Brand

Disney, Jon Youshaei Announce First Wave of Speakers for ‘Created in LA,’ Including Mindy Kaling, Zach King

Published on August 10, 2026

Disney and creator Jon Youshaei have announced the first wave of speakers for “Created in LA,” the inaugural two-day Creator Economy event set for September 17-18 in Los Angeles. Mindy Kaling, Zach King, AdamW, Jenny Hoyos and Sam Eckholm are confirmed for day two’s programming, alongside Disney Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz, with additional names still to be announced.

“From Mindy Kaling to Zach King, we’re bringing the best of the creator economy and Hollywood on the same stage, with more names coming soon,” said Youshaei, who created and hosts the event. “Their work has been seen by billions. At Created in LA, they’ll break down how they did it. Their sessions will go inside their creative process, biggest moments, and lessons to help the next generation of creators.”

The confirmed sessions:

Kaling will lead “How to Be Your Own Studio,” on building ownership of one’s ideas and career, drawing on her path from “The Office” to creating “The Mindy Project” and “Not Suitable for Work” on Hulu.
King, marking 18 years on YouTube, will unpack his creative process from ideation through editing in “Behind the Magic.”
AdamW, who has grown a comedy following of more than 55 million, will discuss turning short-form sketches into a media company.
Jenny Hoyos, whose content has drawn more than 10 billion views, will break down the mechanics behind repeatable virality.
Sam Eckholm, host of “Access Granted,” will address bringing cinematic production standards to online video.

Created in LA was first announced in mid-July, when Disney and Youshaei revealed the event would bring 350 creators, innovators and industry leaders to Los Angeles. The gathering opens September 17 with a red-carpet premiere of creator-produced videos at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre, the first time in the century-old venue’s history that it will premiere videos from creators. Day two moves to the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank for the panels and talks now taking shape with this speaker announcement.

Youshaei, who spent part of his career in leadership roles at YouTube and Instagram before building his own creator career, has interviewed figures including MrBeast, Mark Rober and Kevin Hart and reaches more than one million followers across his own content.

Ayaz, in Disney’s original announcement, framed the event as an extension of the company’s storytelling history: “Today’s creators are some of the best storytellers reaching generations, building communities and connecting fans around the things they love, and we look forward to welcoming them to Disney for Created in LA.”

Applications to attend remain open through the Created in LA website.