For the first time, iconic cookie brand Nestle Toll House is sponsoring a series on YouTube, and in doing so, it has turn to a chef with a bright disposition and a charming demeanor. Ashley Adams, co-founder of the Feast Of Fiction YouTube channel, is the host of Bake My Day, a cooking web series that makes use of Nestle Toll House products.
On Feast Of Fiction, Adams and co-host Jimmy Wong craft recipes based on famous foodstuffs from fictional worlds. Bake My Day, on the other hand, is a bit more straightforward. Its recipes, such as chocolate quesadillas and “Scotcheroos,” are somewhat offbeat, but Adams’ presentation style, like many of the chefs on the Food Network, is full of smiles and energy. She even adds in a bit of Alton Brown-esque goofiness for good measure.
Upcoming Bake My Day episodes will throw some wrinkles into the show’s formula. On October 21st, for example, Adams will be joined by Veritasium’s Derek Muller, who will discuss the science of baking.
There are at least five different parties involved in Bake My Day. In addition to Adams, Nestle Toll House has enlisted the support of ad agency J. Walter Thompson New York as well as the Reach Agency, which is known for its work on YouTube. The series is produced by Play Productions.
These many cooks have not spoiled the broth; rather, they’ve created a fell-good, effervescent cooking show full of interesting recipes. New episodes will arrive until December on Nestle’s Very Best Baking channel.
Amazon has some new kids’ show pilots for its subscribers to consider greenlighting into full series. The streaming video platform will showcase the first episode of six new animated series for its fall 2015 pilot season of children’s programming, with all the pilots set for release on November 5, 2015.
The first two pilots Amazon will release, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and The Numberlys, are aimed at preschool-aged children. Written and developed by Ken Scarborough (Arthur) and based on the book by the same name, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie follows the story of Mouse and Oliver as they start an adventure in one place and eventually end up back home after a flurry of twists and turns. The Numberlys is based on the titular book, app, and short film, and tells the story of five friends who manage to turn a sprout into a tree in their city. The Numberlys was created by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg of Moonbot Studios and written by Joe Fallon (Between the Lions).
The remainder of Amazon’s pilots are aimed at children ages 6-11. Danger & Eggs was created by Mike Owens (Yo Gabba Gabba!) and follows the wild adventures of future stuntwoman D.D. Danger and her talking egg friend Phillip. Writers and Emmy Award winners Bill Motz and Bob Roth created Eddie of the Realms Eternal, a show about a lazy wizard Hobi teams up with the timid teen Eddie to defeat the evil Shadow Queen. Hailing from creator Becky Tinker, Everstar tells the story of Ainslie who intercepts an intergalactic signal and gets whisked away on the titular starship and must learn to find her way home. Finally, Yoyotoki HappyEars! comes from Adventure Time creator Niki Yang and follows Yoyotoki HappyEars the fox and her family as they unexpectedly land in the magical realm of Mytholopia.
“Our new kids pilots will combine rich worlds with unique characters that we hope will appeal to our customers,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming for Amazon Studios, in a release. “We’re delighted to debut these animated projects from such esteemed and remarkable creative talent.”
Amazon will open up the pilots for voting to its Prime subscribers starting November 5. Viewer feedback will determine which pilots get picked up for full seasons. Amazon’s slate of children’s pilots for fall 2015 will be available through any device with the Amazon Video app or on amazon.com/amazonvideo.
Questionable content on the YouTube Kids app has caused quite a stir of late, but at the same time, there are a lot of high-quality, kid-friendly videos arriving on the app each day. Case in point: A group of musicians, including several with large followings on YouTube, teamed up to record new versions of their favorite classic kids songs.
The musicians who participated in the recording session include a cappella wizard Mike Tompkins and crooning guitarist Landon Austin. Together with several of their compatriots from the YouTube community, they teamed up singers and songwriters to cover timeless ditties like “Old MacDonald Had A Farm” and “The Wheels on the Bus.” Here’s Tompkins performing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” alongside performers Alex Masters and Molly Reed:
The five-song series was recorded in under an hour at a pop-up space YouTube established in Nashville. It’s not the video site’s first foray into the Music City; last year, it announced a series of educational workshops for the city’s local music community.
All five of the songs can be found on the YouTube Kids app, which is available from the App Store and Google Play. There, young viewers can find an ever-increasing number of videos, including several full playlists curated by members of the YouTube community.
YouTube just implemented some important updates to its creator-centric mobile application. Google’s online video site has added several new features to its Creator Studio App (which, for the uninitiated, is separate from the general YouTube app) aimed at giving users more control and insight into their video content.
The biggest update to the YouTube Creator Studio App will increase users’ abilities to understand and handle analytics. In addition to an interface redesign, YouTube added new metrics requested by users, such as being able to see exactly where video views come from around the world and the top search terms used by viewers to find their content. Overall, Creator Studio users can now see over 50 different kinds of data through the app’s interface.
YouTube also improved the monetization controls and playlist management features in the Creator Studio App. Now, users can opt to monetize their videos and pick from different ad formats within the app. Additionally, YouTube has made it easier to edit playlists and add and remove videos directly within the Creator Studio App.
The YouTube Creator Studio App was originally announced by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and launched in June 2014 during the industry track at VidCon. The app later underwent a material redesign and debuted its new iteration a year later at VidCon 2015. Now, the powers that be behind the Creator App will continue to focus on rolling out new features.
You can download the YouTube Creator Studio App on Google Play, or if you’re an iOS user, you can download the app from the iTunes App store.
Now, Pansino will join the ranks of published YouTube authors with her upcoming publication The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook, based on her wildly popular web series of the same name. Pansino’s debut print work hits digital and store shelves on November 3, 2015. To celebrate the Nerdy Nummies Cookbook and kick off a 30-stop book tour, Pansino will appear at Stream Con NYC on October 31. Here’s what the digital baking and cooking celebrity had to say about her book deal and her plans for this coming year:
Tubefilter: You’ve managed to turn your Nerdy Nummies YouTube series into a cookbook deal. What were your initial goals when you started planning your Nerdy Nummies cookbook? What kind of cookbook were you wanting to create?
Rosanna Pansino: I wanted the Nerdy Nummies cookbook to be an embodiment of the show. I am a very visual learner so each recipe in the book has 6 or more step by step photos walking you through the process. The book has over 420 full color photos.
I wanted to create a really fun, colorful, easy-to-use cookbook that would spark creativity and encourage people to have fun with food. I have a hard time following some cookbooks that don’t include enough how-to pictures, so I really focused on making The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook as accessible as possible.
TF: What was your favorite part about writing the book?
RP: I got to spend a lot of time with family throughout the entire process. All of the recipes were made in my kitchen and the pictures taken in my dining room. You can also never go wrong with test baking new recipes!
TF: Was there anything you wanted to include in your book that had to be left out?
RP: I had full creative control of The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook so I made sure to include all of my favorite recipes. Each recipe also includes a little blurb on why I chose that recipe and a story of why it’s important to me.
TF: Where do you get the ideas for all your recipes?
RP: I spend most of my time test baking new treats every week; it is a creative outlet for me. Friends and family also suggest new ideas that they think I might like.
TF: If you are offered a second book deal, what do you think that one will be about? Would you want to do another cookbook or would it be about something else?
RP: Right now I am focused on the upcoming book tour, where I will get to meet fans all over the country at over 30 stops. I do have a lot of ideas I think would be fun for a new cookbook though! I absolutely loved making my first cookbook and am hoping readers enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. If it’s something people want more of I would love to make another book.
TF: Why do you think YouTubers have so much to offer for readers and the traditional publishing industry?
RP: Every single YouTuber I know works extremely hard and is full of creative ideas. Someone who enjoys creating videos might also enjoy making a physical book.
TF: What are your plans and goals for 2016? Anything people should be on the lookout for?
RP: I have a new website launching soon, my very first merch, The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook tour, and a few unannounced projects that I’m working on for 2016. I plan to keep doing at least 2 videos a week in addition to starting a few new series. 2015 was a really fun year for me and I am excited to see what new projects 2016 holds.
Directed by Eli Gonda and Michael Goldfine, The Outfield features Dallas and Grier as high school baseball stars Frankie and Jake, respectively. The two friends, along with their buddy Austin (played by Joey Bragg of Disney’s Liv and Maddie), seem to have their futures lined up and ready to go. But senior year brings changes that make them all question what they’re truly meant to do with their lives. Produced by Goldfine and Gil Kruger, The Outfield marks Grier’s debut performance, while it’s Dallas’s second film credit to date (the social media star previously headlined AwesomenessTV’s feature film Expelled).
In February 2015, Issa Rae–best known as the creator of the popular web series Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl–received a pilot order from HBO for a show called Insecure. Now, HBO is taking its commitment one step further by giving the green light to a full season of Insecure.
When we last heard about Insecure (which was developed by Rae alongside The Nightly Show’s Larry Wilmore), Prentice Penny of Brooklyn Nine-Nine had just been brought on as showrunner, and casting was underway. Now, the principal actors have been revealed, with Rae starring in the lead role. Joining her in the cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter, will be Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, and Lisa Joyce. Michael Rotenberg, Dave Becky and Jonathan Berry will join Penny as the show’s executive producers.
Like Awkward Black Girl, Insecure will explore the topics of race and love from a comedic perspective, although HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo has previously stated that the new series will be “slightly different in tone” when compared to Rae’s web series work. In moving to TV, Rae will also work with a different format; the 23 episodes of Awkward Black Girl generally hover around ten minutes in length.
No release date has been shared for Insecure, though the series is likely at least a year away. The earliest it could air is 2016, but a 2017 premiere date has also been suggested.
Heard Well has announced its third creative partner. The record label started by YouTube star Connor Franta, talent manager Andrew Graham, and Jeremy Weinberg will release Gateway, a compilation album curated by YouTube beauty expert Amanda Steele.
Steele, a stylish 16-year-old who releases weekly videos on her MakeupByMandy24 YouTube channel, will handpick 12 of her favorite hip-hop and R&B songs, which will be featured together on Gateway. The album will become available on October 30th on iTunes and Google Play, but for fans who can’t wait that long, it is currently available for preorder. The basic version of the album costs $15.99, while a deluxe version featuring Steele’s signature and a poster costs $24.99.
With Gateway, Steele continues to expand her personal brand off YouTube. She also recently launched a sunglasses line through Quay Australia; it did not take very long before her custom designs sold out. “Gateway is an album of not only music but also feelings and attitude that I have compiled into one project over the last few months,” she said in a press release. “I have used this opportunity to not only share my love for music as a whole, but to share my support for undiscovered artists as well. It is my hope that listeners enjoy these songs as much as I have and find them to be a gateway for creative inspiration.”
By teaming up with Heard Well, Steele has followed the lead of fellow teenager Anthony “Lohanthony” Quintal and Franta, the label’s first two creative partners. Given her clout on the Internet (she has more than 2.6 million subscribers on her YouTube channel), we expect Gateway to replicate the strong sales of Heard Well’s other releases.
In each episode of Celebrities in Golf Carts, host Mark Willard plays nine holes with his celebrity guest before stopping in the clubhouse for a post-round beer. Two episodes of the series have been released at launch, one featuring The Big Bang Theory‘s Kunal Nayyar and another featuring established gentlemanRob Riggle. Four more episodes will complete the series’ first season.
YouTube may seem like an odd place for a leisurely golf web series, but the SCGA believes Celebrities in Golf Carts will connect well with its target audience “We’re thrilled to launch Celebrities in Golf Carts, a web series that really appeals to the recreational golfer in a non-traditional way,” said Kevin Heaney, the SCGA’s Executive Director, in a press release. “The series allows us to provide unique content to the Southern California golfing community, while leveraging our Hollywood and entertainment connections, as we spotlight several of our well-known SCGA members. This series showcases the true social nature of golf.”
Today, the online gaming world learned some grave news concerning one of its most popular and beloved personalities. John Bain, a YouTube and Twitch star known online as TotalBiscuit, has revealed he has inoperable cancer in his liver.
Bain previously battled bowel cancer in 2014 but appeared to be in remission as of April 2015. Unfortunately, a recent CT scan brought with a dreadful diagnosis, which Bain shared with his followers on Twitter. Here’s the full text of his TwitLonger post:
“Well, I don’t know if there is really a right way to tell people this, so I guess here goes. The CT did not come back negative. The cancer in the bowel is gone, but spots have appeared in my liver. They’re not operable and there’s no cure. Average life expectancy is 2-3 years, though there are outliers that live much longer. I’ll be back on chemo in a few weeks, with the goal of pushing it back and keeping it there for as long as possible. I fully intend to be the outlier, the average is this way because most people that get this are old and not strong anymore. Who knows what they’ll come up with in the next decade? I intend to beat it for as long as possible. Gonna need some time to process all of this. I don’t really feel anything right now. Thanks.”
Almost immediately after posting his message, Bain received an outpouring of support from his friends in the online gaming community. Jesse Cox, an occasional guest on the TotalBiscuit channel, believes his friend will keep on fighting:
If there’s one person I expect to continue to work to put out amazing content it’s @Totalbiscuit And I’ll still be there to ruin it #friends
Cancer is always cruel, but it is particularly horrible to see the ailment strike someone so young; Bain is only 31. As with the other people who have responded to his message, we will keep him in our thoughts. Beyond that, it is hard to pick out the right words. I only hope he will be able to fight back enough to keep doing what he loves. When he feels ready to return to his channel, I have no doubt he will continue to entertain his many fans. Get well, TB.
In terms of its content, Formative–which will be produced by agencies Acres and Essence—probably won’t be that different from other series about innovative individuals, such as Yahoo’s World 3.0 or Vox Media’s Courageous Leaders. It will pay particular attention to the moments at which the lightbulbs clicked on in its subjects’ respective heads. “Just about every crazy, world-changing idea begins its momentum with a single formative moment,” explains Ohanian in the intro video.
Formative’s most interesting wrinkle concerns the manner in which its subjects will be chosen. Ohanian has posted a thread to the /r/entrepreneur subreddit in which he asks readers to suggest some people they’d like to see profiled in the series. So far, users have named some predictable choices, like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, as well as some deeper cuts, like filmmaker Casey Neistat and GoPro founder Nick Woodman. Despite Reddit’s penchant for trolling, Tom Cruise’s name hasn’t come up just yet.
Once its subjects are chosen and its eight episodes are filmed, Formative will see release on Upvoted, an upcoming news site created by Reddit. While we wait for it to arrive, there’s plenty on other content on Reddit’s YouTube channel, including some video versions of the site’s famous “Ask Me Anything” threads.
Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls at the Party has a new series full of cute creatures to delight viewers. To celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, the digital network teamed with the ASPCA animal shelters to launch the pet-centric, cheekily-titled series Heavy Petting on October 14, 2015.
As the name kinda suggests, Heavy Petting fittingly combines the idea of adopting or fostering a pet with finding a loving animal companion. Each episode will take the form of a Tinder-style dating profile of one cat or dog from an ASPCA shelter around the U.S. For added comedic effect, well-known Hollywood names will lend their voices to the animals. The first episode features comedian John Mulaney as the voice of Bart the mixed breed puppy. Future pets will be voiced by acting talent like Ike Barinholtz, Aziz Ansari, Paul Scheer, Nick Offerman, and Aubrey Plaza (who’s no stranger to giving one famous internet animal its own voice).
Heavy Petting is only one of the most recent original series to hail from Smart Girls. The network, which was acquired by Legendary Entertainment in October 2014, has ramped up production on several new shows, including the sexy science and comedy series Experimenting with Megan Amram and the literary review series Book Report with Aisha Muharrar. Smart Girls’ latest project, The Other Side with Anamarie Tendler, features the titular host putting makeup on one side of her guest’s face while discussing their supernatural experiences.
