At their home in Brighton, England, YouTube stars and boyfriend/girlfriend pair Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg and Marzia “CutiePieMarzia” Bisognin live with their two pugs, Maya and Edgar. Usually, it is the two humans who star in YouTube videos, but a new web series will put the pugs front and center. Kjellberg and Bisognin will voice their pets in Pugatory, an upcoming animated show that will arrive on Halloween.

In Pugatory, Maya and Edgar will be placed into a spooky scenario, which they must escape in order to return home to their owners. The animation, done by Cosmic Toast Studios, is full of dark shades, while the script is flush with the sort of broad humor that has helped turn Kjellberg’s channel into YouTube’s most popular destination. You can take a look for yourself in the series’ trailer:

“Having the chance to work on this project has been a dream come true for me,” said Bisognin in a press release. “This was truly a great experience and it has been a thrill to see the creative vision behind this quirky, fun story come to life. The anticipation and feedback has been so great, and I cannot wait to share it with all my viewers!”

Pugatory was announced during the 2015 Newfronts presentation of Maker Studios, the network partnered with both Kjellberg and Bisognin on YouTube. Back then, it was referred to as The Look of Knowing: Part 2, in reference to a previous project Bisognin developed for her channel. Maker will support the series’ release with some relevant merchandise, including a companion book titled The Art of Purgatory.

In total, Pugatory will run for six episodes; the series will arrive on its official website on October 31st.

Filed under: Channels, Maker Studios, PewDiePie by Sam Gutelle
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Thanks to the popularity of its latest album, Pentatonix has added another feather to its cap. The a cappella group from Dallas, best known for its YouTube channel, has reached the top of the Billboard 200 with its 12-day-old, self-titled effort.

Pentatonix (the album, not the group itself) arrived on October 16th, with both regular and deluxe versions available from retailers like iTunes. In contrast to the group’s previous albums, which feature a majority of cover songs, almost all of the tracks on Pentatonix are original songs. A music video for album’s lead single, “Can’t Sleep Love,” has received more than 6.9 views since its September 4th release on YouTube.

By reaching the top spot of the Billboard 200, which shares the most popular albums of each week as determined by a combination of sales figures and streaming media hits. Naturally, this formula gives Pentatonix an advantage, considering the group’s popularity on sites like YouTube. Nonetheless, it is still impressive to see the Texan fivesome–consisting of Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Avi Kaplan, Kirstie Maldonado, and Kevin Olusola–at the top of Billboard’s chart, ahead of well-known musical celebrities like Demi Lovato and The Weeknd.

While this is Pentatonix’s first trip to the top of the Billboard 200, its previous albums have been big successes as well. The group’s 2014 Christmas album, for example, reached #1 on the iTunes charts. Other big ventures from the a cappella fivesome include a documentary chronicling its On My Way Home tour and a cameo appearance in the film Pitch Perfect 2.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Pentatonix by Sam Gutelle
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It’s no secret Al Roker Entertainment is big into the burgeoning world of live streaming. Now, the production company founded by acclaimed weatherman and NBC host Al Roker has only strengthened its growing reputation as a pioneer in the world of real-time content. The entertainment company has launched a live programming division dubbed RokerLive and debuted its first live reality series Camila’s Code starring Camila Alves, on Facebook on October 28, 2015.

Using Facebook’s live-streaming Mentions app (available only to some verified accounts at the moment), Camila’s Code will introduce viewers to Alves’ daily life in weekly 15- to 20-minute episodes. The wife and mother of three will give viewers various household tips and tricks, including how to cook featured recipes and how to make some DIY projects. Camila’s Code will broadcast on Alves’s Facebook page and will live on indefinitely on that platform for on-demand viewers.

According to AdAge, RokerLive got the idea for Camila’s Code after Roker went on stage with an employee of the live streaming app Meerkat at SXSW in March 2015. Ron Pruett, the chief adviser at live streaming studio RokerLabs, said his company ultimately chose Facebook over Meerkat as a platform for the program because of the social site’s massive reach of 1.5 billion monthly users. With that kind of traffic, Pruett said Camila’s Code has a far better chance of reaching its intended viewership of women aged 24-35, as well as international audiences who would be interested in Alves’s Brazilian heritage.

Pruett noted that while Camila’s Code currently won’t run ads on any of its 12 planned episodes, RokerLive is talking to food and beverage companies about potential advertising deals in the future. Pruett also said as RokerLive increases its live programming options on platforms beyond Facebook, the production company will look to pursue live branded programming for companies, as well.

You can catch a new episode of Camila’s Code each Wednesday at 11 AM CST on Alves’s Facebook page. Also, if you’re in New York this weekend, you can hear Al Roker himself speak at Stream Con NYC; get your tickets here.

Filed under: Articles, Facebook, News, Production Companies by Bree Brouwer
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Since its launch in 2012, Above Average has evolved from a single web channel into a full-on network that includes multiple comedy channels and several series led by Saturday Night Live talent. Now, the comedy hub run by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video–which also produces SNL for NBC–is putting on its athletic socks with a new vertical. It has launched The Kicker, which will feature a blend of sports and comedy content.

Web series on The Kicker will be a mix of sponsored and unsponsored content. Shows discussed by Variety include Fantasy Online College, created in partnership with Vox Media and Lenovo, and #MyTeamDream. The former series will feature well-known NFL athletes as “professors” working under “dean” JB Smoove, while the latter will ask celebrities to come up with dream scenarios for their favorite teams.

Here’s one of The Kicker’s first videos, which spends nearly three minutes making fun of the Philadelphia Phillies:

The man in charge of The Kicker is Bryan Tucker, an SNL head writer who will be the new hub’s editor-in-chief. “We’re comedians and comedy writers, but we’re also truly, rabidly into sports,” he wrote in an introductory article. “We will have videos, articles and lots of daily content for sports fans of all types. Our mission is to keep it positive, fan-centric, and most of all, fun. We’re not here for analysis or commentary. There’s enough of that out there. We’re here to be funny.”

As of this post, there are a lot of new videos and articles on The Kicker’s website. Additional quick jokes can be found on its Facebook and Twitter pages.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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As Bullying Prevention Month draws to a close, the Ad Council is promoting a new anti-bullying campaign with help from popular YouTube stars. The non-profit organization known for socially-minded PSAs has teamed with digital creators such as the Fine Bros. and Grace Helbig to launch the I Am a Witness campaign.

Developed in partnership with Goodby Silverstein & Partners and several non-profits and youth experts, the Ad Council’s I Am a Witness campaign seeks to encourage teens to take a stand against bullying. The non-profit organization notes in a release how Pew Research discovered 90% of young adults aged 12-17 who have witnessed online bullying ignore what they experienced. Furthermore, 35% of teens in this age range keep quiet and let online bullying go unpunished on a regular basis. The Ad Council wants to encourage these teens to speak out against bullying instead of remain silent.

As part of the I Am a Witness initiative, the Ad Council partnered with several YouTubers to create videos which help spread the anti-bullying message. In addition to the Fine Bros. and Helbig, GloZell Green, Meghan Rienks, JoshuaDTV, and Ricky Dillon encouraged to create content and distribute that content on their YouTube and social channels to raise awareness for the Ad Council’s campaign and its newly-created emoji of a speech bubble with an eye in the center, which empowers teens to spread the anti-bullying message through text.

In addition to content created by the Ad Council’s YouTube partners, companies such as Apple, Adobe, Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, and Google helped create awareness of the I Am a Witness anti-bullying campaign. The Ad Council also worked with brands like Tumblr, Snapchat, Pandora, and Vevo to release I Am a Witness–related content on those platforms. Finally, the Ad Council has launched the I Am a Witness iOS and Android keyboard app, which teens can download to use the new eye emoji.

“All teens are impacted by bullying and they often feel helpless when they witness it. Emojis have become a second language for teens, and they provide a relevant and easy way to get involved,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “Through this extraordinary collaboration of media, non-profit, and corporate partners, along with influencers that teens look up to, we will transform witnesses from passive bystanders into a united, empowered, and active collective that will speak up against bullying.”

The Ad Council has worked frequently with YouTube stars in the past under its Creators for Good campaign. Rienks already created a video for the Ad Council to help raise awareness for dating violence. More recently, Joey Graceffa told the full story of his coming-out process for the Council’s Love Has No Labels initiative.

You can learn more about the Ad Council’s I Am a Witness campaign on the initiative’s dedicated Tumblr site at IWitnessBullying.org.

Filed under: Ad Council, Articles, GloZell, Grace Helbig, Meghan Rienks, News, Ricky Dillon, The Fine Bros. by Bree Brouwer
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Two actresses who star together in a well-received web series are bringing their chemistry to a feature film, and if the buzz generated by its trailer is any indication, it will score a sizable audience of its own. Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis, who portray the two lead characters in the web series Carmilla, will be at the forefront of Almost Adults, an upcoming film produced by the Gay Women Channel.

In Almost Adults, Negovanlis and Bauman will portray a pair of best friends who find themselves struggling to keep their relationship together as their lives diverge from each other. The film was initially funded by a March 2015 Kickstarter campaign that ultimately raised $122,056 CAD ($91,999.70 USD). Production began in May, and at the recent Buffer Festival in Toronto, a trailer arrived. Judging from it, we can expect Almost Adults to feature plenty of banter between its leads, a handful of witty one-liners, and a coming-of-age story filled with young romance.

The trailer has been a hit, gathering more than 140,000 views in its first day online. The popularity of Carmilla is no doubt raising the hype level for Almost Adults; despite its unconventional premise–it’s a vampire web series sponsored by a feminine hygiene company—Carmilla gathered a devoted following and earned a second season.

The Gay Women Channel hasn’t yet shared a release date for Almost Adults, though the trailer’s description invites viewers to join the film’s mailing list if they’d like to receive regular updates.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Web Series by Sam Gutelle
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A video recently uploaded to YouTube is drawing record-breaking viewership, and no, it’s not the new Star Wars trailer. Instead, Adele’s new music video for her song “Hello” scored more than 50 million views in its first two days on YouTube, thus allowing it to achieve the fastest start of any video uploaded to the video sharing site this year.

The “Hello” video, which arrived on Adele’s VEVO channel on October 22nd, features the big-voiced singer in a series of black-and-white scenes. Much of its success can be attributed to its place within Adele’s career; it’s her first music video since “Skyfall,” all the way back in October 2012.

No matter the reason for the popularity of “Hello,” the video has rocketed off to a record-breaking start on YouTube. Kevin Allocca, YouTube’s trends manager, cataloged a few of the video’s most impressive stats in a post he authored on the video site’s official Trends Blog. “In fact, “adele hello” was, by far, YouTube’s top search on Friday and Saturday,” he wrote, “and the video garnered as much as 1.6 million views in a single hour, averaging over 1 million views per hour over the first two days.”

“Hello” has surpassed other major music video debuts, such as that of Nicki Minaj’s booty-shaking 2014 single “Anaconda,” which received 76 million hits in its first week online. By the time “Hello” reaches its one-week anniversary, it will be over 100 million views, and it’s a likely bet to join YouTube’s exclusive billion-views club. Plus, given Adele’s popularity, she’s bound to produce more YouTube hits as she shares more music videos from her upcoming album, 25, which will be released on November 20th.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Music Videos, News by Sam Gutelle
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The growing influence of online video and its emergent class of influential talent talent has forced media and related industries to re-think the way they do business. Advising and development firm MediaLink knows exactly what all these brands and companies are going through. MediaLink specializes in helping companies at the intersection of media, entertainment, marketing, and advertising strategize on how to move their businesses forward and out of restrictive old media ways.

MediaLink Chairman and CEO Michael Kassan will discuss what the current state of the shifting media landscape looks like now and how his company navigates the ever-changing terrain for it for clients at Stream Con NYC. In anticipation of his session, we reached out to three of MediaLink’s clients to hear their thoughts on how online video has changed the way they do business and what they believe their industries at large will need to change in order to stay relevant. Here’s what they had to say:

Mark Graham, Editor-in-Chief at Decider (entertainment discovery site)

If it isn’t online, it might as well never have happened.

This is the prevailing mindset of today’s primary consumers of content, be that of news or entertainment products, regardless of their age. Increasingly, video is becoming the dominant and preferred manner with which to deliver said news and entertainment. Regardless of whether or not a consumer is on the hunt for something hearty (i.e., longform entertainment) or bite-sized (snackable clips), video packages give the people what they want, when they want.

As the online media industry shifts from its reliance on the written word to delivering its product to consumers in video form, legacy media titans will be forced to make tough decisions as it relates to the skillsets that their employees possess. Just as stars of silent film suddenly found themselves out of work when audiences started gravitating to “talkies,” those news organizations and journalists without the desire or talent to adapt to this new medium will find themselves on the outside looking in. The long-held belief that content is king will take a blow as media brands realize that distribution is just as, if not more so, worthy of the crown.

Ezra Kucharz, President at CBS Local Digital Media (digital media platform)

Two benefits of online video have been the ability for us to extend our reach and expand our content offering. Reach has been impacted in two key ways. First, digital simulcasting of our Local TV News Broadcasts and creating on-demand video clips has given us the opportunity to serve our audiences throughout the day, outside of traditional day-parts and in places where our audiences don’t have access to a Television. Second, distributing our video content online has also extended the geographical reach of our local brands. We see local news stories getting views on YouTube outside of their local DMA, and not just from other parts of the country but from around the world.

Online video has also expanded our content offering on both the TV and radio sides of the business. Our TV stations create exclusive digital updates and 24/7 coverage of special events like the Pope’s recent visit to the States via online streaming video channels. And we’ve made radio a visual experience by video simulcasting certain radio shows and capturing in-studio segments and interviews for on-demand video consumption.

Demand for online video among brands and agencies will continue to grow in response to consumer habits and because video is such a powerful vehicle for relaying a brand’s message to consumers. We as content creators and publishers should continue to work more strategically with agencies to find the right opportunities for brands to present their messaging and break through the clutter.

Fern Feistel, Head of Marketing at Xumo (content delivery technology)

With more capable mobile and tablet operating systems came increased viewership via those devices. This, in turn, allowed viewers to take their video-viewing experiences on-the-go. This has directly affected the broadcast and pay TV companies with TV viewership among 18-34 year olds dropping over 30% over the last five years. Individuals rely heavily on Internet-capable devices, including smart TVs, to stream the content they prefer to watch, as opposed to the bundles cable companies force upon their subscribers.

This trend is only growing stronger and, in response, Xumo has developed the Xumo Platform which can power both over-the-top (OTT) broadcast and video-on-demand (VOD) white-label solutions with dynamic ad insertion, content recommendations and social functionality. Leveraging technological advancements through which living room devices have become both connected and aware, Xumo offers multiple ways to reach, engage, and monetize consumers within the home.

Additionally, in a viewer and content-first environment, the media must recognize that these OTT trends are here to stay. In fact, several media publishers such as The Wall Street Journal, Time Inc., and Condé Nast have partnered with us to take their premium digital content over-the-top because they have recognized that their audiences expect the delivery of content to change—seamlessly.

You can hear from Kassan, along with a plethora of live streaming and online video leaders, at Stream Con NYC. Get your tickets here.

Filed under: Articles, News, Stream Con NYC by Bree Brouwer
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The winners from the 5th annual Marseille Web Fest are in. The largest international event in Europe dedicated to digital series, which took place on October 8 and 9, 2015, ultimately saw a variety of French-based creators and titles steal the show.

Led by Jean-Pierre Dionnet, the professional jury for Marseille Web Fest 2015 considered 25 different series hailing from ten different countries, including England, the United States, Belgium, Australia, Brazil, and Italy. Director and producer Brieuc de Goussencourt won the best director award for his work on the Belgian series Euh, which also received an award for best production thanks to Grizzly Films and RTBF Interactive. Charles Grenier won best editing for the French-Canadian series Feminin/Feminin. France’s Voix de Garage took home two awards for best original score and best actor (Patrick Azam), and another French series Paris, Un Jour De… won for best screenplay and for best actress (Baya Rehaz).

PARIS, un jour de….saison 1 TEASER by Parisunjourde

In addition to these seven awards, the Marseille Web Fest also bestowed three special awards dubbed the Grand Jury Prize, the Coup de Coeur, and an innovation prize to three lucky web series. The Grand Jury Prize was given to Paris, Un Jour De…, which went home with three out of the ten total Marseille Web Fest awards this year. Festival partner and French SVOD company Canalplay awarded the Coup de Coeur award to Australia’s Low Life series. Finally, digital production company TreeCircle Media recognized the Italian series ELBA – Napoleon’s Legacy with the innovation prize and will provide the creators guidance on developing what a release calls a “dedicated platform” for the series’ distribution.

You can learn more about the Marseille Web Fest by visiting the event’s website.

Filed under: Articles, Industry, Marseille Web Fest, News by Bree Brouwer
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In April, camera company Canon and Hollywood heavyweight Ron Howard launched a contest called Project Imagination, which searched for the best trailer from among a group of user submissions. Half a year later, the winning trailer has been turned into a short film, with Hunger Games stars Josh Hutcherson and Jena Malone in the lead roles.

The short film in question is titled “The Rusted,” and it is based off “Tainted Water,” the Project Imagination-winning trailer created by young filmmaker Mark Mukherjee. Hutcherson and Malone portray a brother and sister who are harried by supernatural forces within their home. Hutcherson also served as the film’s co-producer, while Kat Candler directed it.

“The Rusted” can be viewed in its entirety on the Canon website and YouTube channel:

If you missed your chance to submit a trailer to Project Imagination, don’t fret; the contest has been around in some form since 2011, so there seems to be a good chance it will return in the future.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Madame Tussauds New York just unveiled its first figure based on a social media celebrity. The wax museum debuted its figurine of YouTube superstar Jenna Marbles on October 26, 2015.

Marbles originally announced her impending wax likeness back in July 2015 through an Instagram video of her behind-the-scenes model-creation process with Madame Tussauds. At the time, the 29-year-old YouTube celebrity, who boasts over 15 million subscribers on her channel, told her fans they’d soon be able to take selfies with her wax figure and “grope da butt” all they wanted. Now, those promises can be realized with Marbles’ likeness, which is the first selfie-taking wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York. The celebrity’s wax model is also the first-ever Madame Tussauds figure to boast its own social media presence where selfies with fans and visitors are posted.

Hey there, friendship! Check out our new selfie from Madame Tussauds NY. pic.twitter.com/wynkGZe6zI

— JennaMarblesMT (@JennaMarblesMT) October 26, 2015

Marbles took to her Twitter and Instagram accounts to chronicle the adventure of meeting her wax figure at the unveiling event in New York City. The currently bright-red-haired vlogger filmed a short Twitter video of herself introducing viewers to her wax figure, which boasted the same biker-chic outfit as the real Marbles. The YouTube star also posted some photos with her family and friends who attended the unveiling event.

#jennamarblesmt @nycwax @JennaMarblesMT pic.twitter.com/HtmneMjZpZ — Jenna Mourey/Marbles (@Jenna_Marbles) October 26, 2015

My friend Jenna doin Jenna stuff @nycwax

A photo posted by Jenna Mourey/Marbles (@jennamarbles) on Oct 26, 2015 at 1:34pm PDT

😭😭 my family and friends and team legs @dmourey @JulienSolomita @chrismelberger @DoddShan @ChaseQuake @Hellooii_rome pic.twitter.com/rmObCkJMKm — Jenna Mourey/Marbles (@Jenna_Marbles) October 26, 2015

Marbles isn’t the only internet celebrity Madame Tussauds has immortalized in wax over the last year. The museum chain announced earlier this year plans to create statues for YouTube vloggers Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes at its London location. Tussauds also debuted the dual wax figures of Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox of Smosh at VidCon 2015. A wax statue of feline icon Grumpy Cat is also in the works and will be released later this year.

If you’re local to New York City, you can visit Madame Tussauds and see Marbles’ statue in person. Get more information on hours and purchase tickets on its site.

Filed under: Articles, Jenna Marbles, News by Bree Brouwer
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Kian Lawley, who first gained fame for his YouTube videos, is building up his feature film resume, one credit at a time. The 20-year-old social media celebrity is one of five actors who have been added to the cast of Before I Fall, an upcoming feature film produced by multi-channel network AwesomenessTV‘s AwesomenessFilms division.

Before I Fall, which will play out as sort of a morbid, high school version of Groundhog Day, will follow a teenager (Zoey Deutch) who must relive the last day of her life over and over again. It is based on a young adult novel written by Lauren Oliver, and its script, written Maria Maggenti, earned a spot on the 2011 Black List, which noted the year’s best unproduced screenplays. In addition to Lawley, other actors joining the film’s cast including Halston Sage, Logan Miller Diego Boneta, and Elena Kampouris.

AwesomenessTV announced Before I Fall in September; the film is one of the first projects from AwesomenessFilms, the network’s in-house film studio. Another one of AwesomenessFilms’ upcoming productions, Shovel Buddies (which features its own Black List screenplay), will also star Lawley. Previously, he also took the lead in The Chosen, a feature film produced by Terror Films and Supergravity Pictures. Finally, his membership within YouTube supergroup Our2ndLife was cataloged in a recent documentary called #O2LForever.

An exact release date for Before I Fall hasn’t been announced yet, but the film is expected to enter production in November.

Filed under: Articles, AwesomenessTV, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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