“One hundred days ago we came together with the question, ‘what would it look like if our generation of internet storytellers had their own Sundance?’. We quickly learned that that's a very dangerous question to ask.” — Simon Kim, Creator Camp co-founder.

3 June 2025 | Written and Photographed by Parker Floris

They weren’t supposed to be filmmakers. Not in the traditional sense, anyway.

They just picked up a camera—and started telling stories … their stories.

“It feels like accidently walking into someone’s room … and reading their diary” — Jack Conte, Patreon co-founder, on Natalie Lynn’s YouTube films.

From bedrooms and dorm rooms, a new generation of cinematic storytellers emerged throughout COVID. They were dubbed the YouTube New Wave.

In 2021, these pioneers, who would later found Creator Camp (CC), were just a handful of kids renting a cabin in the backwoods of Montana. No agenda. No grand plan. Just the desire to create and connect. The energy from this retreat began to snowball as they booked the ‘largest wood cabin in North America’ to host creators from around the country. But, they weren’t done yet. Last year they partnered with the Swiss tourism board to fly out and host 80 creators in the Alps. Learn more about how they achieved this—here.

A year later, in April, at Camp Film Fest in Austin, the Creator Camp founders explained how all of this unfolded. How they made their impossible dream a reality.

They said, when they first pitched their idea of creating a Sundance for Gen Z internet filmmakers to Jack Conte—he pulled out a whiteboard and began sketching a roadmap of events that would eventually lead to where we were all sitting in that moment.

Throughout the film festival, I observed Jack passionately engage with each person who spoke to him, and it was clear that his role was the proud father—supporting his children to go off into the world to create heartfelt art, and achieve the unimaginable.

But, to call the event merely a film festival? That barely scratches the surface of what it truly was, and the impact it left on everyone who attended ...

It was an opportunity to connect with countless people on the same journey, with the same desires, and going through the same struggles. There was a shared language amongst the attendees that allowed instant connection from people living on opposite sides of the world.

“Everyone from the top to the bottom—like the DP (director of photography) of the feature [film], and the weekend pass holder—we’re all in the same room, we’re on the same team, on the same wavelength. Nobody’s better than [any] other. We’re just on different positions on the same playing field.” – Alex Kirkpatrick, attendee.

Creator Camp spent $100,000 funding one feature film, and $100,000 on 9 short films. These filmmakers then had 100 days to write, film, edit and premiere their creations in front of 1,200 attendees. As any filmmaker knows, this is a crazy endeavour to agree to.

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Interwoven between the films were also panel discussions and workshops with iconic creator filmmakers like Yes Theory, Gawx, and Baron Ryan. Additionally, each evening was filled with performances by a number of incredible artists.

“The magical thing about this event is that I’ll be in like a dance group, vibing out, mosh pit, whatever that chaos was. And I just realise, I’m dancing with like 5-6 people that I’ve just been looking at through a screen for the past year. What is this life?!” – Tommy Kozak, attendee.

While often the internet and social media is rightfully criticised for causing mental health crises and misinformation flows … By connecting people from around the world, it has also allowed younger generations to peruse their passions and find their people in the process.

In school, the only other photographers I knew were Urbexers (urban explorers) that climbed cranes and rode on the back of trains … and let’s just say, that wasn’t for me.

But online, I was able to connect with people just like myself.

“I have been an aspiring filmmaker my entire life … and I live in [Australia where] there is not many of us there … So, a big reason why I have flown across the other side of the planet, is to connect with more people like [me]” — Riley Coyote, attendee.

*Riley Coyote on the Camp Film Fest red carpet.*

In his interview with Colin and Samir, Max Reisinger (CC co-founder) said, “this generation is lonely as hell”.

Danny Desatnik (Partnerships for CC), in our interview, also highlighted the impact he would see on these filmmakers showing their movies to a room of 50 people, and how that would fulfil them far more than a million views online.

*Max Reisinger saying goodbye to the festival*

Sometimes we forget the long-term social impacts of COVID, and the consequences of capitalism commodifying every interaction we have. This scarred, and continues to batter down a generation just trying to survive and find their place in a world that is actively designed to work against them.

“When I'm here, I'm realising this should have existed a long time ago, and there should be a lot more spaces just like this. And I think it's an amazing opportunity for different creative brains to mesh. And I'm sure that people that are meeting here today are gonna end up creating things together, that are going to be magical in the future.” — Thomas Bragg, of Yes Theory.
“I think [this] is what distinguishes a creator from a pure artist. An artist can exist in a bit of a vacuum, and it's beautiful in its own ways, because they just get to be in like this full expression. Us as creators, we have YouTube studio … The data [and tools] that [are] available to us as this new breed of artist … is really why [this] generation is the future of stories. Nobody will do it cheaper than us. Nobody will do it with [more] agility than us. Nobody will do it with better collaboration and just better heart.” – Ammar Kandil, of Yes Theory.

The very fact that people were willing to drive 20 hours across the United States, or fly up to 30 hours from London, Cape Town, and The Gold Coast of Australia, is a testament to how far people are willing to go to find their community. So, it is not hard to envision more in person events over the coming years as a generation rising through the creator economy, desperately fights to get back what they lost. This is especially true for an industry that is often isolated, working long hours, by ourselves, in a dark room, for weeks on end—just to get the next video out on time.

Max also highlighted how the viewing experience of Netflix and YouTube is identical, and how this provides an opportunity to bring these YouTube filmmakers to the big screen—finding not only a business model that works for art in the 21st century, but also solving the fundamental loneliness epidemic in the process.

*Sophia Pung and Mila Finch on the Camp Film Fest red carpet.*

So, what can you do about it?

Find your people. Consumer more art. Re-establish a connection with your heart.

There is nothing more impactful than a shared experience with those you share a journey with. As political and economic systems aim to tear us apart, fight back. Re-establish third places in your community, outside of work and home. Attend regular gatherings with those you relate to and connect with. Genuinely be curious about other people—like what Alex said about all being on the same playing field.

What is powerful about creator storytellers, is that there is no rank. Whether you are established like Yes Theory and Jack Conte, or just coming out of education, everyone is just as passionate about the craft and curious about each other’s art.

If Creator Camp can keep putting events on like Camp Film Fest, there is no limit to what they will achieve, and how they will continue to revolutionise the industry.

“I was crying during the opening of the [festival], coz like, it’s not an exaggeration. This is the hardest thing any of us have been a part of. It’s been so hard. Just tore us all apart. But I think to see it come together like this, it’s the most fulfilling thing.” — Simon Kim, CC co-founder

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