Streamy Awards Red Carpet Chatter: Alex Albrecht, Chad Hurley, Kevin Pollak and More

Last weekend at the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards Red Carpet at the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, Streamy nominees, presenters and web personalities alike walked the carpet, giddy with pre-show anticipation.

The carpet, presented by Ikea, was filled with a mix of traditional and new media talent, with appearances by Zoe Bell, Kevin Pollak, Robert Englund, Felicia Day, Zadi Diaz, The Fine Brothers, and so many more.

Some waxed nostalgic. “When we first started, nobody was advertising on the web. Period. End of story,” said creator and host, Alex Albrecht. “And now, I was just in an Ikea [sponsored] bedroom set on the red carpet.”

Others talked about what makes online entertainment so great. “The web gave me a creative freedom that I hadn’t experienced in television in a long time,” said Jaleel White, star of MWG Entertainment’s Road to the Altar and the upcoming series Fake it Till You Make It.

This biggest addition to this year’s carpet was the presence of YouTube talent. We had to a chance to talk with everyone from LisaNova

“If I was on a TV show, I wouldn’t be able to talk to [my audience] as easily as I can on YouTube,” said Shane Dawson, who would go on to win the Streamy Award for Best Vlogger. Fellow vlogging nominee Justine Ezarik had this to say about what makes YouTube unique: “You interact with a group of people, and you’re getting a direct response back . . . on TV, there’s a disconnect.” Of course YouTube celebs wouldn’t be much without this year’s Streamys Visionary Award recipient Chad Hurley who we caught up with just before he was whisked away to his seat.

But enough talk — check out all the full video coverage above, and tune in next year for more Streamy awards coverage.

Photo credit: The Bui Brothers