ZCON is a groundbreaking conference that last month brought together 150+ content creators and representatives from 500+ brands to challenge the rules of business engagement. Unlike traditional corporate gatherings where seasoned executives dominate the conversation, this event flips the script: here, Gen Z voices take center stage and the CEOs and CMOs listen and learn.
The Power of Gen Z Creators
“Gen Z creators are content machines,” explains Regina Harris, talent manager at Digital Brand Architects “They love creating content whether it’s paid or not”. This natural inclination toward content creation sets them apart from previous generations, who often approach digital content more methodically.
What makes Gen Z unique is their unprecedented commitment to authenticity and social impact. “They crave honesty at a level that maybe may not be healthy,” Harris notes. “The oversharing is all the rage and what is almost expected, but that really just comes from a place of wanting transparency.”
Olivia Frary, Head of ZCON at UTA Next Gen, emphasizes this generational shift: “What we always say is teenage girls set the trends of every generation. Even just thinking back to middle school, all the 13-year-old girls who had One Direction fan pages are now the most powerful up-and-coming marketers that I know.” She adds, “I think the difference is that Gen Z is really just unafraid of that digital footprint… You see streamers going at it for 24 hours a day, totally unfiltered.”
The Evolution of Content Creation
The landscape of content creation has undergone significant changes in recent years. Harris reflects on this transformation: “Over consumption was amazing. It was not called over consumption. They were called hauls. And we loved to do a good haul back in 2014… No matter what company it was, there was no shame in the company that you were buying from.”
However, the approach has evolved with growing awareness of social and environmental issues. “I don’t think that over consumption has ended,” Harris admits, “but now we have to be a lot more tasteful with it. There might be a haul, but you might just space it out over a few TikToks. Or maybe it’s in one video, and it’s like 10 items, but 10 items max.”
Reimagining Corporate Spaces
ZCON, launched last year, represents a radical reimagining of traditional business conferences. The event emerged from Juve Consulting, which Frary describes as “one of the biggest Gen Z marketing agencies, Gen Z run, Gen Z lead, created by diverse young people who are really tired of being in rooms and looking at corporate spaces that didn’t represent them.”
“We created ZCON as a space and platform for diverse young voices to be heard. It’s the first ever conference with only Gen Z speakers,” Frary explains. The event was born from a vision to transform how corporates engage with young leaders.
“So often we have diverse young people who are leaders, who are entrepreneurs or content creators or business owners themselves, who are being told that they have to wait their turn,” Frary observes. “Our goal was really just to flip that on its head and say, what if we had a room where the CEOs and CMOs of Fortune 500 companies are actually the ones who are listening and learning from diverse young people and the lived experiences that diverse young people are facing?”
The Rise of Digital Activism
One of the most striking aspects of Gen Z’s influence is their approach to social activism through digital platforms. Harris explains the organic evolution of this movement: “I think initially, they just wanted to be heard. The internet was a place where you could say, ‘I might live in this small town where no one really understands me, but I can find my community online.'”
This community-building has evolved into powerful social movements. “They themselves became the content creator and wanted to start posting about the things they care about,” Harris continues. “They realized that we can’t just be talking heads. We really have to start doing our research and spreading research in a way that is digestible to the masses… These infographics that really have been the backbone of so many movements, because you’re getting these micro doses of information.”
Beyond Traditional Programming
The ZCON conference featured innovative sessions that transcended typical corporate discussions. “One of my favorite conversations was actually hosted by Maya Urban,” Frary shares, describing a panel on confidence that included “the incredible Justina Miles, who’s actually a Deaf performer, who went viral for being the sign language interpreter during Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance.”
The event also paired activist-influencer Amelie Zilber with March for Our Lives founder Cameron Kasky for authentic conversations about social impact. “Their conversation was just absolutely captivating,” Frary notes. “We called it ‘made it out of the group chat,’ and it was full of a lot of exciting surprises.”
Social Impact Initiatives
ZCON’s commitment to social impact goes beyond discussions. “At the core of what we do is really, we really always want to center our values,” says Frary. “We have recess instead of breaks, we have prom instead of an after party. We’re flipping the script on who’s on stage versus who’s in seats.”
The event incorporated numerous practical initiatives: “This year, our nonprofit partners were Earth Justice, Born This Way Foundation, the Jed Foundation… We had 5 Gyres, who led a trash sorting workshop on site at ZCON this year… We had an incredible organization called Strategy for Black Lives, another incredible organization focused on the Arts called Noise for Now, and When We All Vote.”
Intergenerational Impact
The event’s influence extended beyond its target demographic. Harris, who attended as both a speaker and participant, shares her surprise: “There were so many generations in the crowd. I saw so many millennials light up… They were proud of us, proud of what we’re doing.”
She continues, “There was a moment on stage that I remember giving the millennials in the crowd their flowers, because it was like, you know, you kind of created us… You walked, now we’re running, we’re sprinting. We’re going to do all these things, because we’ve seen what you all did. Time to pass the baton.”
The Evolution of Brand Partnerships
For brands looking to connect with Gen Z creators, Harris emphasizes the importance of authentic collaboration: “Yes, give them a creative brief, they want to know what you want, but when you’re giving a creator a creative brief, leave enough room for there to be creative freedom, because at the end of the day, they know their audience better than anyone. They study them all day long.”
She challenges traditional approaches to influencer marketing: “I’ve had a number of talent say they want it mentioned in the first three seconds. And that just doesn’t make sense. They’re going to click off of the video in the first three seconds if they hear ‘Sponsored by’… Those are kind of the old days of doing influencer marketing.”
Looking Ahead
As ZCON prepares for its next iteration, Frary shares exciting plans: “We are very excited to take this event to different spaces and different demographics, different geographies… We’re toying with the idea of bringing it back to LA. But it was a really exciting thing this year that it was so much bigger and better and just has grown in every single aspect.”
For young creators looking to make their mark, Frary shares a powerful insight from the conference: “Embarrassment is the cost of entry… if you’re feeling embarrassed about something, as long as it’s not harming other people, that feeling is something that is so important to push through and keep going when you feel that, because it means that you’re on the right track.”
Harris adds her own advice: “Don’t think any job is too small, because it usually leads you to the next thing, the next thing… Never think any opportunity is too small. Just learn everything you possibly can for as long as you can.”
As Gen Z continues to reshape the business landscape, ZCON stands as a testament to the power of giving young voices a platform. Through its unique approach to intergenerational dialogue and social impact, it’s not just changing how conferences work—it’s changing how business gets done.
Excerpts taken from an episode of the Business of Creators podcast, where industry leaders share insights on the creator economy.
