Posts Tagged: creators
Rode’s first headset is aimed at creators and gamers
Rode only dipped into headphones last year, but now it’s ready to unveil its first headset — and this time it’s courting gamers in addition to creatives. The NTH-100M takes the familiar design of the NTH-100 but adds a detachable condenser microphone. It’s too early to say if the hardware is truly “broadcast-grade,” as Rode claims, but the company’s reputation for mics bodes well if you want quality audio when you’re chatting with teammates or hosting a livestream. You can even buy the boom mic separately (as the NTH-Mic) if you already have the headphones.
The design will otherwise seem familiar. Rode claims the 40mm dynamic drivers are designed for accurate frequency response with minimal distortion. The NTH-100M might be your pick if you want a neutral sound for editing podcasts and videos. You won’t get perks like noise cancellation or Bluetooth, but the headset will be surprisingly comfortable. When we tried the NTH-100, we found the cooling gel and other design touches to help for extended listening sessions.
The NTH-100M will retail for $ 189 which is $ 50 more than the headphones it’s based on. If you already have the NTH-100, you can snag the NTH-Mic separetely for $ 69. This means if you were holding out and can make use of the mic, the combo deal represents a $ 20 saving. Or, for that matter, you could always buy the base 100 for listening and upgrade when you’re ready to create content.
The NTH-100M is also a unique product in Rode’s lineup. While it’s not part of the company’s Rode X gaming brand, it’s clearly aimed as much at gamers and Twitch streamers as it is musicians and podcasters. In that sense, it straddles the line between consumer and creative in a way that even the headphones didn’t quite manage.
Russian TikTok creators have reportedly been paid to share propaganda
The White House isn't the only one trying to steer discussion of Ukraine on TikTok. Vice News has discovered that Russian TikTok influencers are reportedly being paid to share videos promoting the Putin government's narrative surrounding the invasion. An anonymous operator in a Telegram channel has been telling creators what and when to post, what goals they must meet and otherwise dictating their content. At least some of the followers have over a million followers.
It's unclear who is behind the campaign, but the operator claims to be a journalist and has looked for posters for additional pro-government content (such as supporting Russian athletes in the Olympics) and private companies. However, TikTok's ban on new videos from Russia apparently isn't an obstacle. The channel administrator tells influencers how to dodge the ban, and at least some producers have posted videos after the ban took effect.
The channel suddenly shut down on March 9th as Vice conducted its investigation. Most of the videos have since been removed, but the campaign team reportedly asked them to do this. Others remain, and it's not certain how many similar initiatives might be underway. It's also unclear if the propaganda was effective.
TikTok hasn't commented on the pro-Kremlin campaign and told Vice about its general efforts to spot "emerging threats" and "harmful misinformation" surrounding Russia's war against Ukraine.
Whether or not the Russian government was involved with this TikTok effort, there's little doubt the country has tried to control the online narrative on Ukraine. It has blocked social networks like Instagram, posted misinformation through its embassies' accounts, circumvented bans on its state news outlets and criminalized media reports that contradict the official stance on the war. TikTok's large user base may be a tempting target if Russia hopes to sway more of the internet to its side.
Instagram tests subscriptions for creators to make cash
Instagram has started testing subscriptions to enable popular creators to monetize their output through exclusive content.
Mobile | Digital Trends
‘Arcane’ creators explain why Jinx and Vi are the stars of the Netflix series
It was always Jinx and Vi. They’re the sisters at the heart of Riot Games’ hit Netflix series, Arcane, and they were picked for the spotlight out of a lineup of more than 150 League of Legends champions.
For Arcane creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee, the stars really couldn’t have been anyone else from League of Legends lore. Especially not Teemo. Linke and Yee have been preparing Jinx and Vi for their leading roles in a mature, mainstream, animated TV series for the past nine years, even if they didn’t know it the entire time.
Back in December 2012, Vi debuted and became the first League of Legends champion to receive a login screen complete with an original, lyrical song. A year later, Jinx joined the game’s ranks and starred in its first character-driven cinematic, a high-energy music video called Get Jinxed. Linke and Yee worked on both of these releases, flexing their creative muscles in music and narrative storyboarding, two aspects that didn’t get much attention in the core game-development process.
The Jinx cinematic was also the first time Riot partnered with Fortiche Production, the studio behind Arcane’s otherworldly animation style.
“They kind of got our special treatment already because we just really liked them,” Linke told Engadget. “And so, when we had to think about like, which characters do we want to stick with for many years to come? I think it was pretty obvious.”
Yee agreed and added, “Both of them were a bit of a milestone, I think, for our time at Riot.”
In-game, Jinx and Vi are sisters and bitter enemies, though this story fades into the background of the action, appearing only in small voice lines and character descriptions. As an online MOBA, narrative isn’t critical to the way League of Legends plays, but Riot has infused its champions with more lore over the years, focusing on expanding their universe beyond the game launcher.
Nowadays, Riot is a hub of creative development across multiple mediums, including short stories, graphic novels, cinematics, music videos and one truly fantastic K-pop group. Arcane is the studio’s biggest push onto a mainstream service, and Jinx and Vi carry the story, surrounded by a handful of other champions, including Caitlyn, Jayce and Viktor, and other original characters.
Jinx and Vi were always intriguing to Linke and Yee. They were grounded in a way that the game’s more fantastical champions weren’t, with distinct, opposing personalities and an unexplained rivalry that clearly cut both sisters to the core. Vi was a powerful, rigid Enforcer working for the prosperous city of Piltover, while Jinx was an anarchist with a belt full of bombs and no filter. Vi’s hair is short and pink, while Jinx’s is long and bright blue.
“If you just imagine those two characters together in a scene, whatever location, whatever they would be debating – you know, what kind of food they're going to get in the evening, or what kind of movie they're going to watch,” Linke said. “It's just always going to be fun, because they're always going to have these very different perspectives.”
There’s an inherent question in Jinx and Vi’s shared backstory, Yee said, and it’s a mystery that fans of the game and newcomers to the show would be able to grasp quickly: If they’re sisters, why do they hate each other so much? Arcane asks that question and slowly answers it, providing a rich, emotionally charged origin story for Jinx, Vi and their surrounding champions along the way.
“The fact that Jinx and Vi’s relationship is a bit of a mystery from the outset allows us to sort of satisfy both audiences,” Yee said.
In Arcane, Linke and Yee were able to zoom in and focus on the small details that bring their characters to life, showing micro-expressions and all-consuming rage on Jinx’s face, or giving Vi a nuanced nervous tick, like bouncing her leg. Fortiche Production, the studio that handles animation duties for Arcane and other Riot projects, was a pivotal part of this development process. Animators there were given leeway to express themselves in the characters, Linke said, and this resulted in a unique visual style that flowed like motion-capture, even though it was completely hand-drawn.
“We also tried to really treat the animators like actors who can find their ways of expressing things, rather than just kind of saying, make Jinx or Vi do this,” Linke said. “But instead, just being like, here's what's going on in their head, how can we really make that feel real?”
After nearly 10 years of in-game development and cross-media projects, Jinx and Vi are still able to surprise Linke and Yee. Developing Arcane, for instance, marked the first time they’d seen any League of Legends champion actually speaking, mouth movements and all.
“When we did our first trial, or our first test animatic for the show, it was the first time we'd ever seen any of our champions talk,” Yee said. “We'd never – their mouths don't move in game, you know. So it was a very funny milestone to cross at that point.”
Given how well Arcane has been received by League of Legends fans and newcomers alike, there are plenty more creative milestones to come as Riot continues its ride into mainstream entertainment. Season two of Arcaneis in production as we — and Jinx and Vi — speak.
Introducing YouTube BrandConnect, a platform for Creators and Brands to collaborate
Every day, people come to YouTube to connect with their favorite creators, and in the process, they discover new products they love. In turn, this creates a valuable opportunity for brands to reach new audiences on YouTube and partner with creators to amplify their message. Over the years, we’ve seen branded content grow on YouTube, thanks to the direct connection creators have with their fans. In fact, the influencer marketing industry as a whole is projected to reach $ 15 billion by 2022.
Given the success our brands and creators have seen with branded content on YouTube, we are evolving FameBit to YouTube BrandConnect.
What YouTube BrandConnect offers
Through YouTube BrandConnect, we’re making it easier for creators and brands to create branded content that is both authentic and effective. Our focus will continue to be supporting and driving revenue to creators, providing measurable campaigns for brands, and reaching viewers with authentic and relevant content. We’ve built unique, industry-first features within our branded content platform to support each of these goals.
On the creator side, we’ve developed insights-based matchmaking tools that allow more access to branded content deals for eligible creators across YouTube. Because of the connection that creators have with their fans, our proactive matchmaking produces highly engaging and relevant branded content. And it’s working – over the past two years, average deal size across the full service product grew more than 260%.
YouTube creators have a real-time pulse on their community and have the flexibility to pivot their content to serve audience (and brand) needs, something we’re seeing firsthand right now. For example, the Reese’s brand’s March Madness campaign took a turn when the annual basketball tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. Creators including 2Hype, Smosh Pit, and Eh Bee Family were able to adapt their previously-shot content to still bring a relevant vibe to fans at home, while driving strong consumer engagement and awareness for Reese’s Miniature Cups newly designed packaging, which was perfect for a stay-at-home game of couch basketball.
For brands, we’ve added new measurement solutions like Brand Interest Lift, Influencer Lift, and organic view-through conversations that provide them with real-time campaign results and bring the accountability of digital advertising to branded content campaigns. Brand Interest Lift allows advertisers to measure consumer search behavior resulting from viewing the creator’s video, and Influencer Lift measures consumer sentiment on Purchase Intent, Brand Recall, and more. Through Google insights and tools, it is possible for brands to measure the impact and ROI of influencer marketing for the first time on YouTube.
We’ve also introduced several ads technology innovations such as the shopping shelf and app shelf to help viewers buy products and download apps being discussed in creators’ videos directly from the watch page. This will soon expand to a new media shelf, where viewers can buy or rent movies and shows. We’ve also introduced new technologies like the AR try-on experience that allow viewers to virtually try on and shop products, alongside their favorite creators.
Eligible creators in the U.S. with 25,000+ subscribers will be able to sign up for YouTube BrandConnect directly in YouTube Studio, where we’ll be adding more campaign management features in the coming months. With YouTube BrandConnect, brands can easily connect and measure branded content campaigns with their Google and YouTube advertising strategies – allowing for full-funnel influencer marketing integrations.
Looking forward with YouTube BrandConnect
We’re always looking for new ways to help creators earn more money, and we’ve added additional resources to help creators get started making branded content on Creator Academy. We’ll continue investing in our technology and expanding internationally to bring new experiences to creators, brands and their fans globally. This is just the beginning for YouTube BrandConnect, and we’re excited to bring even more value to creators, brands, and viewers through branded content campaigns in the months ahead.
Lori Sobel, Global Business Head of YouTube BrandConnect
Henry Scott-Green, Product Manager at YouTube BrandConnect
The creators of ‘Wallace and Gromit’ are making a Netflix musical
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Live from VidCon: Creating new opportunities for creators
For the last decade, VidCon has brought fans, creators and industry leaders together to celebrate the power of online video. In honor of VidCon’s 10th anniversary, I took the stage to highlight how YouTube will continue to support and spark new opportunities for creators for the next ten years and beyond.
More revenue streams, more money for creators
Last year at VidCon, I announced our next big step for creator monetization with new ways for creators to engage with their community while generating revenue. We’ve built on a number of these initiatives and added a few more.
- Super Chat allows fans to purchase messages that stand out within a live chat during live streams and Premieres. There are now over 90,000 channels who have received Super Chats, with some streams earning more than $ 400 per minute. And Super Chat is now the number one revenue stream on YouTube for nearly 20,000 channels – an increase of over 65% over last year.
- Leaning into this momentum, we’re introducing Super Stickers. This new feature will allow fans to purchase animated stickers during live streams and Premieres to show their favorite creators just how much they enjoy their content. Stickers will come in a variety of designs across different languages and categories, such as gaming, fashion and beauty, sports, music, food, and more. These stickers are fun, and we can’t wait for you to use them in the coming months!
- With Channel Memberships, fans pay a monthly fee of $ 4.99 to get unique badges, new emojis, and access to special perks, such as exclusive live streams, extra videos, or shoutouts. Today, we’re adding one of the most-requested features: membership levels. With levels, creators can now set up to five different price points for channel memberships, each with varying perks. We’ve been testing levels with creators like the Fine Brothers Entertainment on their REACT channel, who have seen their memberships revenue increase by 6 times after introducing two higher-priced tiers.
- Our Merch shelf with Teespring allows creators to sell merch to their fans directly from their channel. And today, we are adding 5 new partners, so eligible creators merchandising with Crowdmade, DFTBA, Fanjoy, Represent, and Rooster Teeth can also use the Merch shelf.
Early last year, creator revenue on YouTube from Super Chat, Channel Memberships and merch was nearly zero. Today, these products are generating meaningful results to creators across the globe. In fact, thousands of channels have more than doubled their total YouTube revenue by using these new tools in addition to advertising.
Helping creators amplify their positive impact
Every day, people from around the world come to YouTube to learn something new – from math, science and literature to language lessons, music tutorials and test prep. Today, we’re introducing Learning Playlists to provide a dedicated learning environment for people who come to YouTube to learn. New organizational features will provide more structure, dividing a collection of videos into chapters around key concepts, starting from beginner to more advanced. Additionally, recommendations will be hidden from the watch page, allowing the viewer to focus on the lesson at hand. We understand the importance of getting this right, so we will start with content from a handful of our most trusted partners, like Khan Academy, TED-Ed and Crash Course, testing a variety of categories from professional skills like working in Java, to academic topics such as chemistry.
We’ve also seen creators use their megaphone to inspire their communities to join them in supporting those in need. To make that even easier, last year, we began to test YouTube Giving, our fundraising tool that allows creators to use their voice on YouTube to support the charitable causes they care about. YouTube Giving is moving out of beta and will be available to thousands of creators in the U.S. in the coming months! Creators simply select a nonprofit to create a fundraising campaign right next to their videos and live streams. Fans can donate directly on YouTube via a “Donate” button, making it easier than ever for creators and fans to raise funds for causes they care about on the platform.
YouTube creators are living proof that an open and responsible internet can change the world for the better. We’re going to continue working to give them the tools they need to do that.
Posted by Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer
Amazon signs nine-figure deal with ‘Westworld’ creators
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YouTube Stories are live for creators with 10K+ subscribers
We’ve seen stories on social media outlets such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and SnapChat, and now its the turn of YouTube to launch its own variation. Having been available only to a selected group of channels over the past year, any YouTube channel with more than ten thousand subscribers can now post stories. This means […]
Come comment on this article: YouTube Stories are live for creators with 10K+ subscribers
Every View Can Create Change: Introducing the 50+ new Creators for Change Impact Films
In anticipation of the International Day for Tolerance on November 16th, we are proud to celebrate the creators who are using the power of one view to open minds, inspire understanding, celebrate culture, and make a difference. From a beauty vlogger in California to a rapper in Sudan, a painter in Germany to a comedy collective in India, YouTube’s Creators for Change program brings together storytellers from around the world to share moments of hope, humanity, and acceptance. At YouTube, we believe that the world is a better place when we listen, share and build community through our stories. YouTube Creators for Change is a critical part of this mission and we are incredibly proud of the continued momentum of the creators from around the world who are using their voices to overcome divisiveness and hate.
Today, YouTube’s Creators for Change Ambassadors came together to release over 50 new films that aim to promote tolerance, encourage empathy, and spark dialogue, locally and globally.
In May we announced that 47 Global Ambassadors joined the Creators for Change program, a global initiative dedicated to amplifying and multiplying the voices of YouTube creators who are using their platforms to spread messages of positivity, hope and acceptance. Since the announcement, they’ve been working with mentors like award-winning filmmaker Eliot Rausch, the Founder of The Nzinga Effect, Eliza Anyangwe, and Anthony Robinson, the Director of Training & Public Engagement at the Truman National Security Project on persuasive storytelling and bridge-building to create inspiring Impact Films. Some highlights from this year’s films include:
- US-based singer-songwriter MILCK composed “A Little Peace” in response to violence globally. As part of her project she created a music video where multiple singers harmonized with one another in the name of peace.
- Australian-based YouTube Creator and rapper, L-FRESH the LION created a project that follows his work with Manbir SIngh (Akaal Fauj – kirtan teacher) trying to preserve Sikh culture through hip-hop and traditional music.
- UK-based skin-positivity Creator Em Ford created a follow-up video to her 2015 viral video “You Look disgusting” called “Redefine Pretty;” a short film detailing how beauty standards psychologically affect young women.
- India’s biggest female comedy YouTube creator, MostlySane’s video “No Offence” is a funny yet timely follow-up rap video to “Shameless”, focused on dealing with various kinds of hate speech – both online and in real life.
- Dentist by day, YouTube creator by night, Maha AJ created the “Salimmik” music video as a way to pay homage to her home country of Sudan. This love-letter to Sudan aims to show a side of Sudan that is not typically portrayed in media
Driving impact locally
In addition to the global program, creators around the world are using their voices to stand for positivity through our local chapter efforts in 9 countries. Through a combination of creator-led videos that opens minds to educational workshops that inspire critical though, local initiatives span 9 markets and continue to inspire local communities. For example:
- in Asia, Creators for Change joined forces with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and social change agency Love Frankie to support emerging YouTube creators committed to tackling tough social issues in their videos through a regional Creators for Change Fellows program. Following a series of kick-off Boot Camps across Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, a committee selected 15 regional Fellows from these 5 countries, collectively representing an audience of over 2 million fans. Armed with production funding and opportunities to work with civil society organizations, these up-and-coming voices have created over 15 inspiring videos.
- Be Internet Citizens, the United Kingdom’s local Creators for Change chapter, is on target to reach 20,000 students you the end of the year with content about responsible Internet use and empowering young adults to be positive voices online.
- Israel hosted almost 100 top creators for a Tolerance Summit in connection with the local chapter initiative, #Ovdim_Al_Ze. The 2018 Tolerance Challenge was announced, an invitation for local creators to share meaningful and heartfelt videos for release on the International Day for Tolerance taking place on November 16th, 2018.
- The German chapter of Creators for Change, #NichtEgal, kicked off a nation-wide roll-out of school-focused workshops in October. Targeting 61 schools in all 16 German states, this program aims to train 200 teachers and 1,500 mentor students, who are forwarding their knowledge to 10,000+ students within the program until the beginning of December. These workshops are supported by our local YouTube creators who share their experiences and advise the students on how to have a positive impact in their communities.
- So far this year, 35 000 youth have benefited from anti fake-news and hate speech related workshops in France as part of the Toi-même Tu filmes program, working closely with partners like Les Petits Débrouillards and Génération Numérique to deliver trainings all over France. Additionally, YouTube Creators for Change has partnered with the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner to sponsor the 2018 Mobile Film Festival, encouraging youth around the globe to create short films that celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
To all the creators who participated in this year’s program: thank you. We are grateful for your passion and dedication.
— Juniper Downs, Head of YouTube Public Policy
YouTube Learning: Investing in educational creators, resources, and tools for EduTubers
Iraq war veteran Joshua Carroll used to spend nights at his security post watching YouTube to learn trigonometry so he could pursue his passion for space. In just three weeks, YouTube helped him improve his math skills from a 10th grade level to the level required to take physics classes at New River Community College in Virginia. Today, he makes a living as a physicist, using Bernoulli differential equations in fluid flow systems. Joshua is not alone–people all over the world use YouTube to learn and follow their passions.
Whether it’s learning prerequisites for a college course or how to compete in Olympic javelin throwing, everyone seems to have turned to YouTube to learn something. Many of these learning stories are powered by an incredible community of EduTubers like PhysicsGirl and Manual do Mundo, whose videos have demonstrated the appeal of content that enriches as well as entertains.
In July, Susan, our CEO, announced YouTube Learning, an initiative to support all those who use YouTube to share their knowledge with the world and the millions of users who come to our platform to learn. And today she shared that we’ll be investing $ 20m to expand this initiative as we strive to make YouTube even better for educators and learners. Here’s more on the steps we’ll be taking:
Funding for Great Educational Creators on YouTube
High quality learning content is time-consuming to research, produce, and edit. That’s why we’re announcing a new Learning Fund to support creators who make some of the best learning content on YouTube. This includes videos covering a wide range of topics from career skills, like interviewing and resume building, to computer science, like coding for game development and JavaScript basics.
We’ve already completed our first round of investment in some of the most respected names in online education like TED-Ed or Hank and John Green’s Crash Course. We’re also supporting many of our emerging EduTubers like Socratica and Linda Raynier. Creators who are interested in applying to the Learning Fund can sign up for more information here.
In addition to investing in EduTubers through the Learning Fund, we’re also developing new YouTube Originals focused on learning like Mind Field: Season 3 from Vsauce creator Michael Stevens, and a new series with Vox Entertainment which was announced earlier this month.
Partnering with Trusted Institutions
We know it’s important to make quality learning content easier to find on YouTube, so we’re launching a new channel called Learning, where major partners like Goodwill and Year Up are contributing curated playlists highlighting videos that teach career skills. The channel will make it easy for users to find tutorials, DIY videos, explainers, and skill-based playlists.
We’re also excited to announce partnerships with leading online learning platforms, like edX, a non-profit offering courses from the world’s best universities and institutions, and OpenClassrooms, an education platform based in France. Together they will bring over some of their most popular video courses to YouTube.
Expanded Resources and Support for EduTubers
In 2018 we’ve held YouTube EduCon conferences in California, Mexico, and Brazil to connect EduTubers with new resources and each other. These creators are a testament that powerful educational content can come from anyone, anywhere. Here are a few more ways we plan to support them in 2019:
- Expanding YouTube EduCon to Europe and Asia, starting with India in December and the UK in February.
- Providing more resources to aspiring EduTubers like our Creator Academy course for educational channels, and our new Learning Best Practices.
- Hosting a NextUp creator camp specifically for emerging EduTubers.
- Working to connect EduTubers with brand partners through FameBit. We have already secured investments for sponsored content specifically for the EduTuber community.
We may not all become scientists or professional chefs by learning through videos, but we can promise that anyone who wants to learn and teach will have ever greater opportunities to do so on YouTube. Expect more announcements in the months and years to come as we continue to meet with you and hear how we can best support learning on YouTube.
Malik Ducard, Global Head of Learning, Social Impact, Family, Film & TV, recently viewed “Where Does the #Hashtag Symbol Come From?“
‘Until Dawn’ creators return with ‘The Dark Pictures Anthology’
Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games is back with another branching horror game, but it's breaking from tradition in more ways than one. It's launching The Dark Pictures Anthology, a collection of self-contained titles that touch on various horro…
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VidCon 2018: Helping creators earn more money and build stronger communities
I just stepped off the stage at VidCon, a conference created from scratch by Hank and John Green in 2010 that brings together fans, creators, and industry leaders to celebrate the power of online video. I talked about how over the last 13 years, YouTube has grown from an ambitious idea into a worldwide movement built on free expression and the power of openness.
With more than 1.9 billion logged-in users who come to YouTube every month and localized versions stretching across 90 countries and 80 languages, we’re opening up the world to anyone with a cell phone and an internet connection.
YouTube is a vibrant community where everyone has a voice. Every day, creators use their voice to entertain, spur action and bring about positive change. That’s why over the last year we’ve doubled down on building the products and tools that the creator community needs. Not only to thrive on YouTube, but to continue to develop the video platform of the future.
The next big steps for creator monetization
YouTube lets creators connect with their community and gives them the opportunity to earn money while doing what they love. Thanks to advertisers, creators around the world have been able to build businesses, creating an entirely new global economy that’s seen incredible growth. The number of creators earning five figures a year is up by 35 percent and the number of creators earning six figures is up by 40 percent. As in previous years, the vast majority of the revenue is coming from our advertising partners. We’ll continue investing here, but we also want to think beyond ads. Creators should have as many ways and opportunities to make money as possible.
We’ve been working on new tools that not only help creators better engage with their fans, they also enable them to make money while doing it. This is an idea that really began last year with Super Chat, a product that allows fans to purchase messages that stand out within a live chat. We’ve seen tremendous success with Super Chat and have since expanded to Ticketing, Merchandise, Channel Memberships and more. We’re also bringing creators and brands together to form unique marketing partnerships via FameBit.
Channel Memberships
With Channel Memberships, viewers pay a monthly recurring fee of $ 4.99 to get unique badges, new emoji, Members-only posts in the Community tab, and access to unique custom perks offered by creators, such as exclusive livestreams, extra videos, or shout-outs. Channel Memberships have already been available for a select group of creators on YouTube as Sponsorships. We’ve seen a lot of creators find success with this new business model. So, we’ll soon be expanding this to eligible channels with more than 100,000 subscribers on YouTube under the new name Channel Memberships. We hope to bring it to even more creators in the coming months.
Creators who have already been experimenting with this feature on YouTube have seen encouraging results. Since launching in January, comedy creator Mike Falzone more than tripled his YouTube revenue. And traveling duo Simon and Martina have built a closer-knit community and revamped a miniseries exclusively for their members, in more than 30 countries from Finland to the Philippines.
Merchandise
Merchandise has been a part of many creators’ businesses for a long time. We want to make it easier for more creators to sell merch directly from their channel. So we’ve built a product that allows them to do just that. From shirts with a logo to phone cases with a creator’s face, we’ve joined forces with Teespring so creators can choose from over 20 merchandise items to customize and sell via a shelf on their channel. This will be available to all eligible U.S.-based channels with over 10,000 subscribers starting today, and we plan to bring even more merchandising partners and creators in soon.
Just take a look at Joshua Slice’s merchandise shelf. The creator of Lucas the Spider recently turned his hero character into a plushie selling over 60,000 furry friends and generating over $ 1 million in profit in just 18 days, according to Teespring.
Introducing Premieres
The engagement between fans and creators is at the heart of YouTube. We’re working on new ways to help creators strengthen those unique bonds. Livestreams have brought the YouTube community together during the biggest music, science, and gaming events. We’ve also built a Community Tab that allows creators to move beyond just video to build even deeper connections with fans through GIFs, pics, polls, and text. And we’ve started experimenting with our take on Stories, but designed specifically for YouTube creators—coming to all eligible creators with more than 10,000 subscribers later this year.
Today, we’re introducing a new way for creators to upload content to YouTube called Premieres. With Premieres, creators will be able to debut pre-recorded videos as a live moment. When creators choose to release a Premiere, we’ll automatically create a public landing page to build anticipation and hype up new content. When all fans show up to watch the premiere, they’ll be able to chat with each other (and with the creator!) in real time via live chat. It’s as if a creator’s entire community is in one theater together watching their latest upload.
Premieres also unlocks new revenue streams. For the first time, creators can use Super Chat on traditional YouTube uploads and take advantage of Channel Memberships perks that were previously only available on Live videos.
Premieres are starting to roll out to creators today and will be available broadly soon. If you want to experience one for yourself, check out some upcoming premieres from creators such as Leroy Sanchez, JacksFilms, Jackson Bird, and Ari Fitz, with more Premieres coming from Corridor Digital and Inanna Sarkis soon.
YouTube creators are the heartbeat of our platform. That’s why we’re committed to building products that empower and support the creator community. We hope these tools help creators build a stronger community and earn more money while doing it, because when they succeed, the entire YouTube community thrives.
Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer, recently watched “Lucas the Spider – Plush Introduction.”
Meet the 2018 Creators for Change Global Ambassadors
Today, we welcome 47 incredible creators to the YouTube Creators for Change program as the 2018 class of Ambassadors. This global initiative, which we kicked off in 2016, spotlights inspirational creators who use YouTube’s global reach to change conversations around tough issues and make a truly positive impact on the world. Chosen for their passion and dedication to creating social change, these YouTube creators come from over 16 countries and represent a combined audience of 20 million fans:
The 2018 class features 31 new creators as well as 16 creators from last year’s program (those returning are distinguished with a *):
- [Australia] L-FRESH the LION*, Sarah Grimstone
- [Brazil] Nátaly Neri, Muro Pequeno
- [Canada] Rossana from Eh Bee Family, AsapSCIENCE
- [France] Swann Périssé*, HugoDecrypte, Lea Camilleri
- [Germany] MaximNoise, Datteltäter*, ImJette*, Diana zur Löwen
- [India] MostlySane, Girliyapa, Niharika Nim*
- [Indonesia] Gita Devi*, Jovi Hunter*, Film Maker Muslim*, Cameo Project*, Duo Harbatah
- [Malaysia] The MingThing
- [MENA] Fly With Haifa, Maha AJ*, Shog AL Maskery*, Muaz Osman, Omar Farooq, Raneem Al Muhandis
- [Mexico] Victoria Volkóva
- [Philippines] Janina Vela
- [Singapore] Ministry of Funny
- [Thailand] Picnicly
- [Turkey] İlker Gümüşoluk*
- [United Kingdom] Humza*, Jazza John, SuperSamStuff*, Riyadh K, BENI*, Fun for Louis, Myles Dyer*, MyPaleSkin
- [United States] Jouelzy, Yasmany Del Real, Beleaf in Fatherhood, Subhi Taha*, Jubilee Media, Hallease
As part of our $ 5M investment in this program, these creators will receive support from YouTube through a combination of project funding, mentorship opportunities, and ongoing production assistance at our YouTube Spaces. They’ll also join us for our second annual Social Impact Camp at YouTube Space London this summer. The Social Impact Camp is an exclusive two-day-long camp featuring inspirational speakers, video production workshops, and mentorship opportunities with experts as well as time for the Ambassadors to connect with one another.
We’re also joining forces with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and social change agency Love Frankie to support YouTube creators from the Asia-Pacific region who are passionate about creating social impact and tackling tough issues through their videos. First up for this new partnership will be a series of Boot Camps in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand between June – November 2018 where local creators will workshop creating content about local issues alongside experts such as NGOs, academic authorities, and subject matter specialists. Following these Boot Camps, select local creators will participate in a three-month Academy Program that includes mentoring from Creators for Change Ambassadors, local experts, and NGOs to help produce informed, high-quality content that resonates in their countries.
Over the next few months, the 2018 Creators for Change Ambassadors will kick off projects addressing hate speech, xenophobia and/or extremism through different creative forms, such as a series celebrating the Black community within Brazil and a video project that creates awareness about the negative impact that hate speech can have on mental and physical well-being. There are many more incredible ideas in the works — we can’t wait to share more from these inspiring YouTube role models soon.
To the creators who are joining us as 2018 Ambassadors: thank you. We’re humbled to be working with you on sharing your messages of hope and tolerance.
— Juniper Downs, Head of YouTube Public Policy
Increasing our investment in Creators for Change
Since launching YouTube Creators for Change in September 2016, we’ve partnered with 39 inspiring creators from around the world, helping amplify their voices to counter hate and promote tolerance. Over the last year they’ve released dozens of thought-provoking videos that show the power of video to encourage empathy and understanding around the world.
Today, over a hundred YouTube creators are gathered in London for the annual Creators for Change Summit. The summit celebrates last year’s progress and fosters collaboration between leading advocates of social change for the year ahead. These creators include:
- L-FRESH the LION, an Australian rapper of Sikh descent, who created a two-part track to challenge racism.
- Dina Tokio, a beauty vlogger from the U.K. who was recently named as one of Vogue’s “New Suffragettes,” uses her interview series #YourAverageMuslim to challenge perceptions about Muslim women including meeting with a hip-hop dancer, a powerlifter and a prison community development worker.
- Rosianna Rojas who, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency, travelled to a remote part of Colombia to help refugees learn about the power of YouTube to document their stories and share them with the world.
A look back at 2017
In 2017, global audiences viewed Creators for Change videos tens of millions of times, spending hundreds of thousands of hours watching this content.
Creators for Change collaborated with social impact organizations and experts in Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, France and Belgium. One example of this is the Indonesian chapter campaign #1Indonesia where YouTube creators Cameo Project teamed up with the Maarif Institute, a local NGO, on a cross-country project to encourage over 2,000 high school students from ten cities to create videos for positive change on topics that affect their communities. Topics included tolerance for ethnic and religious minorities, and digital literacy around online hoaxes.
Through Creators for Change, we’ve educated over 15,000 young people in over 200 locations through local grassroots efforts, including workshops and school programs. In fact, students surveyed in Germany and the United Kingdom reported a significant increase in confidence in their ability to identify and counter hate speech online as a result of the workshops. And we’re just getting started …
Increasing our investment in 2018
In 2018, we are continuing to invest in Creators for Change, including providing production and marketing support with a value of over $ 5M to diverse voices harnessing the power and scale of YouTube in groundbreaking, positive ways.
We will engage more creators in the program, arm the wider YouTube community with new tools and education on how to create change, and empower more young people to use their voices to encourage positive social messages.
In the coming months, we’ll announce the global recipients of the production grants we’re making available through this renewed investment.
Video is a powerful medium to open minds to new perspectives and shared experiences. Creators prove that to us every single day. And we think Creators for Change in 2018 will reach and inspire even bigger audiences.
Juniper Downs, Head of YouTube Public Policy
SEC accuses two digital coin creators of ripping off investors
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#ProudToBe standing with LGBTQ+ and Creators for Change
Happy Pride everyone! The LGBTQ+ community has been a vital part of YouTube for a long time, and as our CEO, Susan Wojcicki, stated last week, we want to continue supporting creators around the world who are championing the right to be themselves, love who they love, and share that experience proudly with people all across the globe.
We see firsthand how creators can be tremendous forces for good and for change. That’s why we want to shine a light on the inspirational LGBTQ+ community on YouTube who do this every day by highlighting some of their voices through our Creators for Change program. Today, YouTube Creators for Change is proud to launch #ProudToBe, our fifth annual Pride campaign.
The videos from this community are as varied and exceptional as the group of people making them: they’re encouraging, challenging, honest, fiery, tender, celebratory, funny, and totally badass. Thanks to these voices, people around the world can turn to YouTube to find a connection when they need it — especially if they live in a place where they don’t have the freedom to be themselves.
With that in mind, this year we hope people around the world will join us in celebrating these all-important everyday acts of bravery and courage – some public, some personal – that make the world better for LGBTQ+ people. If you want to be a part of our #ProudToBe campaign, simply share a video or post about the first time you decided to express yourself in a way that felt truly authentic, despite what anyone said or thought.
Whatever it was, we’re here to help share your story. Because this year we’re celebrating those moments (big and small) that unlock the Pride you feel, inspire Pride in others, and show the world what makes you #ProudToBe.
Marly Ellis, Head of YouTube Brand, recently watched “A Matter of Life or Death: LGBTQ+ Refugees | Chosen Family | Part 5.”
Introducing our first class of Creators for Change fellows
Back in September, YouTube announced a new program called Creators for Change, putting forward creators with big ideas to help counter xenophobia, extremism and hate with stories promoting positive change. One of our first steps was teaming up with 11 program ambassadors who are now hard at work developing unique social impact projects which range from a new web series on topics like race, religion, and sexual orientation, to a 10-city workshop series for high school and university students dedicated to creating positive content. Our local chapters in countries like Indonesia continue to promote the importance of inclusiveness among young people. And as part of this program, Google.org, our philanthropic arm, has awarded $ 2M in charitable funds to support nonprofits that promote inclusion and cross-cultural understanding to the: Active Change Foundation, Habibie Center, Maslaha, Skateistan, Southern Poverty Law Center, TAFNIT and Witness.
Mentorship and support for emerging voices is a key part of the Creators for Change program, and we’re now ready to take on our next phase. We’ve collaborated with our program ambassadors to identify new voices we’d like to support and today, we’re excited to introduce the 27 creators from around the world who will join us as the first-ever Creators for Change fellows:
- Australia: L-Fresh the Lion
- France: Swann Périssé, Arthur Pires
- Germany: Jette Lübbehüsen, Firas Alshater
- India: Nikharika Nm, Them Boxer Shorts, Sandeep Jha
- Indonesia: Raja Gopalz, Gita Devi, Jovi Hunter
- Oman: Ashwaq Al Maskery
- Turkey: Özgür Turhan and Deniz Bağdaş, İlker Gümüşoluk
- United Arab Emirates: Maha Abdelghaffar
- United Kingdom: Nadir Nahdi, Myles Dyer, Leena Normington, Taha Khan, Sam Saffold-Geri, Rosianna Rojas
- United States: Subhi Taha, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Taylor Behnke, Tasneem Afridi, Evelyn Ngugi
- Yemen: Ezaldeen Aref
Together with our ambassadors, we’re eager to support these YouTube role models as they continue to create content that challenges tough topics like hate and extremism, and spread positive messages. For starters, these Creators for Change fellows will each receive equipment and production grants to help them develop new projects and take these productions to the next level.
We’ll also give the creators production support through our YouTube Spaces, and this summer our Spaces in London, New York and Mumbai will host new social impact camps designed exclusively for our program Fellows. These three-day-long camps will include workshops on best practices for producing social change videos, 1:1 channel support from YouTube experts, as well as plenty of time for the Fellows to connect with one another and some of the global program ambassadors.
Through these new resources and programs, we’re committed to helping our new Creators for Change fellows take on new projects that help raise and amplify the issues they care about. Stay tuned for more soon and, for now, you can read about their inspiring stories at the Creators for Change site.
Juniper Downs, Head of YouTube Public Policy, recently watched this inspiring group of creators share their stories.
New Creators for Change ambassadors and resources are here!
Back in September, we launched YouTube Creators for Change, a global initiative dedicated to amplifying (and multiplying) the voices of YouTube creators who tackle division and hate with videos and stories of hope, connection, and understanding. And as 2016 comes to a close, we’re proud to say that YouTube Creators for Change is growing.
We’ve established local Creators for Change initiatives in Australia, France, Germany, and Turkey, bringing together creators who have uploaded thousands of videos about countering hate through unity. We’ve opened up sets at YouTube Spaces in New York and Los Angeles where creators will record the first video-based StoryCorps interviews. And today, we’re thrilled to introduce our five newest Creators for Change ambassadors: All India Bakchod (India), Cameo Project (Indonesia), Dina Torkia (United Kingdom), Franchesca Ramsey (United States) and John Green (United States). You can learn more about these inspiring creators at the Creators For Change website, which launches today, too!
These new ambassadors will join the six existing ambassadors in engaging their communities on topics like hate speech, xenophobia, and extremism. And to do our part, we’re equipping each one of them with a $ 25,000 grant to use toward a social impact project of their choice. In fact, this past weekend John Green donated his grant to charity in connection with Project for Awesome, a live-streamed annual fundraiser that brings together video creators from all over the world who support charities that, as the vlogbrothers say, “decrease world suck.”
In the coming months, our 11 ambassadors will also help us choose creators who are already making their voices heard on social issues that matter to them. And as part of our original $ 1M commitment, each of these emerging creators will be given equipment and production grants. They’ll also receive mentorship support from the program ambassadors and an opportunity to participate in educational workshops at our YouTube Spaces.
Finally, to help all those creators who want to use their voices and videos to take on topics they care about, we’ve collaborated with Upworthy to create a helpful series of best practices for creating effective social-change videos.
You can find this video, information on all our ambassadors and more on the YouTube Creators for Change website. So check it out! And stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.
Juniper Downs, Head of YouTube Public Policy, recently watched “This Christian community opened its heart to new Muslim neighbors.”
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Bringing the StoryCorps experience to video through YouTube Creators for Change
Diversity is our nation’s strength, yet in America today, we are seeing new levels of fear and misunderstanding. It’s never been more important to sit down and listen to each other — hear each other’s stories, learn about what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, and remember what makes us unique and what we all have in common.
That’s why we launched our YouTube Creators for Change program back in September, an initiative dedicated to amplifying the voices of YouTube role models who are tackling division and hate by creating videos that share stories of hope, connection and understanding. Today we’re introducing our latest initiative in this program: a new partnership with StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording and archiving oral stories from all Americans.
Through this new collaboration, we’re teaming up with StoryCorps to help start a national conversation about identity and belonging in America, beginning with a production program at the YouTube Spaces in L.A. and N.Y. in December. At these Spaces, we will create custom-built sets that look and feel like the iconic StoryCorps recording booths where participating creators will help extend StoryCorps recordings to video. These creators will be able to come in with a friend, loved one or person they respect to talk about their experiences in our country as it stands today – both the good and bad.
As part of YouTube Creators for Change, we’re also proud to support the StoryCorps’ campaign #WhoWeAre, created in partnership with Upworthy. The #WhoWeAre series features animated stories of everyday Americans selected from the StoryCorps archive that help us remember our best selves.
We hope these conversations will inspire people around the country to reflect and share their own personal stories about who they are and who they want to be. We’re thrilled to be working with StoryCorps on bringing their approach to listening and recognizing our shared humanity to video, and can’t wait to share more on our work together in the coming months.
Juniper Downs, Head of Public Policy for YouTube, recently watched #WhoWeAre.
Introducing YouTube Creators for Change
Video affects us like no other medium. It can heighten our passions, stoke our fears, awaken us to new experiences and make our hearts ache. It can educate, build understanding and even change the way we see our world. In fact, over half of our millennial subscribers have said a YouTube creator has changed their life.
At a time when the internet is criticized for fueling division and distrust, we want to help demonstrate the incredible power YouTube has to generate a positive social impact. That’s why today, we’re introducing a new global program called YouTube Creators for Change, as well as new resources and grants dedicated to social change work.
YouTube Creators for Change is a new initiative dedicated to amplifying the voices of role models who are tackling difficult social issues with their channels. From combating hate speech, to countering xenophobia and extremism, to simply making the case for greater tolerance and empathy toward others, these creators are helping generate positive social change with their global fan bases.
Our first six Creators for Change ambassadors are Natalie Tran (Australia), Abdel en Vrai (Belgium), Nilam Farooq (Germany), Omar Hussein (Saudi Arabia), Barış Özcan (Turkey), and Humza Arshad (United Kingdom).
We’ll be introducing other ambassadors soon, and we will be sharing their stories — starting with Humza Arshad whose “Diary of a Badman” series is helping redefine what it means to be a young Muslim today in the U.K. Since video is such a powerful form of expression, watch and learn more about how Humza is using comedy to create change:
Over the next year, program ambassadors will drive greater awareness of social issues and foster productive dialogue around these topics through the videos they create. They’ll also help identify and empower emerging creators who also want to speak out on these crucial topics. To support and amplify ambassadors and emerging creators alike, we are committing $ 1M in equipment and production grants as part of the Creators for Change program. We’ll also welcome these creators at new programs at YouTube Spaces throughout the year, so stay tuned for more details soon.
Our efforts don’t stop here — we’ll also continue working with NGOs, schools, and media companies around the world to launch more local programs as part of Creators for Change. We recently introduced a program in France that brought together more than 700 participants who created 140 videos under the theme of fraternité. In Germany, YouTube creators joined forces under #NichtEgal, a movement dedicated to unite Germans in countering online hate.
We’re also pleased to announce that Google.org, our philanthropic arm, is establishing a $ 2M charitable fund to support nonprofits working on innovative solutions that promote inclusion and cross-cultural understanding.
We hope these new programs and resources will continue making YouTube a place where anyone can have a voice and where anyone can use the power of video to help generate positive social change.
Juniper Downs, Head of YouTube Public Policy, recently watched “Web Rangers – ORT Sajur 2016.”
Helping creators connect with brands
Nine years ago, YouTube launched its Partner Program with the goal of helping creators earn advertising revenue while connecting their innovative content to audiences around the world. Every year, more and more brands are making YouTube essential to their marketing strategy. In fact, in the last year alone, the top 100 advertisers have increased their spend on YouTube video ads by 50 percent.
As brands continue to embrace the value of YouTube, they’re also taking their investments one step further, partnering with creators on branded content opportunities such as product placements, promotions and sponsorships. As we look to the future, we want even more creators and brands to come together and realize the benefits of these creative collaborations.
Today, we’re excited to announce that Google has acquired FameBit — a technology platform company that helps creators and brands find and work with each other through sponsorships and paid promotion. We believe that Google’s relationship with brands and YouTube’s partnerships with creators, combined with FameBit’s technology and expertise, will help increase the number of branded content opportunities available, bringing even more revenue into the online video community.
Creators will always have the choice in how they work with brands, and there are many great companies who provide this service today. This acquisition doesn’t change that. Our hope is that FameBit’s democratized marketplace will allow creators of all sizes to directly connect with brands, as well as provide a great technology solution for companies like MCNs and agencies to find matches for their creators and brand partners.
We look forward to seeing FameBit and the entire branded content space thrive as we continue to support the success and creativity of the creator community.
Ariel Bardin, Vice President, Product Management recently watched “New Yorkers Share their Story for a Dollar.”
#AskJuncker: YouTube creators to interview the European Commission President
Cross-posted from Google Europe Blog
This Wednesday, President Juncker will deliver his State of the Union address at the European Parliament. The next morning, the European Commission — along with partners Debating Europe and Euronews — will turn to YouTube to field questions about the issues that matter most to people across Europe.
YouTube Creators Jonas Ems, Laetitia Birbes, and Łukasz Jakóbiak will travel to Brussels from their homes in Germany, France and Poland to meet with President Juncker at the Commission’s headquarters at the Berlaymont. While Euronews has hosted live Hangouts on Air with European Commissioners in the past, this is the first time that YouTube Creators will have the opportunity to conduct a full interview with the President.
Nineteen-year-old Jonas is already a veteran YouTuber — not only has he built up a large following for his commentaries and comedy, he’s also published a book about his experiences. Laetitia focuses on sharing her values, like ecology and recycling, and she recently participated in YouTube’s Toi-Même Tu Filmes initiative, aimed at fighting hate speech. Łukasz, who conducts interviews from his tiny Warsaw apartment, explained in an inspirational TedX talk last year how he went from dreamer to doer (and how he got to meet Lady Gaga along the way).
It’s up to Laetitia, Jonas, and Łukasz to choose the questions: They’ll focus on the issues that are top of mind for them and their fans. If you want to weigh in, they’ll be looking at suggestions on social media with the hashtag #AskJuncker.
You can watch the whole thing on the European Commission YouTube channel — the live stream will begin at 11 am CET, and the recording will be available afterward.
Posted by Mark Jansen, Senior Communications Manager at Google Brussels
Another great slate of shows and movies coming from top creators to YouTube Red
If we ask our creators, most of them will tell you that there’s a project, an idea, a collaboration, or a vision that they’ve always wanted to bring to life. YouTube has helped them achieve incredible things—build a fanbase, gain exposure, even earn serious money—but sometimes, they dream of something more.
Late last year we launched YouTube Red Originals for exactly that reason. We wanted to help our creators realize their ambitions on the platform where their community already lives.
With nine projects launched so far—including “Scare PewDiePie,” “Foursome” and “MatPat’s Game Lab” —we’re seeing fans sign up, tune in, binge and share their enthusiasm with their friends. Our original series and movies are one of the leading drivers of YouTube Red subscriptions, with viewership that rivals similar cable shows.
We’re also seeing creators featured in YouTube Red Originals get a boost in subscribers and watchtime on their main channels, with most of this watchtime coming from viewers who haven’t watched that creator’s content before. It turns out that there’s a virtuous cycle from YouTube Red that actually supports their existing channel on YouTube.
We’re also seeing fans consume these series and films in unexpected ways. Over half of the time spent watching Red Originals is happening on people’s mobile phones. Maybe that’s why the social buzz around YouTube Red Originals is so large. “A Trip to Unicorn Island” earned more Twitter mentions and impressions at launch than “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “House of Cards” and “True Detective” saw when they were released.
Based on the success we’ve seen so far, we’re thrilled to announce our latest slate of YouTube Red Originals.
RENEWALS:
“SCARE PEWDIEPIE” – SEASON 2: Produced by Maker Studios, the creator and executive producers of “The Walking Dead” franchise from Skybound Entertainment, and Felix Kjellberg under the Revelmode banner, the second season of the reality adventure series, “Scare PewDiePie,” promises even more thrills and chills.
“FOURSOME” – SEASON 2: Produced by AwesomenessTV, the second season of “Foursome” returns to YouTube Red following Andie’s adventures in the high school dating world. We meet a brand new Andie, a new era of extracurricular hooking up and high school awkwardness.
UNTITLED SMOSH MOVIE: After releasing the episodic series “Part Timers” on YouTube, Smosh is coming back for a feature-length comedy on YouTube Red. Luckless Charlie (Anthony Padilla) moves into a new apartment, only to find he has a roommate: a self-centered ghost named Max (Ian Hecox). Max makes Charlie’s life a living hell, until they learn that the only way Max can get into heaven is by working together.
NEW TO YOUTUBE RED:
“STEP UP” SERIES: “Step Up,” a fan favorite dance film franchise that launched the career of Channing Tatum, transitions to a new series with a heart-pounding, sexy, music-filled and dramatic look at dancers in a contemporary performing arts school. Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot and Meredith Milton, all producers of the original “Step Up” films, will executive produce the series, along with Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum, who both co-starred in the original “Step Up” film.
“RHETT & LINK’S BUDDY SYSTEM”: In this new scripted comedy series, Rhett & Link must go out of their way to regain control of their internet empire from their mutual co-ex-girlfriend who is now an evil Infomercial Queen holding a very big secret over their heads. The series also features “Saturday Night Live” alums Molly Shannon and Chris Parnell, as well as Leslie Bibb and Page Kennedy.
DAN & PHIL TOUR DOCUMENTARY: Top YouTube comedy stars, Dan Howell and Phil Lester are taking their fans inside their latest world tour, “The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire.” With hilarious anecdotes, sketches, and lots of surprises for their fans, we’re bringing Dan and Phil’s successful live stage show exclusively to YouTube Red. They’ll also be giving audiences a behind-the-scenes look with a documentary about the making of the tour.
“VLOGUMENTARY”: Executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, Maker Studios, and Shay “ShayCarl” Butler, “Vlogumentary” provides a personal, intimate lens into the world of some of YouTube’s biggest creators and demonstrates the power of the platform in shaping the lives of creative voices, their audiences and the media landscape.
UNTITLED ANIMATED SERIES: 3BLACKDOT and its top YouTube creators SeaNanners, TheMrSark and VanossGaming star in an animated comedy series, helmed by Michael Rowe, Emmy Award-winning writer of “Futurama” and “Family Guy,” about a team of ill-equipped paranormal investigators who struggle to unfold the mysteries of the paranormal universe for their desperate clients.
UNTITLED MICHAEL STEVENS PROJECT: In this new educational series, Vsauce creator Michael Stevens will take a deeper look into the human mind, using real subjects, including himself and special guests, to show some of the most mind-blowing, important and least understood aspects of human nature.
Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content, recently watched the first episode of “Escape the Night with Joey Graceffa.”
YouTube creators meet Pope Francis to discuss promoting understanding and empathy
YouTube has helped millions of people see that we have a lot in common, despite our differences. Building these bridges can start with a simple conversation, and over the past 11 years, we’ve seen YouTube creators use the power of video to do just that. From Hayla Ghazal encouraging women in the Middle East and around the world to speak up, to Dulce Candy sharing her own story as an undocumented immigrant and military veteran, creators from around the world have used our platform to express themselves, encourage new perspectives, and inspire solidarity within global fan bases.
We want to continue empowering people to come to YouTube to tell stories and form connections that encourage empathy and understanding between diverse communities.
That’s why today 11 international YouTube creators met with Pope Francis, who cares deeply about bringing young people together. This first-of-its-kind dialogue took place during the VI Scholas World Congress, which the Pope created to encourage peace through real encounters with youth from different backgrounds.
The YouTube creators who participated in this conversation represent more than 27 million subscribers globally. They come from ten different countries and diverse religious backgrounds: Louise Pentland (United Kingdom), Lucas Castel (Argentina), Matemática Río (Brazil), Hayla Ghazal (United Arab Emirates), Dulce Candy (United States), Matthew Patrick (United States), Jamie and Nikki (Australia and Sudan/Egypt), Greta Menchi (Italy), Los Polinesios (Mexico) and anna RF (Israel).
During the conversation with the Pope, these creators raised topics that they are passionate about as role models, including immigrant rights, gender equality, loneliness and self-esteem, and greater respect for diversity of all kinds.
We’re inspired by the many conversations these creators have sparked throughout their YouTube journeys. To hear more about what they discussed at the Vatican today, tune in to each of their channels for personal videos in the coming weeks. We hope to continue helping people share their stories – the more we can all understand, the more we can come together as a global community.
Juniper Downs, Head of Policy for YouTube, recently watched “I am a Muslim, hug me if you trust me.”
YouTube Creators Live From Tomorrow’s #DemDebate
Voters across the country are gearing up for this year’s presidential election — and tomorrow they’ll be able to tune in live on YouTube! We announced last month that YouTube and NBC News would team up to present the final DNC sanctioned Democratic presidential debate before the first caucus and primary votes are cast.
Not only will this be the first debate live streamed on a social media platform this election cycle, but you can expect to see some of your favorite YouTube creators involved. Take a look at this sneak-peek of the YouTubers you’ll see tomorrow:
- Connor Franta, a top lifestyle creator, earned the “Favorite YouTube Star “award at the 42nd People’s Choice Awards just this month. His debut book, “A Work in Progress,” spent 16 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list.
- Marques Brownlee is one of YouTube’s go-to tech reviewers who covers everything from smartphones to drones. Variety recognized Marques as one of the top 12 digital stars in the digital world.
- MinuteEarth is an animated science series that explores how things work on our planet. It is produced by a small team of scientists, writers, and video creators around the world.
- Franchesca Ramsey is a writer, actress and vlogger whose channel covers everything from topical comedy sketches to commentary on social issues.
Along with creators, we’ll feature Google Trends throughout the debate to give a perspective on the issues Americans care about most. Keep an eye out for the topics, policies and candidates that matter most based on Google data.
Tune in to the NBC News-YouTube Democratic Candidates Debate, hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and moderated by Lester Holt, tomorrow, Sunday, January 17, 2016, in Charleston, S.C., airing on NBC from 9-11 p.m. ET and streamed live on the NBC News YouTube channel.
Brandon Feldman, YouTube News, recently watched “Mock Job Interview for President,” and Steve Grove, Google News Lab, recently watched “The YouTube Interview with President Obama”
YouTube creators interview President Obama following his final State of the Union
(Cross-posted from the Google Blog.)
“We’re going to have 21st century fireside chats where I’ll speak directly to the American people in a way that I think will enhance democracy and strengthen our government. “ – Senator Barack Obama, November 15, 2007
Tomorrow evening, President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress, which will broadcast live on YouTube. Then, as he has every year after the speech, he’ll turn to YouTube and Google to take questions from Americans about the issues that matter to them.
This Friday, January 15, Destin Sandlin, Ingrid Nilsen, and Adande Thorne—three popular YouTube creators—will travel to Washington, D.C. to host a live YouTube Interview with President Obama. They’ll join the President in the East Room of the White House, asking a selection of questions that are top of mind for them and their fans. You can watch the whole thing on the White House YouTube channel—and if you have a question for the President, suggest it by using the hashtag #YouTubeAsksObama on social media.
YouTube Space Paris: a new home for French creators
Paris. The city is synonymous with culture, cuisine, art and architecture. The creative passion of Paris has also given rise to one of the world’s most vibrant YouTube communities. French creators of all kinds are building global followings on YouTube, such as Cyprien, whose comedy shorts have been viewed nearly 1 billion times, and e-penser, who regularly entertains half a million fans with educational videos on subjects such as general relativity and time travel. And the audience loves what they are doing— viewers are watching 60 percent more YouTube than last year.
Given all the creativity coming out of the French capital, it was a no-brainer to open a YouTube Space in the heart of Paris—a cutting-edge production facility located at Google Paris Headquarters.
This is the seventh YouTube Space we have opened in cultural centers around the world. Joining Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Tokyo, New York and Sao Paolo, the Paris Space will provide emerging and established YouTube creators with a physical space to do everything from take a class on YouTube best practices, meet with fellow artists, or just use the studio’s latest audio, visual and editing equipment to create great videos. All for free.
Internationally, creators have used the YouTube Spaces to unleash the limits of their imagination: whether that’s filming live streaming music acts, collaborating with celebrities, creating a viral public service announcement, or even learning how to teleport on a specially created superhero set. And in Europe, more than 25,000 creators of all kinds, from emerging comedians to established TV stations, have visited London and Berlin Spaces to produce over 1,500 original videos. These videos have been viewed over 225 million times and watched by their fans for a cumulative 16 million hours. We’re excited to see what creators in Paris will do next!
Find more creator resources at youtube.com/creators and learn more about the YouTube Spaces at youtube.com/space.
David Ripert, Head of YouTube Space EMEA, recently watched “[360 Music Video] This Summer – Roomie (Maroon 5 Cover)” – partly shot in the Spaces.
Introducing Awesome Stuff Week: product reviews you’ll love from creators you trust
We know how much time you spend surfing the web for the perfect look or the latest products whether that be Stephen Curry’s newest sneaker, fringe skirts for fall, or the newest hoverboard prototype.
But people aren’t just limiting their research to websites; they’re also watching videos on YouTube. Sixty-four percent of shoppers say that YouTube influences their purchase decisions.1 In fact, we’ve seen more than 40 percent growth year-over-year in viewership of product videos such as sneaker pickups, first impressions, and product reviews.2
To help you discover more of the latest and greatest products, we’re partnering with your favorite YouTube personalities to bring you Awesome Stuff Week: a series of week-long celebrations highlighting popular, trendy, undiscovered-but-cool products on YouTube. During each Awesome Stuff Week, creators such as GiGiGorgeous, iJustine, Jim Chapman, and UnboxTherapy, will share their views and reviews on products ranging from fashion to gadgets to holiday gifts.
We’re also making it easy for you to buy the products you want in the exact moment you want them. Scroll through the comments on any product video and you’re sure to find “where can I get those shoes or that skirt or that self-balancing scooter?” Why shouldn’t every product video be shoppable? Products featured during Awesome Stuff Week will be.
Like those brown Hudson boots from Jim Chapman in the below video? Now you can simply click on a product image on the right-hand side of the video, and be taken to that retailer’s website. It’s as easy as that.
This week – dedicated to fashion – is the first of several Awesome Stuff Weeks that we’ll be rolling out. New videos will appear daily from Monday through Friday, and each will feature a new theme related to fashion such as Must-have-Monday or Hundred-Dollar-Wednesday. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce an Awesome Stuff Week featuring gadgets as well as holiday gifts to help you check off items on your shopping list.
To discover the latest shoppable videos, subscribe to the Awesome Stuff Week YouTube channel and stay tuned for more!
Vikram Tank, Product Marketing Manager, Art, Copy & Code, recently watched “What Do You Mean / Epic Segway Dance Cover @justinbieber.”
1Source: When the Path to Purchase Becomes the-Path-to-Purpose, June 2014.
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/the-path-to-purpose.html
2Source: View count growth, Google Data, April 2015 vs. April 2014, U.S., classification was based on public data such as headlines, tags, etc., and may not account for every type of review video available on YouTube.
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/i-want-to-buy-moments.html
New original content from top YouTube creators
At YouTube, we have a core belief: we only succeed if our creators do.
After launching the Creator Hub to help creators get the most out of YouTube from anywhere in the world and opening YouTube Spaces in the U.S., the U.K., Japan and Brazil, we decided to take an even bolder step to invest in ambitious projects from our top creators. Today, we’re announcing partnerships with four top creators to help bring their next big original series to life on YouTube:
- Since launching their first YouTube channel in 2007, the Fine Brothers’ channels have amassed over 17 million subscribers and over 3 billion views as well as earning a Daytime Emmy. They’ll continue the hot streak with their new scripted comedy series that takes a satirical look at the world of singing competition shows, produced in partnership with Mandeville Films.
- For six years, Prank vs. Prank have waged an epic prank war on each other in front of an audience of nearly 14 million subscribers and generated nearly 3 billion views on their two channels. In their forthcoming series, celebrity guests join Jesse and Jeana to pull off their most ambitious pranks yet.
- Joey Graceffa has built a devoted fan following of over 5 million subscribers, cumed over 600 million views and earned two Teen Choice nominations through his channels’ daily vlogs, scripted series and short films. Now Joey will lead an all-star cast of YouTubers in his all-new murder mystery reality series.
- For a decade, Smosh has entertained a YouTube fanbase of over 35 million subscribers across their channels with comedy sketches that have generated over 7 billion views. In their new comedy series, we’ll see Ian and Anthony working at a theme restaurant where out-of-control kids and crazy parents are all in a day’s work.
We’re also excited to announce a new collaboration between YouTube and AwesomenessTV. Together, we’ll release several feature length films over the next two years, all driven by YouTube stars and developed and produced by AwesomenessTV’s Brian Robbins. The films will all premiere globally on YouTube before they become available elsewhere, setting what we believe will become a new distribution paradigm for years to come. We hope to release our first film this fall, with more details to come soon.
We hope that these new series and feature films, as well as those that follow, give top creators a new way to showcase their talent to fans on YouTube.
Alex Carloss, Head of YouTube Originals recently watched “Me at the zoo.”