We met with VidCon's GM to talk about content creation & digital media

We live in a day and age where the internet has allowed people with similar interests to connect, no matter where they are in the world.

Easy connectivity is at the core of VidCon, an annual multi-genre online video tech conference that was established in 2010. The conference first started in Southern California but now takes place in cities all over the world including London and, soon enough, Abu Dhabi on March 25-28.

Headed by Jim Louderback, VidCon has become one of the most important platforms celebrating and supporting the rise of successful individuals and entities on social media. We sat down with Louderback at Step Conference 2020 in Dubai and spoke about the rise of social media, his role at VidCon, and the company's expansion into the region. 

A holder of both math and business degrees, Louderback told us he sort of stumbled upon the media industry and discovered his passion for it, ultimately building a career out of it. In his early days, Louderback began writing about the computer systems he was building and eventually landed a job at a computer magazine. 

Years later, he helped start a cable network based in Northern California and that's when he realized how media and the internet can unite people so efficiently. A computer expert himself, Louderback found that no matter where he is settled, emerging online platforms allowed him to connect with people who have similar interests. 

"The really interesting thing we found is that there are people who are out in the middle of these farming towns who all of a sudden discover there are other geeks like them as the internet came up and rose to prominence. Suddenly whoever you were, you could find other people like you and feel like 'oh it's not just me.' That's the beauty of it," he explained. 

With his decades of experience in running online video networks, Louderback brought an expansive vision to VidCon by leveraging this new world of media.

Louderback explained that he joined VidCon - a conference started by two YouTubers - around six years ago and is now its GM. 

"VidCon at its core is about helping to democratize the creative economy," he said. 

Today's media is no longer about gatekeepers or people telling us what to watch or listen to as the internet has given us more creative freedom.

"Creativity is evenly distributed around the world and the internet is allowing people to be creative, reach an audience and connect with other people through media," he added. 

Louderback believes the internet has allowed creative minds across the world to share and collaborate. This is where VidCon comes in as it embraces this creativity "by providing a place for the creators and their audiences to come together and share their love for each other, performances, meet and greets, connect with other people that have similar passions."

However, the conference isn't limited to just that; it is made up of three tracks: The community track, creator track, and industry track. Each is dedicated to supporting creators no matter where they are in the process of building their online presence to help them "drive forward what they wanna do," Louderback explained.

VidCon also helps creators learn how to build a business around community-led media. 

"It's kind of like they're coming to the zoo to see what's going on, what do the animals look like behind the cages and then they [the content creators] realize that they're the ones who are in the cages and that they need to figure out how to break the bars to get out to this new reality of media," he said. 

Since its inception in 2010, VidCon has expanded to countries all around the world. We asked Louderback why the company was interested in hosting VidCon in an Arab country, knowing that the region's gatekeepers are stronger than those in other places. He explained the incredible creativity of creators in the region and the passionate audience receiving the content makes the region an incredibly interesting place to be. 

"I mean the amount of online video viewing that happens right here in MENA and GCC is higher per capita than anywhere else in the world," he explained. 

"You've got this passionate audience that wants it, you have incredible creators that are delivering amazing content. We just want to make some connections and push forward both new people that you can meet, provide a safe space for people to come and celebrate that but also bring creators from all around the world here to collaborate and connect with the great creators on the ground," he said. 

With that, creators in the region can manage to start building a global audience for themselves. 

"If you're an amazing creator in Saudi Arabia, in Lebanon or the UAE or wherever, you're most likely to have universal truths and universal things that you're doing and there's audiences around the world that are gonna enjoy that," he added. 

VidCon has now established itself as a global platform that brings international creators together in one place, helping them expand their viewership worldwide. 

Louderback recognizes that there are several obstacles that can stand in the way of online content creators. He believes that "understanding how the platforms work and understanding how to leverage and take advantage of finding your audience" is one of the major troubles content creators are faced with. 

VidCon aims to offer solutions to these obstacles. Louderback told us that the company aims to bring top experts on subjects related to the field to help support creators and provide them with beneficial solutions. 

"For example, the way you package your video on YouTube is really important and changes. So we're bringing in one of the top experts on thumbnails in the world to talk about thumbnail science and how to make a thumbnail on YouTube that will get people to watch," he explained. 

Louderback has years of experience as a venture partner at Social Starts and is interested in seeing both international and regional businesses take off. 

"I think great ideas happen everywhere and doing seed funding has allowed me and us to support great ideas everywhere," he said. His interest in supporting up and coming Arab startups stems from the abundance of creativity he's witnessing in the region. 

"I am walking around here at Step Conference and looking at all these startups and it's so cool to see the great creativity everywhere and the insight," he said. 

"When I started at Social Starts, we were mostly investing in California. Now it's worldwide and I would encourage anybody here in the Arab world if you have a great idea and you think you can build a business go ahead and try it. You have a great idea just start doing it, find customers, get your idea, refine it and grow it," he added. 

When asked what he believes is the most important thing a digital startup needs to succeed, Louderback said that even at the smallest levels "a strategic vision" is necessary.  

"Start with the big idea and move it back to what you need to get done now and refine it but have that discipline to always be looking at where you wanna go and then don't try and do too much. Thinking strategically but also bound what you do," he explained.

Louderback is adamant that over the next few years new forms of media are bound to emerge.  

"I think digital media is taking over all media but I also think that over the next five years we're gonna see new types of media created. We've disrupted every single media we've ever invented and now we're inventing new ones," he said. 

The successful GM's message to every Arab entrepreneur is one centered on motivation and inspiration. 

"Focus on what you're doing now and don't stop, keep on trying, keep on revising. If you post something that doesn't work, try and figure out why. Be analytical, go into the numbers, find out what's going on. There's so much data out there," he explained. 

Louderback stresses that one must not lose sight of their creativity or of the things they're passionate about.   

"Don't try to do something just because you think people are gonna love it, do it because you're passionate about it. Let that passion come through and then figure out how to build an audience from there," he added.