Connect with creators & brands
#paid brings together North America’s top marketers, macro creators, and thought leaders to shape the future of brand partnerships and build community.
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Agenda
Check-in & Networking

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
The culture countdown
A fast-paced look at the cultural shifts set to define the next two years and what they mean for anyone trying to earn attention, influence and relevance. In just 15 minutes, the session moves from the signals emerging now to the bigger changes coming for creators, brands and audiences. Expect sharp provocations, unexpected predictions and a few assumptions about culture that are ready to be challenged. The countdown gets more urgent as it goes, ultimately landing on the one move brands can’t afford to ignore. Culture is moving fast. Consider this your head start.
Speaker:
Quentin Humphrey
Director, Creative Intelligence, WGSN

10:55 AM - 11:15 AM
Ship at scale: inside the award-winning Virgin Voyages campaign
How do you go from a few creators to over a thousand, fast? Many brands aren't ready for that scale, and often it's because they lack the infrastructure to manage everything a program at that size demands. In this fireside chat, listen to marketing leaders at Virgin Voyages walk through the creative thinking and the systems that built the award-winning campaign.
Moderator:
Max Houde-Shulman
Client Partner, #paid
Speakers:
Elayane Merriwether
Head of Global Brand & Social, Virgin Voyages
Nathan Rosenberg
Chief Brand & Marketing Officer, Virgin Voyages
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11:15 AM - 11:35 AM
The analog loop: using offline moments to grow online
So much of what people post now starts somewhere physical. That means more opportunity for engagement with creators in the real world. From live experiences to physical products, there are more chances for brands to create their own monoculture moment. Hear from the people who've figured out how to give a creator partnership a home offline.
Moderator:
Kerry-Anne Hamilton
Director, Growth & Events, #paid
Speakers:
Tala Awwad
Global Creator Partnerships, Replit
Matthew Low
Creative Director, Fanatics Events
Yi Liu
Head of Creator & Partner Monetization, TikTok


11:35 AM - 11:55 AM
Welcome to the YouTube Era of Creator Marketing
Creators have made YouTube the epicenter of culture, where audiences experience the biggest moments and conversations. In this keynote, Vivian Tu — better known as YourRichBFF — and Jaipaul Rekhi, Managing Director of Commercial and Segment Activation GTM at YouTube, will explore why the platform is now the biggest opportunity in creator marketing and how brands can build partnerships to maximize impact.
Moderator:
Jodie Kennedy
Chief Commercial Officer #paid
Speakers:
Jaipaul Rekhi Tala Awwad
Managing Director - GTM, YouTube
Vivian Tu
CEO & Founder at Ask Dolly By Your Rich BFF @your.richbff


11:55 AM - 12:15 PM
Lunch

12:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Creator Feud
Brands vs. creators in a Family Feud-style showdown. We asked AI to survey 100 creators and brand marketers, and now the two sides go head to head to guess the top answers, from contract red flags to the most overused word in creator marketing. Expect a few internet throwbacks and bragging rights for the winning team.
Speakers:
Bashel Lewis
@king_bashel

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM
Metrics that matter: what hundreds of brand lift studies revealed about creator content
Reach, impressions and follower counts don't predict whether creator content performs. We found the metrics that do, plus the creative choices that separate content people rate highly from content they ignore. Drawing on hundreds of brand lift studies and thousands of consumers, this talk covers what holds up across brands, industries and creator sizes, what people say they like that turns out not to matter, and the small issues that quietly undercut results.
Speakers:
Alex Robb
Director, Measurement & Insights, #paid
2:05 PM - 2:20 PM
Inside Gopuff's creator playbook: betting on culture and entertainment
Gopuff built its brand on entertainment, and creators have been central to it for years. They built Alix Earle a chocolate bar from scratch, turned a TikTok catchphrase into 6 7 Water, and gave David Dobrik's chips and Emma Chamberlain's coffee national distribution. Tyler Stewart, Head of Marketing and Creative Partnerships, explains how creators became a core part of Gopuff's internal culture and market strategy.
Moderator:
Mark Sternberg
Senior Media Reporter, Adweek
Speakers:
Tyler Stewart
Head of Marketing and Creative Partnerships, Gopuff


2:20 PM - 2:40 PM
What’s wrong with marketing?
There has never been more marketing, and less of it is working. Camille Moore and Phillip Millar, co-hosts of Art of the Brand, break down the decisions holding brands back, what marketers are overlooking, and how to make decisions that move the business forward.
Most marketers know where they want the brand to go. Far fewer know how to build the strategy to get there. Camille brings the branding side: how to build a distinct world around a brand, from its point of view and identity to the culture it creates. Phillip brings the business strategy side: setting the objective, making the right tradeoffs, sequencing decisions, and knowing where to focus when everything feels like a priority.
Moderator:
Joanne Bradford
President & Strategic Advisor, UNWELL
Speakers:
Camille Moore
Founder, Third Eye Insights
Phillip Millar
CEO, Third Eye Insights

2:40 PM - 3:05 PM
Networking Break

3:05 - 3:35pm
10 Years of Yes: How Brands Can Power a Movement
Ten years ago, a group of friends started saying yes to strangers, to fear and to the ideas that made no sense on paper. Today, Yes Theory is a global community built on one idea: Seek Discomfort.
In this session, Yes Theory co-founder, Ammar Kandil and long-term manager/business partner Zack Honarvar turn to interview each other. Ammar tells the story of how a YouTube channel became a movement. Zack pulls back the curtain on the business behind it: the brand partnerships that funded the impossible, the ones that nearly broke the channel, and what brands consistently get wrong when they work with creators.
Expect honest stories, a few uncomfortable truths, a moment that puts the room on the spot, and a first look at what Yes Theory is building for 2027.
Moderator:
Zack Honarvar
Founder & CEO, The Good Internet
Speakers:
Ammar Kandil
Co-founder, Yes Theory


3:35PM - 3:55 PM
Outspent, but not outsmarted: how Jack in the Box wins attention with creators
Jack in the Box won't outspend the category, so it competes in different ways. They bet on creators and real moments. Not every bet goes smoothly, and not every good idea survives execution. But hit or miss, it’s kinda chic to learn and sharpen your next campaign. Katelyn Zborowski, CMO at Jack in the Box, walks through what they’ve learned from past partnerships, and shows how she’s applying it to their major Q4 launches.
Speakers:
Katelyn Zborowski
CMO, Jack in the Box

3:55 PM - 4:10 PM
Worth stealing: cross-category creator thinking
Consumer tech is not banking, and travel is not spirits, but there's plenty to learn and apply across verticals. Listen to marketing leaders from very different businesses tease out the timeless lessons that survive across categories.
Moderator:
Lucia Moses
Senior Correspondent, Business Insider
Speakers:
Sonia Whiteson
Senior Vice President, RBC Marketing for Personal Banking
Sari Brecher
Director of Culutre, Diageo
Brittany Smith
VP Marketing, Western Governors University



4:10 PM - 4:30 PM
Cocktails & Creators


4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Past Speakers and Attendees


















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More Information
What should I do if I need to cancel my registration?
Please notify us at least 72 hours in advance by replying to your confirmation email. This allows us to open your spot to another guest.
Is there a dress code?
Whatever makes you feel confident and camera-ready. You’ll be mingling with industry leaders, creators, and marketers.
Can I bring a guest?
Due to the exclusive nature of this event, attendance is by invitation only and non-transferable. If you'd like to recommend someone for future events, drop us a note at events@hashtagpaid.com.
What if I have dietary restrictions?
We’ve got you covered! Let us know during registration, and we’ll make sure you’re taken care of.
Will there be parking or transportation provided?
Venue-specific transportation details will be included in your final confirmation email.
Who can I contact for additional questions?
Reply directly to your confirmation email or reach out to our team anytime at events@hashtagpaid.com.
Please notify us at least 48 hours in advance by replying to your confirmation email. This allows us to open your spot to another guest.
We recommend business casual attire for the event.
Due to the exclusive nature of this event, attendance is by invitation only and non-transferable.
We’ve got you covered! Please let us know your dietary needs during registration, and we’ll ensure accommodations are made.
Details regarding parking or transportation will be included in your confirmation email.
For any additional inquiries, reply to your confirmation email or reach out to our events team at events@hashtagpaid.com


























