YouTube used Brandcast 2026 to put Alex Cooper at the center of a bigger sales pitch to advertisers. The company said marketers can now tap into Cooper’s upcoming Met Gala docuseries, “Before the Steps,” as part of a new exclusive slate of Creator Shows announced at the event.
The announcement came during Brandcast 2026, which was hosted by Trevor Noah and featured appearances from creators and entertainers including Adam W, Ashley Alexander, Dwyane Wade, Quenlin Blackwell and Chappell Roan, who performed. YouTube’s message was clear: creators are no longer just filling time between bigger entertainment bets. The platform said they have become the new Hollywood, and it wants brands to treat them that way.
Sean Downey, YouTube’s ad sales chief, framed the pitch around audience intent. “Viewers don’t just watch YouTube to be entertained, learn something new, or make decisions, they come to YouTube with purpose,” he said. He also argued that advertisers should not have to choose between image-building and sales, saying, “Be it brand building or driving performance, with YouTube, you no longer have to choose — all your objectives can be met on one platform.”
The company backed that claim with numbers it says show creator-led content can move shoppers, not just gather views. YouTube said when creators talk about products on the platform, viewers are 13 times more likely to search for the brand and 5 times more likely to buy. It also pointed to Coach’s “Explore Your Story” campaign, which the company said produced a 60 percent jump in Gen Z brand awareness in a single quarter, a six-fold increase in consideration in that same period and a sustained acceleration in Gen Z acquisition.
That is the context for why Cooper’s show matters to YouTube today. “Marketers can now tap into Kareem Rahma’s ‘Keep the Meter Running,’ Alex Cooper’s upcoming Met Gala docuseries, ‘Before the Steps,’ and more — making it easier for brands to harness the power of Creators,” Downey said. In other words, YouTube is not merely selling airtime around creators. It is selling the creators themselves as the product line.
The tension in that strategy is straightforward: YouTube is asking advertisers to bet that creator audiences can do what traditional media once promised, while also proving that influence translates into measurable brand outcomes. The Coach results are the strongest evidence in its favor, but they are still one campaign, not a guarantee. Cooper’s docuseries now becomes part of that experiment, and Brandcast 2026 was the place YouTube chose to make the case that the experiment is already paying off.
For brands weighing where to spend next, the message from YouTube was not subtle. The platform is saying the best place to reach consumers is where they already arrive with intent, and that creators like Alex Cooper are one of the clearest ways to turn that intent into action.
