Disney’s Created in LA put creator-made video inside the El Capitan Theatre before moving its second-day program to The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. The format brings digital creators and Disney executives into the same venues, showing where creator-led media is intersecting with Hollywood production.
Key Takeaways
- Created in LA opened Sept. 17 at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre with a red-carpet program centered on creator-made videos
- Organizers planned the two-day event around 350 creators, storytellers and industry executives
- The Sept. 18 studio-lot program includes Disney leaders and creators discussing production, storytelling, teams and audience development
- IAB’s Sept. 10 outlook found 54% of surveyed brand and agency decision-makers were increasing focus on creator and influencer advertising or partnerships
- Nielsen data reported by TheWrap showed YouTube reached a record 14.2% share of U.S. TV viewing in July 2026
Disney Created in LA Moves Creators Into Hollywood Venues
Disney Created in LA opened Thursday at the El Capitan Theatre with a format more closely associated with studio premieres than creator conferences. The program placed digital-first work on the theater’s main screen, then moved Friday to The Walt Disney Studios lot for scheduled keynotes and interviews. Organizers planned the event around 350 creators, storytellers and executives.
Organizers described the El Capitan event as the first red-carpet premiere at the 100-year-old theater centered on creator videos. The program included The Technoblade Movie, a short from filmmaking duo Sticks. An opening-night recap also reported that Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden told attendees the gathering was a “signal of how important all of you are to us.”
The event is structured around more than screenings. Disney teams were available to speak with creators about writing, directing, acting, productions, premieres and parks-related content, according to the opening-night report. That placed working relationships and production pathways beside the red-carpet format.
The event also fits into a broader Los Angeles creator economy that includes agencies, production companies, platforms and media businesses. Disney’s participation adds a major studio setting to that local ecosystem without suggesting that creator businesses and traditional entertainment companies now operate under the same model.
Disney’s Studio Lot Puts Creator Workflows Beside Hollywood
The Sept. 18 program is scheduled around practical sessions rather than a general celebrity lineup. Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro is among the company leaders on the program, alongside Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz and Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush.
Creator speakers include Dude Perfect, The Try Guys, Dhar Mann, Zach King, Jordan Matter, Jenny Hoyos, Sam Eckholm and Adrian Per. NetInfluencer reported that Ayaz’s session would address routes into Disney projects through scripted series, features and brand campaigns. Other scheduled sessions focus on team building, repeatable show formats, production systems and audience development.
The agenda reflects a wider point of contact between creator-led production and Hollywood. Recent attention around vertical video creators has focused on how short-form work can function as a visible portfolio of pacing, tone and audience response. Created in LA approaches that overlap from the operating side, with sessions on how creators organize teams and develop repeatable formats.
Jon Youshaei, who conceived and hosts Created in LA, previously worked at YouTube and Instagram before building his own creator business. In announcing an earlier group of speakers, he said the sessions would examine creators’ “creative process, biggest moments, and lessons to help the next generation of creators.”
That framing is narrower than simply describing creators as entering Hollywood. The scheduled programming centers on methods that can be compared across digital and studio environments, including storytelling, production structure, repeatable programming and audience feedback.
Audience Data Helps Explain the Timing
The event comes as creators occupy a larger position in U.S. media planning. In a Sept. 10 update based on more than 200 brand and agency decision-makers, the Interactive Advertising Bureau said creator and influencer advertising or partnerships were receiving increased focus from 54% of respondents. Social media and connected television were also among the faster-growing channels in IAB’s revised 2026 outlook.
That research measures advertising priorities rather than Hollywood production activity. It does, however, show that creator-led media is becoming a more established component of how companies plan for audience attention.
Viewing data shows another point of overlap. TheWrap, citing Nielsen’s July 2026 Gauge report, reported that YouTube reached a record 14.2% share of U.S. television viewing in July. Streaming overall accounted for 49% of TV use during the month.
The measurement covers the full range of YouTube viewing and does not isolate creator-made programming. That distinction prevents the figure from being treated as a creator-only audience metric.
For Disney Created in LA, the relevance is instead where digital video can now reach viewers. Creator content is consumed across phones, computers and television screens, while the two-day event places people who build audiences in those environments alongside executives and production teams from an established entertainment company.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Disney Created in LA?
Disney Created in LA is a two-day creator event presented by Disney and hosted by Jon Youshaei on Sept. 17 and 18, 2026. The program uses the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood for its premiere component and The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank for second-day sessions.
Who is speaking at Created in LA?
The announced lineup includes Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, Asad Ayaz and Jared Bush, along with creators including Dude Perfect, The Try Guys, Dhar Mann, Zach King, Jordan Matter and Jenny Hoyos. Sessions cover storytelling, production, team building, audience development and potential routes into Disney projects.
What happened at the El Capitan Theatre?
The Sept. 17 program featured a red carpet and creator-video screenings, including The Technoblade Movie from Sticks. Organizers described it as the first El Capitan red-carpet premiere centered on creator videos in the theater’s 100-year history.
Why is the event relevant to the creator economy?
The event puts digital creators, studio executives and production-focused programming in the same Hollywood venues as creator partnerships receive greater attention from advertisers and digital video captures a substantial share of U.S. viewing. That context helps explain the production and audience focus of Disney Created in LA.
