Team Indiegogo was thrilled to attend the 5th Annual VidCon in Anaheim, CA, to celebrate what’s already our best-ever year for YouTuber campaigns! We felt right at home at the convention, as both Indiegogo and YouTube are open platforms through which filmmakers, actors, and other creative individuals can engage with their fans. Together, our communities are making great projects happen!

The event launched Wednesday night with Tubefilter and Indiegogo’s pre-party. A candy bar loaded with Twinkies and Red Vines brought in YouTube stars and fans alike, including MysteryGuitarMan, Wheezy Waiter, and “Chocolate Rain” himself, Tay Zonday. Guests also raced around the K1 Go Kart Track, because sugar highs and go karts are always a great time.

Team Indiegogo at VidCon

The party also served as a celebration of Indiegogo’s best-ever year for YouTube campaigns. Since January alone, the Indiegogo community has helped raise nearly $5 million for YouTubers to create the videos they care about – and that their audience loves. Will Wheaton and Felicia Day’s campaign for Geek & Sundry’s TABLETOP and Rooster Teeth’s Lazer Team have each raised well over $1 million, with Rooster Teeth still funding. Meanwhile, YouTube all-stars Pewdiepie, Wong Fu, and Video Game High School all brought in totals that far exceeded their ambitious goals.

YouTubers on the go

The success of these campaigns was not lost on the VidCon crowd as they packed in for a panel featuring Indiegogo’s own Head of Film and Digital, Marc Hofstatter. Helping round out the panel were Indiegogo alums Hannah Hart and Geek & Sundry co-founder Sheri Bryant. Hart reminded those attending that every creator has a purpose and that there’s no such thing as “asking for money” when your crowd loves what you do and only wants to support you.

Other highlights of the Con included a number of great keynotes from thought leaders including Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation; John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars; and Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube. Wojcicki’s keynote caught the most eyes and ears when she announced the integration of crowdfunding into YouTube. Citing her keen awareness of the necessity for independent creators to raise funds for content creation, YouTube aims to streamline the process by directly integrating Indiegogo and other platforms within its site. Needless to say, we’re excited!

John Green, VidCon Co-Founder and Indiegogo alum, gives his keynote

That VidCon, the world’s largest online video conference, hosted so many Indiegogo YouTubers this year really speaks to the increasing importance of crowdfunding in the creative sector.

We want you with us at next year’s party, so check out Indiegogo’s YouTube Handbook and get creating!