Creators are expected to constantly come up with new content. But what should you do when your source of ideas runs out?
That was the topic at the Vidcon 2026 panel, We’ll Never Run Out of Ideas: How to Create a Content Strategy That Keeps Your Audience Engaged.
Hosted by TV personality Shira Lazar, the panel brought together professional creators Anthpo and Siow Wei to discuss what they think, what to work on next, and whether what they’ve created is ready to post online. (Alex Ojeda was charged, but ended up not showing up.)
Anthpo: Concept comes from practice
Anthpo on the VidCon 2026 panel Never Run Out of Ideas: How to Build a Content Strategy That Keeps Your Audience Engaged.
Credit: Kristy Puchko / Mashable
The American influencer is best known for creating the Timothee Chalamet viral lookalike competition and creating characters like the Cheeseball Man and the Kid with Crocs.
During the panel, he shared that he has Google Docs full of ideas, and uses the notes app on his phone to jot down any inspirations that come to mind on the go. “I would say that vision is a muscle,” he thought. “The more you do, the more your mind is racing.”
To achieve that, Anthpo said he uses airplanes as a building block, working the thinking muscle. “I will do it [it] every flight I take,” he explained. “I do nothing but write in my notes app.”
How do creators choose which idea to create?
Sow Wei is a Malaysian content creator who appeared in the Forbes 30 under 30 last year with great success under the handle im_siowei. By creating dozens of family-friendly comedy videos, he has become one of Asia’s biggest content creators.
However, he told the VidCon panel that he had no intention of making a kid-friendly comedy. When examining the data on how his videos are performing, that’s the demographic where he thrived the most. Data drives his decisions as he builds his library and product.
Anthpo noted that he and Siow Wei come from different schools of thought on what to prioritize. For him, it’s about gut feeling. “Once you have an idea, there are two litmus tests,” he says. “There is, like the data side, which is very powerful. And then there is, like the emotional side.” For him, he’s happy when he comes up with something that’s “more experimental,” or “sound.” [magical] and it works.”
He stressed the importance of following your passion and vision. Referring to Rick Rubin’s book, Creative Act, Anthpo summed up the author’s piece of advice, saying, “If you have a really good idea and you don’t execute it, someone else in the zeitgeist will. And I’ve found that to be 100% true. If I’m like, ‘That’s a great idea,’ and I don’t do it within the first six months, someone does.”
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How do content creators know their work is good quality before they post it?
Never Run Out of Ideas: How to Create a Content Strategy That Keeps Your Audience Engaged Panel at Vidcon 2026, featuring Anthpo, Siow Wei, and Shira Lazar
Credit: Kristy Puchko / Mashable
Sow Wei uses WhatsApp to communicate with his team and check jokes. Anthpo uses a group of friends he knows won’t lie to avoid his feelings.
“The worst people in my life are my most valuable possessions,” he explained, “like the people who are just like, ‘Yo, this video is eating me up, bro.’ Those people are very precious to me. I got about seven of them. When I send them a video or an idea, and all seven of them are like ‘that’s great,’ it’s always a rip off.”
What do content creators do when they run out of ideas?
Sow Wei has a collection of comic characters, such as Swaggy, Randy, Besty, Richy, and Billy. But he is always happy to expand his manhood. “Okay, we’re out of content,” he said, considering the situation. “Okay, what’s next? Let’s create another character, more likely to bring you into our content.”
At Anthpo, you get new ideas by trying something new.
“I’ve reinvented myself many times online,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for about 12 years now. I used to do sketch comedy. Then I was in the TikTok house. Then I did skits. Then I did college content, then I became [worked for Mr. Beast]. And then two years ago I was doing this like no one knows.” He noted that what he’s doing lately is called performance art, while he’s been called the “dumb Internet Banksy,” and he’s happy about that.
Anthpo champions not only take risks, but also learn from your failures.
“I failed over and over and over and over and over,” he said, noting that failure can be a great teacher, providing “insights” on how to improve.
What every creator should know — according to Anthpo and Siow Wei
Both agreed that you should know about the purple horse (or cow). Anthpo explained this marketing concept to the audience. Actually, if you see a horse on the side of the road, you might notice it. But you won’t stop your trip to see it. However, if you see a purple horse, you will stop your car to take a closer look.
Translated into the creative economy, you want to be a purple horse, something special in a place that makes people stop and take notice.
For Anthpo, he does so with a rush that pleases him. “[What] I like to decide that I like to please people,” he said. “Give them something they’ve never seen before, or give them a feeling they’ve always wanted to hear.”
Sow Wei added: “Enter that purple horse in the first three seconds [of your video].”
He explained that the unique way he drinks boba tea has attracted viewers, “so he draws attention,” rather than getting lost in endless scrolling on the Internet.
Finally, both creators emphasized the importance of building a team you can trust. Anthpo summed it up, saying, “Always surround yourself with people who are happy and who don’t drag you down and who will be kind, but also who aren’t afraid to be like, ‘Yo, this video is trash.’
Mashable is reporting live from VidCon 2026 in Anaheim. Follow our coverage with creator interviewsThe best photos of the panel, and the biggest moments from the meeting floor.