The Toronto International Film Festival is still obsessed with “Obsession.” The blockbuster horror indie sold out of the festival last year, launched digital creator Curry Barker as an auteur and has placed star Inde Navarrette in the awards conversation. It’s also provided a victory lap for TIFF, who had Barker and Navarrette for a keynote conversation on the ground. The other beneficiary here is YouTube, Barker’s training ground, as the platform has now become an urgent space for legacy studios and streamers to find emerging talent.
Variety partnered with YouTube and TIFF to host a formal creators summit – which drew talent like the hilarious Ziwe and wilderness adventurer Mark Vins – and caught up with Sean Downey, Google’s ad sales and partnerships chief for the Americas. Here we discuss the “Obsession” effect, the line between creators and influencers, and the approaching advertising wave for YouTube’s first Academy Awards broadcast in 2029. YouTube is having a breakthrough moment, in terms of legacy media opening its mind to what creators are capable of.
How does that affect your strategy and positioning for ad sales? Sean Downey: YouTube is a place that can house at any type of content, but it’s mostly a place for incredible creative content. Short or long form, it has meaning for people.
It’s authentic in that it reaches audiences on interests they care most about. There’s trust, and that’s valuable. In the ad world it creates traction.
Advertisers know they can expect a certain level of attentiveness and large audiences know they can come for fresh content. [For us], it’s about the communities that advertisers can reach. Is the “Obsession” effect trickling down to Madison Avenue, in terms of YouTube’s influence?One hundred percent. I think the advertising community has known for years that YouTube is the future of entertainment.
I haven’t spent a single minute convincing them that YouTube is premium and the place where entertainment lives. It’s more about, “How do you effectively use a creator to further your brand message?” You can’t put a billboard on YouTube. It’s a place where brands could become deeply ingrained in the storytelling.
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