VidCon 2026 held its second Hall of Fame induction on Thursday, honoring creators Markiplier, Philip DeFranco, Michelle Phan, and Blogilates founder Cassey Ho as influential champions of digital culture.
Markiplier (aka Mark Fischbach) has been a YouTube mainstay since 2012. The 36-year-old creator (and Mashable 101 alum) gave an emotional speech at VidCon Anaheim’s Opening Night Celebration, and Mashable caught up with him afterwards.
“There were a lot of meme periods in my life. One of them was I was always crying in videos and people forgot about that,” he told Mashable digital culture editor Crystal Bell.
“I don’t really care about awards, but I really, really care about the people who are making things, who want to make things. Most importantly, I’ve said that inspiration is the most precious currency that people have, but to be able to take the next step and make the next thing, and to see for yourself that you can do it, books Some people really, really need inspiration. So it’s really gratifying to be able to show that, and it means so much more to me when I see people behind the stage actually come up to me. It means a lot, and I swear it does, but that personal connection actually means more.”
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2026 has already been a big year for Marcpurrier, as he pivots to film with his feature debut, the horror film Iron Lung, hitting theaters in January and streaming on YouTube in May. What advice does Markpurrier have for budding creators and filmmakers entering Hollywood or social media?
“I think it’s completely legitimate to start with YouTube and TikTok. I think it’s completely legitimate to go down the traditional route,” Markiplier said. “If you go to film school, you can pitch your screenplay, you can write your first book, and it might sell. You can make a short film with your friends and you can start building an audience right away. That’s the power of social media. You have people already willing to let you make it, so you have an advantage. And it’s much harder to do that in traditional areas.”
Watch the full interview above. Mashable has you covered when it comes to VidCon.
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