Hillary Clinton continues to court millennials with town hall for digital stars
LOS ANGELES -- Hillary Clinton has made countless trips to Hollywood to woo A-list executives and stars.
But on Tuesday, the Democratic Presidential candidate had to win over another group of celebrities: digital influencers.
Over 90 Vine and YouTube stars gathered to ask Clinton questions in the first ever Digital Content Creators Town Hall.
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The event, held in Hollywood, was designed to get millennials and Gen Zers -- aka creators and their fans -- excited about the presidential election. It was also a way for Clinton to connect to a younger demographic.
Participants -- including Swoozie, Jennxpenn and Cassey Ho -- asked Clinton questions on a variety of topics including immigration, education and climate change.
Some crowdsourced questions from their followers on social media.
The event itself was moderated by lifestyle vlogger Dulce Candy, who has over two million subscribers.
The idea for the town hall came from Beautycon Media, which pitches itself as a global community of content creators and brands focusing on lifestyle topics targeted at millennials.
The company, led by Iranian-American entrepreneur Moj Mahdara, produces editorial content and subscription gift packs, in addition to holding events. Its next Los Angeles Beautycon festival is scheduled for Jul. 9.
This was the first time Clinton met with influencers IRL.
While Clinton has been praised for her social media presence, this was the first time she met with influencers IRL.
"The Internet and what you all do as creators is such a gift," she said. "Some of you have kept people alive because you have been able to communicate with a person who has been bullied or a young person who was struggling with their sexuality and feeling all alone.
"You were able to give that person a sense of survival and a feeling they weren't by themselves. Many of you have used your channels, your outreach in really positive ways as role models ... you have to help me figure out how do we keep the best of everything you're doing and everything the Internet means."
In the last year, the former secretary of state has already joked around with her on-screen doppleganger Kate McKinnon in a Saturday Night Live episode in October and appeared in an episode of Comedy Central's Broad City.
She has appeared on The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet, where she chatted with YouTubers GloZell Green, Chriselle Lim and Maya Washington.
A handful of YouTubers -- including Connor Franta, Marques Brownlee, MinuteEarth and Franchesca Ramsey -- participated in a Democratic National Debate in January.
President Obama has also been interviewed by YouTubers at the White House on two occasions.
Clinton's town hall ended -- of course -- with a giant group selfie.
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Topics YouTube Hillary Clinton Vine
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
