Snapchat Original Content Head Sean Mills Says App “Brings An Audience That Nobody Else Has”

Snapchat may have recently lost its top content exec, longtime VP Nick Bell, but the company is moving full speed ahead with its original programming ventures.

In addition to continuing to improve its relationships with the digital creator community, the company launched Snap Originals in October — a slate of both reality and scripted serialized shows with interactive AR features. We sat down with Sean Mills, Snapchat’s head of original content, at IAB‘s inaugural NewFronts West, where he spoke to the platform’s role as a pioneer in vertical video and in helping to envision the future of TV as it’s consumed on mobile devices.

What does that look like? “Three to five minutes in length, highly visual, very fast-paced,

and just big personalities,” Mills says. “We see how much they shine on our platform.” He adds that Snapchat has an audience unlike any other platform. The company produces a daily news cast that gets 1 million viewers every day, for instance — 70% of whom are between the ages of 13 and 24. This is a user base that primarily consumes content on their phones, he explains, and don’t often look to competing screens.

For more about how Snapchat’s ephemeral nature has ushered in a new generation of creators, as well as the platform’s unique opportunities for brands, check out our interview with Mills below: