Kogod Creator Summit 2027

The 2027 Summit

Spring 2027.
Three tracks. All of AU.

Students are building the 2027 theme now. The summit opens to every school at AU and runs on three tracks. A sponsor can headline the year or anchor one track. Date to be announced.

2027 theme: under construction

The students are building it. Watch this space.

Soft Launch was theirs. So is 2027. The Creator Collective and students in Advertising, Digital Marketing, and Brand Strategy are shaping the theme, the look, and the activations now. Sponsors who join early get a seat in that process.

Concepting nowStudent voteReveal: date to be announced

Medical influencers

Physicians, dermatologists, and health brands building trust on social.

AI and influencers

How creators and agencies use AI to plan, edit, and monetize.

AI and lifestyle

Beauty, home, and everyday content for Gen Z audiences.

Fall 2026

Sponsors and cohort

Commitments close November 30. 20 to 25 student creators selected. Research design and IRB done.

Winter

Masterclasses

Sponsor practitioners mentor the cohort. Campaigns go live and get measured.

Spring 2027

The Summit

250+ students, 10 to 12 panelists, title keynote, track sessions, activations.

Summer 2027

Findings

Private briefing, co-branded white paper, and three teaching cases.

The 2026 Wins

Sold out at 200 with zero paid promotion.

The first Kogod Creator Summit, April 14, 2026, themed Soft Launch. Student creators, working panelists, 12 brand sponsors, and four internships and paid gigs that came out of the room.

Estimated combined reach*

Followers among attendees

Attendees, sold out

Paid promotion

24+ LinkedIn posts, 1,350+ reactionsUniversity web traffic up 50% for a weekHalf the room creates beauty content

*Estimated audience across all channels for event-related content, including attendee-creator posts.

What a sponsor got in 2026

Staples put its most viral employee and its social lead on our stage.

Kaeden Rowland, the "Staples Baddie," opened the night, then sat down with Dina Mortada, Staples' Director of Social Media and PR, for the brand's first public conversation about an employee going viral. Dina's post was the most engaged post of the event.

Reactions on one post

Comments

1st

Public brand and creator talk

Creator's TikTok following

See It, Don't Read It

This is what the room felt like.

The theme was Soft Launch: cherry blossoms, a pink and blue stage, and a room that filled itself. 2027 scales it.

Kogod Creator Summit, 2026

A 2026 Activation, Built by Students

The Content Goal Tree

Every blossom is a student's goal. On April 14, 2026, students wrote a creative goal for the year on a paper cherry blossom and pinned it to a tree built by the AU Design Lab. The tree filled up before the night was over.

Tap a blossom to read a goal

Who Was in the Room

12 brands. 12 speakers. One stage.

Thank you to our 2026 sponsors

On stage in 2026

Kaeden Rowland (500K+, TikTok), Jo Barker (475K+), Tony Polcari (185K+), Erin Alice Garnes (150K+). Aubrey T. A. Maslen, L'Oréal USA. Dina Mortada, Staples. Michelle Miller, Sacheu and K18. Agency leaders from TAA PR, IRL Agency, and MWW.

What students learned

How brand deals are priced, negotiated, and contracted
What agencies and talent advisors do, and how creators get represented
User-generated and employee-generated content inside large companies
Representation as a business decision
Creator mental health and wellbeing

See the full 2026 lineup

Creators

Kaeden Rowland@blivxx, 500K+ on TikTok
Jo Barker@the_little_beannn, 475K+ on Instagram
Tony Polcari@_tonypindc, 185K+ on Instagram
Erin Alice Garnes@erinalicegarnes, 150K+ on Instagram

Brand leaders

Aubrey T. A. MaslenVP, Head of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, DEI, L'Oréal USA
Dina MortadaDirector, Social Media and PR, Staples
Michelle MillerCMO, Sacheu. Founding CMO, K18

Talent advisors and agencies

Ashley AriasExecutive Vice President, TAA PR
Roxy JahangeriPartner and Chief Creative Officer, IRL Agency
Nicole WilliamsAgency Owner and Influencer Strategist
Joanna NettelfieldVP of Digital Strategy, MWW
Carolyn LaskyPanelist, The Business of Influencing

The Exchange

What you get. What students get.

Your brand

Category exclusivity. The only brand in your category on stage, in the cohort, and on the white paper.

First look at the research. A private briefing before anyone else sees the findings.

Talent pipeline. A year with Gen Z creators and marketing students, and recruiting access to the cohort.

Thought leadership. Co-presentation at industry and academic venues.

Our students

A room with working creators and the brand leaders who hire them. Sold out in 2026.

Internships and paid gigs. Four came out of the 2026 room. Your masterclass is where the next ones start.

A year in the cohort. 20 to 25 student creators run real campaigns with your practitioners and leave with a portfolio.

Research experience. Students help design and run the study, and are credited on the teaching cases.

Title sponsor. One year.

Title. Naming on the summit, the keynote, exclusivity, masterclasses, and the white paper.
Track partner. Own one of the three tracks: a panel, an activation, and a research briefing. Investment on request.
Creator tools partner. Licenses for attendees, a hands-on workshop, and recognition at the summit. Investment on request.

The research stays academically independent. A sponsor gets first access, never editorial control. That is what makes the findings worth citing.

Brands spend on creators without evidence. Let's build it together.

We would welcome the chance to present the full program and research design to your team, on campus or at your offices.

Dr. Kelli Frias

Marketing Department Chair, Kogod School of Business, American University

Led by the Kogod Marketing Department and Kogod Marketing and Communications. Built with students from the Advertising, Digital Marketing, and Brand Strategy courses, the Creator Collective, and the Market Impact Lab.

Start the conversation

Spring 2027.Three tracks. All of AU.