Vidcon 2013: What this year says about what’s happening on YouTube
As the web video world evolves, so do those who work inside the industry. And Vidcon has proven to be a good way of tracking that evolution.
As the web video world evolves, so do those who work inside the industry. And Vidcon has proven to be a good way of tracking that evolution.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries might be one of the most important web content stories of 2012: The YouTube adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has not only secured its financial future thanks to DECA, but has built an intense fanbase for future literary adaptations.
The web’s most popular Jane Austin adaptation gets a big deal. The value of mainstream celebrities might not measure up to web celebrities. Some people actually miss Myspace. And other things learned from the New York Television Festival.
Vidcon serves as a real-time, real life reminder of the vibrant community that cares about online video — a community born in comment threads, response videos, retweets and subscriptions. It’s a young community. It’s a very specific community. But it’s impossible to ignore.
It took video blogging pioneer Ze Frank less than eight hours to achieve his funding goal of $50,000 on Kickstarter yesterday. Now he’s already working on planing the relaunch of his show, which is currently scheduled to debut at the end of March.
YouTube isn’t just about cat videos anymore: Educational content has been growing rapidly on the site, with views of educational videos doubling in 2011. Google is investing some of its money to give videos about biology and world history a more professional look and feel.
In the online video world, there are no shortage of conferences — but they’re aimed specifically at the business of the industry, not the culture of it. Enter Vlogbrothers’ Hank Green’s VidCon, which will run from July 9-11 in Los Angeles.