By Biba Adams, Staff Writer and Report for America corps member
That powerful little handheld computer that we all carry around in our pockets that we occasionally make phone calls on is an open door to a world of possibility. This world is often illustrated and brought to us by digital content creators who dominate our social media feeds.
Digital Content Creators used to be called “Influencers” and many of them have distinguished themselves by their unique viewpoints and personal vision and experiences of Detroit; these creators include Amber Lewis, Christopher Kyle and Donny Wilson.
November 13-15 the largest Midwest conference for creators will return for a fifth year at Huntington Place. CreatorCon, led by Robert Courtney Collins, centers on content strategy, creative ownership, entrepreneurship and the connections that help people grow their brands.
The official CreatorCon website notes that, “Today’s most successful businesses aren’t just selling products—they’re building communities, telling stories, and creating content that drives attention and trust. Creator Con exists to help professionals at every stage understand how to leverage marketing, branding, technology, AI, and the creator economy to grow their businesses and expand their influence.”
Over three days, attendees will experience inspiring keynote speakers, interactive workshops, expert panels, networking events, live creator experiences, and meaningful conversations designed to turn ideas into action.
There is a matchmaking element to the conference with opportunities to bring together content creators, entrepreneurs, business owners and brands to explore how to turn creativity and visibility into sustainable business opportunities.
“Yeah, absolutely. That is literally what CreatorCon is,” explains Collins. “It is matching business owners who don’t have the time, energy, uh, knowledge of how to use the internet to capture their audience and then creators who don’t understand business, framework, don’t understand how they can be of service to these business owners, or don’t have the relationships to get in contact with these business owners, a place for those things to happen.”
CreatorCon is the time and place to have conversations with founders who’s looking for creators to help scale and expand. Plant seeds by communicating the value you bring to anything you participate in.
The current slate includes activities such as:
Industry-leading keynote speakers, Marketing and branding workshops, Business growth strategies, AI and emerging technology sessions, social media and content creation education, Creator Economy insights, Networking with entrepreneurs, creators, and executives, Brand partnerships and sponsorship opportunities, Live podcasts, activations, and creator experiences, as well as community events and exclusive announcements.
Whether you’re building a personal brand, scaling a company, leading a marketing team, launching a startup, or creating content full-time, Creator Con provides the education, relationships, and opportunities to help you grow.
There’s also a local education component: a portion of conference proceeds will support student tuition at DSDT College, formerly the Detroit School for Digital Technology.
“I don’t want people to overlook is that this is a marketing and small business conference at its core,” Collins says. He notes that “AI is probably the number one, most talked about thing as it pertains to marketing right now. And I mean, just in general, across all verticals and industries, and one of the most skilled experts in that area is Alicia Little (a keynote speaker). “She’s one of many different speakers who will speak to technology and AI. But then also we have workshops. We have 36 workshops and a few of those workshops will also give information about it as well.”
Courtney humbly says that he is thrilled with the growth of CreatorCon which attracts creators from around the country. “Detroit is the home of my marketing agency, Robert Courtney and Associates, and in complete transparency, there wasn’t supposed to be additional CreatorCon’s. The initial one was because we were having trouble attracting new communities and getting engagement and the first event went really well and it kind of gave us a small window into what was about to happen over the next several years.”
Collins says that he and his team “made a commitment to help build a platform here in Detroit that will attract other businesses and brands here and see Detroit as an epicenter for incredible creators and incredible talent. And make it where our people didn’t have to leave, to go to other major cities, but those people would want to come and see what Detroit creators were all about.”
For more information about CreatorCon or to purchase tickets, visit the website: https://creatorcondetroit.com/
You can reach Biba at Biba.Adams@MIChronicle.com