The YouTube talent companies that have sprung up over recent years are no stranger to innovation. What was once called The Cloud Media has been transformed into Big Frame, a hybrid production/management company focused on helping creators find their voices and build their audiences.
As YouTube’s self-made stars have grown in popularity, a number of companies have been founded to maximize their online influence across multiple platforms. Here’s an overview of those working behind-the-scenes on big deals for Ryan Higa, Annoying Orange, ShayCarl and Mystery Guitar Man.
YouTuber Josh Sundquist was named today as YouTube’s On the Rise star for January, getting a featured spot on the front page. Looking at his videos, it’s not hard to see why — the author, Paralympian and motivational speaker’s work isn’t just fun, but truly inspirational.
Partners Project, which focuses on YouTube creators finding success with full-time video making, is not for anyone who hasn’t heard of Sxephil or LisaNova. But for those who are invested emotionally or financially in the future of online video, there is much of interest here.
This week’s 5 Questions With… features Phil DeFranco, a YouTube star who regularly tops the Most Viewed page. Here, Phil talks about the power of being an Internet personality and how he manages to keep up with his own YouTube channel as well as other projects.
It’s been almost two years since we last wrote about Jon Lajoie — whose comedy sketches and songs helped him build international fame online — but while he’s been doing pretty well for himself thanks to acting gigs and an original album, he’s still maintained his web popularity.
In the first 24 hours of Weezer’s YouTube (s GOOG) invasion, timed to promote their new album Hurley, the multiple videos featuring cameos by the band earned a combined five million views. But the promotion may not have had much effect on record sales.
The band Weezer has been a YouTube enthusiast for ages, and to promote their new album Hurley (coincidentally, available in stores today!), they gave YouTubers like Mystery Guitar Man, Fred, and Hot for Words a chance to put the band in their videos.
Recent coverage of popular and successful YouTube creators making a profit off their content has lead to a backlash regarding the quality of what’s being created. But dismissing YouTubers means dismissing their genius at audience engagement, doing all of web video a disservice.
Attendees of the inaugural VidCon conference last weekend were largely on the young side, but watching fans interact with their favorite YouTube creators made it clear that entertainment is changing, with audiences expecting a greater level of connection with creators than ever before.
