CultureCon, Worthi, theSkimm, Hoorae Leaders Talk Content

Beyoncé is not the only one who can have a renaissance moment. From the rise of interactive storytelling to the democratization of content creation, marketers are doing their best to keep up with the evolution of content development. But oftentimes, a brand’s sprint can turn into a stumble, calling for speedy texts to brand crisis management teams before cancel culture catches up. This was the topic of conversation on the main stage at ADWEEK’s Mediaweek event, where leaders from theSkimm, The Creative Collective, Hoorae Media, and ad agency Worthi shared their analysis and real-world examples of the current state of content consumption. Brand soup From brat to demure, this year kept brands busy with tapping into the social chatter and cultural moments. Worthi CEO Myles Worthington advised brands should have something to add value to the conversation or keep it moving. "When that viral moment happens, every brand is like, 'We gotta get in on this. We have to make ourselves attached to this.' And 90% of them fuck it up. They will just jump in the comments. I call it 'brand soup,’” he shared onstage. Pictured from left to right: Imani Ellis, Monique Francis, Myles Worthington, and Niven McCall-Mazza. The agency leader went on to list an example of a GoFundMe campaign his team worked on to launch a fundraising platform in Puerto Rico. The demure trend was happening, and when the team found out the creator behind the viral moment was Puerto Rican, they tapped her to help with the launch. They created video content to raise funding for a fellow Puerto Rican who was trying to fund their transition. Worthington stated that when marketers think critically about these cultural moments, that's when it's the most valuable. “So many brands try hard to try way too hard, and especially Gen Z sniffs that out,” Worthington stated. What comes after the open bar? In the ad industry, some conferences lack substance. This is the revelation that led the founder and CEO of CultureCon and The Creative Collective, Imani Ellis, to create a conference for Black and Brown creatives. "I really was not seeking to start something. I actually wanted to stop something, and what I wanted to stop were events that really lacked heart and soul,” Ellis told theSkimm editor-in-chief Niven McCall-Mazza, who was moderating the panel. “And what I mean by that is, everybody loves an open bar, but what next? What else are we doing?" CultureCon, the conference that started as a get-together of creatives in Ellis’ one-bedroom apartment, just celebrated its sixth year and saw over 10,000 creatives unite in its Brooklyn Navy Yard event venue. Monique Francis, the head of marketing for Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media, further emphasized the importance of community in today’s world, which can manifest in different channels like brand partnerships. "Understanding the community that you are, that you have, and that you're talking to. And if you're working through a partner, as a brand there's a level of trust that is necessary in that partner to know the audience that they have and that you are willing to reach,” Francis shared onstage with McCall-Mazza. “What you're able to build is only possible by saying [to the partner], 'you are the expert, we should listen to you.'” Next-gen storytellers From Myspace to YouTube to TikTok, the industry has experienced a whirlwind of platforms that distribute content in the digital era. Yet, at the end of the day, it’s always about finding ways to tell stories. Francis credits the beginning of Rae’s success to her storytelling on YouTube with her original web series, The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl. Today, the multi-hyphenate showrunner and the Hoorae team are focused on paying it forward and helping other creators of color bring their stories to life. The media company is getting ready to premiere its first feature film, One of Them Days, starring Keke Palmer and SZA. The film came about from a partnership between Hoorae’s talent management production arm, ColorCreative, and Sony to find diverse voices in film, ultimately leading to the project. One of Them Days is set to premiere in January. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5xzjw_0d_0

Mediaweek

Move Over, Beyoncé. Content Is Having Its Own Renaissance

CultureCon, Worthi, Hoorae Media, and theSkimm on the state of content today

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