The conference circuit, which has never been accused of underselling itself, has discovered a new kind of executive title to bestow.

Advertising Week New York announced Thursday that it has named Dhar Mann, the YouTube producer whose short morality plays have attracted 170 million social media followers, as its first chief creator officer. Mr. Mann, whose videos tend to feature characters learning life lessons through brief dramatic conflicts, will deliver the opening keynote at the October conference and curate programming related to the so-called creator economy.

"We wanted Dhar Mann to be our chief creator officer because he was living proof of how creators and brands can work together," said Ruth Mortimer, global president of Advertising Week. "We saw that when Dhar has an idea, he makes it real."

The appointment reflects what has become an annual expansion of creator-focused programming at the conference, which takes place October 5 through 8 in Manhattan. Last year's event featured 166 creators discussing their businesses, Ms. Mortimer said, part of what the organization views as a maturation of influencer marketing from novelty to staple. (The creator economy, for those keeping score at home, grew about 17 percent last year.)

Mr. Mann will report to Ms. Mortimer and is expected to organize speed-dating sessions between creators and brands, educational programming, and what the conference described as "a writers' room for senior marketers" — a phrase that may cause actual writers' room veterans to reach for their union cards.

"A lot of creators have never met brands face-to-face — often it's done through agencies," Ms. Mortimer explained.

The arrangement suggests that Advertising Week, which has spent decades convening the people who make advertisements, has concluded that the people who make content deserve their own executive-level imprimatur. Whether the title outlasts the conference remains to be seen, but for now, the moral philosopher of YouTube has a seat at the table.

Original story published in campaignlive.com: "Advertising Week New York names first chief creator officer | Campaign US"