After announcing dismal quarterly earnings yesterday, which caused its stock price to plummet by 15%, Snapchat may be looking to reverse course in its relationship with the digital influencer community — which CEO Evan Spiegel conceded that the company has “historically neglected.”

“While we have made significant progress in our work to empower the creation of user-generated content from friends and premium content from publishers, we have historically neglected the creator community,” Spiegel said yesterday in a prepared statement. “In 2018, we are going to build more distribution and monetization opportunities for these creators in an effort to empower our creative community.” These updates could include sharing ad revenue from Stories with creators, as well as providing professional tools to help them develop premium-style content, he said.

At the same time, parent company Snap announced that it would undertake a redesign of its flagship app to make it easier to use, including sorting users’ Stories with an algorithm (as opposed to chronologically).

Snap has long had a contentious relationship with the influencer community, which has reportedly been defecting from the app in droves in favor of Instagram — a trend that first began to rear its head back in March. In August, Snapchat sought to ingratiate itself with the influencer community by offering some creators verified status (via emojis), customized Lenses for special events, and posts designated as ‘Official Stories’ — meaning that they show up more prominently within search results.

Filed under: Snapchat by Geoff Weiss
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Social media marketing agency Kairos Media has signed top Dutch YouTube star Jordi ‘Kwebbelkop’ van den Bussche to Kairos Talent — its talent management subsidiary. U.K.-headquartered Kairos will represent the 22-year-old exclusively, and will work to continue to grow his online presence.

Van den Bussche, who rose to fame on YouTube for his ‘Let’s Play’ gaming videos, counts roughly 8.7 million subscribers across both of his channels. “Business isn’t solely about money, it’s a service that transcends a multitude of elements,” he said in a statement, “and that’s why I’m delighted to announce that I have appointed Kairos as my official agent.”

In addition to Van den Bussche, Kairos Media announced in September that it had acquired the Lightning Pandas, a noted esports team, and also signed the prominent FIFA player Sean ‘Dragonn’ Allen. Kairos Talent also reps FIFA players Jesse ‘Fangs’ Campana (1.4 million subscribers), Craig NepentheZ Douglas (1.5 million subscribers), and Jamie Bateson (1 million subscribers).

Van den Bussche most recently appeared in a Dutch documentary called YouTube, YouTubers, And You that explores the online video industry through the eyes of top creators. Earlier this year, he appeared as a character in a mobile game alongside fellow YouTube gaming stars called Fastlane: Road To Revenge.

Filed under: News by Geoff Weiss
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YouTube is a place where viewers can discover cultures from around the world, and in the Netherlands, the local culture sometimes involves the legal consumption of recreation drugs. The year-old YouTube channel Drugslab, which is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, has drawn attention — and its share of controversy — by depicting the effects of drugs that are illegal in many other nations.

The three hosts of Drugslab are Bastiaan Rosman, Rens Polman, and Nellie Sophia Benner. In each episode, at least one of them ingests a foreign substance, whether it be cocaine, Ritalin, or recreational cocoa powder, and documents his or her feelings, bodily sensations, and mood. In one recent installment, Benner chronicled her experience during an LSD trip. She speaks in Dutch, but English subtitles are available.

Drugslab took its first hit in September 2016 and has taken off since then, with viewers fascinated by its frank, didactic approach to illicit material. The channel now has more than 500,000 subscribers, and has drawn ire from some local politicians in the UK, who have decried what they perceive as glamorization of dangerous drugs.

Whether uptight politicians like it or not, Drugslab epitomizes what makes YouTube great. It provides the sort of content that consumers would be hard-pressed to find on American and British TV channels, and wraps its experiences in a bright, positive tone. YouTube, for its own part, has defended Drugslab’s merit. “Drugslab is a channel from a respected national public broadcaster in the Netherlands and aims to educate around the safe use and dangers of drugs,” the video platform said in a statement.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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As competitors like Instagram Stories and WhatsApp Status continue to grow, Snapchat is struggling to keep up, and as a result, it is resorting to drastic changes. After reporting disappointing earnings during the third quarter of 2017, the messaging app announced its plan to redo its Stories section in order to put forth a more algorithmic approach.

During Q3 2017, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. lost $443 million, a figure four times larger than the one Snap reported at this time last year. About $40 million of those losses were related to unsold Snapchat Spectacles; hundreds of thousands of the wearable gadgets are sitting in warehouses in China, according to a recent report. As a result of Snapchat’s poor quarter, its stock price went down by more than 15 percent.

How will Snapchat right itself? According to the company’s CEO, Evan Spiegel (pictured above), the plan is to take a page out of Facebook’s…book. Right now, Snapchat’s Stories are sorted by upload time from newest to oldest, but when the next stage of the company’s development goes live, an algorithm will present users with Stories that are most relevant to their interests. Spiegel believes this strategy will widen Snapchat’s base.

“There is a strong likelihood that the redesign of our application will be disruptive to our business in the short term, and we don’t yet know how the behavior of our community will change when they begin to use our updated application,” Spiegel said during Snapchat’s latest earnings report. “We’re willing to take that risk for what we believe are substantial longterm benefits to our business…We hope that showing the right Stories to the right audience will help grow engagement and monetization for our partners and for Snapchat.”

Many of Snapchat’s struggles over the past year can be attributed to fierce competition from Facebook subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp, which have found success with copycat versions of the Stories feature. Now, Snapchat seems to saying, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” If Facebook’s companies can copy and perfect Snapchat’s signature feature, maybe the latter app can put its own spin on Facebook’s signature feed. It’s worth a shot, because based on Snap’s latest earnings report, the company’s previous course didn’t produce adequate results.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Cartoon Hangover is pressing “go” on a dozen new animated projects. The channel run by Frederator has launched GO! Cartoons, a partnership with Sony Pictures Animation that will include 12 episodes.

The installments of GO! Cartoons are all helmed by different creators and contain their own narratives. Taken together, they are the entrants in an incubator project that will ultimately see one of them developed into a full series to be released on the Cartoon Hangover channel.

Up first in the GO! Cartoons canon is The Summoning, in which a witch and her feline companion attempt to make magic. Elyse Castro created and wrote it, and Natasha Allegri — the woman behind the popular Cartoon Hangover series Bee & PuppyCat — served as director.

GO! Cartoons was first announced way back in 2014, when Frederator put forth a call for submissions from aspiring animators. From that group, 12 creators earned funding from Sony and a spot in the incubator’s lineup. In our initial coverage of the partnership, we noted that several prominent Frederator productions, including The Fairly OddParents and Adventure Time, began as incubator projects.

“Sony Pictures Animation has been the perfect partner in finding these creators and realizing their unique visions,” said Frederator Networks CEO Fred Seibert in a press release. “Frederator is dedicated to finding new voices for the world to fall in love with.”

The second episode of GO! Cartoons will arrive on November 21, two weeks after the series’ premiere. Look for it on the Cartoon Hangover YouTube channel, which has close to two million subscribers.

Filed under: Articles, Channel Frederator, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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In the wake of a series of wildfires that surged across Northern California last month, resulting in more than 40 deaths and the devastation of 6,000 homes — with damage estimates in the billions of dollars — YouTube and Twitter announced today that they will both livestream a Band Together Bay Area charity concert on Thursday beginning at 8:45 pm ET to support recovery efforts

Featuring performances by Metallica, Dead & Company, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, G-Eazy, Rancid, and Raphael Saadiq, all ticket sales will go to an emergency relief fund established by local poverty-fighting nonprofit Tipping Point Community. Tipping Point will distribute funds to community foundations, local service providers, and government partners, who will work to provide temporary housing, food, education, and healthcare services. Funds will be harnessed toward the low income communities that were hit hardest by the fires.

In addition to ticket sales, viewers can donate to the Tipping Point Emergency Relief Fund via YouTube alongside the stream, or by texting ‘TOGETHER’ to 20222 through the end of the year. Parent company Google is also vowing to match any donations made up to $1 million. The five-hour show will air on Metallica’s YouTube channel as well a dedicated Twitter landing page.

“Our neighbors in the North Bay have shown incredible strength as a community, and Google is proud to support Band Together Bay Area to help bring critical resources, funding, and support for those affected by the devastating wildfires in Northern California,” Google.org president Jacqueline Fuller said in a statement.

Filed under: Twitter, YouTube by Geoff Weiss
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To celebrate AwesomenessTV‘s latest drama series, Zac & Mia, which was first announced in March and bows today on Verizon‘s Go90, co-star Kian Lawley took to Tumblr to participate in one of the platform’s Answer Time Q&A sessions this afternoon.

Zac & Mia, based on the novel by A.J. Betts, tells the story of two teenagers who bond while undergoing cancer treatment. Lawley headlines the series alongside actress Anne Winters, and fellow influencer Alexis G. Zall stars as Zac’s sister. During his first-ever Answer Time session, Lawley discussed his preferred breakfast food (omelettes and waffles), the performer that has most influenced his career (Jim Carrey), and his dream pet (an okapi).

Lawley, 22, also shared that he and his character, Zac, have many similar qualities, and answered thusly when asked what he would most like to change about the world if given any opportunity: “Clean drinking water for everyone, because you’re supposed to drink it to sustain life. Clean water is something we take for granted.”

You can check out the full Q&A right here, as well as the trailer for Zac & Mia below. Lawley has a slew of other roles on tap, including for the horror feature Monster Party, the AT&T Hello Lab series Guilty Party, and a feature adaptation of the young adult novel The Hate U Give.

Filed under: AwesomenessTV, Go90 by Geoff Weiss
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Karina Garcia is using her influence to assist disaster relief efforts in the United States. The popular creator, who is known for her slime videos and the family-friendly nature of her content, has planned a pair of live events in Texas to support the Red Cross Natural Disaster Relief Fund.

Garcia, who has received more than 900 million views on her YouTube videos, went on her first tour earlier this year, hitting 14 cities between August and September. In the wake of an active and destructive hurricane season, which saw major storms hit Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico, Garcia has decided to return to the road in order to show her support. The first of her two benefit shows will take place in Houston on December 16. A day later, she will head up I-45 to entertain fans in Dallas.

Both of Garcia’s new shows are produced by Fullscreen Live, which also worked with her on her late-summer event series. The media company also recently added Garcia to its roster of digital native talent.

Garcia’s show are part of a busy holiday season for Fullscreen Live, which is also producing events for creators Issa Twaimz and Weston Koury. “This has been a record-breaking year for us in terms of show quantity and we couldn’t be more excited to end the year strong working alongside such incredible creators,” said Fullscreen Live Senior Director Jeff Kuprycz in a press release. “As family-friendly live experiences become more scarce, along with our partner AT&T, we are proud to present options that kids and parents can enjoy together.”

Tickets for Garcia’s upcoming shows are available through the Fullscreen Live website and begin at $39. All proceeds from the events will be donated to the Red Cross.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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The debut book from lifestyle vlogger Jessie Paege officially hits Target and Barnes & Noble shelves today — and the 18-year-old is celebrating the launch of Hey, It’s Okay To Be You with a little help from her bold-faced friends.

Paege has released a Spotify playlist in celebration of the inspirational and educational tome, in which digital celebrities have contributed their favorite feel-good songs. Participants include: Gigi Gorgeous (who selected “RU” by Niki & Gabi), Eva Gutowski (“Come First” by Terror Jr.), Alisha Marie (“Shake It Out” by Florence + The Machine), Jess Conte (“Try” by Colbie Caillat), and Teala Dunn (“Wild Thoughts” by DJ Khaled). Other participants include BuzzFeed staffer-turned-YouTube megastar Safiya Nygaard, decor channel Mr. Kate, and slime-centric influencer Karina Garcia.

The ‘Self Love‘ playlist, which serves as a complement to many of the themes Paege addresses in Hey, It’s Okay To Be You, is available right here. Hey, It’s Okay To Be You is the first release in a two-book deal between Paege and Sizzle Press — an imprint of Bonnier Publishing USA. The second release, another coloring and activity book called Think Beyond Pink, is currently available for preorder and officially arrives next March.

“I worked so hard on this project and put so much of myself into it,” Paege tells Tubefilter of the autobiography and activity book, which includes games, writing prompts, and challenges, and which also tackles anxiety and mental health issues — including Paege’s own struggles. “When I decided to create a book, I wanted it to be something that made a difference and truly helped readers.”

Paege, who counts 2 million followers across social media and has racked up 60 million YouTube views to date, also has a burgeoning acting career, having appeared in season two of Go90’s hit Guidance series as well as AT&T Hello Lab’s Guilty Party.

Filed under: Books by Geoff Weiss
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BuzzFeed, as a long time publisher on Facebook’s video platform, is a logical partner for Facebook Watch, the premium video service launched earlier this year by the social giant. BuzzFeed’s first contribution to that platform will be RelationShipped, a dating show that will ask its viewing audience to choose its contestants.

The protagonist of RelationShipped will be a single guy who is searching for a soulmate from among ten women. The catch is that the exact identity of that man is not yet known. On November 9, five bachelors will be presented to BuzzFeed’s viewers, who will have one day to vote for the person they want to see at the center of the show. Once he is selected, he will begin to host his female suitors, two at a time, at a mansion in Los Angeles.

Throughout his vetting process, viewers will influence the situation by nominating new characters to throw into the mix and choosing date ideas, among other wrinkles. At the end of the first season, the single guy will select one winner with whom he will become Facebook official.

“Facebook Watch provides a unique opportunity to combine the interactivity of social media and the storytelling of television in one, seamless experience,” says BuzzFeed Head of Development Matthew Henick in a press release. “RelationShipped is an experiment to see what happens when you can do more than just root for your favorite contestants in a dating show, and actually shape the game. The fun part is that we haven’t even shot it yet, so we’ll find out when the audience does.”

BuzzFeed isn’t the only company to build a competition for Facebook Watch. CollegeHumor has brought its own game show, I Want My Phone Back, to the new platform.

The first season of RelationShipped will consist of 18 15-minute episodes,which will arrive on Mondays and Thursdays.

Filed under: Articles, Buzzfeed, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Gamer-focused digital network Machinima and toymaker Hasbro are bringing back the first-ever digital Transformers series for a second season on go90.

Transformers: Titans Return will premiere on the Verizon-owned streaming platform in the U.S. on Nov. 14, as well as in China via Sohu — a local internet company that inked an exclusive licensing deal with Machinima last year. Throughout the rest of the world, the 10-episode series will be available on Tumblr. The first season of Machinima and Hasbro’s Transformers series, subtitled Combiner Wars, launched in August 2016 and has garnered more than 125 million views to date. Combiner Wars and Titans Return are installments in a three-part series titled the Prime Wars Trilogy.

Titans Return will feature performances by a slew of notable voice actors, including Peter Cullen, who originated the voice of protagonist Optimus Prime in the 1980s Transformers TV series. The actor Judd Nelson will also reprise his roles of Rodimus Prime and Hot Rod from the 1986 Transformers animated feature film. Digital influencers contributing their voices to the series include MatPat (Computron), Rob Dyke (Devastator), and Tay Zonday, who will voice the Chorus Of The Primes.

Check out the trailer for the series, which will introduce a new breed of supersized Transformers called Titans, right here:

Filed under: Machinima by Geoff Weiss
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Group Nine Media, the Discovery Communications-backed parent company of popular digital properties Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo, and Seeker, has announced today the acquisition of Jash.

The comedy-centric production company will not operate as a standalone brand like Group Nine’s aforementioned properties, however, but is instead being integrated into its studios division. The acquisition was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Founded by former Jimmy Kimmel Live! execs Daniel Kellison and Doug DeLuca — as well as Maker Studios vet Mickey Meyer — in 2012, Jash was originally conceived as a comedy collective comprising Sarah Silverman, Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, the actor Michael Cera, and musician Reggie Watts. It was initially funded through YouTube‘s now-defunct Original Channels Initiative.

Though the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Jash will henceforth work to develop content for Group Nine’s existing portfolio, help Group Nine explore new distribution channels, and grow its branded content business — an area in which Jash has noted expertise. One new series that Jash will produce is a previously announced NowThis series for Facebook‘s Watch called Home Team: The Las Vegas Golden Knights, which is being co-produced by the NHL. Group Nine says that it is currently the most-watched publisher on Watch, and clocks 5 billion monthly video views across all platforms.

“Jash has refined the development process for IP creation,” Group Nine CEO Ben Lerer told the Reporter in a statement. “The talent they work with and the way that they think about content creation are things we want to be our strengths, but traditionally haven’t been.”

Jash’s 35 employees will continue to operate out of its Culver City, Calif. offices under the direction of CEO Daniel Kellison and president and COO Mickey Meyer — both of whom will report to Group Nine chief brand officer Suzanne Kolb. In addition to 121,000 YouTube subscribers on its main channel and the over 4 million subscribers in its overall network, Jash has produced series for go90, Snapchat, TBS, MTV, Netflix, and Comedy Central. Jash and Group Nine first collaborated last year on a town hall event with Bernie Sanders and Sarah Silverman for NowThis.

Filed under: JASH by Geoff Weiss
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