With Guests Like George Takei, A Facebook Success Story Tries To Strike YouTube Gold

With its attention-grabbing videos, ATTN: has become a well-circulated brand on Facebook, where its official page has close to 3.6 million likes. Now, with a new web series, ATTN: is looking to see if its politically-conscious formula can be a hit on YouTube. The series is called Paying Attention, and it features interviews with celebrities like George Takei.

Paying Attention is hosted by Matthew Segal, ATTN:’s co-founder. In each episode, Segal sits down with a famous guest and picks his or her brain on a number of topics, many of which lie within the political realm. Up first is Takei, a former TV star and a Facebook thought leader in his own right. Future episodes will see Segal chat with the likes of Robert Reich, Mike Rowe, and Keith Ellison.

Much of the content ATTN: shares on Facebook leans to the left, and the company owes much of its success to the intense chatter its content generates on social media. Paying Attention is driven by a similar principle: The show’s pilot, which features a conversation with satirist Bill Maher, has received more than 4.3 million views as well as large tallies in both the like and dislike columns. Many of that video’s 26,000 comments are laced with political vitriol.

Based on the response the Maher video has drawn, we won’t be surprising if Paying Attention delivers several more viral hits over the course of its run. Future episodes — which will be available through the ATTN: YouTube channel — won’t be liked by all, but they’re guaranteed to generate fierce debate.