Australian government agency Screen Queensland announced the Creator Economy Summit, scheduled for February 7, 2026, at HOTA, Home of the Arts, on the Gold Coast, Australia. The one-day event, developed in partnership with Changer and The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), will take place during the 2026 AACTA Festival (Feb. 4-8).

The summit targets online creators seeking to professionalize their practice and scale their businesses, while offering film and television producers insights into platform-led business models. The initiative responds to Australia’s creator community, which now numbers in the millions, according to the announcement.

“It is time to build more bridges between the creator economy and the existing film and television industry,” said Julie Eckersley, Screen Queensland Executive Director of Screen Content. “The Creator Economy Summit brings these two elements together to support creators to take the next step in building a sustainable global business.”

Programming and Participants

The summit features panel discussions with senior representatives from ABC, Netflix, BBC Studios, and Screen Australia. 

Creator-led sessions include Sarah Renae Clark, YouTube’s Sabine Zonderland, James McPherson, and Shannon Jones, with programming focused on business growth, monetization, and pathways into screen production.

Farhad Meher-Homji, Changer Founder, stated that “creators are no longer just building channels, they’re building real businesses. The Creator Economy Summit is about giving creators the tools, connections, and confidence to scale sustainably and engage meaningfully with the broader screen industry.”

AACTA Awards and Industry Development Manager Ivan Vukusic described the summit as bringing together “established film, television and media leaders with the vibrant, fast-growing creator economy” to “foster genuine dialogue, unlock new partnership opportunities and inspire innovative approaches to Australian screen content.”

Screen Queensland designated the summit as a pilot initiative to test audience appetite and inform future creator-focused programs. The long-term vision positions South East Queensland as the creator capital of Australia, according to the announcement.

Registration information is available at screenqueensland.com.au.

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