VidCon 2014 by VideoInk Editorial

July 2014

VidCon

Issue 8

TheVideoInk.com VidCon July 2014

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

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Interviews with Some of Your Favorite YouTubers 4 Brands & Media Companies, If You Miss It, You Don’t Get It (and You Will Be Left Behind) 6 The Year of the Teen Idol 8 An Industry in the Shadow of the Community 10 Strawburry17 Talks New Channel Strategy 12 Comic Jason Horton Uses YouTube as His ‘Business Card’ 14 In His Own Voice: Mikey Bolts, Master of Mimicry 16 Keeping Up with Social Media: How the YouTubers Do It 18 VidCon interviews 20

What’s new on the tube 22 Screenshot 24

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Vidcon voices Interviews with Some of Your Favorite YouTubers

idCon. Since its inception in 2010, the notable YouTube gathering has become a veritable behemoth of the digital realm. With creators and members of the community alike traveling the world over to attend, the impact of VidCon is undeniable. Heading into the convention this year, the anticipation couldn’t be higher. With panels, meet-ups, and parties galore, the event truly allows all aspects of the community to come together in one glorious celebration of the digital world we all passionately inhabit. For fans, the chance to connect with

their favorite online personality in the f lesh is meaningful. For the creators, the opportunity to get face-time with the individuals who propelled their channels to greatness is invaluable. With everyone all a-f lutter with excitement, it seemed like the perfect time to connect with some of the digital space’s most-talented individuals to talk about the medium that inspired the gathering. Through a series of discussions about their own channels and the radical evolution of the online community, I got to hear from these notable creators about what

they feel drives their own work and what makes this world so special. But, lest you think this is all too serious, don’t worry. At the end of the day, VidCon is about fun, and in the spirit of the occasion, so are these interviews. From dream collabs to getting weird user comments about feet, these content creators opened up about how the changing face of the digital space has allowed them to chase their dreams and have a blast in the process. With videos, insight, and laughs aplenty, here’s what they had to say:

What’s your favorite comment one of your videos has ever received? The weirdest?

Chad Neidt

Recently someone told me they really wanted to peel my forehead off. I also have a song that poses the question “What if the reason Scorpion and Sub-Zero hate each other is because they’re actually gay for one another and are suppressing all that sexual tension by trying to kill each other?” That video gets A LOT of the typical “Gayyyyy” comments. It’s like, uh, YEA, it actually is.

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Chilled Chaos Part of a successful channel is regularly uploading content, but if you had to choose only ONE video of your own that best defines you and your channel, which would it be? I have quite a few that would apply here, but if I had to choose one, it’d be Roller Coaster Tycoon in Real Life. I feel that video defines my channel quite well. It’s basically me re-imagining one of my most favorite childhood games and doing some fun, creative stuff with it!

Cherry Dollface

Tell me something about the future of your channel. What’s something you haven’t done yet that you’d like to do? Whether it’s a collab with a certain person, a different kind of format, or something else! I’d like to incorporate more ‘me’ in my channel. As it stands, it’s a collection of gaming videos that showcases myself having fun. And ultimately, in my opinion, that’s what my channel should be about.

Lia Marie Johnson

What’s your favorite comment one of your videos has ever received? The weirdest? A 12 year old girl told me my videos saved her from committing suicide because they made her feel that it’s ok to be different. I bawled my eyes out!! And I get weird feet fetish people commenting about how delicious my toes are on my shoe collection video!

Teala Dunn

What’s the weirdest comment one of your videos has ever received?

If you could trade places with another YouTuber for a day, who would it be and why?

If you had to choose only ONE video of your own that best defines you and your channel, which would it be?

The weirdest one is probably still the guy who keeps asking us to do the sins of The Passion of the Christ.

I love Miranda Sings (Colleen) because she is hilarious and gets to hang out with so many cool YouTubers!

It would most likely be one of my Q&As. My fans/viewers love those type of videos more because they get to know me.

Check out more of the Q and A’s at www.thevideoik.com TheVideoInk.com VidCon July 2014

Peter Csathy is the CEO of Manatt Digital Media Ventures; formerly, CEO of Sorenson Media; CEO of SightSpeed (acquired by Logitech); President of Musicmatch (acquired by Yahoo!); COO of eNow (acquired by peter csathyAOL); long-time media/digital media executive (Universal Studios, New Line Cinema, Savoy Pictures); frequent guest blogger on Huffington Post, TechCrunch, others.

idCon 2014 – like the 1892 Chicago World’s Fair that heralded a new era of disruptive technology (how do you like that reference?) — this may be the event upon which we look back and say, for media companies, brands, and marketers, “This was the moment that defined the mainstreaming of premium short-form video content and consumer engagement via technology and the fundamental overall transformation of the media and marketing business in general.” That is no hyperbole — that analogy is apt, and this sea change is real, very real. And to “get” — really “get” — that fundamental point (from which fundamental strategic shifts inevitably must follow — or not, at your peril), you just gotta be there. On the ground. At VidCon. You just gotta see and “feel” the energy of the throngs of 10- to 20-year-old kids who scream and swarm — a la “back in the day” with The Beatles (another bell-weather of things to come at that time) — every time they see a YouTube “star.” Those shrieks — that frenzy — happened every 10-15 6

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minutes (or more) throughout the seven hours I attended my first VidCon yesterday. And those seven hours cemented — even more deeply — what I had already concluded (but hadn’t really “felt” on a mass scale with the new generation of consumers — i.e., the kids that media and brands want and need to reach right now). That you better get on the bus in this transformed YouTube economy or forever be left behind (this picture of the kids with the signs says it all). I was not alone with the deep internalization of this point. Long-time digital media exec David Hyman – who founded MOG music (acquired by Beats Music) and with whom I interacted “back in the day” at Musicmatch when he was with Gracenote (acquired by Sony) — summarized it perfectly; in his words, “This Blows My Mind!” I violently agreed. But it is not just about the fans. VidCon brings together industry execs and the creative community together with the fans — something that is

This was the moment that defined the mainstreaming of premium shortform video content and consumer engagement via technology

rarely done at industry conferences (Comic-Con is another rare example). And here’s the point — all media companies and brands need to have their minds blown. We are in the midst of a seachange people. Fundamental sea-change. The media business — and the way that marketers/ brands engage with consumers — will never be the same. But, the vast majority of media and marketing execs still just don’t “get” it (or don’t want to “get” it and hope to wish these transformative/disruptive changes away).

Again, the only way to really “get” this is to attend VidCon – to swim in that sea of kids — to watch how they react. To watch how they cry after meeting their favorite YouTube “star” (yes, I saw several girls crying because that experience was simply overwhelming). If you have any doubts, just watch these two videos (the first shows screaming girls f lock to YouTube “star” Ricky Dillon – and the second shows fellow stars Kingsley and Lilly Singh take the stage for a Q&A). VidCon 2014, among other things, was Coachella for Kids! (I coined that, so don’t use unless you give me royalties…). VidCon 2014. For me, it’s the single most important and “must attend” industry event of the year. I would argue that it should be the same for media, marketing, and brand execs.

Traditional Media is changing YouTube apparently invited the top 100 brands to attend VidCon – to experience it — on their dime. Yes, YouTube offered to pay for all of their expenses. But you know what? Only 30 of those 100 brands took them up on that offer! “Celebrities” of this new media age are fundamentally different from the celebrities of yore. They are relatable. They are approachable. They are authentic. They are just simply “regular” kids who somehow amassed a frenzied following using the YouTube platform. Jeffrey Katzenberg took the stage for a fireside chat following a panel of digital media/YouTube economy execs. In the words of a colleague who attended that event, “the room was packed, but half the people left when Katzenberg took the stage.” To be clear, this is no slam on Katzenberg. He absolutely fills (and overf lows) a room in the “traditional” media world. But, that’s the point. That world is gone. Nothing is “traditional” anymore.

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The Year of the Teen Idol

Opinion

iving in Southern California, I’ve been party to an earthquake or two. Even so, I can’t say I’ve ever quite experienced the level of fear I did in the moment when I unknowingly stepped between YouTube superstar Troye Sivan and an oncoming wall of screaming, rabid teenage girls. For attendees at this year’s VidCon, it was a familiar sound: A cry or shout that built into a roar, followed by a running mass of eager fans chasing down their favorite digital star like predators on the hunt. Yet, while it could occasionally come to the casual passerby’s detriment to get caught in this crossfire, it was also this enthusiastic electricity that helped carry this year’s gathering into greatness.

pect of YouTube, is all about. This factor has always leant itself to VidCon’s success, and has been a consistent thread through the years.

no one would care enough to read about an internet personality

As a commentator on VidCons past (here and here), I’ve always spoken about my great admiration for the sense of community the annual event engenders. This year, I’m proud to say that my feelings on the issue are stronger than ever. Watching the organic interac8

tion between viewers and content creators, who are so often separated by screens, yet still so bonded, has always been the magic of this event. More so, to see emerging creators, such as eClickNick or the team from Classic Alice, mingling with established titans like Chester See and Michael Buckley… that’s really what VidCon, and ultimately, the communal as-

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However, for all the consistency the show maintains, one thing that cannot be denied is the exponential growth of the fandom and its fervor. In years past, it was not uncommon for a YouTuber to host an impromptu meet-up somewhere on-site, allowing fans to gather peaceably

and snap a pic or share a kind word. While meet-ups still were an essential cog in the VidCon process this year, they became increasingly more challenging with the increased size of the crowd. As evidenced by my Troye Sivan story earlier, YouTubers with a prominent hold on the teen market, especially males like Connor Franta and Tyler Oakley, caused such a commotion that it was next-to-impossible to move them through public spaces without creating a security risk. In my mind, it certainly marked this particular VidCon as “The Year of the Teen Idol,” and announced to the world that the digital platform doesn’t just create stars, it creates pop culture phenomenons. As an event, VidCon is meant to not only allow the community a chance to connect with creators, but also serve as an opportunity for

various channels and entities to gather and co-mingle. To allow MCNs and digital executives to get together and talk about the future of the space, plotting and scheming what may appear on our computer screens. As an intermixing of this behindthe-scenes talent, VidCon was also a success. But, with the excitement and fanaticism just beyond the walls of many meetings, the show’s attendees made it very clear that everything else was to take a backseat to the celebration. Even a fireside chat with legendary executive Jeffrey Katzenberg saw attendance dwindle as the audience caught wind of one of their idols passing by outside. While some may suggest that this intense focus on creator worship was to the show’s detriment, I posit that it was actually an essential cog in the community’s growth. When I pitched my first article about a YouTube personality back in 2007, my then-editor told me that “no one would care enough to read

about an internet personality.” Sitting in one of the lounges this weekend, listening to the screams of literally thousands of people, I’m going to have to go ahead and say: Oh, people care. They really, really do. While the aforementioned “teen idol” factor may seem a bit intense, it’s indicative of the connection these viewers feel for the creators they watch. It’s been an organic growth, fostered not out of studio labels or test markets, but individuals connecting directly with the audience. VidCon continues to show me that the internet audience is savvy to the tricks of traditional media, and they are turning to the web to make a connection that they don’t feel they are getting elsewhere. VidCon is a celebration of that connection. For the fans and creators who have been there since the beginning, and seen the growth, it’s no wonder that this seems like Beatlemania.

How youtube changed the media world One VidCon attendee said that she had actually canceled her cable service, because, and we quote, “Strawburry17 is creating new daily shows, and that’s really all I need.” VidCon is meant to not only allow the community a chance to connect with creators, but also serve as an opportunity for various channels and entities to gather and co-mingle. Fans feel that content is being created just for them, and they’re making that connection to the material in the deepest way possible. TheVideoInk.com VidCon July 2014

Opinion An Industry in the Shadow of the Community

idCon is unlike any other conference. Throngs of screaming teenagers, sold-out screenings and concerts, direct access to some of the most talented creators in online video, VidCon offers an experience unmatched by most other industry conferences. The thing is, though, VidCon isn’t an industry conference. It’s a fan-fest, one where the YouTube community — creator and fan — comes together to celebrate itself. This is not meant to be a criticism of VidCon, which does what it does incredibly well. The industry, as it rightfully should, takes a back seat to the community. While every year the number of industry people attending the conference increases, the audience for industry-centric panels routinely falls behind those for the community panels. Unless there are some major YouTube creators involved, in which case the industry attendance sometimes come close to matching community. Again, this is not meant to be a criticism, just an observation of

the state of VidCon. So while brands and media companies should be attending VidCon — to experience the entertainment culture that has developed out of YouTube and prepare for the next generation of viewers, creators, and consumers — they should do so with a desire to experience and integrate with the community. In other words, don’t attend the industry sessions. Because the community is what feels new and fresh. The community is what’s important. The industry sessions and panels you

could attend at VidCon, you could attend at many other conferences. People are still trying to figure out the same things, and you’re going to hear as many non-answers on a VidCon panel as you do at every

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other conference you have ever been to. Does the industry track provide a great opportunity to network with those in the industry? Yes. But so do other well-attended conferences.

Is there a way to fix this issue? Sure. One way could be to go back to having an industry-specific day, which would cater exclusively to the business interests of creators, various online video executives, and everyone else involved and interested in the YouTube industry. Though, having spoken to a few executives and creators both before and during VidCon, it might make more sense to go even a bit further. What about a private conference that invites only talent, media, agency, and brand executives,

features Annoying Orange Creator Dane Boe Marvels at Growth of VidCon

venture capitalists, and studio executives, and other important people in the online video space? This would be a closed-door conference, with a directive to talk openly and honestly about how to make progress in terms of revenue and monetization as the industry continues to mature. It could also make it possible to get actual deals and partnerships done. What about an event that brings talent and their top fans — those who themselves are inf luential online — together to figure out new ways to activate and monetize their communities? Both of those ideas were proposed to me by people whose names command attention in our industry. Yes, there are logistical hurdles to making either idea a reality in any sort of functional and successful way. But I think it speaks to a desire for the industry wanting to plot out where it needs to go next — how it chooses to mature.

An agency executive predicted earlier this year that 2014 will be when the YouTube world grows up, likely in the form of a “hit” piece of content. Well, VidCon co-founder John Green already has a bestselling novel and now a $100 million movie.

It’s time for the rest of the industry to follow suit. VidCon is a tentpole event for the online video business, and will continue to grow in stature as the years go by. Only 30 of 100 big brands might have taken YouTube’s offer to attend the the fest this year, but I’m willing to bet that number increases every year.

Dane Boedigheimer, creator of the smash YouTube hit, “Annoying Orange,” has been attending VidCon since it’s inception five years ago, of which he describes the atmosphere as though it was “in a basement.” That marks a far cry from this year’s event, attracting crowds of over 18,000. The past five years have encompassed monumental development and opportunity for Boedigheimer, as well, since the Annoying Orange has crossed over from YouTube to TV on it’s current spot on Cartoon Network. Boedigheimer also elaborated on new, exciting projects on his YouTube channel’s horizon. From cartoons to puppet shows to live-action animation, the channel offers a growing number of shows, which he hopes to see become a network of its own.

More people are paying attention. You can go as far as to say online video is getting ready for primetime. The industry just needs to figure out how to attract those eyeballs, not just the ones of screaming teenagers.

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Features

n considering the work of Meghan Camarena, a bevy of apt descriptions come to mind. Many of her peers will tell you she’s a game changer. An inspiration. A force of nature. But, perhaps most importantly, to hundreds of thousands subscribers, Camarena is Strawburry17.

by VideoInk here) of her brand to include new concepts and talent, Camarena is demonstrating that she has her eyes on a prize far greater than the creature comforts of YouTube.

In celebration of her channel’s latest incarnation, Camarena and the team from Strawburry17 hostA creative dynamo who has evolved her channel ed a premiere party event at Los Angeles’ historfrom a popular vlog/music video platform to a ic Silent Movie Theater. A screening of the first veritable network of original programming, Caweek of new programming, the event served as a marena has continuously displayed a creative savmeans to show off their hard work, as well as an vy unrivaled by others in her field. Her sharp eye opportunity to give back to fans. on changing trends and consistent drive to push boundaries has led to an innovative approach “We chose to have two showings,” says Camarena. to channel construction. And with the recent “One that was mainly focused on the fans, thankrelaunch (her second, the first was also covered 12

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But, it’s someing them for everything, and one thing we’re that was for us and the people in going to stand our lives, to show off everything very firm on, we’ve been working on. I’ve been because I don’t socially unavailable for the past want to be a five months, and this gave me a people-pleaschance to say, ‘This is what I’ve ing YouTuber. been doing, I just haven’t been I want to do ignoring phone calls!’” things that I’m “The response has been interestproud of… If I ing. It’s not what I was expecting, have to work I have put so much of myself into to gain a new this relaunch, that I was taken audience, that’s aback a bit by how the audience fine with me…” reacted to the new content,” she says. “It’s been a little disheart“YouTube is interesting,” she says. “In televiening… My you get what you viewers feel In television, you get what you sion, get, and it’s what you very entiget, and it’s what you watch. If watch. If things do well, tled to tell me what things do well, you get more of you get more of it, if not, you don’t. With YouTube, they think it, if not, you don’t. the audience is more I should be organic. Some of them doing and have been there since the beginning. They how they think I should be fixing don’t want to see it turn into a big commercial things. I’m open to constructive or like TV. They don’t want to see it turn into a criticism, but it’s a little bit too place where we no longer listen to their opinmuch.” ion. I think some of my viewers don’t realize “We’re one of the first to be doI’m making the changes to my channel because ing this, and it’s not something of them. I’m dreaming really big, and wanting they’ve to do things on a bigger scale. If you look at my probavideos, this has always been the goal. I just had bly seen to work hard and educate myself to get it.” before,” she con“I would love to shift into acting and bigger tinues. productions,” she says. “I would love to get “So that’s into making more film content. In addition to huge, and posting new show ideas, we want to stockpile they’re as much as we can, and then dive into pre-proprobaduction, whether it be web series or whatever. bly not I have a web series I’d like to finish next year. going to And a movie! The future will be big producrespond tions, more videos like you see now, possibly well, new hosts…I want to just keep expanding the because Strawburry17 empire. We want to do what we it’s nevlove ourselves, and give it to other people, who er been hopefully find what they love, too.” done.

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ason Horton, the man behind the famous “7 Minutes in Heaven” interactive video and a “YouTube Next Comic,” thinks of his YouTube channel as “kind of like my business card.” As an actor, writer, producer, and comedian, Horton’s got a lot going on behind the scenes, and YouTube serves as the gateway to his greater body of work.

San Diego. A member of Horton’s improv group, YouTuber Bree Essrig connected him to Totally Sketch, where he began working on their digital videos. From there, Horton got recognition for something surprisingly unique when it came to YouTubers — his acting background.

Having moved to LA in 2006 to pursue acting and live comedy, Horton arrived on the scene as YouTube was just beginning. Already having a sense of himself as someone coming to LA to audition for commercials and do the whole “live comedy grind,” Horton “really had no idea” that YouTube could become such a helpful supplement to his career.

Whereas many YouTubers became known for their personable vlogging demeanors, Horton explained, “I filled a lot of different categories, so I found myself doing a lot of collaborations…working with Maker…MysteryGuitarMan (real name: Joe Penna), and iJustine.” The more Horton worked on other people’s YouTube videos, the more he thought about creating content of his own on the platform. So many simplistic videos “had like a million views,” he says.

Back then, Horton performed sketch comedy at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre and at iO West, also acting with an improv group he started back in

The interactive videos he’s become known for, like the well-known “7 Minutes in Heaven,” proved an amazing JasonHorton3YouTube tactic, since one video au-

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tomatically leads viewers to the next, as they can click at the end to have the main character perform one of two options (the chosen one playing out in the subsequent video). Like most of Horton’s YouTube videos, this one plays off the theme of guys (usually portrayed by Horton) being awkward around women. Why focus on such a potentially painful topic? Noting that “cool is what TV and movies are for,” Horton thinks of YouTube as pertaining much more to real life, where things are, admittedly, awkward. However, Horton’s tried to branch out from his typical video’s theme on YouTube, but “people don’t care as much.” “That’s why I’ll write more in other outlets,” he said. Having written absurd comedy for AwesomenessTV and fifteen-year-old girls alike, Horton enjoys the challenge of trying to make anything funny as well as writing in someone else’s voice. “I’m not very me-centric,” he says. “Even though my YouTube channel has my name all over it, if you look at it, it’s not only me. It’s a lot of what I think is funny and interesting through the voices and the eyes of other people, so I’m just surrounded by a group of people who are more talented and better looking than me…I don’t mind working with others; I play well with others.”

Instead, Horton writes scripts “just to show people,” from which they gain a basic idea of the plot before turning to improv, a practice he also engages in over at Totally Sketch. “When I get a script I’ll read it once to make sure I’m not doing anything I don’t want to do or is terribly unfunny, but otherwise I look at it there and I just kind of figure out [how the video will go] from there,” Horton says about the process. Overall, Horton described the key to YouTube as “doing something consistently that you love doing and are willing to put the time into, then just kind of letting it happen.” He cautioned that it takes time to get people to care. Though some YouTube stars get started with a surprise viral hit, this isn’t the case for all of them. Most YouTubers have to rely on some trial and error in order to find their niche. Over years of working on the platform, on both his own and other people’s channels, YouTube has certainly managed to surprise Horton. Harkening back to his “not-cool guy” status, Horton tended to assume that “people didn’t care” about him. Yet after establishing his YouTube presence, his live shows gained significantly larger audiences, which Horton found to be “amazing and weird.” He’s also active in his channel’s comments section. “You can really make someone’s day, even change their life a bit on YouTube.”

This explains the host of collaborations on Horton’s YouTube channel. Though he admits it’s hard to foresee how his audience will react to certain videos, Horton has a better sense of what the end product of a video is going to look like when he repeatedly collaborates with fellow ‘Tubers. There’s not a lot of preparation with these videos because Horton and his co-stars “don’t study scripts.”

TheVideoInk.com VidCon July 2014

Features

f you were to ask me my impression of Mikey Bolts, I’d have to tell you, “Sorry, that’s his gig.” Cue the drum crash…thank you, ladies & germs, I’ll be here all night. Light-hearted puns aside, Bolts has made a name for himself as a master of mimicry. His spoton impressions of a slew of animated characters have earned him praise, attention and a retweet or two from the likes of 16

In His Own Voice:

Pharrell, Pitbull, and the king of subversive animation himself, Seth MacFarlane. Yet, for all of these high-profile accolades and the millions of viewers his channel garners, Bolts remains ever humble. “I’m a goof ball, just like everyone else…just a normal dude,” he tells me. “I’m just more okay with being a goof in front of millions of people.” It’s a fair self-assessment. Part

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of Bolts’ charm is his affable nature and ease with which he presents material. However, while the young creator always maintains a relaxed approach, it should not be confused for laziness. As a voice actor and comedian, Bolts’ is an artisan in practice. His impressions of character voices have captured the imaginations of YouTube audiences, and by presenting covers of songs such as Ariana Grande’s “Problems” as if it was sung by the cast of “Family Guy,” Bolts has won the hearts

of viewers

train my voice to do it like them.”

across the world. Part of the success of his videos hinges on the fact that his impressions are so spot-on, they almost don’t feel like impressions at all. It’s an uncanny ability, and an interesting talent to discover in oneself. When I ask him what lead him to a life of mimicry, Bolts tells me it’s rooted in his fascination with the behavior of others. “I always mimicked people,” Mikey Bolts says of his beginnings. “I know it sounds funny, but when they would do things that bothered or interested me, I would always mimic it. I wanted to be able to sound just like them. I’ve always had this passion for studying people: What they do, how they talk, how they say things. I know that probably sounds weird, but it seriously interests me. And when I hear something that interests me in how people talk, I’ll try and

What then, you may wonder, does it take for Mikey Bolts to ID a voice that he feels worthy of impersonating? “It sounds crazy, but it’s all about one line,” he reveals. “If I take a line that I think will work, I’ll try to say it…and if it even sounds 25% like that character, then I’ll start working on it. If I try something and it doesn’t click, then I know right away that I won’t be able to do that voice. There’s no set limit to when I can get a line down, but to become f luent in a voice, to straight-up talk like a character…that’s like learning a language. To think and speak like a character takes time. But to start with one line, that’s how I do most of my work. And once you do that line, and have it down… you do an-

other line…and another line.” Certainly, it’s a course of study that’s suited Mikey Bolts well. Since he started his channel almost seven years ago, the rambunctious talent has gathered over a million subscribers. As a witness to the rise of YouTube culture, I ask Bolts how he feels the community has changed since he first started sharing videos on his friends’ MySpace pages, and he gives an informative slice of insight into a world that seems so distant, but really isn’t all that long ago. “The community has changed in the way that when I started, there was no community,” he says. “When I started vlogging, my friends at home would be like, ‘Why are you doing this thing where you’re talking to the camera?’ That wasn’t normal, to vlog. Everyone saw that as being awkward. There was no tightknit, strong community like there is now. These days, everyone wants to be part of this community… Now people are making a living off of it, and it’s somewhere you go and you stay.”

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Features

Keeping Up with A Social Media: How the YouTubers Do It

s a YouTube creator, staying on top of social media is key. However, if you have upwards of 18 million subscribers, like Smosh, or even just a few thousand, that’s a lot of social media to stay on top of. So how do some of the biggest YouTube personalities do it? VideoInk got the chance to catch up with many of these creators at VidCon and gleaned some tips on how to handle a world of social media that most describe as “overwhelming.” Here’s what they said:

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Acknowledge your limitations. “You can’t be on Facebook and YouTube and Twitter and Instagram all at the same time,” said Ian Hecox of the famed comedy duo Smosh.

Get help. Dane Boedigheimer, creator of “The Annoying Orange,” admitted to doing just that when it comes to interacting with his fans. “I surround myself with very great people that help me manage all of that,”

Tweet back.

Stay engaged. “I’m addicted to my phone and social media, so I always try and keep everyone updated and tweeting and posting on Instagram,” Said Jenn McCallister Aka as JennXPenn

Respond to new videos’ comments immediately. Getting a look at viewers’ first reactions to a fresh video will give you immediate perspective on what you did right, wrong, better, or worse. Kingsley explained

Anthony Quintal (known on YouTube as Lohanthony) always reciprocates on social media. “I’m always tweeting back, always following people back,” he described of his committed social media presence.

Read (even if you can’t respond) “It’s very difficult to respond to everybody, but I try to at least read it all.” encouraged Michelle Glavan

Open up. Sharing yourself with your fans means so much that they’ll appreciate your openness even when you’re too busy to respond to everything they have to tweet at you. Tyler Ward

Love your fans. Genuinely caring for your fans will make your drive to thrive on social media somewhat effortless. Colleen Ballinger of Miranda Sings

Solicit fan feedback. “I’m always encouraging them to show me their recreations of nail art, always interacting with them online,” Sandi, CutePolish

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Check out youtube.com/Videoinkoriginals for interviews with some of your favorite youtube creators 21 TheVideoInk.com VidCon July 2014

News

Scene + Heard: ‘The Tonight show Random Lip Sync Challenge’ at VidCon

YouTube Ad Creating Website Veeroll Launches at VidCon

T J

oining a number of other digital video related startups at this year’s VidCon, Veeroll is now on the scene with a website that lets businesses make high converting video ads for YouTube. The Singapore-based startup includes a tool that lets brands easily select their target demographic. A number of high converting templates then let the brands generate numerous video ads that Veeroll promises will have higher clickthrough rates. Veeroll’s co-founder, Gideon Shalwick, explained, “When advertising on YouTube, advertisers usually face two hurdles: quickly finding the right audience and then quickly creating a compelling video ad to reach that audience. Veeroll solves both these problems.” Advertisers using TrueView instream advertisements on YouTube only have to pay the platform when people watch their ads for upwards of 30 seconds, or if they’re clicked, making this sort of marketing cost-effective for brands.

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he only major broadcast network to have a significant presence at VidCon 2014, NBC hosted “The Tonight Show Random Lip Sync Challenge” Thursday at the convention. The interactive event allowed participants to record their own lip syncs for a shot at joining a mashup video that will show up on the NBC and “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” YouTube channels.

What’s Trending and Samsung Partnership Continues at VidCon

hat’s Trending and Samsung go way back. In addition to the multi-platform video company providing management services to Samsung US’s YouTube channel, the two companies have come together in the past for tentpole events like CES, SXSW, and Samsung’s Hope for Children Gala. Now, the two will join up again for their co-branded studio at this year’s VidCon. “Through our partnership, Samsung has become a true champion of the online video community, and an integral partner to What’s Trending as a startup,” Damon Berger, CEO of What’s Trending, said in a statement. “Our partnership with Samsung will continue to give our fans a unique opportunity to experience trending events.”

What’s

ouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki took the stage today at VidCon to deliver some key points on the digital video platform. Her keynote outlined new features creators should expect to see within the coming months. Here’s a list of some of the major takeaways from Wojcicki’s talk:

Forget blurry images.

In a matter of weeks, users can expect 48 and even up to 60 frames per second for videos on the platform.

on the The Audio Library

has always hosted a selection of free music for creators. Now, they can also get thousands of sound effects sans copyright, too.

Playlists will be easier Creator Credits

will make for easy tagging when it comes to YouTube collaborations. The new feature will show up in the following months, making it simple for creators to acknowledge the other talented individuals who make their work possible. This will work towards making a sort of marketplace for collaborators.

for viewers to discover. This means that new features like dynamic playlists will automatically update based on their titles, such as the given example, “My Five Most Popular Videos,” which will change according to videos’ popularity.

Fans will contribute

even more. An upcoming subtitle feature will allow multi-lingual fans to submit translations to creators’ videos in any language based on subtitles written by the creator.

Annotations

will become so much more. Specifically, they will act more like “info cards,” which will boast both a sleeker look and even more interactive opportunities for fans. Think of the possibilities in terms of crowdfunding and merch sales.

A new app

brings creators updates anywhere they go. Named YouTube Creator Studio, the app (already released on Android and soon to launch on iOS) will let content creators manage their work on the platform while on the move.

Fan Funding

lets enthused audience members contribute support whenever they want. The tool allows fans to send creators up to $500, 5% of which (plus 21 cents for processing) goes to YouTube. Creators such as Thug Notes, Soul Pancake, and The Young Turks will begin trying out this feature soon, both on laptops and on Android devices.

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Men’s Style Startup Dash Hudson to Tap Marketing Power of YouTubers Following Microsoft’s announcement that it plans to cut 18,000 jobs, speculation swirled about the future of Xbox Entertainment Studios, the division at the gaming console unit focused on producing original video programming. In a memo to staff, Microsoft’s head of Xbox and Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer said that the company will close Xbox Entertainment Studios in the coming months.

Dash Hudson, a social/mobile startup that aims to make it easier for young men to find style recommendations and make purchases, knows where it should go to drive audiences to its platform — YouTube. The company is launching a new program called “We Dress YouTube,” which will enlist establishing and rising male YouTube stars to promote the platform via referral codes in exchange for a new wardrobe and some additional incremental revenue.

Waywire Grows Channel Network, Names New COO to Continue Building Video curation and discovery service Waywire believes it can be the “program guide” for digital video, and in doing so, solve the video discovery problem that continues to plague the industry. To accomplish this, Waywire has been rolling out curated video channels, some tied to individual content brands and others that focus on specific genres, topics, or interests.

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2 Ways Xbox Entertainment Studios’ Slate May Find New Life There are two paths already quietly unfolding. Sources who have titles with XES have told VideoInk that over the last few weeks, Xbox Entertainment Studios began offering the rights back to creators whose projects were in various stages of early development and production.

“We are always exploring various content and marketing ideas to support and accelerate our creators,”--YouTube spokesperson Ross Levinsohn Joins the Board at DramaFever

“EMT delivers a highly engaged male audience that is literally hungry for more content, and we’re thrilled Collective Digital Studio is able to introduce Hormel Black Label Bacon to this demo,” --Reza Izad, CDS

Netflix hired Brian Wright

Scott Nourse will be joining PBS Digital as the vice president of product development,

“With YouTube, the audience is more organic. Some of them have been there since the beginning. They don’t want to see it turn into a big commercial or like TV. They don’t want to see it turn into a place where we no longer listen to their opinion.”--Straburry17

Wendell Wenjen vice president of business development, a new position at the ad-tech company.

TheVideoInk.com VidCon July 2014