fbpx

VidCon, the world’s largest celebration of digital creators and online video, announced that Colin Hickey and Sarah Tortoreti have both been promoted to SVP, Operations and SVP, Marketing & Communications at VidCon respectively. They will report directly to Pam Kaufman, who recently took on the business after being named President, Consumer Products and Experiences at Paramount Global. All three executives bring strong backgrounds in developing innovative IRL experiences for fan communities and will continue expanding the brand’s consumer offerings and global presence. Jim Louderback, who has served as the General Manager of VidCon since 2018, will continue to support programming and activations in his new strategic advisor role.

A long time VidCon veteran, Hickey first joined the company as Chief Operating Officer in 2013 and was integral in its growth from a small, local fan event to a global brand averaging more than 75,000 attendees per year. He helped broker the sale of VidCon to Paramount Global back in 2018 and most recently served as COO/Vice President Operations for VidCon. Hickey will continue to focus on all operational aspects of the business, collaborating with divisions across the company’s territories while also overseeing sponsorship sales for the worldwide convention. Hickey remains in Missoula where he will continue to lead the team there.

Sarah Tortoreti has been with Paramount for more than seven years, most recently serving as Vice President, Global Marketing & Communications at VidCon since 2018, helping elevate the brand globally and exploring synergies with external partners and within the Paramount family. Prior to VidCon, Sarah worked on the experiences team at Nickelodeon and consumer marketing team at VH1 & Logo, all Paramount brands. Tortoreti will continue to be responsible for the development and management of all aspects of the VidCon brand, overseeing its continued global expansion and marketing strategies across creative, media, social media and editorial content, event ticketing and registration, as well as internal and external communications. Tortoreti is based in the Hollywood office where she oversees the LA based team.

“Sarah and Colin have exemplified what it means to be leaders as they have continued to build, expand and innovate around the VidCon experience over the last few years,” commented Pam Kaufman, President, Consumer Products and Experiences at Paramount Global. “As Paramount looks to the future of our experiential offerings across the division, Sarah and Colin will be critical to further VidCon’s unparalleled impact on fans, creators and industry experts. We are excited for all the possibilities in continuing the best experience for attendees worldwide.”

Hickey and Tortoreti played an integral role in introducing a new look for VidCon in 2020 – the convention’s first rebrand since it premiered over a decade ago – and a new hybrid model to extend the brand virtually and IRL. The virtual experience, VidCon Now, was launched during the pandemic as a way for the online community to continue to stay connected while social distancing, garnered 2.6 million unique viewers joining nearly 200 virtual sessions for 98 million minutes of watch time. The two also helped VidCon expand its international presence to Mexico City, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and more.


About VidCon

VidCon is the world’s largest event for fans, creators, executives, and brands who are passionate about online video, community-led media, and building diverse communities. The flagship VidCon US event celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019, welcoming 75,000 attendees and over 120 brand exhibitors. In 2020, VidCon launched VidCon Now, an ongoing, free digital offering with weekly programming for its global fan base. Through the first quarter of 2021, VidCon Now hosted nearly 200 virtual sessions with 2.6M unique viewers, 3.9M total views, and nearly 98M minutes of watch time. VidCon’s international presence continues to expand with new and returning events across Mexico City, Abu Dhabi, Australia and London, among others. VidCon was founded by veteran YouTube creators John and Hank Green (Vlogbrothers) and was acquired by Paramount Global in 2018.