'The Bannen Way', 'Prom Queen' Light Up Tubefilter Web TV Meetup

Well that was it, the last Hollywood Web TV Meetup of 2009—nay—the last Tubefilter Meetup of the decade! As an industry, we’ve come a long way since our first Meetup at Blankspaces back in summer of 2008, when Tubefilter was a fledgling startup trying to bring attention together this active and growing web community.

Since the launch of the 2010 Streamys website yesterday afternoon,there have already been thousands and thousands of submissions from around the world. Attendance at the Meetup was fantastic, and over 13,000 viewers tuned into the live stream at Stickam—last night was truly a testament to the fact that this industry and community has really come into its own. And you all are a piece of that, so congratulations.

Tim Street, a longtime supporter of the web series community and Tubefilter (see the blundering guerilla interview of me he took at that first Hollywood Web TV Meetup), reinded us to “savor this moment in time,” and made an inspiring call to action for web series creators to join the International Academy of Web Television (the IAWTV), the voting body behind the Streamy Awards, and who just announced its Board of directors and new Chairman, Michael Wayne of DECA. For those of you interested in shaping the Streamy Awards and the future of web television, please apply to the IAWTV

Before kicking off the panel, our CEO Brady Brim-DeForest introduced an exclusive preview of Sony Crackle’s upcoming action packed The Bannen Way (sorry live viewers, you had to be at the Meetup to see it!) and then the official trailer, which by all accounts looked phenomenal. Creators Mark Gantt and Jesse Warren truly outdid themselves, and it showed. As Editor-in-Chief Marc Hustvedt asked the enthusiastic crowd during the panel, “can you believe that was a web series?”

Watch the video of the full panel discussion below:

One big last minute surprise was the addition of Larry Tanz, the newly named (like 2nd day on the job new) President of Vuguru, former Disney chairman Michael Eisner’s web production studio. Sony Pictures Television’s SVP of Digital Networks Eric Berger also weighed in on the panel from the studio’s side on the panel. And as expected, Chris McCaleb and a wise-cracking Ryan Wise from web TV powerhouse Big Fantastic had plenty of stories to share from working on studio web series. The trailer for Prom Queen: The Homecoming, which debuted at the Meetup having not even been seen by the Vuguru, was killer, to say the least.

Here are some photos from the event which you can add to through the Hollywood Web TV Meetup group pool on Flickr. Thanks to all who made it out and watched online. Happy holidays and here’s to 2010!

Special thanks again to Stickam.com for supporting and producing the live stream of the Meetup!