers overlapped as they discussed creators growing stronghold in the entertainment landscape.
“For 15 years, VidCon has been the heartbeat of the creator community—the place where emerging and established creators, fans, brands, and industry leaders come together to celebrate digital culture in real life,” said Sarah Tortoreti, VP and business lead of VidCon.
“Joining LIONS allows us to amplify that mission on a global scale,” she added. “By combining VidCon’s deep-rooted relationships across the creator economy with LIONS’ unparalleled industry authority and global reach, we’re creating unprecedented opportunities for creators to build their careers, for brands to forge authentic partnerships, and for the entire ecosystem to shape what’s next together.”
The primary home of VidCon x Lions Creators will be the Insight to Impact Festival, which will first take place in Denver in October 2026 before moving to Nashville in 2027. The program will also have a presences at Cannes Lions.
Lions had a strong creator presence on the ground in Cannes over the last three years. By bringing VidCon into the mix, the program aims to guide the rapidly growing creator community through its next phase of growth globally.
“The creator economy has never moved faster or mattered more within the global marketing ecosystem,” Simon Cook, CEO of Lions, said. “Creators are increasingly central to how culture is created and how brands connect with audiences … The introduction of VidCon is an exciting next step which will allow us to build out a dedicated global platform for an industry that’s rapidly reshaping the marketing landscape.”
On the ground at this year’s VidCon festival in Anaheim, there were three different tiers that serviced fans, creators and industry professionals. It is yet to be seen what the structure of the Insight to Impact Festival will be.
