Open Sauce 2026

Industry
Day.

The summit for creator technology. Hear from the founders and industry experts building the foundation for the next generation of the creator economy.

See Speakers
Industry Day sessions from a previous Open Sauce
Industry Day attendees

Where tech
& creators meet

Summit Themes

AI & the Creator Economy

Creator Tools & Platforms

The Business of Content

Who's joining.

Platform execs. Top creators. Investors. Operators. The people actually building the future of the creator economy.

Aishwarya Srinivasan

Aishwarya Srinivasan

Co-Founder and CEO, Illuminate AI, Illuminate AI

Avni Barman

Avni Barman

creator, founder, and investor at Gen She, Gen She

Delia Lazarescu

Delia Lazarescu

CEO, Tech Unicorn

Hank Green

Hank Green

Creator

Evan And Katelyn

Evan And Katelyn

Creator

Hayden Hillier-smith

Hayden Hillier-smith

Premium Creator Storytelling Consultant & Editor, HillierSmith USA

Jabrils

Jabrils

Creator

Jean Kang

Jean Kang

Founder / Creator, Advice With Jean

Matt Wolfe

Matt Wolfe

Creator, Future Tools

NileRed

NileRed

Creator

Rene Ritchie

Rene Ritchie

Head of Editorial and YouTube Creator Liaison, YouTube

Taz Patel

Taz Patel

VP Platform Partnerships, Higgsfield

Unnecessary Inventions

Unnecessary Inventions

Creator

Mary Kish

Mary Kish

Head of Community, Twitch

Thursday Schedule

July 16 · Pre-Event

7:00 PM

Industry Welcome Reception

Join us for an exclusive industry and creator kickoff, open to Industry, Sponsor, and VIP pass holders and creators. Off site. Details will be emailed closer to the event.

Friday Schedule

July 17 · Industry Day

8:30 AM

Industry Day Registration Opens

9:30 AM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

Reinventing the Creator / Production Stack

Video won the podcasting format debate. The question now is who builds the infrastructure for video production, including podcasting, clips and long-form. This session brings together two founders who saw the shift early and are shipping the tools: Paul Robert Cary of StarZero, whose AI handles video search, editing, and intelligent clip extraction at scale, and Rox Codes of Flightcast, building video podcasting production infrastructure alongside Steven Bartlett. This conversation explores where AI adds real benefit, where it breaks and what's next. Learn about tools that harness AI to help humans, creating content without a broadcast budget, the HLS / RSS debate for video podcasting, and how intelligent clipping beats lazy clip-farms in both speed and quality.

Jean Kang
Mod
Jean Kang
Rox Codes
Rox Codes
Paul Robert Cary
Paul Robert Cary
10:00 AM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

How to Keep AI From Crushing Your Hopes and Dreams

With a billion new "creators" coming online via AI, how do you compete? This session offers a survival guide for creators, producers and media execs. Learn how to thrive in the age of digital twins, synthetic creators, and the slop tsunami without losing your soul... or your revshare.

Leslie Morgan
Mod
Leslie Morgan
Luke Lafreniere
Luke Lafreniere
Jabrils
Jabrils
Avni Barman
Avni Barman
10:30 AM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

Where the Weird Things Are

An exploration of weird and wild deep tech. From biological hacking and orbital data centers to the frontiers of physical machines, this session looks at tech that will soon move from theoretical to practical. Discover where engineering and biology are headed and what the next breakthroughs will mean for builders, makers and creators.

Liz Dorman
Liz Dorman
Rob DeMillo
Rob DeMillo
Hugo Amsellem
Hugo Amsellem
11:00 AM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

Monetizing Nerd Culture

This session showcases how creators are turning expertise and community into repeatable algorithm-free revenue, including memberships, premium community, courses and cohorts, CAD files and toolkits, brand partnerships, and creator-led products. Learn how to package, price and retain fans and unexpected ways to expand beyond revshare.

Zach Ferraro
Mod
Zach Ferraro
Unnecessary Inventions
Unnecessary Inventions
Sara Renea Clarke
Sara Renea Clarke
Jason Sew Hoy
Jason Sew Hoy
11:30 AM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

AMA - The YouTube Algorithm 2026

YouTube's creator liaison and editor Rene Ritchie and YouTube product manager Todd Beaupre know more about building success on YouTube than just about anyone else. In this AMA they will answer YOUR burning questions about YouTube, the algorithm, success on the platform, why the algorithm doesn't hate you, numbers to pay attention to, and much more!

Jim Louderback
Mod
Jim Louderback
Todd Beaupré
Todd Beaupré
Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
12:00 PM
(60 mins)

Networking Lunch Friday

1:00 PM
(30 mins)
Industry Breakout Room 1

Build Your Own Brain: How to Build and Run AI Models Locally

Forget the cloud. Privacy and control are the future. This session explores how to run local LLMs, agents and video diffusion models on your own computers. Learn about the state of the art today, and where the price/performance curve is headed in the long run. Learn which local hardware runs best, how much memory is enough, the best GPUs and CPUs, and how to keep the cost down while maximizing your investment. You'll also hear tips on how to bring your own proprietary data safely into your local AI server, and how to keep it all safe from prying eyes. Cut your token budget without losing quality, and improve performance too!

John Canning
Mod
John Canning
Liam Broza
Liam Broza
Delia Lazarescu
Delia Lazarescu
1:00 PM
(30 mins)
Industry Breakout Room 2

Building a Nimble Studio for Creators

The lone genius creator is becoming a small studio with a lab, a pipeline, and a product roadmap. This session provides hands-on advice for creators to help them build a cinematic hardware and software stack without spending a fortune and how to hire an effective team of production experts when needed. Learn how to optimize for creativity while digging a protective moat, preserving your humanity and scaling production without losing that weird spark that made you watchable.

NileRed
NileRed
Corey Braun
Corey Braun
Pojo Riegert
Pojo Riegert
1:00 PM
(25 mins)
Main Stage

LinkedIn Is Not What You Think

Most people still treat LinkedIn like a digital resume. That's a mistake. This fireside chat with Sam Corrao Clanon, who runs creator products at LinkedIn, covers what the platform actually is now: a publishing engine where the right creator or executive can build an audience that converts. If you're a creator who wants to think like a CEO, build real revenue, and eventually sell your channel or your products, LinkedIn is the place to be. We'll discuss what good LinkedIn content looks like in 2026, the formulaic posts dominating so many feeds, and what's coming on the product and monetization side. Whether you're a solo creator, an executive trying to build a personal brand, or a company figuring out how to show up without sounding like a press release, this one's for you.

Jim Louderback
Mod
Jim Louderback
Sam Corrao Clanon
Sam Corrao Clanon
1:25 PM
(35 mins)
Main Stage

Creators on the Cap Table

The next power move is equity: creators as founders, owners, investors, and co-builders. This session demystifies deal structures, risk, control, and how not to get dazzled into signing away your future for a short-term bag. Whether via acquisition, alignment or building together, this session identifies how to find co-founders, who's buying, and the best path to sustainable wealth.

Patrick Walker
Mod
Patrick Walker
Megan Lightcap
Megan Lightcap
Criswell Fiordalis
Criswell Fiordalis
Tyler Chou
Tyler Chou
1:30 PM
(30 mins)
Industry Breakout Room 2

How to Stop Being Invisible to AI Search

More than half of Google searches now end without a click, and ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews are answering the question before anyone reaches your site, video, or brand. Those systems pull from a small pool of trusted sources, and you're probably not there. This session covers what Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is, why it's already costing you today, and what content, technical, and distribution changes you need to do now to move the needle. Then we go one step further. Within 18 months, AI agents will complete purchases, book services, and curate media on behalf of your customers and community. And without machine-readable authority, you will be invisible. Leave with a practical diagnostic framework and an action list you can put in place today.

1:30 PM
(30 mins)
Industry Breakout Room 1

Secrets of World Class Editing

A discussion with two of the best editors in the world on the art, science and future of video production. You'll learn about when to break pacing, how to rescue bad footage, the magic of great scoring, what automation can handle and what it can't, and what separates a good cut from one that goes viral. This session explores the secrets of world-class editing, where AI can help (and where it fails), and the tips, tricks and technique that separate the best from the rest. We’ll also talk about why “human taste” is still the bottleneck that matters.

Palestrina McCaffrey
Mod
Palestrina McCaffrey
Hayden Hillier-smith
Hayden Hillier-smith
Ruslan Ranjabar
Ruslan Ranjabar
2:10 PM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

How to Build a Community That Does Not Suck

Most communities fail. They overpromise, underdeliver, and slowly turn into ghost towns. This session brings together creators and operators who have built communities that members actually use, value, and renew. You will learn how to define real member value, choose the right platform, structure memberships, design programming that drives participation, and build systems that keep the experience fresh over time. Walk away with a clear framework for launching or fixing a community that generates buzz, loyalty and revenue instead of churn and regret.

Caitlin Hofmeister
Mod
Caitlin Hofmeister
Evan And Katelyn
Evan And Katelyn
Mary Kish
Mary Kish
2:40 PM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

The AI Showrunner: Creation, Formats and Collaboration

A look at the frontier of AI storytelling. How are creators using AI to build entire narrative series and movies? We explore tools that move beyond "slop" into genuine, funny, and engaging narrative formats.

Rachel Masters
Mod
Rachel Masters
Adi Sideman
Adi Sideman
Nik Kleverov
Nik Kleverov
Todd Terrazas
Todd Terrazas
4:00 PM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

The Changing Face of Fandom

Gen Z is leaving the public feed. This session explores the changing face of fandom, where "microfandoms" and private servers replace likes and followers. Find out why trust is the only metric that matters, and how smart brands, creators and platforms are building communities of value Featuring insights from Discord, Disney, Signal and more.

Gwen Miller
Mod
Gwen Miller
Concept Bytes
Concept Bytes
Tyler Vaught
Tyler Vaught
4:30 PM
(30 mins)
Main Stage

Save the World, Keep the Audience

"Hank Green built Complexly to make education a mission, not just a format. Matt Fitzgerald led the largest creator-driven fundraising campaigns ever made, most recently #TeamWater with Mark Rober and MrBeast. In this conversation they talk about how to move from content to cause and the rise of creator philanthropy. They'll explore what works, how you structure the org, and how to build something durable without losing the soul of your community.

Zara Stone
Mod
Zara Stone
Hank Green
Hank Green
Matt Fitzgerald
Matt Fitzgerald
5:00 PM
(35 mins)
Main Stage

AI in the Next 12 Months That You Will Actually Use

Forget rosy futures or dystopian doom'n'gloom. This session provides a roadmap focused on what will change in production, discovery, localization, agents, digital twins and personalization in the next year. We’ll separate “cool demo” from “repeatable workflow,” and hand you a short list of disruptive products and services, along with ground-breaking new capabilities... all coming in the next year.

Matt Wolfe
Matt Wolfe
Aishwarya Srinivasan
Aishwarya Srinivasan
Taz Patel
Taz Patel
6:00 PM

Networking Reception

Industry Lounge

Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Open to Industry Day pass holders all weekend long. Grab a coffee, and meet the founders, operators, and creators shaping what comes next.

Event hours

Friday, July 17
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Venue

San Mateo County Event Center

1346 Saratoga Dr, San Mateo, CA 94403

Open in Maps

FAQ

Who is Industry Day for?+

Platform employees, creator-economy founders, top creators, investors, agency leaders, and creator teams working on creator-driven companies.

How is this different from the rest of Open Sauce?+

Industry Day runs Friday July 17th, the day before the main festival opens to the public. Smaller room, focused programming, and a Thursday-night networking party for ticket holders. Your Industry Day pass also includes full access to the main Saturday and Sunday festival.

What's the format?+

Mix of fireside chats, panels, workshop-style breakouts, and structured networking. Sessions cluster around three themes: AI, creator tools, and the business of content.

Does my ticket get me into the rest of Open Sauce?+

Yes. Your Industry Day pass includes full admission to the Saturday and Sunday main festival.

One ticket. Full access.

Industry Day Pass

$834.15

incl. $34.15 Eventbrite fee

July 17, 2026 · San Mateo County Event Center

  • Admission to Industry Day, July 17th
  • Admission to Main Event, July 18th–19th
  • Thursday night networking party
  • 1 hour early entry each day

Thanks to Our 2026 Sponsors

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