Now that cult directors like Christopher Nolan endorse the creations of youtubers like Curry Barker and Kane Parsons – directors, respectively, of two horror films that are making a splash, Obsession and Backrooms – and others like Radu Jude highlight the explosion of creativity they find on TikTok rather than in cinema, it may be easier to look without prejudice at the wide world of content creators and recognize the possibilities of their new languages. In any case, there are awards that for five years have recognized the most relevant influencers, the Ídolo awards, organized by one of their most visible faces, Aida Domènech (Badalona, 1989), better known as Dulceida. And now those awards, which were born and have been held year after year in Madrid – last year at Ifema, the city’s fairgrounds – are moving to Barcelona thanks to the support of the Generalitat and the City Council, and from their first gala on December 2 they hope to contribute to the renewed momentum that the audiovisual sector is experiencing with projects like Catalunya Media City at the Tres Xemeneies and the construction of the largest set in Catalonia at the Parc Audiovisual de Terrassa.
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The awards led by Dulceida will be held in Barcelona on December 2 as a major industry event
The Ídolo awards, which have become the major cultural reference for Influencer Marketing in Spain, last year presented their statuettes to creators such as Guitarricadelafuente (Music), Keep It Cutre (podcast), Carles Tamayo (best Audiovisual Project for the documentary miniseries How to Hunt a Monster, about convicted pedophile Lluís Gros), Illo Juan (Streamer), Carlota Marañón (triple winner for Fashion, Digital Creation, and Entertainment), Pabs Pérez (Humor) or Lola Lolita (Ídolo of the Year award), among other categories like Gastronomy, Beauty, Sustainability, Hair Artist, Health and Sport, Travel, or Lifestyle. The Special Jury Prize went to Laura Escanes.
“Within Barcelona’s audiovisual capital strategy, having the Ídolo awards makes a lot of sense”
The move from Madrid to the Catalan capital of these awards that recognize the talent, creativity, and impact of content creators in Spain – with great resonance, thanks to the common language, in Latin America, where the Ídolo Argentina awards are also now held – marks the beginning of a new stage for the Ídolo awards. A new stage in which Dulceida, who continues to lead the project, has partnered with Guillem Carol and his communication group Must Media Group to boost the awards.
“The term ‘influencer’ is associated with someone who shares their life and miseries on social media but it goes much further”
“Five years ago we decided to recognize a profession that was transforming the way of communicating, creating, and connecting with people. Today content creators are part of contemporary culture and the Ídolo awards have established themselves as the space that celebrates this talent. Coming to Barcelona means doing so in a city that understands creativity as a driver of transformation,” says Dulceida, a star for years in spreading fashion through YouTube and social networks.
“Today content creators are at the center of the social and cultural ecosystem”
The popular influencer and Carol’s Must Media Group coincided this year on TV3’s program La gran cita. Must Media produced it and Dulceida hosted it. “Thanks to this project – Carol explains – we got to know Dulceida’s environment, her company, and the latest edition of the Ídolo awards. We saw they worked well, but that they still had much more potential. And we proposed to join to boost the awards with much greater scope. We proposed moving them to Barcelona and carrying out awards that, beyond a pre-gala, a gala, and a post-gala, would be a major industry event. And that they would be a great show and broadcast by a major content platform and live on social media. We are still finalizing the last details before announcing where they will be held, but this year it will be a much bigger gala, with more audience, with two major musical performances in the center.”
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And he assures that their interest in bringing these awards to Barcelona “is because today content creators are at the center of the social and cultural ecosystem and especially in audiovisual production. Films, series, commercials, or factuals like La gran cita are led by content creators. Not only in audiovisual: it can also be seen in the world of fashion, jewelry, and other expressions of the business and cultural world. Within a strategy that wants Barcelona to be a strong audiovisual capital, we believe it makes a lot of sense for it to have the main content creator awards in Spain.”
And he recalls that last year the awards had creators with an impact of more than 50 million people, “a very large reach, but sometimes, as happens with many of these events, they fly under the media radar even though their impact is enormous among people under 35.”
Influencer or content creator? “You can use the word influencer, but when used by an older generation it is quickly associated with someone who shares their life, fears, and miseries through social media. But it goes much further, they are today starring in reference programs and series, podcasts and video podcasts, and even creating coffee brands. I think the word content creator does them much more justice,” Carol concludes.
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