There’s a new event putting a digital twist on the traditional upfront model. Creators like Colin & Samir, MrBeast, Rebecca Zamolo, Kinigra Deon, Dude Perfect, Ryan Trahan, and Jordan Matter will pitch their work to brands and agencies at an event put on by creator economy company Spotter.
The event, titled the Spotter Showcase, will take place in New York City on March 27. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the invite list includes CMOs from more than 150 major brands. Attendees will be treated to a typical slate of upfront presentations. Creators will tease their upcoming projects and give advertisers the chance to buy up inventory on those shows.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the NewFronts — the original digital offshoot of the upfronts — has employed a similar model across more than a decade of annual pitchfests. The NewFronts once featured dozens of high-profile presenters, who shared previews of polished, high-quality shows led by YouTube stars. The 2025 edition of the NewFronts, which counts a dozen presenting sponsors, will return in early May.
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The Spotter Showcase accounts for many of the ways original content has changed in recent years. Many of the creator vehicles hyped at the NewFronts didn’t align with fan or critic expectations, and major players like YouTube started chasing TV upfront dollars rather than pigeonholing themselves as digital platforms.
But even as the typical NewFronts presentation took a new form, creators didn’t stop making original content. Instead, many of them started taking on those projects themselves, with no high-profile third parties involved. In a statement, Colin & Samir identified Trahan’s Penny Series and Deon’s Vampire Siblings as two notable originals that are produced and distributed by some of YouTube’s most enterprising creators.
“Spotter Showcase will help brands reach today’s top YouTube Creators, giving them direct access to the voices shaping culture and driving consumer engagement,” added Spotter CEO and Founder Aaron DeBevoise. “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.”
For Spotter, which offers tools and services tailored to influencers’ needs, the Showcase is another means of uplifting the creator class. The firm has already worked with stars like Colin & Samir to debut new products and help creators discover methods they can employ to optimize their earnings. Those efforts have led to a new wave of polished YouTube content, and the stars of those shows are ready to show off.
