press publish - 2026

We’re Colin and Samir - creators, storytellers, and deeply curious about the business of creativity. We’re hosting and guiding this event from start to finish. You’ll find us on stage asking the questions we think every creator wants answered, sitting in the audience taking notes, and recording a live episode of The Colin and Samir Show during the day. Our goal is to make sure every session leaves you with something useful, whether it’s a new idea, a new connection, or a new way of thinking about your work.

Johnny Harris blends cinematic storytelling with sharp visual explainers to break down complex global issues for an audience of over 7.5 million on YouTube. He's a contributor to The New York Times and The Economist. Before going independent, he created and hosted Vox's twice Emmy-nominated series Vox Borders. Johnny co-founded Newpress, a creator-led media company making visually ambitious, deeply researched shows about how the world actually works.

His latest project, The Human Element, is a cinematic docu-series that journeys to the heart of the world's most important issues, bringing the forces shaping our lives into focus through adventure, investigation, and human storytelling.

Iz Harris is expanding Newpress into new channels and formats, betting on a clear thesis: the future of media is creator-led. Iz drives both the business strategy and creative engine behind Newpress’ four rapidly growing channels, reaching more than 14 million across platforms. She is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and former YouTube creator.

Kinigra Deon is a filmmaker, actress, and digital creator known for producing engaging, family-oriented content that blends comedy, drama, and storytelling. As the creator behind a multi-million subscriber YouTube platform, she has built a loyal audience through original scripted series, short films, and relatable narratives that resonate across generations. Kinigra leads a growing creative ecosystem of young actors and collaborators, consistently delivering high-quality, story-driven content while expanding into film and streaming opportunities. Her work focuses on creating meaningful, entertaining experiences that families can enjoy together.

Alessandra Catanese serves as CEO of Smosh, one of the largest sketch comedy brands and a pioneer in creator-first entertainment. Catanese’s career has spanned the evolution of the digital creator space, from helping establish the talent department at Maker Studios during the early days of YouTube, to launching the Los Angeles division of Patreon in 2016. In the last three years, Alessandra has helped Smosh double in size, both in fanbase as well as employees.

Scott Lewers is a three-time Emmy award-winning content & digital entertainment executive who has worked at Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and The CW. His expertise in multi-platform strategic thinking has made him a senior leader in overseeing content strategy, production, and brands. In 2025, he joined CrunchLabs, the STEM education and media company founded by engineer and science creator Mark Rober, as its first-ever Chief Content Officer. In his role overseeing the studio division, he has expanded CrunchLabs’ portfolio of original content to Netflix, Samsung TV Plus, and classrooms nationwide.

Michelle Khare is the host and creator of the award-winning YouTube docuseries Challenge Accepted where she takes on intense physical and mental challenges with an audience of over 5.3 million subscribers. She has attempted everything from Harry Houdini's deadliest magic trick to surviving a week at FBI Academy, and recently became the 86th woman in the world to complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. Her adventurous, immersive approach to storytelling has earned her nearly 1 billion views and major recognition in the creator space, where she hopes to prove that with enough hard work, perseverance, and failure, anything is possible.

Sam Eckholm is the creator and host of Access Granted, a cinematic documentary series offering rare access to some of the world’s most secure facilities and classified missions, highlighting the human stories powering global defense and innovation. A former US Air Force Officer, Eckholm now leads a civilian team that turns complex missions into stories that resonate with more than 3.5 million followers. Sam, a 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 winner, and his team are based in San Francisco, California.

John Coogan is an entrepreneur and media personality. He co-founded Soylent in 2013, co-founded Lucy nicotine products in 2016, served as EIR at Founders Fund, and co-founded and co-hosts TBPN, a popular daily tech talk show on X and YouTube.

Kara is an early MrBeast employee, joining 6.5 years ago to build recruiting and people. She realized she needed to know YouTube, creative, and production very early on, so she obsessed over learning it. She wanted to figure out who the right people were, how to find them, and where they come from in a world where a pipeline didn’t exist. MrBeast now employs over 500 people in content and she knows every one of them by name.