As it looks to bring online video stars into the film industry, Supergravity Pictures is moving into the world of comedy. Its newest project is a stand-up special that will feature the comedic stylings of former SourceFed host Elliott Morgan.
The special, which is currently untitled, will begin production shortly. Supergravity, which has also worked with YouTube stars like Kian Lawley and Kevin Wu on film projects, will handle financing, production, and distribution. As a press release puts it, Morgan “will tell the jokes.”
Supergravity was co-founded in 2014 by Max Benator and Marc Hustvedt. Hustvedt (who, full disclosure, is a co-founder of Tubefilter) has experience with comedy specials, having produced Maria Bamford’s Special special special!back in 2012. “Elliott has always been one of the funniest and smartest people on the Internet,” said Hustvedt in the release. “We’re excited to partner with Elliott to make his first comedy special unique, intelligent and hilarious just like the talented comic he is.”
Morgan is best known for his work on SourceFed, where he was an original host. After leaving the offbeat news channel in 2014, Morgan has showed up in a number of different projects: Among other hosting gigs, he’s appeared on Mashable Minute, Buzzr’s reboot of the classic game show Beat the Clock, and Happy Hour, a series he created for his own personal channel.
“I’m incredibly excited to bring my stand-up comedy to a larger audience and create a special that people can really latch onto,” said Morgan, “now I just have to write some jokes!”
While an official release date for Morgan’s special has not yet been revealed, it is expected to arrive before the end of the year.
Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.
Meg DeAngelis is moving on up. The 20-year-old YouTube star, who got her start doing gymnastics tutorials on YouTube, is now part of a younger generation of online video content creators who are rolling up subscribers by the million and using their charismatic personalities to entertain young fans. DeAngelis’ videos range from back to school tips to DIY adventures to advice vlogs, but throughout all her work, she maintains an upbeat attitude. Here’s our conversation with her:
Tubefilter: How does it feel to have more than three million subscribers? What do you want to say to your fans?
Meg DeAngelis: It’s so crazy to me. I mean, I’m still waiting for it to hit me that I have 10,000 subscribers, let alone 3 million. I want my viewers to know how much I love and appreciate them. Without them, none of this would be possible. I also want them to know that they can do anything they set their mind to. If they keep working hard on their dreams and never give up, great things are bound to happen.
TF: Did you ever think you’d be as big as you are now when you started your channel? What was your original intention behind your videos?
MD: I think the thing is, I didn’t have an intention. I thought of YouTube as a pastime at first, and then slowly, it grew into one of my biggest passions. I only realized how much I loved creating videos after I had been doing it for a few months and had experimented with different channel genres and video types.
TF: On your YT channel about page you say you love Harry Potter. If you could film a video with any one character or actor from that series, who would it be and why?
MD: Can I pick J.K. Rowling? Harry Potter was such a huge part of my childhood – I wouldn’t even know how to act normal around someone who gave me something so amazing. I guess I would probably invite her over, interview her for hours, try to make her cookies, and tell her thank you for Harry Potter about every 8 seconds.
TF: What was your favorite part of working on the web series?
MD: Since it was one of my first on-camera acting experiences, I would say the best part of it was learning how a production like that works, and learning to be comfortable acting in front of a big crew. By the end of it, I realized how much I love acting, so discovering a new passion was obviously a bonus too!
TF: One of your most-viewed videos is about simple hairstyles. But which one do you wish more people would watch and why?
MD: Anyone but that one! I don’t even think I edited it at all now that I think about it….I’m pretty sure it was a one-take wonder. I wish more people would watch my ‘10 Things Every Girl Should Know‘ video. I tried to base it on things that I didn’t want girls to have to find out for themselves, like how to address negative people., I love that YouTubers have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, and I want to make sure I’m doing my best to do that.
TF: What does your family, and more specifically your twin sister, think of your YouTube work?
MD: They are all awesome and very supportive! My sister has her own Instagram that a lot of my viewers follow, and she constantly tells me how adorable they are, and what sweet things they comment. It makes me really happy.
TF: If you could make any video or web series, what would it be about?
MD: I have always thought it would be so cool to create scripted content on my channel! Right now, I actually have two different projects that I’ve been working on for a while that fall within that realm, but I want to keep them a surprise for now!
TF: Do you think you’ll continue to do YouTube videos your whole life? Why or why not?
MD: I have so much fun with YouTube and the community I’m able to be a part of, that I don’t see me leaving my channel anytime soon or even at all for that matter! I’m really happy on the Internet and I love my maybaby fam too much to leave…Go #TeamInternet!
TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans?
MD: Like I said before, I’ve spent a lot of time working on a couple scripted projects the last few months that I am SO stoked about! I’m a little nervous about doing something so different, but at the same time, striving to be more original with my content makes me really excited.
Todrick Hall is coming to the small screen, and his TV show looks like it will be a lot of fun. MTV has shared a trailer for Todrick, an upcoming series that will follow its titular YouTube star as he works on his extravagant, genre-bending music videos.
Hall, who has more than 1.6 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, is known for creating videos that mix hip-hop, Disney movies, and dazzling choreography to create a product unlike anything else on the Internet. Here’s one of his latest releases, which mashes up Disney with 90s hip-hop jams:
Hall’s videos caught the eye of MTV, and in 2014, Todrick was born. The MTV series will go behind-the-scenes of Hall’s videos. It will show viewers how he puts together his work, introduce us to his collaborators, and shine a spotlight on his big personality. In many ways, it seems similar to RocketJump: The Show, another upcoming series that also follows its YouTube-bred stars as they work on bombastic videos.
Todrick will premiere at 10 PM EST on August 31st and will run for eight episodes in total. While he brings his talent to TV screens, Hall will continue to be active on YouTube. As he explained during a recent press event, he doesn’t want to do anything that will, in his words, “make me lose my street cred.”
Welcome to the Fund This column! Each week, we’ll look at a planned web series or other online video project currently in search of funding on crowdfunding sites. We’ll tell you what the series is all about and explain why it is worth your money. Do you have a project that’s currently being crowdfunded? Contact us to let us know and we may feature it in upcoming installments and check out previous installments righthere.
Description: When adopting a child, make sure you check all the right boxes, or you might end up like Ben and Julie Adams. The Adamses are the main characters in Adopted, a web series currently seeking the funding it needs for its second season.
In the first episode of Adopted, Ben and Julie learn the 16-month-old boy they thought they were adopting is actually a 16-year-old, thanks to a mis-checked box during the adoption process. The rest of the season follows the son, Kofi, as he adjusts to his new life. At the same time, we watch Ben and Julie get used to a child who, in their eyes, skipped the majority of his childhood. The first season ran for 11 episodes total; they’re all available on the series’ official website.
Season two will continue the story of the Adams family while introducing some new characters. Most significantly, Doug Jones–who among many film roles has appeared in movies like Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and the upcoming Crimson Peak–will join the Adopted cast.
Addition details about Adopted are available in its slightly offbeat pitch video:
Creator Bio: The creators of Adopted, Jeff Larson and Erika Solsten, also star as its leading couple. They both have plenty of acting experience; among other credits, Larson has appeared on Glee.
Best Perk: The $50 perk package includes an Adopted-branded coffee mug for backers who want to “sip on adopted awesomeness every morning for the rest of your mug life.”
Why You Should Fund It: As Adopted looks to get itself funded, it has two major advantages going for it. The first and perhaps most important reason to get excited about the series is the abundance of talent among its cast. As an extensive section within the Kickstarter page show, the actors who will have roles in Adopted‘s second season have strong pedigrees, and that bodes well for the series’ quality.
The existence of a first season also gives potential backers a great idea of what to expect. The first 11 episodes of Adopted are cleanly shot, well-acted, and considerably funny. There’s no reason to think the second season of the series won’t deliver a similar–if not higher–level of quality.
Got a crowdfunding campaign you’d like to see featured in Fund This? Be sure to contact us here.
Anyone who spends a lot of time on YouTube understands the significance of the number 301 as it pertains to the video site. It’s the number at which view counts pause so that YouTube can check for bots. For that reason, it’s also the number that launched a thousand explanatory blog posts.
From now on, though, 301 will just be another number. In a tweet, YouTube announced its plan to stop pausing videos at 301 views. “We’re saying goodbye to 301+ and hello to more up-to-date video views,” reads the tweet.
The initial reasoning behind the 301 view freeze concerned bots. In order to make sure all its video views were legitimate, YouTube decided to briefly pause view counts so that it could conduct an audit process. This process, while necessary at the time, befuddled many site users, who thought the paused view counts might be some sort of glitch. In order to clear up some of the confusion, YouTube eventually added a plus sign as a way of saying “we know this video has many more than 301 views, and we’ll be able to show you its actual view count shortly.”
Now, YouTube is adopting a new system, one that does not require it to freeze view counts at 301. Instead, it will automatically verify views that surely come from real people, and it throw the rest of the views into a separate category, where they can be verified on the fly. This will smooth out the audit process and lead to less confusion.
The new system is undoubtedly a positive change, but I’m going to miss the mythos that surrounded 301 views. Yes, it was confusing, but on the other hand, it led to some pretty good jokes. Rest in peace, 301+.
Through projects like Burning Love(Yahoo), Hotwives(Hulu), and Beef(iTunes), Paramount Digital has brought quality comedy to multiple online platforms. With its latest project, it is working with yet another distributor: Vimeo. The digital wing of the Hollywood studio will bring a comedy special called Crash Test to the Vimeo On Demand platform.
Crash Test comes from frequent Paramount Digital collaborators Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer, who based the special off their Upright Citizens Brigade show of the same name. As Deadline explains, Crash Test “takes place on a moving bus traveling throughout Los Angeles, with improvised stand-up at stops, a comedic “tour” of celebrity homes, and more.”
As with other Paramount Digital projects, Crash Test will be chock-full of guest stars. Among several other familiar faces, Aziz Ansari, Rob Corddry, and Aubrey Plaza are all slated to appear.
On Vimeo On Demand, Crash Test will an expanding library of comedy offerings. The premium platform, which allows its users to set custom prices, is also home to Rubberhead, a special from the funny people at JASH.
Crash Test will cost $3.99 to purchase. It will be available beginning on August 18th.
While it has released plenty of original series over the past couple of years, Hulu is still searching for a show that can attain the same sort of mainstream recognition afforded to the best original series from Netflix and Amazon. Difficult People may not be that show, but it seems to be drawing quite a bit of buzz. The comedy, which stars Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner as best friends who have little empathy and even less self-awareness, has premiered on Hulu and generated positive reviews from critics.
Difficult People’s main characters, also named Julie and Billy, are in some ways modeled after their respective real life counterparts, though I would hope Klausner (the host of the How Was Your Weekpodcast) and Eichner (the man behind Billy on the Street) are not as narcissistic as their televised counterparts. Julie and Billy (the characters) are stuck on the fringes of the entertainment industry, and as the LA Times puts it, “the biggest obstacle they face is themselves.”
Difficult People sure seems like it’s primed to become Hulu’s most successful original series thus far. A show led by two bold, fearless New Yorkers with ties to Amy Poehler (who is executive producer for Difficult People) worked wonders for Comedy Central. Can it do the same for Hulu? Check out the first two episodes, which are currently available for free, and decide for yourself:
At YouTube Space LA, Endemol has got to work on a new digital series. The media company, which runs the multi-channel network Endemol Beyond, has kicked off production on a video game competition series called Legends of Gaming.
Legends of Gaming is based on a British program Endemol produced last year. The American version, which Endemol Beyond discussed during its 2015 Newfronts presentation, is hosted by YouTube star Toby Turner (aka Tobuscus) and features well-known online gamers duking it out in a series of e-sports challenges.
The cast is a strong one. As Variety reports, participating YouTube gamers include Syndicate, Jovenshire, andLui Calibre. E-sports pros will also join the fun as coaches. “E-Sports is starting to pop — there’s a huge amount of movement in this space,” Endemol Beyond USA COO Adrian Sexton told Variety. “When we looked at the metrics…This is exactly younger audiences want.”
No exact release date for the American version of Legends of Gaming has been announced, but when the series arrives, it will be one of the first offerings from Smasher, a new gaming-focused sub-network run by Endemol Beyond.
Trainwreck has been available in American movie theaters for several weeks, but it is just now beginning its journey overseas. On August 14th, the romantic comedy will arrive across the pond, and in order to support its British premiere, its star paired up with a notable YouTube duo. In a new video, online video stars Jack Howard and Dean Dobbs–known collectively as Jack and Dean–show us what happens when they try “Dating Amy Schumer.”
The video begins with Howard informing Dobbs about his plan to ask Schumer on a date. After meeting up with the comedienne, Howard’s plan is derailed by a combination of his own awkwardness and Dobbs’ distracting asides. Schumer, much as she did when she and Trainwreck co-star Bill Hader collaborated with The Fine Bros, mostly just goes with the flow, rather than attempting to take over the scene; your mileage may vary on whether you think that’s a smart strategy.
Teaming with Amy Schumer is another big step in Jack and Dean’s collaborative filmmaking career. It’s also good publicity for Trainwreck, which is looking to build on the $80 million it has made in the United States thus far.
Kin Community has added one of YouTube’s biggest stars to its roster of talent. The multi-channel network, which brands itself as “the global leader in women’s lifestyle,” has joined forces with Hannah Hart for a multi-year strategic partnership.
Hart is one of YouTube’s most beloved creators. After first coming to prominence as the boozed-up host of her My Drunk Kitchenweb series, Hart has managed to build on her success and has expanded her presence to include vlogs, tours, and off-YouTube ventures. In her videos, when she’s not busy dishing out as many puns as possible, she maintains a consistent, positive attitude for her young fanbase, which is currently more than two million YouTube subscribers strong.
It’s Hart’s voice that, in the eyes of Kin Community founder Michael Wayne, makes her a perfect addition to the network. “Hannah embodies Kin’s core values: she’s incredibly creative, fun, tenacious and philanthropic,” Wayne said in a press release. “It’s not surprising we are thrilled to be working with her. We look forward to providing meaningful opportunities that will empower her as a creator and entrepreneur.”
“I am very excited to start working with Kin Community,” added Hart. “I feel like their values and partnerships align well with the HARTO brand. I hope to build some wonderful things together!”
As is typical of deals between content creators and multi-channel networks, Kin Community will offer Hart channel management services, programming opportunities, and brand partnerships. She’ll also join a network of YouTube stars that has grown considerably in recent months; other content creators who have signed with Kin Community since the start of 2015 include LaurDIY and Casey Holmes.
A magazine that has built up a library of successful videos on YouTube is now incorporating those videos back into its print business. Motor Trend, which runs a YouTube channel that claims more than 3.3 million subscribers and upwards of 880 million views, will develop a quarterly magazine based off Roadkill, one of its most popular web series.
Roadkill stars a pair of car enthusiasts, David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan, as they engage in ridiculous automotive shenanigans. Freiburger and Finnegan’s adventures show off everything from classic hot rods to broken down jalopies to top-of-the-line luxury cars. Scott Dickey, the CEO of Motor Trend publisher Ten: The Enthusiast Network, described the series to The Wall Street Journal as “guys behaving badly with cars.” Commenters on Roadkill’s YouTube videos have alternatively termed it “Top Gear America done right.”
The Roadkill magazine will share the web series’ young, fresh attitude, and the hope is that Millennial consumers will be willing to pay $9.99 per issue to pick it up. “We don’t think print is a dying business,” Dickey told WSJ. “We do make a bunch of money in print. And with millennials, they’re not opposed to print. They just didn’t grow up with it.”
Motor Trend, of course, can bring its established knowledge of the magazine business to the Roadkill periodical. The new quarterly’s first issue will arrive in September; until then, updates and online features are available on a recently-launched Roadkill website.
Amazon Video’s most critically-lauded show now has a premiere date on which its second season will become available. Transparent, which follows a family patriarch played by Jeffrey Tambor as he transitions to life as a woman, will launch the follow-up to its acclaimed first season on December 4th, 2015.
Transparentfirst premiered in September 2014 and was immediately met with high praise from critics and audiences alike. In response, Amazon was quick to pick up its star series for a second season; it even renewed Transparent for a third season in June 2015, half a year before the planned premiere of season two.
Season two of Transparent will continue to tell its protagonist’s story while also paying increased attention to the scrambled lives of her ex-wife and children. As the series move forward, its status as a relevant political statement will remain important. “Over the course of the past year, as it has become this tsunami in the zeitgeist, the most exciting part is the civil rights movement,” said series creator Jill Soloway.
The hope, for Amazon, is that future seasons of Transparent will add to the trophy collection the show has already earned. It was a landmark winner at the most recent Golden Globes, and at the upcoming Emmys, where it is nominated 12 times, it has a chance to achieve more wins.
Amazon’s originals library also continues to grow. By the time Transparent returns, Amazon will have premiered at least two more enticing original series: Hand of Godand The Man in the High Castle.
