VidCon 2026 inducted its second class of Hall of Famers on Thursday, with creators Markiplier, Philip DeFranco, Michelle Phan, and Blogilates founder Cassey Ho honored as influential champions of digital culture.

Markiplier (aka Mark Fischbach) has been a YouTube cornerstone since 2012. The 36-year-old creator (and Mashable 101 alumnus) delivered an emotional speech during VidCon Anaheim's Opening Night Celebration, and Mashable caught up with him afterward.

"I've had many meme phases in my life. One of them was that I cry all the time in videos, and people've kind of forgotten about that," he told Mashable digital culture editor Crystal Bell.

"I don't really mind awards, but I really, really, really care about people making things, and wanting to make things. More importantly than anything, I've said inspiration is the most valuable currency that people have, and some people really, really just need inspiration to be able to go to the next step and make the next thing, and see it in themselves that they can make it, So if I can show that, that makes me really happy, seeing people behind stage actually coming up to me, that means so much more than this. This is meaningful, I swear it's meaningful, but really that personal connection is more meaningful."

2026 has already been a major year for Markiplier, with his pivot to cinema seeing his feature debut, horror movie Iron Lung, hitting cinemas in January with an extended theatrical run before streaming on YouTube in May. What advice does Markiplier have for budding creators and filmmakers — to go the Hollywood or social media route?

"I think it's perfectly valid to start on YouTube, start on TikTok. I think it's also perfectly valid to go the traditional path," said Markiplier. "You go to film school, you can pitch your script out there, you can write a book first, and maybe sell that. You could make short films with your friends, you can start building an audience right away, and that's the power of social media. You get a leg up because you already have people that let you make from. And it's much harder in the traditional sphere to do that."

You can watch the whole interview above, and for all things VidCon, Mashable has you covered.