Despite entertaining millions of people online through platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and more, the online creative world is still not officially recognized by old-school Hollywood. “There are Emmys, Golden Globes and Oscars for the mainstream entertainment industry,” said Adam Rose, the creator of TikTok, which has more than 4.3 million followers, “but the people in this room entertain more people in the world than those nominated for those awards. other awards.”
The size of the creative economy is measured in the billions. YouTube has announced that it will pay out more than $30 billion to creators between 2019 and 2021, and some of the most famous internet stars are earning tens of millions of dollars a year. MrBeast, a high-performing content creator, earned over $54 million in 2021 alone.
The star’s power was palpable on Sunday night. Fans pressed their faces and phones against the glass windows at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creators as they walked down the red carpet.
“You have TikTokers, YouTubers, Snapchat original creators, Instagrammers, it’s pretty broad platforms that make or break entertainment on the internet,” said Sydney Raz, creator of TikTok and Instagram, which has exploded life hacks for people in their 30s. . “It’s great to have an awards show about all the hard work and creativity we put into the internet every day.”
The award show itself was produced by Tubefilter and Dick Clark Productions and streamed exclusively on YouTube. Content creator Airrack hosted the event and streamed it on their channel. Rapper Yung Gravy performed as a musical guest.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight and leaving your ring lights at home,” he said as he took the stage.
The talent awarded at this year’s Streamys showed how multi-platform the creative ecosystem is. The best lifestyle creator award went to TikTok queen Charli D’Amelio. Twitch star Kai Cena wins breakout streamer award. YouTuber Markiplier took home the long-running actor award in addition to the award for best scripted series. Hasan Piker was chosen as the best news creator.
The Streamy award for best pitch creator is coveted among influencers. Stars who have won it in the past, including Bella Poarch, Charli D’Amelio, MrBeast, Emma Chamberlain and Liza Koshy, have become internet A-listers, with 24-year-old Ryan Trahan receiving the award this year. .
Trahan has garnered tens of millions of views by inviting 100 celebrities to his birthday party, staying in the dark for 50 hours and trying to change a dime to a house in less than a week.
Simone Giertz, a science YouTuber with 2.7 million subscribers, said she felt this year’s Streamys were more robust than previous years. He explained that it is no longer considered something for teenagers. “It’s grown a lot more than it did a few years ago,” he said. “It used to be a group of teenagers taking selfies in their rooms. I have yet to see a single person taking a selfie. We all grow.”
The Retirement House’s TikTok stars, whose members are between the ages of 70 and 85, are new to internet fame, but have been front and center for the show among influencers decades their junior. Other creatives who took the stage on Sunday night spent their formative years in the public eye. Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln “Link” Neal, the content creation duo known professionally as Rhett & Link, are both in their mid-40s but have been YouTube stars since 2006.
Ben Relles, a former YouTube executive who attended the inaugural Streamy Awards in 2009, said he was most impressed by Rhett and Link’s film, which “still won show of the year and won the award after 15 years on YouTube.” Funniest moment.” (The duo got the audience a bit confused about the long-form submission for the short-form content award).
Fitness pop star Caleb Marshall, who looks like the Internet’s Richard Simmons, was in attendance, along with two backup dancers and fitness instructors Haley Jordan and Allison Florea. Marshall said the impact of the pandemic has led to changes in the industry, along with the rise of short-form videos. “The standards of beauty and production established over many years have been broken,” he said.
More people than ever are rooting for creators online. “People wanted connection,” Florea said, “and they found it through us and others like us.”