By Contributor,Ian Shepherd

Copyright forbes

Press Publish NYC featuring Colin and Samir with Casey Neistat.

When Creators Colin and Samir launched their first flagship summit, Press Publish NYC, they weren’t trying to replicate South by Southwest or build the next VidCon. They were trying to build something more intimate, more intentional and ultimately more human. And in doing so, they may have just reset the tone for the future of the creator economy.

Taking place last week at Skylight at The Refinery in Brooklyn, Press Publish NYC was a sold-out, application-only summit backed by heavyweight sponsors including Microsoft, Adobe, YouTube and Spotify. The event brought together more than 400 creators, storytellers and media leaders with a collective audience reach of over 300 million followers. But despite the big numbers, the emphasis wasn’t on scale. It was on soul.

“Our entire career has been about finding people like us,” said Samir Chaudry, speaking to me just days after the event. “Using YouTube as a way to meet other people who are into the same things as us. And I think what’s been really wonderful is the space has grown to a point where a lot of people are into this thing… probably because a lot of people have always been into storytelling.”

He continued: “We’ve just reached a point in time, in 2025, that [creator careers are] an established model. You can support yourself doing it. Traditional Hollywood is interested. Fortune 500 brands are interested. So it felt like a really great moment to bring our community together and put a flag in the ground by hosting our first big event.”

For Colin and Samir, the event was about anchoring creators in the deeper values that have always driven the best storytelling.

“Things have changed in the past 15 years, but a lot of stuff has remained the same,” Samir continued. “The human element of being a storyteller and pursuing your creativity as a career… that’s what we rooted a lot of the sessions in.”

MORE FOR YOU

A Shared Room, A Shared Experience

Press Publish NYC bucked the traditional multi-track conference format in favor of a single-stage, tightly curated experience. Every attendee experienced the same speakers, surprises and activations from Richard Branson’s champagne toast on a cruise ship to surprise appearances by creators like Casey Neistat and Steven Bartlett.

“The overwhelming majority [of attendees] said that they just wanted to meet someone new,” said Colin Rosenblum. “So we tried to give everyone an experience that allowed them to meet someone new… having moments that people can really talk about and connect over.”

“We thought about it in the context of making a video,” added Samir. “You want to save some of these hook moments. You want to start really hot. So we started with Sir Richard Branson… he shared a few things that were really impactful. One thing he said that I think I’ll remember for a long time is: your reputation is all you have in life. And to make sure that you’re not doing things just to make a quick buck. Do things that you and your friends think are cool.”

ForbesThe Creator Multi-Tool That’s Blowing Up The InternetBy Ian Shepherd

Not a Fan Event. A Creator Event.

Another key differentiator: the vibe. Press Publish wasn’t designed for fans. It was designed for peers.

“It wasn’t a fan event,” said Samir. “It was a way that both Colin and I wanted our space and our industry to be treated with a level of sophistication. That came down to everything from how Colin designed the logo and the branding for the event to how we built the stage.”

Of the 450 attendees, 76% identified as creators along with another 60 unique roles within the creator economy represented.

IRL, Real-Time Impact

While Colin and Samir are best known for their YouTube presence, with over 1.6 million subscribers, they both emphasized how different it felt to create impact in real-time, in person.

“I personally feel like I’ve caught the live bug,” said Samir. “As a creative individual, to see the impact you’re having on people’s face in front of you… you can reach 200,000 people by hitting upload, but you don’t feel it. But when a whole room laughs or stands up and applauds because a surprise guest comes in, you feel this impact in real time.”

Colin echoed the sentiment: “The goal is not to push it to three days and 1,500 people. It’s to keep it intimate and curated, and to keep it a moment that people remember when they look back on the year.”
ForbesYouTube Woodworker Lands VC Funding For Multi-Million Tool BrandBy Ian Shepherd

Producing Memorable Minutes

One of the event’s guiding ideas emerged from a simple yet powerful insight.

“We thought about regrettable minutes, forgettable minutes, and memorable minutes,” Samir explained. “Regrettable minutes are when you scroll endlessly and feel gross after. Forgettable minutes are just filling time. But memorable minutes—those are when you hear something that changes your perspective, that you want to share with a friend. And we realized that the best way to produce memorable minutes is through IRL events.”

A Carefully Chosen Cast of Brands

Press Publish NYC was also a study in how to do brand partnerships right. Instead of generic logos and panels, each sponsor offered a thoughtful activation.

“Microsoft Copilot transcribed every session and produced notes which are awesome,” Samir said. “We were on stage and not taking notes. Like, this is really cool.”

“They also did a brainstorming booth where you could go in and brainstorm using voice with Copilot,” added Colin. “Ten minutes into brainstorming an idea, people were so hooked that they didn’t want to get out.”

Adobe announced Premier Mobile onsite, giving attendees early access. Spotify sponsored “Coffee with Creators,” with conversational prompts from their top podcasts printed on each coffee cup. “It was like everyone is a character in the universe that is Press Publish NYC,” said Samir.
ForbesMark Rober’s Bold Plan To Reach One Billion Young MindsBy Ian Shepherd

The Creator Economy Isn’t a Niche Anymore

Perhaps most poignantly, Colin and Samir see their work and this summit as part of a larger shift: the merging of creator culture with the mainstream entertainment industry.

“I’ve never seen Hollywood have this much interest in what we’re doing,” said Samir. “And I’ve never seen Fortune 500 brands have this much interest in what we’re doing.”

“The majority of people are watching YouTube on their TVs,” he continued. “What used to be this, like, okay, there’s digital and there’s traditional… that can’t really be the conversation anymore. It’s just the entertainment industry.”

Colin summed it up bluntly: “It’s hard to say where the creator economy is heading, because it’s just the whole thing now.”

What’s Next

As for the future of Press Publish?

“The hope is to make this an annual event,” said Samir. “To keep tweaking it and keep getting better over time.”

And maybe, eventually, global.

“My true dream would be to do this in Mumbai, in India,” said Samir. “Doing it in London, Sao Paulo, Mexico City. The democratization of creativity is global.”

“We want to keep building the DNA of what makes this a great event,” said Colin. “And there’s someone in Mexico City or Mumbai who’s probably better suited to host it than we are. That’s exciting.”

Samir closed our conversation with a quote from the final session: “One of my favorite parts was the last thing Casey Neistat said on stage. He quoted Oscar Wilde and said, ‘Some things are too important to be taken seriously.’ And I think that was a beautiful reminder that all of this—the strategy, the data, the platforms—is still about creativity and play.”

In an era of overstimulation and algorithmic burnout, Press Publish NYC may have quietly introduced the new north star for the creator economy: not scale, but connection. Not strategy, but soul.

Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions