Best of the Streamys: 4 shows you should check out

Liz Shannon Miller — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:00:14 +0000

Don’t call it a comeback, but the highly-anticipated Streamy Awards returned on Sunday night for a third time, to honor the best that web video had to offer in the last year.

“Web video is all about passion,” host Chris Hardwick said during his opening monologue, and there were so many shows, full of said passion, that were either nominated or awarded on Sunday night. Here are a few of them that deserve, if not statues, then definitely some consideration.

SourceFed

The winner in the Best News/Informational Show category was long-standing YouTube star Philip DeFranco, but worth checking out is his fellow nominee SourceFed — and not just because DeFranco created it.

SourceFed, a lively news recap hosted by a revolving troupe of hosts, covers topics ranging from Doctor Who news to North Korea testing nukes. I was first exposed to the manic energy of the show’s hosts during last year’s VidCon conference, and they are consistently entertaining.

Lindsey Stirling

Lindsey Stirling, a one-time America’s Got Talent quarterfinalist, began making YouTube videos in 2007 that featured her dance and music skills. She won a Streamy this year for Best Choreography. The above video, an homage to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, is a great example of why.

Burning Love

Burning Love swept the awards dolled out for Best Comedy. It’s pretty funny, especially if you’ve ever seen a single episode of reality television. A second season just got started, so you’re not too late to check it out.

Epic Rap Battles of History

Epic Rap Battles of History has been a comedy rap juggernaut since 2010; above is their Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates rap, which they performed live during the Streamys. I mean, it’s no “Ice Ice Baby,” but ERB still knows how to drop a beat.

Any winners you’re excited about? Any nominees you feel were robbed? Sound off in the comments!

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Commutist, meet Nerdist, a podcast interview with Chris Hardwick

Chris Albrecht — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:00:15 +0000

It’s an “-ist” party this week as Chris Hardwick of the Nerdist media empire joins us for a special edition Commutist podcast. Hardwick has an interesting perspective on the ever-changing media landscape: his roots are in “old media,” co-hosting MTV’s Singled Out during the ’90s, he performs stand-up comedy live, and he’s positioned himself for a “new media” world with his Nerdist website, podcasts and YouTube channel. We talked with Hardwick by phone about what Nerdist (which was acquired by Legendary Entertainment earlier this year) is, how he tries to bridge the gap between old and new media, and how technology impacts his comedy.

Also, the Commutist is now available on Stitcher Radio!

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