Game On by VideoInk Editorial

May 2014

Game-On

Issue 6

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Founder Jocelyn Johnson Editor-in-chief Sahil Patel Contributors Michael Varrati Liz Miller Designer Karen Almonte

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Why video Games and youtube are a perfect match 4 The 5 most prominent gaming brands in online video 7-17 Which youtubers and MCN’s are consistently delivering “hit” gaming videos 18 How the gaming world has embraced digital video 20 Gaming and Digial VIdeo 22-26 Choose your own adventure 28-31 -Joey Graceffa -Anthony & Jovenshire -Jimmy wong-ijustine xbox the grand experiment 32 Fists Fly as Machinima Premieres ‘Street Fighter’ Series at YouTube Space LA 34-35 Rooster Teeth: How Passion Birthed a Pioneering Online Video Brand 36 Newfronts on the scene 38 DcNF 2014 voices 46 Newfronts cheat sheet 48 ScreenShot 56

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Why Video Games & YouTube Are a Perfect Match

ouTube is the biggest video site on the planet by a wide margin for a simple reason: It has something for everyone. Regardless of what your interest or passion is, the site allows you to create, watch, share, and talk about videos to satiate that appetite. But among the many niches on YouTube, there are several that stand out above the rest, one of which is video games. You’ve heard it before, and no one has ever questioned it: The gaming community is big on YouTube. But how big, exactly? Number two among all categories, according to data provided to VideoInk by video analytics

and marketing engine Tubular Labs.* Scanning all channels on YouTube that have at least 250 subscribers, Tubular found that 14.98% of those channels have uploaded a video related to gaming. That’s slightly ahead of entertainment, which represents 14.5%, and behind music, which leads with a robust 25.52%. Taking it even a step further, though, of the top 570 million videos on YouTube, 14.8% are gaming videos, with the category accounting for 5.9% of total views on YouTube. These data points illustrate the obvious: “When you think about native audiences on YouTube, there’s really gaming

This “Call of Duty Advanced Warfare” trailer is the most popular video within the gaming category in the past 30 days, according to Tubular Labs.

and there’s beauty,” says Allison Stern, co-founder and GM of media solutions at Tubula Labs. “Those are the two most engaging verticals on YouTube. With gaming, it’s where young males are spending most of their time.” The question then is why — why is the gaming industry and its community so inextricably intertwined with YouTube? After all, there has to be reason that gaming, as Tubular’s data suggests, is the most engaging category on the site. (Among the top 10 categories on YouTube in the last 90 days, when Tubular charted data for videos with at least 100,000 views, gaming videos earned 3.7 times more total engagement — that’s comments and likes — than the average of the top 10 categories. What’s more, gaming videos also received 2.1 times more engagement per view in that timeframe.) The answer lies in each party’s function.

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“When you talk about a product like a video game, it’s an active product,” says Jeremy Azevedo, senior director of original programming at Machinima, one of the largest multi-channel networks on YouTube and one that is exclusively focused on the fanboy (and fangirl) community. “The end-user is in control, it’s not like a TV show or a movie where they watch it once and move on.” Unlike other types of entertainment, with video games, the entire point is engagement. The user is the main character. This naturally breeds a sense of ownership to the product and experience that other, more passive mediums, can’t replicate. “There is talk about video games going from product to service,” adds Matt Cohen, director of business development at Machinima. “I say it’s one step further: Games are an ecosystem. A living, breathing thing because there’s a constant appetite there for content, whether it’s in-game or around the game.” YouTube provides the perfect destination for this ecosystem

to thrive, because as anyone who’s succeeded in cultivating an audience on the site will tell you, the entire point of YouTube is engagement. Since it was founded nine years ago, the site has revolutionized the entertainment industry by putting more control in the hands of the audience — in some cases even enabling fans to turn into creators and actively share what they’re passionate about. Nothing embodies this more than the rise of gameplay, “Let’s Play,” and Minecraft videos. Gameplay videos are any featuring actual gameplay, while Let’s Play videos are walkthroughs where the viewer watches the creator minecraftplaying and commenting on a game. Minecraft is an open-world game that allows users to actually create every facet of the game. There’s an obvious overlap between the three. There’s also an audience that’s thirsty for this content. Going back to Tubular’s data well, the company reports that “gameplay” is the number-one topic in the gaming category with 149,000 of the channels that have at least 250 subscribers offering such videos. Second is Minecraft, with 75,000 of top gaming channels devoted to it. The terms “walkthrough” and “Let’s Play” are also in the top 10, accounting for 53,000 and 37,000 top channels, respectively.

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If you’re scratching your head for why anybody would want to sit down and watch someone else play a video game, take solace in the fact that you haven’t been the only one. But the fact remains that these videos are incredibly popular on YouTube, and it’s resulted in a new entertainment content format unique to online video. “People play sports and watch sports. You can play video games or watch video games, it’s the same thing,” explains David Gasca, director of media solutions at Tubular. “I would also liken it to ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000.’ It’s the same feeling, tapping into the allure of watching other people play and crack jokes about games.” “Put yourself into the shoes of a 12-year-old,” says Acevedo. “When I was a kid, I couldn’t afford to buy every game. Imagine being 12 today, and you can watch somebody else play a game that you might not ever play, or use to determine whether you want to buy that one at some point.” “What ‘Let’s Play’ does is create a sense of community around games,” adds Cohen, who cites the format as a natural extension of multiplayer gaming online. “[Community] is why multi-player has become so important around blockbuster games like ‘Halo’ and ‘Call of Duty.’ Their publishers moved the emphasis to multiplayer because it was generating so much game time. A game’s single player experience can be 10-50 hours. Multiplayer is hundreds and hundreds of hours of engagement.” What this has also led to is another entertainment offshoot within gaming — “machinimas,” which is when creators use a game’s CGI engine to create animated and cinematic narratives. “If you’re really into a game and have put 100 hours into it, you know these characters as well as you do your favorite characters from TV and film. It kind of makes sense that people would 6

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then start to have fun with it and produce original videos,” says Eric Johnson, founder and CEO of ad agency Ignited USA and a former SVP of marketing at Activision, the gaming giant behind hits such as the “Call of Duty” series. “It’s only limited by the creativity of fans.” For the gaming industry, this is a blessing. “People are creating some incredibly clever things, and other people share it,” adds Johnson. And by doing so, they “essentially carry on the marketing function that used to be done internally.” (We’ll have more on gaming publishers and their relationship with online video later this week.) None of this really happens, though, without an open video platform like YouTube.

There’s another, of course: Twitch, a live-streaming video platform that caters exclusively to the gaming community. Since launching in June 2011, the platform claims it has grown to more than 45 million users per month — some of whom pay for a monthly ad-free subscription or subscribe to individual channels for $5 a pop. A recent research study also showed that Twitch accounts for more downstream internet traffic during primetime hours than HBO Go in the US. But as you know by now, when you talk about Twitch, you’re also talking about YouTube, which is close to buying Twitch for more than $1 billion. The industry and the site perfectly complement each other. And maybe nothing signifies that better than what YouTube is willing to pay to keep the most popular formats within gaming under its umbrella

The Most Prominent Gaming Brands in Online Video

In honor of this week’s gaming special, we’ve taken a look at the most internet savvy gaming brands to figure out what they’ve been doing to catch the eye of passive viewers and active gamers alike. Based on their overall popularity, the top 5 may not come as much of a surprise. However, the number of non-brand-affiliated creators who make their content may just make you raise an eyebrow. Here’s to all the gamers out there who’ve made their favorite game or gaming system better known to the masses.

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Total Subs: 646,172 Their channel encompasses everything Xbox, from its various gaming systems to viewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; favorite games, like Halo 4. Giving the brand a perfect place to promote Xbox One, the platform also lets them showcase new games, previews for which mirror the content produced by non-branded digital video creators. Xbox relevant videos have been viewed by nearly 6 billion, according to data gathered by YouTube analytics company Octoly, so the brand has got to be doing something right on the web.

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Battlefield Total Subs: 1,111,669 Now on its fourth installment, Battlefield has made more than a splash in the world of online video with over one million channel subscribers and 515k videos. Their channel’s “Only in Battlefield 4” series allows a bunch of gamers to sit down and tell YouTube viewers about their epic moments in the game, from learning the “batman move” to surviving a kamikaze attack. In addition to these videos, over 195k creators have posted relevant content to this multi-player game.

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Grand Theft Auto Total Subs: 619,335 From Facebook parody videos of characters to a variety of cheats, GTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s YouTube channel draws videos from over 211k creators, yielding almost 7,000 times the content of that produced officially by the brand. You could only expect a game that provides such elaborate backstories to fare well on an online video platform. Creators have plenty of material to latch onto.

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Total Subs: 2,167,209 This incredibly well liked game managed to translate its popularity into online video success… with the help of numerous independent creators. Outside of its official YouTube channels, creators generated 2,602 times more videos about Call of Duty than the official channels themselves. For the game that doesn’t even require a description in YouTube (everybody knows what it’s all about), they’ve earned their place amongst popular online videos through the vote of gamers everywhere.

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Totals Subs: 10,130,583 An indie sandbox game made originally by Markus “Notch” Persson, a Swedish programmer, Minecraft was released to the public in May 2009 by Mojang, with its full release published in November 2011. Now, over 10 million people subscribe to it on YouTube. With over 80k creators making Minecraft- related videos on the ‘Tube and even more social buzz surrounding them at over 628 million social actions, it’s no wonder that Minecraft takes the lead when it comes to gaming brands that know how to work the web.

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Which YouTubers and MCNs Are Consistently Delivering ‘Hit’ Gaming Videos?

aming is the second-most popular category on YouTube. But which gaming creators, and by extension MCNs, are consistently delivering “hit” videos? With the help of video analytics and marketing startup Tubular Labs, we were able to determine this. (Before you start screaming about what is and isn’t a “hit,” we set the barometer at 250,000 views in the past year. Yes, I know 250,000 viewers on tele-

vision is nothing to sneeze at, but considering the incredible volume of gaming content — and all of the other noise — on the world’s biggest video site, a quarter-million felt like an appropriate base.) The results are impressive. Since June 3, 2013, there were 39,000 videos uploaded to YouTube in the gaming category that reached at least 250,000 views. Totaling 28 billion views, these videos averaged 714,000 views.

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When it comes to individual channels, TheBajanCanadian, Vegetta777, CaptainSparklez, and TheRadBrad led the way. These four channels accounted for 8% (2% each) of all gaming-related videos uploaded to YouTube in the past year that brought in at least 250,000 views. Digging deeper, TheBajanCanadian had 821 videos that cleared this benchmark, followed by Vegetta777 with 687, CaptainSparklez with 638, and TheRadBrad with 626.

On the MCN side, Maker Studios is not only the largest MCN, but is also delivering the most hits. The network accounted for 26% (10,446 videos) of all gaming videos uploaded with at least 250,000 views, followed by Machinima at 18% (6,974), Fullscreen and BroadbandTV at 7% each (2,829 and 2,781, respectively), and Omnia Media at 5% (1,830).

What’s really interesting here, though, is that Rooster Teeth’s network of channels on YouTube were responsible for 2% of hit gaming videos. One of the biggest names in gaming, Rooster Teeth’s network comes nowhere near the immense size of Maker, Machinima, or Fullscreen, but is consistently making stuff that its viewers want to watch — largely helped

by the main Rooster Teeth channel, which has more than 7.5 million subscribers. So there you go: A lot of people are watching gaming content on YouTube, and while the viewership isn’t necessarily restricted to the few and the proud, there are certainly several channels and networks that stand out.

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Gaming & Digital Video

How the Gaming World Has Embraced Digital Video

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he gaming community is massive on YouTube, and really, the entire web. Driving this is the community itself, which has taken a passion for an interactive medium and used it to create original content — often without a gaming studio or publisher’s involvement — that in turn gets consumed in droves by other passionate fans. Give the gaming industry credit, though. Unlike others in the media and entertainment worlds, which have a tendency to view YouTube with a critical or combative eye, those who own gaming IP have by-andlarge embraced YouTube and digital video, treating it as an opportunity to expand their brand properties. “[Game’s are] an active media,” says Jeremy Azevedo, senior director of original programming at Machinima. So when it comes to the web, the experience the industry shares with fans “has to extend beyond watching a trailer. When you’re a publisher, you’re trying to carry people through the process of hyping a game, buying a game… eventually those games will be discounted — there is a lifespan for these games in which a publisher has to keep people engaged.”

“Rather than fight [the YouTube gaming community], the game industry has embraced it and learned how to feed it and feed content into it and have a great symbiotic relationship,” adds Matt Cohen, director of business development at Machinima. There are other popular categories on the web — music and beauty, to name just a few. But what makes gaming and its industry interesting is the different ways in which it has adapted to the rise of digital video. The industry doesn’t just allow YouTubers to make and monetize Let’s Play videos, or talk about and promote their titles, it has also actively worked with fans who also happen to be creators to create branded content, and in some cases, even gone as far as to invest heavily into the production of TV-quality original programming. As part of VideoInk’s gaming special issue, “Game On,” we spoke with multiple individuals within the world of gaming on how the industry has branched out on to digital video, and what insights they might have gleaned from it.

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Gaming & Digital Video

hile some gaming developers and publishers are happy to give online creators free reign over their IP (so to speak), others are even more active, and work with talent to create and distribute branded content. This is where Eric Johnson, founder and CEO of Ignited USA and former SVP of marketing at Activision, sees a lot of value. “This is a passion category,” he says of gaming, “that leads me to believe that there’s an opportunity to make more content to help build a franchise.” Johnson comes from a place of experience and success. To promote the release of “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” in 2013, Ignited partnered Konami, the publisher behind the decades-long blockbuster franchise, with YouTube multi-channel network Collective Digital Studio and filmmakers Freddie Wong and Brandon Laatsch to create “Metal Gear Sunrising,” a three-minute ac22

tion video featuring a character from the game. That video has generated more than 4.6 million views to date and is widely seen as a gaming industry-YouTuber collaboration done right.

industry in terms of its relationship with online creators, Johnson sees great potential in the industry opening up its IP for the creation of custom, independent content.

“If you’re really into a game and have put 100 hours into it, you know these characters as well as you do your favorite characters from TV and film. It kind of makes sense that people would then start to have fun with it and produce original videos,” says Johnson. And on YouTube, “there are people who have very sophisticated production capabilities to make things that look amazing with smaller budgets.”

“Think about the way TV shows have created online extensions that extend the main story — side stories about individual characters,” he says. “That’s a logical rich place to extend the story of video games. Publishers can license and encourage users to go build stories.”

There’s a lot of opportunity here, and to be fair, it doesn’t always have to involve a publisher or brand coming in to fund the content either. When asked to predict what the future looks like for the gaming

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And while publishers would likely retain some control over these kinds of deals, it would still enable them to tap the passionate fan bases they’ve cultivated through the years. “In a perfect world, a majority [of content] would be made by fans who love the games,” says Johnson. “You can see the love that comes from somebody doing something without a brief.”

The Secret Sauce to ‘Let’s Play’ Videos Isn’t Much of a Secret

n case you’ve never seen or even heard of a “Let’s Play” video, the concept is a fairly simple one. A gamer will record his or her session of playing a particular game while providing (often humorous and ultimately instructive commentary) in the video. Not only useful for other gamers, these videos serve as a fun peek into someone else’s gaming strategy and a way to commiserate about the trials and tribulations of the game at hand. If you’re thinking about doing your own Let’s Play video, or even devoting an entire YouTube channel to it, then Zack Scott is the man you want your tips from. The man has over 800,000 subscribers to his channel, ZackScottGames, and after we reached out to him, offered us some feedback on the Let’s Play format. As it turns out, many of his tips apply to YouTube creators of all types, not just Let’s Players. Beginning with the tips, Scott sticks to four simple ones: build an audience, maintain a schedule, network, and, naturally, make good content. Whether you’re a gamer or not, developing a successful channel on YouTube requires you follow all of these guidelines.

The first may be the hardest to accomplish, and thus the most discouraging. Scott warns not to feel let down when you “make a great video, only for it to get a handful of views.” He continues, “Some videos can go viral, but most Let’s Play success is due to the fact that gameplay creators cultivate their audiences over time, often for years.” As for keeping up a schedule, Scott notes that he “gets complaints” when he’s late on his uploads. Making sure your audience stays happy is key, and creating good content is a surefire way to make this happen. Though this command may seem vague, Scott boils it down to a couple, easy questions. First off, ask yourself, “Would I watch this video? Why would someone watch this video?” He explains, “These questions give me the purpose to become more in tune with my viewers and strive to make content that is good enough for them to spend their valuable time [on].” Collaborating with other Let’s Players is another great way for gamers and other creators alike to expand their reach. “Engage your fans on various social media sites,” Scott advises. “Work with a network like Machinima to expand your access and promotional opportunities. Before you know it, you’ll meet people who will change your life.”

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Gaming & Digital Video

Let Them Play

e’ve already looked at the popularity and “science” behind “Let’s Play” videos. But what makes the sub-category so intriguing for the industry is how it can function as a form of free marketing.

really fast. So if a publisher has just released a major title, why wouldn’t it want to increase fandom (and in doing so, the desire to purchase that title) by allowing online personalities to broadcast their gameplay?

“Community is really important for any business,” says Jeremy Azevedo, senior director of original programming at Machinima. “Everyone wants to feel like they’re part of something.”

Certainly, a creator can blast a game that he or she is playing, but that’s a risk anyone in a creative medium has to deal with. With the rise of social media, people are going to talk. The question is, how you adapt to it.

The Let’s Play format taps into that desire; the creator-fans are able to share with their audience how much they enjoy playing a certain game. If that then leads to a viewer buying a game that he or she originally had no interest in, that’s a return on something that costs the publisher nothing. And the potential reach is huge. Sites like YouTube and Twitch enable Let’s Play videos to find a large audience, and

Copyright and YouTube’s Content ID system is another challenge for the gaming industry and its relationship with creators, as evidenced by the kerfuff le in the winter of 2013 when many Let’s Players saw their videos f lagged for copyright infringement. Not all of these were from game publishers, though.

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“We are lucky that game developers and publishers have embraced the Let’s Play model,” says Zack Scott of the ZackScottGames channel, which has more than 830,000 subscribers. “Companies like Ubisoft, Mojang, Valve, and over a hundred others explicitly allow monetization of Let’s Play videos. Many work directly with us.” Those that seek to utilize Content ID to remove videos or gain control of revenue are “the minority,” Scott says.

According to Matt Cohen, director of business development at Machinima, there’s no “blanket way” that the gaming industry deals with the Let’s Play community. “Some are hands on, some are hands off, though I don’t think there is a publisher out there that has a negative opinion on it — they all see the value.” Same goes for the “machinima” community. (Machinima videos are when creators use a game’s CGI engine to create animated and cinematic narratives.)

Cohen says that some publishers go as far as to offer “builds” to Machinima’s talent partners early, in order spur talent on to create videos and generate early hype for a game. Others, meanwhile, are simply happy to see creators make videos, and ask Machinima to notify them if there’s “anything cool” they should be aware of. “One of the policies that’s particularly helpful — Riot has a page that outlines everything you can do with their game. It’s

all spelled out on the website,” Cohen continues. “People can go [to the site] and know exactly what the parameters are.” It’s understandable that a developer or publisher would want to maintain some ownership of its IP. But as Cohen suggests, there are ways to strike a balance that pleases all parties. Because while Let’s Play and machinimas are new media formats, made possibly by and unique to digital video, the data indicates that they are here to stay.

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Gaming & Digital Video

Beyond the Joystick M

aybe the most eye-opening way the gaming industry has embraced digital video is in the production and distribution of original programming based on popular game franchises. The desire to expand video games to different forms of entertainment has been around for a while. On the big screen, studios have rolled out feature films for franchises such as “Tomb Raider,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “Silent Hill.” Some have been well-received, others not so much. Digital video is relatively new to the party. “I’m surprised that this sort of thing has not happened faster and with greater tenacity,” says Jeremy Azevedo, senior director of original programming at Machinima, which has been behind the premieres of several game-inspired series including “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn,”

“Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist,” and two seasons of “Mortal Kombat: Legacy.” “When you look at the value of these IPs, and you compare them to comic books — how many people read comic books and yet it’s the biggest business in cinema. Now we’re talking about a product like ‘Halo,’ which people spend countless hours on and are really engaged with. These games are what people are talking about and want to see represented in every form of media.” “What has changed in terms of digital video,” adds Matt Cohen, director of business development at Machinima, “is that the lead times on film are extremely long; the development process is extremely onerous. With digital video, you can initiate a project and get it seen by fans of the franchise very quickly, and the audiences are already on these platforms, whether we’re talking about YouTube, Twitch, or Machini-

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ma.” But why the move to scripted TV-like programming, which certainly demands a substantial investment? “It’s really about engagement,” Cohen continues. “Especially for these larger franchises, you can only get them out once every two or three years.” An original series allows some of these major publishers to keep fans interested and invested in a franchise when there is no new game to play. In this way, original programming can also function as a marketing vehicle — that’s what Microsoft did with “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.” Leading up to the launch of “Halo 4,” the company wanted to provide an “on-ramp” to “ease hardcore players back into and introduce new people to the ‘Halo’ universe,” says Frank O’Connor, franchise

development director for “Halo” at 343 Industries, a subsidiary of Microsoft that produced the series (which is also available as a feature film on Netf lix).

consumer products — from action figures to comic books to original programming — they should work as a standalone experience.”

Microsoft also wanted to present this in a format that was easy to access and digest. “So TV/film was a natural way to go.”

Microsoft and 343’s decision to release “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” on a digital platform was about accessibility, says O’Connor. “We wanted people to enjoy the story and we also wanted people to buy the game. Putting a barrier to entry such as a specific air date, those can be valuable, but we wanted as many people to see it as possible,” he says. When sampling a show, digital also makes it possible for people to share episodes on social networks, driving more awareness and viewership to the program.

Once the decision was made to develop “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn,” 343 went about it like a traditional Hollywood studio — finding the right creative talent to make the project a reality. The goal was two-fold — to promote the release of “Halo 4” while also ensuring that the series stood on its own as a piece of fiction. “We’ve been through this so many times with ‘Halo — it’s a $4 billion franchise with a significant amount of consumer products beyond the games,” says O’Connor. “We have the same philosophy for all of our

So the team struck a deal with Machinima, which has the audience that the producers wanted to reach, to distribute the series. Interestingly, the show was also available on the

video game’s dashboard, exposing it to even more people. The result, a series that generated 55 million views in less than six months on YouTube alone. So it shouldn’t be surprising that Xbox Entertainment Studios and 343 Industries are already working on two more projects tied to the “Halo” franchise — a TV series and another digital feature. Microsoft is also expected to announce more original projects tied to popular games during E3. When asked what advice he would give to other gaming publishers looking to venture into television and film content, O’Connor said to first make sure that the property makes sense as a movie or TV show. (You would think this one is obvious, but then again, someone thought it was a good idea to greenlight a Battleship movie.)

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That being said, many of these creators share an intense passion for video games, and have launched second channels completely devoted to the medium. Like us, many of our favorite YouTubers love to play. But, being who they are, also A Roundtable on Secondary want to share that experience with the world. Gaming Channels with

C h o o s e Yo u r e r u t n e v d A n Ow

iJustine, Jimmy Wong, Joey Graceffa, and Smosh

hile few would deign to disrespect baseball’s longest held title, those born into a post-Nintendo world know the harsh truth: The greatest pastime of this generation isn’t going out and having a catch, it’s f lexing the thumbs for an afternoon of all-out console warfare. With a seemingly endless cycle of new releases, platforms, and expansions, it is truly hard to remember a time when video games didn’t dominate both the mainstream zeitgeist and greater geek subcultures. Appropriately, the rise of the digital world has only furthered the gamer-centric hype machine, allowing the dialogue on the latest and greatest video games to be taken to the next level. Companies and channels like Machinima, Rooster Teeth, and the ever-present behemoth that is PewDiePie have proven there is an endless dialogue to be had about gaming, and that audiences are always clamoring for more. 28

Certainly, there are those who are able to devote themselves fulltime to covering the gaming world and never are at a loss for words. For a medium so vast, the dialogue around gaming carries on 24/7 for individuals on both sides of the screen. More than a mere hobby, for a certain subset of society, it’s an entire lifestyle. The appeal of stepping into the shoes of a new identity and losing oneself to another world is considerable, and for the ardent gamer, it’s a reality made possible with the push of a button. However, for most of us, gaming simply can’t be a full-time gig. No matter how much we’d like to go full-tilt boogie and devote all our time to our favorite game (“Chrono Trigger,” I miss you), the demands of the real world just don’t allow this to become reality. It’s a truth that even extends to YouTube, where gamers rule the school. For every Rooster Teeth or PewDiePie, there are content creators whose main gigs don’t have a lot to do with their favorite console system.

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As part of VideoInk’s “Game On” special issue, it made sense to me to take a moment to shine a spotlight on some of these creators. It’s easy to get mired in the minutia of a medium when you’re delving into

in-depth gaming channels and For most of us, gaming simply can’t be a full-time gig. discussion the fire that fuels them, No matter how much we’d like to go full-tilt boogie and of that the response was amazdevote all our time to our favorite game the demands of world, but ing. From all corners the real world just don’t allow this to become reality. I maintain of the digital space, it’s importI gathered together a ant to never forget it is our baseline fandom of crew of superstars that include the dynamic guys something that allows it to become truly special. from Smosh, the incomparable Jimmy Wong, Luckily, these YouTube sensations have proven to the always delightful Joey Graceffa, and the be some of gaming’s most fervent fans. multi-platform force of nature, iJustine. In putting together this piece, I jokingly referred to the fact that I felt like I was Nick Fury assembling my own YouTube Avengers. Glancing across this list of gamers, you’ll find that analogy isn’t really a stretch. When I put out the call to the YouTube community to talk about secondary

I sat down with each of these electric personalities to get a sense of why a content creator might be driven to go the gaming route, and what transpired is a series of interviews that portrays a passion for playing that is instantly relatable. And since I’m always one who loves to celebrate according to theme, I’ve decided to make a little game out of the proceedings. So, watch out, because I’m about to go straight up Jigsaw on you guys. Offered to you, dear reader, are my interviews with these amazing YouTube superstars in a “Choose Your Own Adventure” format. You get to pick where your investigation of gaming channels begins. Now, there’s no right way to start this journey, but I think you’ll find that, while everyone offers their own unique voice, the fullest picture can be achieved by reading them all. Do you want to know which YouTuber’s mom used their video games as leverage in punishment? Or would you like to know who has the largest female gamer demographic? (Hint: It’s not who you think!) Or perhaps you want to know who giggles like a schoolgirl every time they watch PewDiePie? There’s only one way to know for sure. Let’s play.

Select Your Player: TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Jimmy Wong

iJustine

Were you always a gamer or have an interest in video games? Do you recall the game that first drew you into this world?

Why do you suspect viewers are drawn to watching gaming content?

I’ve always played video games as far as I can remember. My fondest memory was receiving the original Gameboy for Christmas one year and playing “Tetris” endlessly. Before that I remember our dad plugging in the NES for the first time and playing “Mario” with us. Nintendo has always been my starting point for video games.

I think a lot of people, if they’re stuck at a certain part of a game, look for walk-throughs and tutorials to help them get through the difficult parts. I think it’s also a personality driven thing. A lot of people like watching funny people play video games. Also, some people may not have the game yet, or their parents won’t let them have it yet, so this is a chance to give it a look. I remember getting so excited when I was younger to get a game for Christmas that I had been waiting for all year, and how that waiting felt. Instead of being able to play, a lot of people watch the game to see what they’re going to get when they actually get the game.

inspires you to do the same. Especially when you have unlimited time when you are younger, you can devote so much more to entering the world of Minecraft, building for as long as you can sit at your computer (and as long as your parents allow you).

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Anthony & Jovenshire of Smosh

Why did you launch your gaming channel? Anthony: Gaming has always been a huge part of Smosh. The first video that Smosh ever made that got popular was the “Pokemon” theme song music video. Ian lip-synced to that thing, and the reason we made the video was based on our love for the “Pokemon” video game. Ian and I grew up playing video games our whole lives, and that’s kind of what brought us together. Our friendship began because we would hang out and play “Smash Bros.” Flash forward several years, whenever we make a video game parody or spoof, our fans went crazy for it and really loved it…

Joey Graceffa

What makes a successful gaming channel, as opposed to a regular channel? Are there differences, if any? Definitely. I feel like the gaming community is pretty intense. They’re very harsh. I’m not the best, most-experienced gamer, and I get a lot of feedback because of that. People will say things like, “Why are you a gamer, you’re not good at this!” I just do it to have fun and because I love gaming. To answer your question, I think to have fun and a goofing around aspect is a good way to go about things, but also, if you’re smart and can teach people how to play games, that’s very helpful. People appreciate those channels. Also, collaborating with other gamers is a great way to open up your audience.

check the rest of the interviews at www.thevideoink.com/game-on TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Xbox’s Grand Experiment in Original Programming

lot of eyes have been on Xbox Entertainment Studios ever since Microsoft’s console unit announced it was entering the original programming business. The foray began in a big way — with the appointment of former CBS Television president Nancy Tellem as Microsoft’s president of entertainment and digital media, and the announcement of a “Halo”-inspired TV series executive produced by Steven Spielberg — signaling that Xbox planned to compete in a premium VOD space that’s currently dominated by Netf lix and to a lesser extent Amazon and Hulu. However, if you believe what Tellem and XES EVP Jordan Levin had to say in advance of the studio’s coming-out party at this afternoon’s Microsoft New-

front, Xbox doesn’t see itself as a true competitor to a Netf lix or Amazon. “We don’t really have competitors,” said Tellem. “Netf lix, Hulu, Amazon, are all on our platform.” Instead, the executive pointed to the unique nature of the Xbox Live platform, and the ability to combine premium programming with “unique interactive features” to serve its core audience of millennial men and women. (In total, there are 48 million who subscribe to either the gold or silver Xbox Live packages.) Most of the programming unveiled by the XES team had already been announced or reported on: the aforementioned “Halo” TV show with Spielberg;

the street-soccer documentary series “Every Street United”; a documentary-film series from award-winning producers Jonathan and Simon Chinn called “Signal to Noise”; an inspirational documentary series called “Fearless”; the sci-fi drama “Humans”; and a “Halo” digital feature/series to be executive produced by Ridley Scott. Overall, Xbox previewed a slate of original programming that spans unscripted, comedy, drama, animation, documentary films, and live events — all at various stages of the production cycle, from series orders to pilot commitments, to still being in the development stage. (Full list is below.) Of those, it was in the fields of unscripted, documentary, and live events where Xbox is

Here’s all of the production info on Xbox Entertainment Studios’current programming slate, including projects that have received series orders, pilot commitments, or are in active development.

Halo” television series

Every Street United

Bonnaroo

Signal to Noise”/“Atari: Game Over

Humans

Halo” digital feature

Deadlands

Extraordinary Believers

Fearless

Gun Machine

Untitled JASH Comedy

Winterworld

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

already planning to take advantage of audience interaction.

cut,” according to Levin, and share that version with others.

For instance, Xbox is partnering with Superf ly to exclusively live-stream the 13th annual Bonnaroo music and arts festival from June 13 to June 15. Via a custom Bonnaroo app, viewers will be able to control how they want to experience Bonnaroo from their couch. This will include the ability to select different camera angles, as well as join a Skype queue to have a live backstage chat session with performers. (Skype is owned by Microsoft.) For this year, Xbox has wired two stages, with plans to eventually cover the entire festival in future years.

“Specific to this device and this platform, we have the ability to create interactivity that is relatively seamless — especially when compared to most networks,” said Levin, pointing to how Xbox can even weave its storefront into this process when applicable.

Then there’s “Fearless,” a documentary series hosted by a former Australian Navy veteran and double amputee Paul de Gelder. With an unscripted series such as this one, which follows de Gelder as he goes on dangerous missions with people who are trying to make the world a better place, XES wants to take “advantage” of the interactive platform, said Tellem. In “Fearless,” Xbox’s interactive team got involved from the pitch stage, added Levin. This led to a production process that involved shooting everything with many camera angles. The idea is that this will enable viewers to “create their own

Where this could really come in play, outside of the unscripted category, is the shows Xbox produces that are based on popular video games. As part of its “Microsoft Studios Content Portfolio,” Xbox listed

a number of popular gaming titles it’s eyeing television series for. Inhalo addition to “Halo,” it’s possible you see shows based on “Age of Empires,” “State of Decay,” “Fable,” “Forza Motorsport,” and “Gears of War.”

As reported numerously before, Xbox is moving forward with two shows based on its “Halo” franchise. The digital feature — which was put into motion after the “overwhelming” success of “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn,” which was watched by more than 50 million uniques according to Xbox — is set to shoot in Ireland. It will have a “slightly bigger budget than in the past,” said Levin. There’s no singular model that Xbox is looking to follow in terms of distribution, windowing, monetization, as well as whether the company wants to own or buy its original content, or even how it plans to release

its episodes. Everything is in play. The goal, according to Tellem and Levin, is to see what works on the platform, and go from there.

“We are approaching [everything] methodically,” said Tellem. “Who we are, who we want to be, who our audience is… Levin and Tellem cautioned that The minute you start actually so far XES has only had “explor- putting [content] out there, it’s atory meetings” with the game going to evolve based on all the studios and publishers who own feedback.” the aforementioned franchises, but realize there is an “opportu- Added Levin: “We are adopting nity there.” a tech ethos, where everything is perpetually in beta.” TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Fists Fly as Machinima Premieres ‘Street Fighter’ Series at YouTube Space LA

ith powerful punches and fireballs f lying, Machinima took YouTube Space LA by storm this past Monday night to unveil the hugely anticipated series, “Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist.” Premiering today, the series, based upon the popular video game franchise of the same name, is the culmination of over five years of work, and a collaborative partnership between Capcom USA, Lonely Place Productions, Evropa Films, Glouchester Place Films, and the newly formed Assassin’s Fist Limited. With so many entities fighting to make “Street Fighter” a reality, the battle to bring the multilayered series to life has been one full of blood, sweat, and tears….but also one of creative triumph. As such, Machinima’s premiere event played out like a champion’s victory lap before the official unveiling, allowing the cast, crew, and a select audience to take a moment to celebrate the nitty-gritty of visceral combat. Walking the premises of YouTube Space LA while waiting for the event to kick (the combat puns will continue, be forewarned) into gear, I was instantly taken by the fact that Machinima had stationed video game terminals around the venue. As a tip of the hat to the franchise’s roots, celebrants were encouraged to play the latest iteration of the “Street Fighter” video game, allowing those gathered to really become part of the action. For many, the opportunity to play the game before the screening gave the audience the chance to be transported back to childhood and be reminded why they fell in love with “Street Fighter” in the first place. “I’ve always been a gamer, and ‘Street Fighter’ is the game I’ve always been most passionate about,” 34

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Joey Ansah, the series’ creator and director, tells me. “These characters are so beloved, and people feel an ownership over them, that if you get them wrong, there’s a massive, passionate backlash. We’ve seen that with the last two films [1994’s ‘Street Fighter,’ starring Jean-Claude Van Damme & Kylie Minogue, and 2009’s ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’], and to be honest, we’ve seen that with just about every video game movie ever made. No one has really gotten this genre right, and I want to be the first person to really nail it.” Whether Ansah is successful in his endeavor is, of course, up to the discerning audience to decide. However, with as much commitment to narrative and character development as there is to action, “Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist” certainly does not fall short in delivering the dramatic goods. Sharing the coming-of-age story of iconic characters Ken and Ryu, “Assassin’s Fist” highlights their journey to become the hardened warriors of the game, as well as the deeply personal sacrifices they made to get there. The series doesn’t shy away from showcasing extreme sacrifices and loss in the lives of these warriors, something that has been next-to-impossible

to portray in the confines of the game. “It’s a story,” says Gaku Space, who plays Goki. “It’s a whole background of the street fighters, and there’s a lot there, it’s not just about the action.” Further driving home the commitment to story is Hyunri, who plays Sayaka, whose pining for Goki is not meant to be. “My story is all drama, and no action,” she tells me, “so I tried to make my emotions raw and real. It’s a very powerful story.” for more deets check out www.thevideoink.com/streetfighter

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Rooster Teeth: How Passion Birthed a Pioneering Online Video Brand

n the post-YouTube world, it’s almost hard to remember a time when notoriety for creative online video content could be achieved via any other medium. But for Burnie Burns and Matt Hullum, co-founders of the fan titan Rooster Teeth, YouTube is just the latest content delivery platform in a long, illustrious career of producing videos for the internet at large. Now entering its 11th year of production, Rooster Teeth, founded in 2003, set the standard for content networks in a time before there really were content networks. However, despite being able to claim rights over trailblazer status, Burns and Hullum remain ever gracious and humble. “When we started 11 years ago, the world was in a different place, especially in terms of online video. There was no YouTube or Facebook,” says Hullum. “We like YouTube, and we’re very happy about that platform,” Burns is quick to add, “but we’ve been doing this a long time in a variety of different ways. We’re focused on being a creative content studio and an entertainment company, that’s what drives us.” It’s this devotion to creativity above all else that has seen the company not only rise to a level of promi36

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

nence, but continue to endure. Hullum, Burns, and their entire creative team foster each of the Rooster Teeth properties with notable amount of care, and it this loving attention that brings their over 1.5 million registered fans back for more. Nowhere is this more prominently exemplified in the Rooster Teeth universe than in their f lagship series, the extremely popular “Red vs. Blue.” With 11 seasons under its belt, “Red vs. Blue” not only is the world’s longest-running web series, it’s also one of the most enduringly popular. Furthermore, the show (which utilizes voiced-over animation from the “Halo” game series) almost singlehandedly brought greater cultural awareness to the world of “machinima,” which is the concept of film or shorts created using real-time interactive engines from video games. Today, “Red vs. Blue” remains as wildly popular as ever, and despite almost a decade of producing and distributing entertaining episodes, the series shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. “When you start a project, you have dreams and hopes, but I have to say that Rooster Teeth and ‘Red vs. Blue’ surpassed our wildest expectations,” Burns

says with pride. For a show with such duration, one does have to wonder if it is difficult to keep the storylines fresh. But when I pose this question to Hullum and Burns, they merely chuckle.

“Even with the early success of ‘Red vs. Blue,’ we knew that people were either eventually going to get tired of it, or need something bigger than the show to want to stick around,” says Burns.

“At this point in the story, we’re just recycling the first season,” Hullum says with a laugh. “The people who are watching it now were babies when it first started, so we’re hoping they don’t know the difference.”

Thus, merely a month after “Red vs. Blue”’s introduction to the web, Rooster Teeth proper was born. In the years that followed, the company introduced many new properties, including such celebrated shows as “The Strangerhood,” “The Slow Mo Guys,” and “Immersion,” to name just a few.

“We’re banking on people’s short term memories!” says Burns, showcasing a little mischief in his and Hullum’s long partnership.

More so, even as “Red vs. Blue” continues to garner accolades, one of Rooster Teeth’s newest properties, “RWBY,” created by Monty

“Just kidding,” says Hullum, shifting to the more serious. “The great thing about ‘Red vs. Blue’ is that it’s built around characters, more than anything else. When people come up to us at conventions, and when we talk to people online, what they’re really coming back for is the story of these individual characters. They love Sarge, they love Church, they love these guys. After 11 years and 11 seasons, those characters are really ingrained in them…and us too. So, it’s almost easier for us to come up with content for ‘Red vs. Blue,’ because the characters still make it feel fresh. We know the characters so well, they feel like friends of ours, so it’s easy to create new stuff for them.”

Oum, Rooster Teeth’s director of animation, just scored a big prize in the form of an IAWTV (International Academy of Web Television) Award for Best Animated Series. With factors like these continually at play, there’s zero question that Rooster Teeth continues to impact the creative video community in remarkable ways.

Ref lecting on the company’s celebrated body of work, Burns also addresses just what it takes to make something part of the Rooster Teeth brand: “Our core philosophy for our content: If you’re making videos, make something that you want to watch. We don’t typically put people on a project where they’re just pushing a button or turning a key. The people who work on these shows love them.” More than just a personal mission statement for their own company, it is this tenet that Burns and Hullum offer up to the many content creators who seek out their advice for their own burgeoning channels. “Burnie’s right,” says Hullum, “You need to love what you do. But, also be consistent. Not just in the quality of your content, but also in terms of how you release the material. Scheduling a program is a key component of the way you produce content. It helps your audience be able to engage in a consistent fashion, and to know what to expect.”

Not ones to rest on their laurels, following the success of “Red vs. Blue,” Hullum, Burns, and company, who early on had no idea how long their initial creation would endure, sought to create a home for other properties.

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

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39 39

James Franco, Pâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Trique, Lloyd Ahlquist and Epic Lloyd from Epic Rap Battles of History

will.i.am

P'Trique and Miss Piggy 40

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

will.i.am and cody wise Chester See

Morgan Spurlock

Erin McPherson, Chief Content Officer, Maker Studios

Cody Wise TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Betty Who performing at the

e Newfronts 2014

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David Freeman (CAA), James Franco

(center) Michael Kassan, chairman and ceo of medialink

David Freeman (CAA), James Franco

Lloyd Ahlquist (EpicLloyd of Epic Rap Battles) 44

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Morgan Spurlock and Shay Carl Butler

Harley Morenstein of Epic Meal Time and Jocelyn JOHNSON

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

he 2014 Digital Content Newfronts are (finally) over. Comprised of more than 20 presentations spread out across seven weekdays, this year’s DCNF calendar brought forth a who’s who of major and hopeful players in the online video space, previewing what they have up their sleeve for the upcoming year. VideoInk reached out to a group of individuals in the industry — who attended almost as many presentations as we did — to grab their thoughts on what transpired in the past two weeks. Here they are:

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Q: Who were you most impressed by? Who dropped the ball?

Ran Harnevo and AOL told a solid business story of content, distribution, and monetization. --Paul Kontonis (SVP, Strategy & Sales, Collective Digital Studio)

Cecily Strong, host of Hulu’s upfront, was amazing. The perfect mix of industry and self deprecation and key Hulu talking points! A close second in awesomeness was Bryan Cranston kicking off the Crackle Newfront. --Amber J. Lawson (CEO, Comedy Gives Back / Scripted Development & Branded Content, Rigler Creative)

Q; What was the best piece of content/programming you saw? I LOVE Vanity Fair’s “Vanity Code” series. I am blown away by the sheer volume of content Conde Nast and Scripps are producing. --Amber J. Lawson:

Conde Nast’s “73 Questions” felt fun, fresh, and created specifically for the digital video consumer, instead of rehashing a TV format. --Paul Kontonis

Q: What’s been the most interesting deal so far? Yahoo’s concert-a-day deal with Live Nation is huge! I was also impressed with DigitasLBi’s partnerships with BuzzFeed, Epic Digital, and Simple Reach. --Amber Lawson

I’d have to hand it to DigitasLBi for locking up Google Preferred. Important to lead when a market is forming, not wait for consensus among followers. --John McCarus:

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Newfronts 2014

2013 48

City.Ballet #CandidlyNicole Hardwired 2.0 So Much More Follow Me The Road to Disrupt In Short Connected Park Bench The Future Starts Here Making a Scene with James Franco Kevin Nealon’s Laugh Lessons Inspired My Hero Win/Win That’s Racist

City.Ballet #CandidlyNicole Hardwired My Ink Now Eat This! Italy with Rocco Inspiration Point with Jonathan Adler The Sartorialist Fuego Your Life Second Chances Flat Out Fatherhood Funded Acting Disruptive

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Tiny Commando: Sin City Saints Other Space

Tiny Commando We Need Help “Losing Your Virginity with John Stamos” Fashion Recipe Cinema & Spice Grill Girls WWE Raw Pre-Show

The Next Step Behind the Mask” son 2) Hotwives of Orlan The Awesomes (Sea Quick Draw Moone Boy (Season East Los High (Sea Doozers Deadbeat

The Awesomes Behind the Mask The Wrong Mans Mother Up Prisoners of War Moone Boy East Los High

cheat sheet (Sea-

ndo ason 2)

n 2) ason 2)

Ithamar Has Nothing to Say Consider the Source How to Win at Life Over the Top ShayLife Mind_Craft CRI-CHIC-ING Oh, You Pretty Things!

Verbatim, 36 Hours Bits Science Take Luminaries Machine Learning Mark Bittman Cooks With Corner Office

Sequestered Sports Jeopardy! The Throwaways Tightrope Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” Chosen,” SEASON 4 Playing It Forward

Cleaners Play it Forward Strand Street Chosen Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee The Bannen Way Joe Dirt The Sequal

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Newfronts 2014

Tastemakers The Artisan’s Spoon Supermarket Adventures Secrets of Fashionista Mom Kiss and Tell Me Casa, Su Casa Alpha Men What if I Wasn’t

2013 50

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Halo” television series Every Street United Signal to Noise/Atari: Game Over Humans Halo Deadlands Extraordinary Believers Fearless Gun Machine Untitled JASH Comedy/Variety Half Hour Winterworld

Partnership with OneBeat The LeBrons, Season 2 Years of Living Dangerously

cheat sheet Cassandra To The Rescue Beauty Evolution I Effed It Up Cook Like A Pro Big Fat Weekend 1 Item 3 Ways What’s In Your Bag? Epicuriousity 30 Things Glamour Documentaries Shanked Hungover Caddy 45 Second Man Most Expensivest Sh*t Rachel’s Rules Treat Yourself In The Mood For Beauty Icons Bryanboy Goes To College Strictly Ballet Get The Look @VF Scandal Red Carpet Conversations 73 Questions Born Free Retro Grade Teen Technorati

Casualties of the Gridiron GQ How To The GQ Trend Report Glamour Video Gift of the Week Style to Kil Single Life Elevator Makeover:

Dressed to Kill Elevator Makeover The Single Life Why Do Guys? My Glamour Do America’s Bartender Girl vs. Sweat, Which is Worse? Besties Breakfast with Bevan Get the Look My Room Makeover: College Edition Outfit of the Day Vanity Code Vogue Weddings: The Dress The Fashion Fund Angry Nerd Codefellas Design FX The Window What’s Inside

Fighting Weight: Renewed 10 Essentials: Renewed Jogging with James: Renewed Fashion Week Ride-Along: Renewed Why do Guys: Renewed

Cleaners Play it Forward Strand Street Chosen Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee The Bannen Way Joe Dirt The Sequal

Sequestered Sports Jeopardy! The Throwaways Tightrope Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” Chosen,” SEASON 4 Playing It Forward

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

Newfronts 2014

Food for Dudes Landfill Dogs Like A Vegan How Not to Kill Your Kids The Girls with Glasses: Way to Wear Lunch Lady 5 Things with Anne Sage Yoga Rebel with Tara Stiles “A Well Designed Life: Holiday with Genevieve Gorder” EstheKitchen with Jessica Bartley The Mommy Show with Ilana Wiles Sick Kitchens with Nadia G Handy Ma’am with Janell Inez Almost Free: New York with Sonia Gil Olive Us Eye Where You Are Top 3 of Everything What You Don’t Know Could Kill You

2013 52

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

“Underdogs Season 3: Inspiring Stories in High School Football”: People Now The Chat Light Bulb “Eyesore with Rachel Dratch & Alec Holland” The Climb I Heart My Closet Biscuits & Jam

Baker Street Irregulars Person of InterestNext Big Thing CNET Appliances CNET EspanolGameStart Baller Status GameCrib

cheat sheet Seriously Distracted #FullDisclosure “What Now? With Katherine Schwarzenegger” Best Birthday Ever…With the Coop Fetch Fashion with Gillian Jacobs “Five Things I’ve Always Wanted To Ask You, Mom” Life Is Beautiful Culture

Dance School Diaries Every Last Step

Fresh Off the Boat” As-Yet-Unnamed Noisey Show Motherboard Roundtable Toxic VICE World of Sports

A Love Story Celebrity Pet Psychic Citizen Kid Unfiltered with Cole Plante D’Fied: Digitales It’s a Small World Making it Up Stunt’d Swampy’s Underground Adventures That’s Fresh with Helen Cavallo

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Newfronts 2014

Frankenstein, MD Pancake Mountain Bongo Bongo Food Buzz

2013 54

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Vevo Go Shows Vevo Lyric Lines Stylized Get the Look Taste of Music Guess the Video Judge This! AKA Day Off With

Lyric Lines The Comment Show VEVO TV

Mainly Murder Jewelry Star The Great S. Cape Hipsterhood The Gauntlet

cheat sheet

The Weather Company Brink: Already announced Destination Uncharted Grid Breakers I Am Unstoppable Virus Hunters Alive

Chasing A Dorm Biz A Dropping the Soap 30 Days to Popular Scripted The Espressologist

La Buena Vida En La Olla Canal Fashion La Carcajada Lo Que No Ves

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

A Race to Acquire Fullscreen – Who Should Win? Fullscreen has closed a Series A funding round led by The Chernin Group, with additional contributions from Comcast Ventures and WPP Digital. While the announcement didn’t disclose the amount that was raised in the Series A round, a report from AllThingsD in April pegged it at $30 million.

Right now, the MCN space is piping hot with strategic investment activity, sparked largely in part to Maker Studios’ recent acquisition by Disney for $500M. Now at the center of that frenzy is Fullscreen – the multi-channel network started by former Google / YouTube exec George Strompolous.

YouTube Set to Reportedly Buy Twitch for $1B

Acquisitions ZEFR Sells Movieclips Business to Fandango AwesomenessTV Buys Big Frame for $15M

YouTube is said to be on the cusp of acquiring gaming platform Twitch for $1 billion, a deal which arrives only 8 months following a $20M Series C round last Fall, bringing Twitch’s total investment to over $35M to date. for more info check thevideoink.com/acquisition

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014

“Online video is no longer viewed as the niche it once was. Content producers from all mediums are starting to embrace the digital space more and more.” --RJ Williams, Young Hollywood

“Content creation is no longer restricted to select Hollywood studios; it’s happening all around us. Video creators are sort of their own media companies.” --George Strompolos, Fullscreen

Bing Chen, leaves youtube

Endemol Beyond USA Picks David B. Williams to Lead Content and Tech Strategy

Hulu Nabs Netflix Exec Jenny Wall to Head Marketing

“I’ve worked my entire professional life to promote up-and-coming talent and the new art forms they create and YouTube is the perfect platform for this new generation,” --Russell Simmons, All Def Digital

Ora.tv nabs Jamie Schutz as EVP of production and branded entertainment.

TheVideoInk.com Game-On May 2014