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In a main hall whose ceiling is wreathed with glowing planets, creators like Hank Green and digital media veterans like Jim Louderback talk the ethics of AI and the nitty-gritty of modern-day content monetization.

Ten feet from the hall entrance, in a tent under the clear California sun, a 14-year-old proudly shows off her collection of scorched rocket parts–the remnants of early attempts to launch a fully functional, 3D-printed capsule from her backyard, using fuel mixed in her garage. She’s not discouraged by this carnage. Instead, she talks enthusiastically to anyone and everyone about how she and her brother are iterating for the next test flight.

Surrounding her are hundreds of other exhibitors of all ages. Their projects are a limitless Stem spectrum. One runs a lab that puts plants on the International Space Station; another buys cracked crystals from medical supply companies and carves them into jewelry gems.

Reaching ad-averse consumers is harder than ever, and some savvy brands have realized that working directly with creators is a solid “in” with their younger and often marketing-fatigued audiences. But brands can also go a different direction: some are looking to craft successful campaigns not just by working directly with creators, but by studying their content strategies and paying attention to what kinds of videos have staying power on platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

We recently wrote about Nutter Butter, which has reinvigorated interest in its so-2000s lunchbox staple by filling its TikTok account with things like a lo-fi video of a single shrimp being lovingly placed on top of a Nutter Butter with the caption “yes.” There’s a mysterious plot weaving through all the “Nutterverse” content, and that’s right on trend for an internet audience that loves analog horror, the backrooms, The Amazing Digital Circus, and irreverent,...

Open Sauce, the San Francisco-based Stem convention that’s expecting to host 150+ content creators, 500+ exhibitors, and 20,000+ attendees June 14-16, is adding an industry track featuring speakers from YouTube, Mythical, Smosh, Roblox, Kajabi, and more.

The convention, founded by science YouTuber William Osman (3 million subscribers), held its debut event in 2023, and featured a main stage with a constant rotation of panels and workshops for creators’ fans and fellow Stem enthusiasts.

This year, it’s amping up programming with an industry stage where presentations will zero in on the impact of artificial intelligence. A full day of programming on June 14 will “[gather] leaders in AI on how the technology will impact tech businesses and engineering and how we can best harness its power,” Open Sauce says.

We’re dropping the complete list of industry track presenters below (with more to be announced in the leadup to Open Sauce), but to give you a taste,...

Underscore Talent has a new Stem, Learning, and Education division–and, to lead that division, it’s tapped longtime talent manager David Seelos, who is bringing in his roster of top science creators, including Michael Reeves, William Osman, TheBackyardScientist, NileRed, Code Bullet, Emily the Engineer, Tom Stanton, and PeterSripol.

Seelos worked alongside Ian Dokie, founder of Concurrent Studios, to co-found their own management company, End Card Digital, in 2019; they focused on signing creators that “build, educate and entertain.” End Card will “phase out” as Seelos moves his roster to Underscore, and Dokie will shift to other ventures in the creator space, Seelos says.

Seelos also notably worked with Dokie and Osman to build Open Sauce, the content creator-focused Stem convention that expects to bring 150 creators, 500 exhibitors, and 20,000+ attendees to the Cow Palace in San Francisco next month.

“Stem is an accelerating area within the creator landscape. Thanks to the resources and support of [Underscore co-founders/co-CEOs] Dan Weinstein,...

Open Sauce, William Osman‘s Stem-palooza exhibition for content creators, engineers, and fans of all things science, is returning for its second year–and more than doubling in size.

After debuting in 2023 with an attendance of over 10,000 people, Open Sauce is shifting locations this year to Daly City‘s Cow Palace, and is expecting more than 20,000 attendees.

It’s also expecting 150 creators and 500 exhibitors, up from 75 creators and 150 exhibitors last year. Featured creators include Osman himself, Mythbusters‘ Adam Savage, Mark Rober, TheOdd1sOut, Emily The Engineer, NileRed, Allen Pan, Evan and Katelyn, Michael Reeves, TheBackyardScientist, ElectroBOOM, DougDoug, Code Bullet, Wren, The Hacksmith, Unnecessary Inventions, Jake Laser, Estefannie, Peter Sripol, Pirate Software, Colin Furze, Nerdforge, and more.

Creators will host a constant rotation of panels and workshops for their attending fans and fellow Stem enthusiasts, and will also do group meet-and-greets. And, for the first time, Open Sauce is also offering...

Members of YouTube’s maker community have continued an annual holiday tradition. Creators like Colin Furze, Emily the Engineer, and Look Mum No Computer (pictured above) built gifts to give to one another as part of a ten-person Secret Santa exchange.

As part of the exchange, all participants uploaded behind-the-scenes videos depicting the construction of their respective gifts. The results of the Secret Santa vary wildly depending on which creators are involved. Some of the presents are flat-out ridiculous, others encourage creativity, and some even seem helpful. Emily the Engineer made This Old Tony a third arm to help him with his productivity. That sounds a bit more useful than Furze’s gift: The inventor helped the children of Kids Invent Stuff improve their fart jokes by building them a rear-powered flamethrower.

YouTube’s top makers have publicly exchanged gifts every year since 2019. The Secret Santa group started as a...

In a recent video on his Beast Philanthropy channel, Jimmy Donaldson delivered a back-to-school stimulus package. The man known as MrBeast teamed up with Sun-Maid to equip students and teachers in poor districts with brand-new school supplies.

Donaldson traveled across the country to visit four underfunded schools. At each stop, he met a few of his young fans, dropped off some supplies, and surprised beloved teachers and school employees with gifts. He even brought in tech YouTuber William Osman to endorse the materials he delivered to a science classroom. Ultimately, the impoverished schools ended up with about 200,000 worth of items courtesy of Donaldson and his sponsor.

Sun-Maid put together the back-to-school campaign as part of its Board of Imagination, a unique program that gives kids the chance to influence the snack company’s decisions. Sending MrBeast to schools in need does sound like the sort of initiative a board of young people would suggest,...

VidCon is back in person this October and creators like Binging With Babish’s Andrew Rea, Alyson Stoner and The Try Guys’ Ned Fulmer and Zach Kornfeld are set to return to the Anaheim convention alongside newcomers including TikTok beauty influencer Abby Roberts, YouTuber Benoftheweek and TikTok “twinfluencers” The Montes Twins.

Other creators returning to the four-day convention in Anaheim include Orange Is the New Black star Laura Prepon, VidCon co-founder John Green and YouTubers like Lexi Rivera, William Osman, Leah Ashe and The Sorry Girls, who will participate in a variety of panels, meet-and-greets and other events.

This year’s programming also includes ...

VidCon is back in person this October and creators like Binging With Babish’s Andrew Rea, Alyson Stoner and The Try Guys’ Ned Fulmer and Zach Kornfeld are set to return to the Anaheim convention alongside newcomers including TikTok beauty influencer Abby Roberts, YouTuber Benoftheweek and TikTok “twinfluencers” The Montes Twins.

Other creators returning to the four-day convention in Anaheim include Orange Is the New Black star Laura Prepon, VidCon co-founder John Green and YouTubers like Lexi Rivera, William Osman, Leah Ashe and The Sorry Girls, who will participate in a variety of panels, meet-and-greets and other events.

This year’s programming also includes ...