The student-built creator marketing summit at American University, back for year two after a sold-out first year.
Sponsor and in-kind commitments are open now.
Placeholder. Two or three sentences from the President's office go here.
The first Kogod Creator Summit, April 14, 2026, themed Soft Launch. Student creators, working panelists, 12 brand partners, and four internships and paid gigs that came out of the room.
*Estimated audience across all channels for event-related content, including attendee-creator posts. Engagement measured June 29, 2026.
Kaeden Rowland, known to 595K TikTok followers as the Staples Baddie, opened the night. Then she 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.
"Had such an amazing time! Truly an amazing university with the greatest people. I'm so honored to have had this experience and still haven't stopped talking about it."Kaeden Rowland, the Staples Baddie, on LinkedIn
"Here's everything. We got our school's Content Creator Summit starting off strong with the Prada Paradox perfume. Full size. And next, these Lancôme pouches. Foundation sample, mascara, toner. Cream, serum, perfume, sunscreen. And then these notebooks, which are content creation planners. These protein coffees. These electrolyte pouches. A hat. Tom Ford perfume, and a bunch of minis."Transcript of an attendee's TikTok, April 15, 2026
The theme was Soft Launch: cherry blossoms, a pink and blue stage, and a room that filled itself.
The summit opens to every school at AU and grows to 250 attendees. Three themes shape the night. A sponsor can headline the year or anchor one theme. April 2027, date to be confirmed.
Soft Launch was theirs. So is 2027. The Creator Collective and students in Advertising, Digital Marketing, and Brand Strategy own it. Sponsors who join early sit in on that process.
How deals get made. Pricing, contracts, agencies, representation, and what brands look for.
The tools creators use to plan, edit, and grow, and what changes when they do.
Making work worth watching. Voice, consistency, trust, and staying well while doing it.
Sample run of show, modeled on April 14, 2026. Theme sessions run in parallel in adjacent rooms. The 2027 agenda is set by students and subject to change.
Commitments close November 30. The student cohort forms and starts work on the summit.
Students in Advertising, Digital Marketing, and Brand Strategy plan the summit: the look, activations, sponsors, and run of show. Sponsor practitioners teach masterclasses.
250 students, 10 to 12 panelists, title keynote, theme sessions, activations.
Undergraduate and graduate classes deliver the post-event briefing, the white paper, and the wins summary to every partner.
| Role | What you own | Who engages | What you get back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title sponsor | Naming on the summit and the keynote. Category exclusivity. Masterclasses with the cohort. | 250 students, the cohort, and every post about the night | Recruiting access to the cohort. Co-presentation with faculty. |
| Theme partner | One of three themes: a panel and an activation | The students drawn to your theme | Your brand on the theme that matches your market, and the creators who choose it |
| Creator tools partner | Licenses for attendees and the cohort, a hands-on workshop | Every attendee who tries your product | Student creators using your tool on camera |
| In-kind partner | Product for 250 gift bags, food and drink, or raffle prizes | Every attendee, on the night and in their unboxing posts | In 2026, Nordstrom, CAVA, Sacheu, Ultima, and Prés were named on camera by creators, unprompted |
Kogod marketing faculty are studying two things. How creators build credibility and trust in the health and beauty space. And how creators influence, inform, and engage the people who follow them.
A research partner supports a study, helps shape the questions, and gets the first look at the findings in a private briefing. The work is published under Kogod's name.
College students are not an audience for creator marketing. They are the creators. Three numbers from outside our walls, and five from inside our room.
of Gen Z describe themselves as video content creators.1
of Gen Z would become an influencer if given the chance.2
of Gen Z say social media ads or reviews most influence what they buy.3
The creator economy is on track to roughly double, from $250 billion to about $480 billion by 2027.4 Brands will hire from this generation, sell to it, and build with it. Kogod is where those creators are learning the business.
Check-in survey at the 200-attendee summit, April 14, 2026.
Kaeden Rowland, "Staples Baddie" (595K, TikTok), Jo Barker (475K, Instagram), Tony Polcari (185K, Instagram), Erin Alice Garnes (159K, Instagram). Aubrey T. A. Maslen, L'Oréal USA. Dina Mortada, Staples. Michelle Miller, Sacheu and K18. Agency leaders from TAA PR, IRL Agency, and MWW.
"After today, I actually feel like I can call myself a creator."AU student creator, summit research interview
April 14, 2026. 6 to 9 PM. American University, MGSC 128.
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.
Write to Dr. Kelli Frias. We will bring the full program to your team, on campus or at your offices.
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.
Event figures: Kogod Creator Summit Impact Data, measured June 29, 2026, and the April 14, 2026 check-in survey. Speaker follower counts as of June 29, 2026. Reach is an estimate. Follower counts are a floor, because students do not list every account.