As the annual return of Social Media Week Los Angeles approaches, we will use this space to share interesting panels and discussions that are worth checking out. This year, members of the YouTube community would be wise to listen to the wisdom of two experienced voices from within the industry. Matt Gielen, the Director of Programming and Audience Development at Frederator Studios, will discuss “The Ten YouTube Commandments,” and Machinima Director of Talent Development Chris Landa will lead a master class called “YouTube 101.”

Both Gielen and Landa are important cogs within the programming wings of their respective multi-channel networks. They’ve also both shared their insights on this site before, taking on topics like annotations, thumbnails, posting schedules, the online video “gold rush,” and talent poaching.

Their respective sessions at SMWLA will draw on these insights. Gielen previously discussed his YouTube Commandments in an e-book published in 2014, and Landa has experience teaching YouTube 101 to SMWLA attendees. This year, their sessions are two highlights from the SMWLA schedule, which can be found here. To hear them speak, and to attend all other sessions, pick up a pass here.

Filed under: #SMWLA Previews, Articles, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
No Comments »

Collective Digital Studio decided to test the power of social influence among some of its top digital stars. The multi-channel network enlisted five of its popular Vine celebrities to film a video of a water balloon fight using the hashtag #WaterBalloonFight. Within a week, the hashtag had attracted over 131 million impressions across Vine, Twitter, and Snapchat.

Viners Rudy Mancuso (8.3 million followers), Matt Espinosa (5.5 million followers), Shonduras (23.6 million followers), Logan Paul (7.7 million followers), and Lauren Giraldo (3.2 million followers) all participated in the virtual #WaterBalloonFight with their own creative takes on the theme. For example, Manusco artfully dodges a water balloon in slow motion. And in Paul’s clip, he says his water broke when a balloon pops, and then he somehow ends up pregnant.

In the first 24 hours of the #WaterBalloonFight campaign, Collective’s Vine stars pulled in 56 million Twitter impressions, 13 million loops on Vine, and 3 million opens on Snapchat. Fans started joining in on the digital water balloon party, and on May 5, 2015, the campaign was even trending above the Mexican holiday-themed #CincoDeMayo hashtag for most of the day.

Mancuso, Espinosa, Shonduras, Paul, and Giraldo managed to garner a total of more than 131 million social impressions within a week of the #WaterBalloonFight’s inception. The campaign hit 27.6 million Vine loops, 5.7 million impressions on Instagram, and a total of 97.7 million impressions on Twitter.

Collective’s water balloon campaign was a lot more fun than many of the other social experiments on the Internet, and it certainly proves the power digital creators have across social media platforms.

Filed under: Articles, News, The Collective Digital Studio by Bree Brouwer
No Comments »

HBO Now will soon be accessible to many more consumers. The over-the-top streaming service launched by HBO back in April 2015 will be available in the Google Play store and on Android devices sometime this summer.

Google’s SVP Sundar Pichai announced the news on May 28 at the Google I/O event in San Francisco. The executive noted the $15-a-month HBO Now will be supported on all Android and Google devices, such as Chromecasts and Android TV. Google is planning to bring both HBO Now and HBO Go, the network’s original app for pay-TV subscribers, to Android TV, as well.

“We’re looking forward to expanding our relationship with Google through HBO Now,” said Bernadette Aulestia, HBO’s executive VP of domestic network distribution, in a statement as reported by Variety. “We have seen through social media that there is great demand for the service among Android and Chromecast users, and we’re excited to deliver HBO Now to them.”

Previously, HBO Now had a rather limited reach. Apple inked a deal with HBO to be the streaming service’s exclusive launch partner, which meant only subscribers with access to Apple-supported devices could use the service. HBO Now was also available on Cablevision’s Optimum Online portal, but consumers would need a Cablevision account to view the HBO Now content.

You can sign up for HBO Now by visiting the service’s official website.

Filed under: Articles, HBO, News by Bree Brouwer
No Comments »

Grapevine is helping a cosmetics company find its next big YouTube stars. The media agency, which partners beauty vloggers with brands for sponsorships and branded entertainment, has teamed with makeup company IT Cosmetics to host the 2015 IT Girl Contest.

The IT Girl contest seeks to find three creative young women to be dubbed the IT Girls of 2015. Established, up-and-coming, and even first-time YouTube beauty vloggers can participate in the contest. The three winners of the IT Girl contest will receive $5,000 in cash, a fully-paid trip to New York City, and the chance to collaborate with IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Kern Lima on a video for a new product. Plus, 250 random participants will receive $200 each in beauty products, with 20 finalists taking home goodies worth a collective $16,000.

The IT Girl contest is a three-part process. First, YouTubers enter their channels into the contest by June 14, 2015 (even if they have never created a video yet). Next, participants can upload a video from June 26-28, centered around the theme of “Your Most Beautiful You”; 20 finalists will be selected by July 1. In the next round of the contest, the finalists will upload a “problem/solution” video between July 16 and 18, with the three winning IT Girls announced on July 28.

“Though established YouTube gurus seem to have the upper hand here, I’m optimistic about what first-time vloggers have in store,” said Grapevine’s marketing lead Danny Wong. “This is the perfect excuse for folks to upload their first YouTube video to share their knowledge and truly express their creativity. I suspect newly-minted YouTubers will surprise us.”

You can read more of the official rules and enter the IT Girl contest by visiting the campaign’s official site.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Grapevine Logic, News by Bree Brouwer
No Comments »

The latest film led by online video stars is Man Up, and as of May 28th, it is available through Video On Demand. The film, which stars Kevin Wu as a slacker who must learn how to become a dad and Justin Chon as his crazy best friend, can be purchased for $9.99 or rented for half that price.

In Man Up, announced in March 2015, Martin (played by Wu, who is known as KevJumba on YouTube) must quickly mature after his girlfriend (Galadriel Stineman) reveals she is pregnant. Kinetic Films produced the film, and Supergravity Pictures, a recently-launched studio that works with YouTube stars, partnered with Lakeshore Entertainment‘s Off the Dock to handle distribution. Chon, whose film roles include Twilight, directed.

On Vimeo On Demand, Man Up joins several other film projects led by online video stars. Specifically, Vimeo’s premium content library is also home to Taryn Southern’s Searching For Katie and Cinemassacre’s Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie.

More information about Man Up is available on its website. For KevJumba fans who miss Wu’s videos, the film will be a refreshing watch.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
No Comments »

At the beginning of May, YouTube announced its plan to continue its tenth birthday celebration by launching a 26-day series of blog posts that would each explore a significant topic from the site’s history. That A to Z exploration of YouTube trends is now complete have reached “Z is for Zoo” on May 27th.

YouTube’s party, however, has not ended with “Me at the zoo.” Instead, the video site has launched a number of other features related to its A to Z project, including a snazzy roundup video, an infographic, and a quiz that asks users to test their YouTube knowledge.

An accompanying blog post celebrates the first decade of YouTube. “Who could have predicted that…new genres, new forms of expression, and new paths to stardom would evolve?” reads the post. “That engaging and unique personalities borne of this place could be more influential than Hollywood’s biggest names? Or that more than a billion people from all corners of the globe would come together in that space to experience what the world creates, broadcasts, and shares?”

For those who prefer a more visual tribute, YouTube put together a video round up that takes us from A to Z and uses Daniel Radcliffe’s favorite Blackalicious song as its soundtrack.

Clearly, YouTube is proud of what it has achieved, and it wants to see how closely its viewers have paid attention. A new quiz asks participants to fill in the blanks from A to Z. If you’re stuck, the site’s recent month-long exploration serves as an exact study guide. An infographic provides basic details for each topic:

So, how much do you know? Are you a YouTube expert? If you aced the quiz, you’re clearly ready for another decade of videos. We’ll be here to shed light on the best ones.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
No Comments »

Recently, we’ve noted a number of instances in which watchdog agencies flagged YouTube videos that were not properly marked as brand-sponsored marketing tools. The latest channel under fire from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is Beauty Recommended, where a video hosted by vlogger Ruth Crilly had to be removed because it did not properly note that it was sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

Beauty Recommended, which is run by P&G’s Max Factor brand, does include disclaimers at the beginning of all its videos. The ASA, however, does not believe those title cards provide enough information. “It wasn’t until a viewer had selected and opened the video that text, embedded in the video, referred to Procter & Gamble,” the ASA said. “We considered that viewers should have been aware of the commercial nature of the content prior to engagement.”

Beauty Recommended now tells viewers its videos are “brought to you by Procter & Gamble” as soon as they arrive on the channel. That step, however, may not be enough to satisfy the ASA. The advertising watchdog is also quibbling with the terms “sponsored by” and “brought to you by,” which it believes do not adequately inform viewers about videos on which the brands maintain editorial control.

Crilly, who makes videos on her “A Model Recommends” YouTube channel, is one of several vloggers who contribute to Beauty Recommended, which presents beauty tips to its 18,000 subscribers.

This isn’t the first time the ASA has gone after the YouTube community. It previously went on the offensive against YouTube stars Dan Howell and Phil Lester, who it said did not properly mark videos sponsored by Oreo. On our side of the pond, children’s advocacy groups have attacked the YouTube Kids app, where they found videos they allege to be not properly marked as branded content.

Those previous examples underscored the importance of properly-marked branded content on YouTube. The new spat with Beauty Recommended contributes to the conversation by stressing the difference between sponsored content and what the ASA calls “marketing communications.” That distinction is another thing YouTubers and their brand partners will need to keep an eye on as branded content continues to spread across YouTube.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
No Comments »

Ticketmaster recently announced its plan to ramp up its online video production and launched a web series called All Access. Since then, the ticketing company has dropped a few other videos on its YouTube channel, including its own Mother’s Day tribute. Most recently, it offered its flashiest video yet: A time-lapse look at Beyond Wonderland, a major electronic dance music (EDM) festival in California.

The video, which runs for two-and-a-half minutes, shares footage from the acts and crowds that gathered at Beyond Wonderland. The soundtrack, as you can imagine, is loud, electronic, and not for the faint of heart.

As with other ticketing companies, such as Fandango, Ticketmaster uses its online video initiatives to promote other content available on its site. In this case, the time-lapse video supports the Festival Guide feature, which showcases major musical events that will take place across the United States throughout the summer. The guide can be found on Ticketmaster’s website.

Filed under: Ticketmaster by Sam Gutelle
No Comments »

Back in October, Lionsgate and Tribeca announced their upcoming subscription video service Shortlist. Now, as the two companies prepare to launch Shortlist in just a few months’ time, they have hired Jeff Bronikowski as the service’s new president.

Bronikowski will be responsible for overseeing Shortlist’s entire business development. He comes to the subscription service company with previous experience as the chief operating officer of InterActive Corp.’s DailyBurn fitness-based streaming service. Bronikowski was also the SVP of business development for 12 years at Universal Music Group, as well as a management lead at companies like Yahoo, AOL, and HBO.

“We have a great partner and a world-class brand and, with Jeff’s appointment, we’re assembling a management team with the expertise to capitalize on Tribeca Shortlist’s unique strengths,” said Jim Packer, Lionsgate’s President of Worldwide Television and Digital Distribution, as reported by Variety.

Neither Lionsgate nor Tribeca revealed any more details about Shortlist, such as the service’s monthly cost or specific film titles available. However, both companies have explained the service will be aimed at movie fanatics instead of general entertainment audiences. Shortlist will boast both independent films from around the world and larger titles from well-known studios, as well as original content such as behind-the-scenes footage and creator commentaries.

Shortlist was originally slated for release in early 2015, but now Lionsgate and Tribeca are aiming for a launch later in the year.

Filed under: Articles, Lionsgate, News, Tribeca Enterprises by Bree Brouwer
No Comments »

HBO could soon be home to an odd extraterrestrial character and talk show host. The television network has ordered a pilot from Funny or Die based on its YouTube web series The Gorburger Show.

Created by directors and writers Josh Martin and Ryan McNeely, The Gorburger Show will be based on the same premise as the Funny or Die series. In Gorburger, the titular character (voiced by T.J. Miller) is a giant blue alien who has taken over a Japanese talk show, holding the staff and crew hostage while attempting to learn about humanity by way of celebrity, artist, and cultural icon interviews. The HBO pilot of Gorburger will feature guest stars Moby, Ed Helms, and Johnny Knoxville, as well as a performance from the band Eagles of Death Metal.

Martin and McNeely will executive produce The Gorburger Show pilot alongside Dave Becky of 3 Arts, Sean Boyle and Mike Farah of Funny or Die, and Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone (two of the Lonely Island guys who have a development deal with FOX) under their Party Over Here production banner. Miller also executive produced and wrote the pilot for HBO, which is currently in production in Los Angeles.

The Gorburger Show is certainly not the first web series to be picked up by networks for traditional television broadcast. HBO is also working on a six-episode order of Vimeo’s High Maintenance for release later in 2015. And the TruTV network recently picked up two series from CollegeHumor, Adam Ruins Everything and Jake and Amir.

HBO has not revealed a premiere date for The Gorburger Show as of yet.

Filed under: Articles, HBO, News by Bree Brouwer
No Comments »

YouTube’s profitability has long been questioned, but whether or not the video site makes money for Google, it is certainly worth a lot of money. According to Bank of America analyst Justin Post, who shared a note reported by Bloomberg and others, YouTube is worth more than $70 billion.

YouTube’s valuation is driven by its increasing revenue. Post and his team said the site’s revenue will grow 34% to $8.2 billion in 2015 and will reach $13 billion by 2017. Should YouTube meet those figures, it will double its revenue between 2014 and 2014.

The $70 billion valuation amounts to close to one-fifth of the $370 billion Google is worth. The search giant paid $1.65 billion to acquire YouTube back in 2006.

As Bloomberg notes, the $70 valuation makes YouTube worth more than all but 66 companies in the S&P 500. Post says YouTube could be worth as much as $90 billion; at $80 billion, it would surpass seven more S&P 500 companies, and at $90 billion, it would surpass another four.

YouTube’s valuation has increased steadily upward during the first decade of its existence. In July 2013, Barclays said YouTube could be worth as much as $21.3 billion. Then, in September 2014, a report from Jeffries Marketing pegged the site’s value at approximately $40 billion.

More information from Post’s analysis is available over at Bloomberg.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Statistics, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
No Comments »

As two of the most popular social media stars on the Internet, Nash Grier and Cameron Dallas often buy into the viral trends their viewers want to see. During 2014, for example, “challenges” like the Ice Bucket Challenge gained more awareness among the mainstream, and creators like Dallas offered up their own takes on the charity-focused campaign:

Grier and Dallas perform plenty of other challenges on their channels, and now, they’re using their experience with the format to spearhead a new app. The two young stars are at the forefront of Challenged App, which they will discuss during a panel at Social Media Week Los Angeles (SMWLA).

Challenged takes the popularity of its namesake trend and brings it to consumers, who will be able to send challenges to their friends as well as the app’s celebrity users (such as Grier and Dallas). Youbetme, a “social betting app” that recently raised $2.7 million in seed funding, is working to power Challenged.

During the SMWLA panel, Grier and Dallas–along with fellow panelists from Synergy Sports Technology, Social Bet, and 26MGMT–will address attendees about Challenged and the rising tide of social media challenges in particular. The event will take place on Wednesday, June 10th at 10:30 AM at the Bergamot Station Arts Center. Passes for SMWLA can be purchased here, and the full schedule of events can be found here.

Filed under: Articles, Celebrity, Featured, News, Social Media Week by Sam Gutelle
No Comments »