The Huffington Post has a new interview series all about Vine stars. On September 15, 2015, the publication giant and burgeoning online video brand released HuffPost 6×60, hosted by Vine star Chaz Smith.

HuffPost 6.x60 is a weekly web series where Smith provides what a release calls a “360-degree look at the lives of ten 6-second stars in just 60 seconds.” Ten episodes of the series will debut over the next few weeks, with Smith sitting down with various digital stars who found success on the Twitter-owned Vine app.

In the premiere episode of HuffPost 6×60 (which is actually more like 180 seconds in length), Smith interviews Viner and 20-year-old singer Summer Boissiere (aka Summerella), who boasts 1.3 million followers on the short-form video platform alone. Boissiere rose to Vine popularity in summer 2014, and has since leveraged that influence to release two hit singles, “11 Something” and “Hide & Seek.”

The Huffington Post has taken video very seriously in the last year. The brand launched its own digital video studio dubbed HuffPost Studios in March 2015 and hired Roy Sekoff as president and CCO. The HuffPo has also developed and released new video projects such as the satirical news and entertainment series The HuffPost Show, as well as a 24-hour news network. The Huffington Post also recently teamed with BroadbandTV to launch the online video news network Outspeak.

HuffPo’s parent company AOL was acquired by Verizon in May 2015. Despite this deal, the telco giant’s CEO Tim Armstrong promised the publication brand and its related video ventures would not be spun off as a separate company, and would in fact be able to expand its business now that it was part of the Verizon label.

You can catch future HuffPost 6×60 interviews on The Huffington Post’s YouTube channel. And don’t miss the related short videos with Smith and the weekly featured Viner on HuffPo’s Vine account under the hashtag #HuffPost6x60. Here’s the Vine from Smith and Boissiere:

Filed under: Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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Awesomeness Films has a new project in the works. The movie division of the YouTube multi-channel network AwesomenessTV has revealed a feature-length film titled Before I Fall, starring actress Zoey Deutch (star of flicks like Vampire Academy and Dirty Grandpa).

Directed by Ry Russo-Young, Before I Fall is an adaptation of the 2010 Lauren Oliver young adult novel of the same name. The story follows Samantha Kingston (played by Deutch), who discovers she’s living the last day of her life over and over again. Samantha must keep making the right decisions before her final moments and figure out the mystery of her death all while coming to grips with the fact that everything she loves will soon be taken from her.

Deadline, who originally broke the news, notes that the Before I Fall script was part of the Black List, a selection of film scripts which never reached production from the previous year. The film version of Before I Fall was originally set for development with Fox 2000 in the same year as the book’s debut. However, the project never took off, so Awesomeness Films scooped it up.

AwesomenessTV founder Brian Robbins will produce Before I Fall alongside Awesomeness Films’ Matt Kaplan, who joined the network’s movie division in June 2015. Air Force One and Dan In Real Life’s Jon Shestack is also set to produce. Production on Before I Fall will start in late October in Vancouver, B.C.

Before I Fall is just one of many films to spring from AwesomenessTV and its film division over the last year or so. The MCN produced the Cameron Dallas-starring film Expelled in 2014, and recently released Smosh: The Movie alongside DEFY Media. Awesomeness Films is currently working on Janoskians: Untold and Untrue, Shovel Buddies, and the recently-announced Dance Camp, the last of which is the first product of a partnership between AwesomenessTV and YouTube.

No release date has been announced for Before I Fall as of yet.

Filed under: Articles, AwesomenessTV, News by Bree Brouwer
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One of the most exciting new series to emerge from YouTube’s creative community has officially arrived on Vimeo. Oscar’s Hotel For Fantastical Creatures, a six-episode series created by YouTube star PJ “KickThePJ” Liguori, has become available for purchase via the premium Vimeo On Demand platform.

Oscar’s Hotel is based off a short film Liguori created alongside production company New Form Digital. The series takes place at its titular establishment, where young, ambitious manager’s assistant Oliver keeps watch over the monstrous, fantastical tenants. The cast is chock full of YouTube stars (such as PewDiePie, Anna Akana, and Mitchell Davis), many of whom are unrecognizable within their elaborate costumes. A trio of well-established Hollywood actors–Alfred Molina, Patrick Stewart, and Elliott Gould–also join the fun.

Since it was announced as one of New Form’s first two original series back in January 2015, Oscar’s Hotel has picked up some enticing creative partners. Most significantly, the series’ creatures are designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, which carries on the legacy of the Muppets creator. The shop’s designs are on full display in the series trailer:

Purchasing all six episodes of Oscar’s Hotel will run you $9.99. If you’d prefer to purchase individual installments a la carte, they cost $1.99 each, with the first one available now and the others premiering in coming weeks. And if you’re interested in a New Form series with a different mood, you only need to wait a week. Sawyer Hartman’s sci-fi series Parallax Theory will arrive a week after Oscar’s Hotel, on September 22nd.

Filed under: Articles, News, Vimeo, Web Series by Sam Gutelle
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Snapchat has some new features for users to enjoy. The messaging app, which deletes communications after a short period of time, has added filtering “Lenses” for snaps, a collection of Trophies, and the ability for users to pay to replay their snaps.

In a company blog post, Snapchat explained how the app’s users can implement the new Lenses feature, which can add animations, sound, and special effects to snaps. While users are using their camera to take a selfie or picture, they can press and hold on the screen to activate Lenses. All Snapchatters need to do then is follow the on-screen instructions to select a Lense before taking the snap and sending it to friends and followers.

Snapchat also hinted at the introduction of Trophies, which Business Insider reports are virtual awards Snapchat will bestow on users after they’ve unknowingly used the app in a specific way or performed a specific task. For example, Snapchat users could get a Trophy after taking ten snaps with their front camera flash. Business Insider notes Snapchat won’t notify users when new Trophies awarded, so Snapchatters will need to keep checking their “Trophy Cases” from time to time.

Arguably the biggest update Snapchat has made to its app is the ability for users to pay for snap replays. The ephemeral messaging app (which now isn’t so ephemeral anymore) charges users $0.99 for three replays on any of their received snaps. However, snaps are limited to one replay only, which means users can’t choose to re-watch one snap over and over again.

Snapchat writes in its blog post how it introduced the Replay feature under the Additional Services settings menu almost two years ago. This feature can be turned on by individual users and allow them to watch one replay per user per day. “But then we realized — a Replay is like a compliment!” Snapchat writes. “So why stop at just one?”

With the new paid replay option, Snapchat now has a direct, in-app revenue stream to add to its other sources of income. These include its 3V advertising program, which promises to deliver full-screen, vertical videos with 100% viewability. Snapchat also reportedly commands high rates for ads on its Discover platform, and has also run ads on its sponsored and curated Live Stories feeds.

Snapchat recently hit the four billion video views per day mark, thanks to roughly 100 million active users around the world.

Filed under: Articles, News, Snapchat by Bree Brouwer
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Black Entertainment Television (BET) has turned to the digital realm for new content. The cable and satellite channel picked up three original web series from entertainment and lifestyle network Black&Sexy for airing on linear television.

The first series picked up by BET is RoomieLoverFriends, which debuts on September 16, 2015, at 11 PM EST on the cable channel. The drama series, written by Black&Sexy co-founders Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier and premiering online in 2012, follows the story of two roommates whose relationship gets complicated after they find themselves in bed together. Directed by Dortch, RoomieLoverFriends will have one hour-long episode aired each week on BET.

BET will also run Black&Sexy’s Sexless series, which debuted in early 2015 and follows a group of female friends who decide not to have sex to try to find real, lasting relationships. Finally, BET will air episodes of the 2013 series Hello Cupid, about a young, dark-skinned woman who decides to conduct a sort of social experiment by swapping out her profile picture on an online dating site for one of her lighter-skinned friend to see how men would react.

“We noticed Black&Sexy TV has a dedicated fanbase, and their fans’ obsession for this content mirrors the obsession our audience has for BET and our content,” said Pete Danielsen, BET’s EVP of Program Planning, Scheduling, and Acquisitions, to Variety.

This is not the first time Black&Sexy’s niche content has attracted the attention of a cable channel. Back in January 2014, HBO signed a pact with Black&Sexy to turn the digital network’s popular web series The Couple into a linear TV show, executive produced by Spike Lee. The comedy series stars Perrier and Desmond Faison and has pulled in 1.5 million views across all its episodes and related video platforms (like Black&Sexy’s video subscription service hosted via VHX).

Filed under: Articles, BET, News, Production Companies by Bree Brouwer
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On September 17th, the Streamy Awards will return for its fifth rendition (and its first foray on TV, thanks to broadcaster VH1). Three days before the show, however, the majority of the its categories were decided. At an event at YouTube Space LA, the winners in 35 Streamy Award categories were revealed. The frequently-lauded Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB) lead the way with four triumphs.

One category at a time, HollywireTV’s Chelsea Briggs and Tubefilter’s own Drew Baldwin (who filled in for GloZell Green) presented trophies to the channels, series, and content creators that most excelled in the past year. ERB, which has long excelled in both technical and creative categories, won awards for its editing, its costume design, and its Romeo and Juliet/Bonnie and Clyde episode, which featured Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart as guest stars. With these victories, ERB has now earned ten Streamy Award wins in total.

Another big winner was filmmaking channel Corridor Digital, which won in the Action/Sci-Fi and Special Effects categories. Niko Pueringer, the channel’s co-founder, also accepted an award for SnapperHero, a Snapchat series directed by the Corridor Digital team.

A full slate of clips from the event is available on VH1’s YouTube channel:

The remaining nine awards on the Streamys docket will be doled out on September 17th, during a televised ceremony produced by VH1, Dick Clark Productions, and Tubefilter. To see who takes home the rest of the trophies, tune into VH1 beginning at 10 PM EST.

Here is a full list of the winners announced during Monday’s pre-show event:

AWARDS FOR CHANNELS, SERIES, OR SHOWS

ANIMATED – Cyanide & Happiness

BREAKOUT CREATOR (NEW CATEGORY) – Matthew Santoro

DRAMA – BlackBoxTV

INDIE – Eat Our Feelings

INTERNATIONAL – Racka Racka

NON-FICTION – Good Mythical Morning

SPIN-OFF – The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Backstage

 

SUBJECT AWARDS

ACTION OR SCI-FI – Corridor Digital

DOCUMENTARY OR INVESTIGATIVE (NEW CATEGORY) – Atari: Game Over

FASHION – Lauren Elizabeth

FOOD – Epic Meal Time

GAMING – PewDiePie

HEALTH AND WELLNESS – Blogilates

NEWS AND CULTURE – The Young Turks

SCIENCE OR EDUCATION – Vsauce

SPORTS – Dude Perfect

 

PERFORMANCE AWARDS

ACTOR – James Van Der Beek, Adi Shankar’s Bootleg Universe

ACTRESS – Colleen Ballinger, Miranda Sings

COLLABORATION – Nice Peter, EpicLLOYD, Grace Helbig, and Hannah Hart, Epic Rap Battles of History

DANCE – Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval

ENSEMBLE CAST – Video Game High School

 

MUSIC AWARDS

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST (NEW CATEGORY) – Shawn Mendes

COVER SONG – Foil (Lorde), “Weird Al” Yankovic

ORIGINAL SONG – Here, Alessia Cara

 

CRAFT AWARDS

CINEMATOGRAPHY – Devin Super Tramp, Devin Graham

COSTUME DESIGN – Epic Rap Battles of History, Sulai Lopez

DIRECTING – Video Game High School, Matt Arnold and Freddie Wong

EDITING – Epic Rap Battles of History, Andrew Sherman, Ryan Moulton, Daniel Turcan and Peter Shukoff

VISUAL AND SPECIAL EFFECTS – Corridor Digital, Sam Gorski, Niko Pueringer, and Jake Watson

WRITING – You Deserve A Drink, Mamrie Hart

 

SOCIAL VIDEO AWARDS

SHORT FORM COMEDY (NEW CATEGORY) – Logan Paul

SHORT FORM CREATIVITY (NEW CATEGORY) – SnapperHero

SNAPCHAT STORYTELLER (NEW CATEGORY) – Shaun McBride (shonduras)

 

CAMPAIGN AWARDS

BRAND CAMPAIGN – Crazy Plastic Ball Prank #WithDad, Roman Atwood (Nissan)

SOCIAL GOOD CAMPAIGN – #ProudToLove, Marriage Equality and LGBT Pride Month

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, The Streamy Awards by Sam Gutelle
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An eight-year-old video of a cute baby could lead to a significant chance regarding video claiming policy on the Internet. A US appeals court judge has ruled in favor of Stephanie Lenz, a Pennsylvania woman who sued Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group (UMG) after the the music label requested a takedown of one of her videos despite her claim of fair use.

Lenz’s battle with UMG began in 2007, when she uploaded a video of her young son dancing to the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy.” UMG, which manages Prince on YouTube, promptly sent Lenz a takedown notice through YouTube’s Content ID system. Lenz responded with a lawsuit, as she claimed her video constituted fair use and was therefore protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Lenz vs. Universal Music Corp. was decided in Lenz’s favor in 2008, but the appeals process dragged on until 2015. In supporting the original decision, Circuit Judge Richard Tallman urged rights holders to take more responsibility for their takedown notices. “Copyright holders cannot shirk their duty to consider – in good faith and prior to sending a takedown notification – whether allegedly infringing material constitutes fair use,” he stated.

The “dancing baby” case is one of several instances where an independent videomaker has clashed with a rights holder over the idea of “bad faith” takedown notices. In 2013, digital media activist and current presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig hit record label Liberation Music with a lawsuit similar to Lenz’s. In that case, the two parties ultimately settled out of court.

The court’s decision in the dancing baby case seems important at first glance, but rights holders still retain a lot of power; after all, they only have to “consider” fair use, which is an infamously nebulous and confusing legal topic to begin with. In addition, any decision that could potentially take power away from Content ID is dangerous. As Facebook’s recent struggles with “freebooting” have shown, rights holders need to be able to effectively police content on video sites in order to prevent others from making illicit profits.

One thing’s for certain: Lenz’s child is perhaps the most important toddler in YouTube history–though this kid gives him a run for his money.

Filed under: Articles, Content ID, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Fandango has just upped its mobile presence. The online ticketing company has released its own mobile app called Fandango Movieclips, dedicated to movie trailers, film clips, and the brand’s own original content.

The Fandango Movieclips app, which is available on both iOS and Android devices, gives users immediate access to the brand’s entire video library. Fandango already has a movie times and ticketing app. However, the Movieclips version hosts film trailers and clips, as well as original Fandango content like the web series I Love Movies and Movieclips Mini Movies.

It only makes sense Fandango would release an app to host all its movie clips and original videos. Since the movie ticketing brand acquired the Movieclips network from ZEFR in 2014, Fandango has been ramping up its digital strategy and producing more original content. The company’s latest project, Movie3Some, was filmed at YouTube Space LA and features three movie fans discussing the latest releases and pop culture tidbits.

Fandango reps told StreamDaily the Movieclips app is currently in beta, but you can still download the Fandango Movieclips app for free via the iTunes App Store or Google Play. No official release date for the full version of the Fandango Movieclips app has been announced as of yet.

Filed under: Articles, Fandango, News by Bree Brouwer
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ComScore has a new service which should make tracking audiences on both traditional television and digital much easier. The measurement and data company has released its cross-platform content and audience analytics tool Xmedia across the U.S.

The new comScore Xmedia tool helps brands gather a total overview of their audiences’ consumption habits. A release claims Xmedia allows users to “combine properties from TV and digital to analyze unduplicated, incremental, and overlapped audience reach and engagement across platforms.”

Before comScore’s Xmedia service, most cable and broadcast companies have had to use two separate tools to accomplish the same goal of measuring both TV and digital viewing data. But Serge Matta, CEO of comScore, noted how audiences’ on-demand, on-the-go viewing of content has altered the way TV measurement is done.

“Putting these pieces together in a measurement system that accounts for all the ways content is consumed today is no small feat, and completely different rules of engagement are required,” Matta continued. “We’re excited to be the first company to help the industry rewrite these rules by delivering what our clients have long been asking for: a comprehensive and granular cross-platform measurement system that combines TV and digital audiences.

“We don’t see digital as a bonus audience anymore, as it is an integral part of how content is consumed today. However, we currently have an incomplete picture and are not getting credit for consumption that happens on non-linear platforms,” added Tom Ziangas, SVP Research at AMC Networks. “ComScore Xmedia now gives us this total representation of our audience, allowing us to fully understand and monetize the portion of our audience that has not previously been measured.”

ComScore is not the first measurement and analytics firm to focus on the importance of digital audience metrics. Back in October 2014, Nielsen and Adobe Systems announced the Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, a service which pulls data from across a brand’s owned digital properties to determine users’ viewing and interaction habits. Nielsen and Adobe’s digital analytics product, however, doesn’t integrate Nielsen’s traditional TV ratings system, so companies still need two different tools if they wish to track both TV and digital audiences.

You can learn more about comScore’s Xmedia product by visiting the brand’s official website.

Filed under: Articles, comScore, News by Bree Brouwer
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Connor Franta is resurrecting a fundraising campaign he started last year on his birthday. The YouTube celebrity and record label owner has used Prizeo launch his second campaign for The Thirst Project and raise funds for building wells in the African country of Swaziland.

Franta, who boasts over 5.7 million subscribers across two channels, originally teamed with the Thirst Project in September 2014 to launch a fundraising campaign for his 22nd birthday. After 30 days, Franta had surpassed his goal of $120,000 by hitting $230,000, enough funds to build 19 wells for thousands of people in Swaziland (the vlogger had originally hoped to build ten wells). Franta was recently recognized for his charitable work at The Thirst Project Gala on June 30, where he received the Governor’s Award.

This year, Franta’s goal is to raise $180,000 so The Thirst Project can build 15 more wells for Swaziland’s communities. The new fundraising campaign will be similar to the one for Franta’s birthday last year, where fans who donate can earn different incentives like t-shirts and posters. The ultimate reward for donating a chunk of change to Franta’s Thirst Project campaign is a coffee date with the now 23-year-old YouTube vlogger.

“There are still so many people in the world who do not have access to something as simple as clean, safe drinking water,” said Connor in a release. “The campaign I did for Thirst Project last year on my birthday made a tremendous difference thanks to the incredible generosity of my viewers, and I hope together we’ll be able to make an even larger contribution to the cause this year.”

In addition to his Thirst Project campaign, Franta also helps support the organization financially through the sales of his Common Culture Coffee label. The earth-conscious Common Culture Coffee brand, which the YouTube star launched in February 2015, sources beans from local roasters. At the coffee label’s launch, Franta pledged $1 to The Thirst Project for every Common Culture bag sold.

You can donate to Franta’s Thirst Project birthday campaign by visiting prizeo.com/connor.

Filed under: Articles, Connor Franta, News by Bree Brouwer
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Josh Elkin’s upcoming show will likely satisfy fans who boast a sweet tooth. The Epic Meal Time star will host the Cooking Channel baking competition show Sugar Showdown, set for release on October 1, 2015.

Produced by Architect Films, Sugar Showdown pits three bakers against each other for the chance to win $10,000 and the title of best dessert chef around. The bakers will first compete to see who can create the best sweet treat incorporating a mystery ingredient like balsamic vinegar or beets. Then, a rotating panel of judges will choose which two bakers should move on to the final round, where the culinary experts will be tested based on their ability to develop a dessert around a given theme like aliens or beach parties. Elkin will host all thirteen episodes of Sugar Showdown.

“Following the popularity of [another Cooking Channel show] Donut Showdown viewers wanted more sweet competition with even more variety,” said Michael Smith, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Cooking Channel, in a release. “Sugar Showdown is sure to give them the sugar rush they have been craving with the thrilling competition and indulgent confections.”

Unfortunately, Elkin’s new show on Cooking Channel means the digital star is no longer with Epic Meal Time. On September 11, EMT’s Harley Morenstein tweeted a picture of himself hugging Elkin and wrote that he’d lost a teammate. Elkin later confirmed his departure from EMT in a tweet to a fan, but still claimed his lifetime allegiance to the show and team which launched his career:

@miiyuyam yes it is. But bacon 4 life. EpicMealTime 4 ever.

— Josh Elkin (@EpicMook) September 14, 2015

You can catch Elkin on Sugar Showdown starting October 1 at 9 PM EST on the Cooking Channel. You can also visit cookingchannel.com/SugarShowdown to watch web-only videos and collect tips on novice baking from the show’s judges.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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Rooster Teeth has some more awkward situations lined up to entertain fans. Fullscreen’s Austin-based production studio will debut the second season of its prank experiment show Social Disorder on September 16, 2015.

Social Disorder stars Rooster Teeth employees Chris Demarais and Aaron Marquis who use hidden cameras as they square off in a battle of wits to see who can make it through the most embarrassing social situations they can concoct for each other. In the first season of Social Disorder, for example, Demarais and Marquis had to enlist strangers to help them drag a body bag around town while the other prankster was inside.

Season two of Social Disorder will provide its own set of challenges for Demarais and Marquis. If the trailer is any indication, the two Rooster Teeth members will have to host a non-traditional yoga class, speak up boldly at a public town meeting, and wear pregnancy bellies and participate in a maternity photo shoot.

Season two of Social Disorder will differ from the first season in how the winner of each episode is determined. In season one, Demarais and Marquis earned points based on their creativity, impromptu responses, helpers, and more. But in season two, Rooster Teeth fans will be able to decide who was the winner of the individual episodes. Viewers can vote via Twitter to select either Demarais or Marquis; the winner will be announced in each subsequent episode.

You can watch all episodes of Social Disorder season two on Rooster Teeth’s site or YouTube channel starting September 16.

Filed under: Articles, News, Rooster Teeth, Web Series by Bree Brouwer
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