EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday 7 February
Registrations: free, but places are limited
VENUE
Home of the Arts (HOTA)
135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise
LIMITED SPOTS LEFT – REGISTER BELOW
We’re combining the power and knowledge of established film and television professionals with the momentum of the rapidly growing creator economy to launch a one-day program during the 2026 AACTA Festival: the Creator Economy Summit.
This event connects both sectors, giving creators unprecedented access to traditional media decision-makers and providing the entertainment industry with new pathways to audience building, evolving content formats and new revenue models.
The program developed in partnership with Changer and presented by Australia Academy of Cinema Television Arts (AACTA), will be announced in January 2026 alongside the opening of registrations.
10am – 11am How Creators Can do Business with Broadcasters with ABC, Netflix and BBC
Broadcasters aren’t just watching the creator economy, they’re actively investing in it. This session brings together senior leaders from across major networks and screen bodies to unpack why creators are now central to their content and IP strategies, and how meaningful partnerships are actually formed. Part insight, part opportunity, this conversation gives creators a rare window into how broadcasters think and what it takes to turn a channel into a long-term collaborator.
Daniel Ahern
Creator Program Lead, ABC
Joanna Beveridge
Investment Manager, Screen Australia
Amber Brown
Director of Partnerships, Digital and Brands, BBC Studios ANZ
Alicia Vagulans
PR, Netflix
11:15am – 12:15pm How I Built a $5m/year Creator Business with Sarah Renae Clark
Sarah Renae Clark
What if your audience wasn’t just watching but actively building your business with you? In this deep-dive, Sarah Renae Clark shares the behind-the-scenes story of scaling a $5m-a-year creator business by putting audience, trust, and long-term value at the centre of every decision. This is an unfiltered look at creator entrepreneurship done right moving beyond platforms and trends to build a global, sustainable business that lasts.
ABOUT SARAH RENAE CLARK
Sarah Renae Clark is one of Australia’s most successful creator-entrepreneurs, having built a multimillion-dollar global business anchored in YouTube and audience-led growth. Sarah turned her channel into the foundation for a thriving creative products company, reaching millions of viewers worldwide and generating more than $5 million in annual revenue.
12:15pm – 12:45pm Lunch
1pm – 1:45pm How Creators Can Make Money on YouTube with Sabine Zonderland
Sabine Zonderland, YouTube Strategic Partnerships | YouTube Creators & YouTube Kids AUNZ | Investor
YouTube is no longer just a distribution platform; it’s a monetisation engine for creator-led businesses and also an increasingly important platform for producers from television, film and other platforms to monetise as part of their overall strategy. In this must-attend fireside, YouTube’s Sabine Zonderland breaks down how the money really works on YouTube and gives strategic insights on platform features, from ads and Shorts revenue sharing to memberships, fan funding and commerce tools. Clear, practical and grounded in real creator behaviour, this session demystifies how monetisation works on YouTube today and how you can build more sustainable income streams for the future.
ABOUT SABINE ZONDERLAND
Sabine leads the creator partnership business for YouTube Australia and New Zealand, where she oversees strategy, in-market creator programs and partner collaborations. Sabine has spent over 16 years at Google and YouTube, gaining extensive experience across strategy, product, partnerships and sales.
1:45pm – 2:30pm Turning a Channel into a Media Company with James McPherson from Never Too Small
James McPherson
Found/Managing Director, Never Too Small
What does it really take to build a media company in today’s creator-led world? This talk goes inside the evolution of Never Too Small—a creator brand that has successfully expanded beyond a single channel into a multi-platform media business spanning video, television, books and a quarterly magazine that’s available worldwide. It’s an honest, behind-the-scenes look at how modern creators are redefining what a media company looks like, combining audience-first thinking, strong creative IP and diversified revenue to build something that lasts. If you’re interested in moving from ‘content creator’ to ‘media founder,’ this session will be invaluable.
ABOUT JAMES MCPHERSON
James is the founder and managing director of Never Too Small, the globally recognised YouTube channel and (more recently) magazine exploring design, architecture, and compact urban living. With millions of viewers worldwide, James has built Never Too Small into a multi-platform media brand spanning video, print and digital publishing, collaborating with leading architects, designers and global brands.
2:45pm – 3:45pm Creating Australia’s Biggest YouTube Channel: An Inside Look with Shannon Jones from Bounce Patrol
Shannon Jones
Creator/Showrunner/Director, Bounce Patrol
What does “scale” really look like on YouTube and how do you achieve it? In this standout session, Shannon Jones shares the inside story of building Australia’s largest YouTube channel, growing a global audience of more than 30 million subscribers along the way. This fireside chat pulls back the curtain on the operational engine behind massive growth, offering rare insights into how creator-led businesses function on a large scale. Essential viewing for anyone curious about what it takes to build and sustain a world-class YouTube business.
ABOUT SHANNON JONES
Shannon Jones is the creator, showrunner and director of Bounce Patrol, a highly popular Australian children’s entertainment group based in Melbourne. Under her direction, Bounce Patrol became the most-subscribed YouTube channel in Australia.
