Okay, we get it. The Streamys sucked this year.
I’ve seen enough “nail in the coffin” and “last Streamys ever” updates on Twitter. They get it. They did a bad job.
There are a lot of people who have meticulously deconstructed why the show went wrong, from the bad opening number to the streakers to the embarrassing technical glitches (in a room full of nerds, no less) the “nobody cares about online video” man-on-the-street video to the way-too-long and obscene “comedy” bits.
As an IAWTV member and someone who knows the show’s executive producers Marc, Drew, Brady, and Josh personally — I’ll add this to the conversation: just one year ago, this didn’t even exist.
This was an event that literally didn’t exist a year ago. And though I think the show was really bad and a detriment to the momentum we all feel about online video, people are calling for heads to roll. Really?
Without the Tubefilter guys, would this even exist? No. Would there be a community as thriving as there is in Los Angeles? No. So let’s back off a little, because these guys aren’t money-grubbing, smarmy used car salesmen. Trust me, they’re taking this seriously and will come forward with a plan. That doesn’t happen in 24 hours.
Do I think this was a bad show that showcased the juvenile nature of the Web against its more established media counterparts? Yes. But the result — the backbiting and negative comments — are proving the other stereotype of the Internet: not unlike the comments on a YouTube video, a lot of people are hating on something they don’t want to do (or couldn’t do) themselves. These guys built this from nothing. Give them a break.
BEHIND THE FRUSTRATION
I wonder if a lot of the frustration with the show is because there feels like something was lost. A naive dream, perhaps. Web series creators, including the majority of people in that theatre, make little money and can’t support themselves doing it like their TV or film counterparts. Surely, a Streamy Awards show debacle doesn’t help them getting closer to “sustainable living,” but surely the big payoff wasn’t so close that the Streamys ruined it.
The sad truth is that, for most online content producers (and offline for that matter), there is very little income to be spread around right now, and for independents who are also “up and comers” — myself included — there is a smaller and smaller pie. Celebrities that you might normally see on TV and movies are taking advantage of online opportunities (such as Kevin Pollak, Tony Hale, Zach Galifianakis, Illeana Douglas) to have more creative control and ownership over their work. Traditional media companies and ad agencies are looking for “sure things” from people with TV/film experience. Sure, there are indies that get funding and/or distribution. But for every Bannen Way, there’s a thousand Web series that won’t make a cent.
It’s tough to be independent. But it’s just tough in general. That’s the entertainment business, regardless of medium. The road for online producers/creators/writers isn’t an easy one. And you can’t blame the Streamy Awards this year for you not getting what you want.
If you want to make Web videos, do it. And keep doing it. Just like the Oscars and Emmys — just do what you do and let the awards take care of themselves.
But don’t look to the Tubefilter guys as scapegoats. If you want things to change, offer to help. I’m sure they’re all ears to real criticism if offered with a helping hand.
[Some updates made above to my rhetoric and logic, after some comments called them out below.]
