Streamys Tap Galifianakis & ‘Ferns,’ ‘Bannen Way’

Zach Galifianakis, “Between Two Ferns” win comedy awards

Rampant, unbleeped expletives. Winners who wondered what was going on. A host who said the gig was good practice for his next job, "hosting the trainwreck awards." And not one streaker, but two.

The 2nd annual Streamy Awards, which took place Sunday night at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles, were a wild, rough, disorganized and freewheeling antidote to usual award-show decorum, as befits an awards show devoted to web-only television programming, ranging from professional productions to bargain-basement DIY shows.

"I am so confused about this awards show," said "The Guild" director Sean Becker, who won for Best Directing for a Comedy Web Series.

The three-hour show, which kicked off with a song-and-dance number and also included actress (and Streamy winner) Illeanna Douglas fronting a rock band while wearing a platinum blonde wig (right), gave a couple of its big awards to the absent Zach Galifianakis, who won for Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series for "Between Two Ferns," which also won for Best Comedy Web Series.  In the one-on-one interview spoof, featured on Funnyordie.com, Galifianakis plays himself as a clueless and not-to-be-bothered host.

Another big winner was "The Bannen Way," on the Sony-owned Crackle site.  The drama took home awards for Best Drama Web Series, Best Directing for a Drama Web Series (Jesse Warren) and Best Male Actor in a Drama Web Series (Mark Gantt). 

Other acting winners included Felicia Day for "The Guild," Rachael Hip-Flores for "Anyone But Me," "Weird Al" Yankovic for "Know Your Meme" and the ensemble cast of "Easy to Assemble."

With funky audio, moments when the wrong clips were shown, a colorful audience (left) and a variety of other technical problems, the show had a loose, ragged feel.  "Last year’s show was very serious, and this year we’re a lot more playful and uninhibited," saidd Brady Brim-DeForest, chief executive officer of Tubefilter and one of the show’s executive producers.

He laughed.  "We learned a lot tonight."

The show’s host was Paul Scheer, from MTV’s “Human Giant” series, FX’s “The League” and HBO’s “Funny or Die Presents."  

The awards are presented by International Academy of Web Television, an invitation-only group of professionals in online entertainment, and co-hosted by new media companies Tubefilter and NewTeeVee.
 
Members of the academy view shows submitted through free public submissions process, before voting on winners in 35 creative categories, including acting, directing, editing, and special effects. (Winners in the craft categories were announced on April 7 at a separate ceremony at the Barnsdall Art Center in Hollywood.)
 
"At the end of the day, we’re trying to shine a light on the tremendous number of people who are creating independent video content," said Jamison Tilsner, treasurer of the International Academy of Web Television and another of the show’s executive producers.  
 
"The production values vary, but the common thread is that they’re telling stories that connect to an audience."  
 
"Agents of Cracked" won the Audience Choice Award, the only prize not chosen by academy members.
 
Chad Hurley, the CEO and co-founder of YouTube, was given the first Visionary Award for personifying "the innovative spirit that is democratizing entertainment media."
 
For a full list of nominees, click here.
 
The winners:
 
OVERALL SERIES
 
Best Comedy Web Series: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
Best Drama Web Series: The Bannen Way
Best Hosted Web Series: Diggnation
Best News or Politics Web Series: Auto Tune the News
Best Animated Web Series: How it Should Have How It Should Have Ended
Best Branded Entertainment Web Series: Back on Topps (Topps, Dick’s Sporting Goods)
Audience Choice Award for Best Web Series: "Agents of Cracked"
 
DIRECTING

Best Directing for a Comedy Web Series: The Guild (Sean Becker)
Best Directing for a Drama Web Series: The Bannen Way (Jesse Warren)

 
WRITING

Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series: Wainy Days (David Wain)
Best Writing for a Drama Web Series: Compulsions (Bernie Su)

 
PERFORMANCE
 
Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series: Zach Galifianakis (Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis)
Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series: Felicia Day (The Guild)
Best Male Actor in a Drama Web Series: Mark Gantt (The Bannen Way)
Best Female Actor in a Drama Web Series: Rachael Hip-Flores (Anyone But Me)
Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series: Easy to Assemble (Illeana 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)
Best Guest Star in a Web Series: "Weird Al" Yankovic (Know Your Meme)
Best Web Series Host: Zadi Diaz (Epic Fu)
Best Vlogger: Shane Dawson (ShaneDawsonTV)
 
Previously announced winners: 
 
OVERALL SERIES
 
Best Reality or Documentary Web Series:
The Secret Life of Scientists
Best Foreign Web Series:
OzGirl
Best New Web Series:
Odd Jobs
Best Companion Web Series:
The Office: Subtle Sexuality
Best Experimental Web Series:
Auto-Tune the News
TECHNICAL CATEGORIES
Best Editing in a Web Series:
The Bannen Way (Zack Arnold)
Best Cinematography in a Web Series:
Riese (Christopher Charles Kempinski)
Best Art Direction in a Web Series:
Green Porno (Rick Gilbert)
Best Sound Design in a Web Series:
Fear Clinic (Kunal Rajan)
Best Visual Effects in a Web Series:
Fear Clinic (Jason Bergman, Nicholas Onstad, Bethany Onstad, Jason Knetge, Erik Porn, Ikuo Saito, David Dang)
Best Animation in a Web Series:
theGoob (Magnus Jansson)
Best Original Music in a Web Series:
Auto-Tune the News (Evan Gregory, Andrew Gregory, Michael Gregory, Sarah Gregory)
Best Live Production in a Web Series: 
Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show
Best Interactive Experience in a Web Series: 
Valemont
Best Product Integration in a Web Series: 
Easy to Assemble (IKEA)
Best Mobile Experience in a Web Series: 
Valemont U
 

 

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