The Streamy Awards 2010: The Event and The Winners
Before I start writing this review, I want to say how much I appreciate the web series’ nominated for Streamy Awards. This review is not a reflection on the talents and abilities of those who pour so many hours and dollars into their passion projects. Nor is this a review of the show’s hosts, Tubefilter, NewTeeVee or the IAWTV. Hard work went into this awards’ show and these people are doing something risky by putting on the Streamys.
Still, this year was so far from perfect, so far from last year’s in production quality, it begs discussion. Here it is:
March 28, 2009. The first Streamy Awards was ballin.’ From Felicia Day’s tearful yet excited speech to Joss Whedon’s magnanimous presence, the Streamys felt like a real awards show.
Sure, it was held at the modest (though historical) Wadsworth Theater, and, let’s face it, the nominees and winners a little one-sided, but it was achieving its goal of elevating web shows to a new status in Hollywood. Though edgy, it was entertaining. Even Lisa Kudrow’s rant about the teleprompter seemed planned. It was professional.
This year, the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards was nothing short of a disaster. From stage-streakers to dvd-hiccups, it seemed like a satirical play about everything that could go wrong with an awards show. If it wasn’t obvious enough in the press room, one needed only to look at the half-empty mezzanine that was nearly full at the beginning.
Twitter wasn’t happy either. Those tweeting with the hashtag #streamyfail ragged on the awards’ show’s overdone sex jokes (vagina cream anyone?) and lowered production-quality. I asked two web series’ creators their opinions but neither would comment.
More celebrities came out this year. Tech heavyweights like Jim Louderback and Chad Hurley said their hellos (Hurley received this year’s visionary award). Like Tim Street said on Twitter, “The lobby @streamyawards has turned into a party while the show is still going on.” The lobby, not the auditorium, was unfortunately the place to be,
This isn’t to bash Tubefilter (who’s staff I am currently on), NewTeeVee, or the show’s other sponsors and hosts. To be honest with you, our readers, as well as my friends in the IAWTV, a lot of hard work went into the show. Again, I know that.
As our own Amanda Coolong pointed out to me, last year’s show was simple and elegant. This year’s show was just too big. Jokes missed their mark. It happens and we can only hope next year will be better.
Still, despite my problems with this year’s show, we need to remain focused on what the Streamy’s are trying to accomplish: recognizing those in the online new media space creating content and a new alternative to traditional media. Congratulations to the winners for all their hard work and passion behind their creations.
And the winners are…
Overall Series
Best Comedy Web Series: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
Nominees:
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
Easy to Assemble
The Guild
The Legend of Neil
Wainy Days
Best Drama Web Series: The Bannen Way
Nominees:
Angel of Death
Compulsions
OzGirl
The Bannen Way
Valemont
Best Hosted Web Series: Diggnation
Nominees:
A Comicbook Orange
Diggnation
Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show
Know Your Meme
The Totally Rad Show
Best News or Politics Web Series: Auto-Tune the News
Nominees:
Auto-Tune the News
Rocketboom
The Tomorrow Show with Mo Rocca
The Young Turks
VBS News
Best Animated Web Series: How It Should Have Ended
Nominees:
Eli’s Dirty jokes
Happy Tree Friends
Homestar Runner
How It Should Have Ended
Zero Punctuation
Audience Choice Award: Agents of Cracked
Nominees:
Agents of Cracked
Anyone But Me
Dorm Life: Semester 2
Elevator
Noob
Star-ving
The Guild
Legend of Neil
The Totally Rad Show
The Young Turks
Best Branded Entertainment Web Series: Back on Topps (Topps)
Nominees:
Back on Topps (Topps)
Brainstorm (Altoids)
Easy to Assemble (IKEA)
Parts Art (Lexus)
The Temp Life (Spherion)
Directing
Best Directing for a Comedy Web Series: The Guild (Sean Becker)
Nominees:
Blue Movies (Scott Brown)
Dorm Life: Semester 2 (Chris Smith, Mark Stewart Iverson)
James Gunn’s PG Porn (James Gunn)
The Guild (Sean Becker)
The Legend of Neil (Sandeep Parikh)
Best Directing for a Drama Web Series: The Bannen Way (Jesse Warren)
Nominees:
Anyone But Me (Susan Miller, Tina Cesa Ward)
Compulsions (Bernie Su)
Girl Number 9 (Andrew Black, Lawrence Frank, Brent Friedman, Joshua Stern, Jacqueline Zambrano)
The Bannen Way (Jesse Warren, Mark Gantt)
Young American Bodies (Joe Swanberg)
Writing
Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series: Wainy Days (David Wain)
Nominees:
Back on Topps (Jason Sklar, Randy Sklar, Eric Friedman, Matt Price)
Dorm Life (Chris Smith, Jordan Riggs, Jessie Gaskell, Jack De Sena, Jim Brandon, Brian Singleton, Mark Stewart Iverson)
The Legend of Neil (Tony Janning, Sandeep Parikh)
The Guild (Felicia Day)
Wainy Days (David Wain)
Best Writing for a Drama Web Series: Compulsions (Bernie Su)
Nominees:
Anyone But Me (Susan Miller, Tina Cesa Ward)
Compulsions (Bernie Su)
Girl Number 9 (James Moran)
The Bannen Way (Jesse Warren, Mark Gantt)
Valemont (Christian Taylor)
Acting
Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Zach Galifianakis (Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis)
Nominees:
Zach Galifianakis (Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis)
Tony Hale (CTRL)
Amir Blumenfeld (Jake and Amir)
Sandeep Parikh (The Guild)
David Wain (Wainy Days)
Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Felicia Day (The Guild)
Nominees:
Ileana Douglas (Easy to Assemble)
Justine Bateman (Easy to Assemble)
Joanna Cassidy (Sex Ed)
Felicia Day (The Guild)
Lisa Kudrow (Web Therapy)
Best Male Actor in a Drama Series: Mark Gantt (The Bannen Way)
Nominees:
Craig Frank (Compulsions)
Robert Englund (Fear Clinic)
Joe Absolom (Girl Number 9)
Mark Gantt (The Bannen Way)
Eric Balfour (Valemont)
Best Female Actor in a Drama Series: Rachel Hip-Flores (Anyone But Me)
Nominees:
Zoe Bell (Angel of Death)
Rachel Hip-Flores (Anyone But Me)
Tatyani Ali (Buppies)
Sophie Tilson (OzGirl)
Crystal Chappell (Venice)
Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series: Easy to Assemble (Illeanna Douglas, Justine Bateman, Eric Lange, Michael Irpino, Cheri Oteri, Daryl Sabara, Michael Panes, Rob Mailhouse, Sean Durrie, Tom Arnold, Ed Begley Jr., Tim Meadows, Ricki Lake, Greg Proops, Kevin Pollak)
Nominees:
Black on Topps (Randy Sklar, Jason Sklar, Jason Nash, Janet Varney, Stephanie Courtney, Brian Huskey, Phil LaMarr)
Dorm Life (Nora Kirkpatrick, Hannah Pearl Utt, Anne Lane, Jessie Gaskell, Brian Singleton, Jack De Sena, Jim Brandon, Jordan Riggs, Pancho Morris)
Easy to Assemble (Illeanna Douglas, Justine Bateman, Eric Lange, Michael Irpino, Cheri Oteri, Daryl Sabara, Michael Panes, Rob Mailhouse, Sean Durrie, Tom Arnold, Ed Begley Jr., Tim Meadows, Ricki Lake, Greg Proops, Kevin Pollak)
GOLD (Robert J. Brewer, James Paul Xavier, Nathan Mobley, Rick Robinson, David Nett, Gary Karp, Shannon Ivey, Alan Loayza, Shannon Nelson, Jeremy Guskin, Angela Schnaible)
The Guild (Vincent Caso, Felicia Day, Jeff Lewis, Amy Okuda, Sandeep Parikh, Robin Thorsen)
Best Guest Star in a Web Series: “Weird Al” Yankovic (Know Your Meme)
Nominees:
Chris Hardwick (Back on Topps)
Nathan Fillion (PG Porn)
“Weird Al” Yankovic (Know Your Meme)
Wil Wheaton (The Guild)
Courtney Cox (Web Therapy)
Best Web Series Host: Zadi Diaz (Epic Fu)
Nominees:
Alex Albrecht (Diggnation)
Zadi Diaz (Epic Fu)
Kevin Pollak (Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show)
Kristyn Burtt (The Web.Files)
Michael Buckley (What the Buck?)
Best Vlogger: Shane Dawson (ShaneDawsonTV)
Nominees:
Brigitte Dale (Brigitte Dale)
iJustine (iJustine)
Philip DeFranco (sxePhil)
Shane Dawson (ShaneDawsonTV)
Shira Lazar (Shira Lazar)
Craft Awards
The Craft Awards were announced on April 8 in separate ceremony. The winners were as follows:
Best Reality or Documentary Web Series: The Secret Life of Scientists
Interview Project
Mommy XXX
RADAR
Streak to Win
The Secret Life of Scientists
Best Foreign Web Series: OzGirl
Flying Kebab
Girl Number 9
Noob
OzGirl
Riese
Best New Web Series: Odd Jobs
$5 Cover: Memphis
Girl Number 9
Odd Jobs
Old Friends
The Bannen Way
Best Companion Web Series: The Office: Subtle Sexuality
Assassin’s Creed: Lineage
Dexter: Early Cuts
Harper’s Globe
The Office: Subtle Sexuality
Weeds: University of Andy
Best Experimental Web Series: Auto-Tune the News
Auto-Tune the News
Green Porno
HBO Cube
INST MSGS
Level 26
Best Editing in a Web Series: The Bannen Way (Zach Arnold)
Nominees:
$5 Cover: Memphis (Nathan Black, Morgan Jon Fox, Josh Swain)
Angel of Death (Jochen Kunstler, Jacob Vaughan)
Auto-Tune the News (Evan Gregory, Andrew Gregory, Michael Gregory)
I Kissed a Vampire (David Bekoff)
The Bannen Way (Zach Arnold)
Best Cinematography in a Web Series: Riese (Christopher Charles Kempinski)
Nominees:
Angel of Death (Carl Herse)
Circle of Eight (Michael Lohmann)
LUMINA (XiaoSu Han, Andreas Thalhammer)
Mountain Man (Robert Lam)
Riese (Christopher Charles Kempinski)
Best Art Direction in a Web Series: Green Porno (Rick Gilbert)
Nominees:
$99 Music Videos (Kit Pennebaker)
Green Porno (Rick Gilbert)
Mountain Man (Matt Enlow)
Riese (Chad Krowchuk)
Tiki Bar TV (Kim Bailey)
The Coat (Thierry Chaze)
Best Sound Design in a Web Series: Fear Clinic (Kunal Rajan)
Nominees:
Fear Clinic (Kunal Rajan)
Mountain Man (Michael Miller)
Riese (Bill Mellow, Kevin Belen)
Rockville, CA (Seth Talley)
The Vetala (Randy Kiss)
Best Visual Effects in a Web Series: Fear Clinic (Jason M Bergman, Nicholas Onstad, Bethany Pederson, David Dang)
Nominees:
Backyard FX (Erik Beck)
Fear Clinic (Jason M Bergman, Nicholas Onstad, Bethany Pederson, David Dang)
Mordy Koots (Reece Sanders, Clayton Jacobson)
Safety Geeks: SVI (Thor Melsted, Mike Smith)
The Crew (Jeff Bell, Zack Finfrock, Brett Register)
Best Animation in a Web Series: theGoob (Magnus Jansson)
Nominees:
College Humor: Hardly Working (Dan Meth)
Happy Tree Friends (David Winn, Alan Lau, Jason Sadler, Brad Rau, Roque Bollestros, Paul Allan, Nica Lorber, Michael Lipman)
How It Should Have Ended (Daniel Baxter, Tommy Watson, Tina Alexander)
Inventions (Chris Weller, David Lamps)
theGoob (Magnus Jansson)
Best Original Music in a Web Series: Auto-Tune the News (Evan Gregory, Andrew Gregory, Michael Gregory)
Nominees:
Auto-Tune the News (Evan Gregory, Andrew Gregory, Michael Gregory)
Horrible Turn (Chance McClain, Kevin Ryan, Frank Bullington, Jeremy Botter)
Key of Awesome (Mark Douglas)
Sparhusen (Rob Mailhouse, Todd Spahr, Illeana Douglas)
The Coat (Thierry Chaze)
Best Live Production in a Web Series: Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show
Nominees:
Coin-Op TV Live
Fantasy Football Live!
Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show
The RadNerd Show
TWiT.tv
Best Interactive Experience in a Web Series: Valemont
Nominees:
Circle of Eight
I <3 Vampires
Married on MySpace
Valemont
Wreck and Salvage: Suppendapo
Best Product Integration in a Web Series: Easy to Assemble (IKEA)
Nominees:
Circle of Eight (Mountain Dew)
Easy to Assemble (IKEA)
The Bannen Way (Jaguar)
Valemont (Verizon Wireless)
Woke Up Dead (Kodak)
Best Mobile Experience in a Web Series: Valemont
Nominees:
AT&T Life Without Mobile
Mr. Wrong
Playboy: Interns
Seth on Survival
Valemont
