My 12-year old wants to be a YouTuber or a digital graphics designer when he grows up (my words). He is already creating videos, 3-D graphics and composing music. Why wait until one grows up? How about this summer? This just in: Summer camp is going digital. Two of the biggest stars on YouTube, Bethany Mota (9.9 million subscribers) and Tyler Oakley (8 million subscribers), will host a seven-day meetup called #bestcampever. Mills Entertainment, which produces live events hosted by digital media stars, and talent agency CAA have announced Camp17, a series of sleepaway camps whose “head counselors” are YouTube stars.
Beyond #bestcampever, the Camp17 slate includes a pair of more refined camps, also with YouTube-famous counselors. In Southern California, Meghan Rienks (2.1 million subscribers) will host Camp a.i.m., a four-day session dedicated to female empowerment. Later in the summer, Connor Franta (5.3 million subscribers) will take the lead at Creator Camp, which will feature five days of instruction for aspiring content creators.
“Having experienced firsthand all the joys of summer camp, I am thrilled to be a part of this new adventure with fellow camp enthusiast, Bethany Mota,” said Oakley in a press release. “Unplugging is a good thing. This means turning off your computers, cell phones and other outside influences and when we can disconnect from the distractions of everyday we can concentrate on reconnecting with ourselves and with each other.”
Sleepaway camp is a quintessential teen activity, and since so many teenagers are also avid YouTube viewers, the combination of camp and YouTube is a logical one. Camp17 is aimed at campers between the ages of 10 and 16.
Camp a.i.m will take place between May 27-30, while both #bestcampever and Creator Camp will occur during the week of August 21st. More details about all three events, including registration details and pricing information, can be found on the Camp17 website.
