International online stars to headline VIDXB

American online personality, Lele Pons and British singer-songwriter, Conor Maynard are among several global stars confirmed to headline VIDXB, the region’s first dedicated event for online content creators, which will take place December  8-9 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

As one of the most authoritative comedic content creators, Lele promises to bring her unique brand of humour to the Middle East for the first time. Lele holds a position in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Celebrities class of 2017 and Time Magazine’s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet in 2016. With 19.6 million Instagram followers, the 21-year-old comedian earned the position of No. 2 Stories producer in the US following the launch of Instagram Stories in 2016.

Joining Lele is recording artist and content creator, Conor Maynard, who shot to fame via YouTube as a teen whilst experimenting with his musical sound on the platform. Now signed with Warner Bros. Music group subsidiary, Parlophone, and mentored by American rapper Ne-Yo (with whom he collaborated on ‘Turn Around’), Maynard has built a global fan base thanks to his unique sound and online personality.

Also confirmed VIDXB headliners are online comedians, represented by Los Angeles-based entertainment company Shots Studios, which is backed by global recording superstar Justin Bieber, who, like Maynard, found his fame via YouTube. Its co-founder, Sam Shahidi, will share his own story of success through sessions within VIDXB’s industry programme.

The full list of international creators who will be featured at VIDXB are:

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• Casey Neistat – with 8.1 million YouTube subscribers, the New York-based filmmaker is well known for his innovative branded content.

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• Lele Pons – with19.6 Million Instagram followers, Elena “Lele” Pons delivers her own brand of comedy, largely though YouTube skits and short comedy vlogs.

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• Conor Maynard – the Singer-Songwriter known for his covers of the latest big songs, boasts over 6.2M YouTube subscribers.

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• Anwar Jibawi – previously a Vine star, Arab-American Anwar is famed for his comedic and lighthearted videos that he shares largely across YouTube.

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• Inanna Sarkis – Actress Inanna has over 5.5M Instagram followers and is known for her short films and YouTube videos.

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• Hannah Stocking – American online personality and model, Hannah is known for work such as “How girls respond to guys Vs. how guys respond to girls” and collaborations with other high profile content creators.

Omar Butti, Executive Director of Innovation Programmes at the Dubai Film and TV Commission, organisers of VIDXB, said; “The lineup of creators attending VIDXB is going from strength to strength, and is evidence of the demand for an event like this. The likes of Lele Pons, Conor Maynard and the Shots Studio team have huge fan bases in the Middle East and I know we’ll see some incredible performances from them in December. ”

VIDXB is the first of its kind in the region and will bring together the entire content community, from the creators themselves to fans and industry experts. Attendees will have a chance to meet their favourite international and regional social media stars, discover the latest innovations in the online content industry through a programme of curated panel sessions and talks, and get hands on experience through interactive workshops. The two-day event will cover a range of industry sectors, including lifestyle, beauty, gaming, and comedy.

VIDXB will kick off a year-round series of programmes to promote local content, showcase emerging technologies, and facilitate skills development for Dubai’s growing digital media talent pool.