The best of online video was honored Saturday night at the Streamy Awards annual Nominee Reception, where 30 trophies were handed out in the first of two events.
Like the Emmys and Grammys, the Streamy Awards now need multiple shows over different nights to pay their tributes. Saturday night’s ceremony at Youtube Space LA in Playa Vista, Calif. had leading trade outlet Tubefilter, Dick Clark Productions and YouTube announce winners.
Among those who took home a trophy were major media brands like Buzzfeed (“The Try Guys“), digital-first productions from legacy media brands (Jimmy Kimmel’s “Mean Tweets — Creator Edition” and ESPN’s “30 for 30 Shorts“) and digital natives like singer/performer Todrick Hall (Breakthrough Artist), Lindsey Stirling (for the violin player’s Christmas cover of “Hallelujah” in an NYC subway), Grace Helbig (for her brand campaign with AT&T) and prankster Roman Atwood.
Matthew “MatPat” Patrick was a big winner, taking home two trophies. The creator who applies real world science to video games (and has gained 6.9 million subscribers in the process) won the new “Virtual Reality and 360° Video” category, edging out entries from cinematic science stalwarts National Geographic and Discovery Channel.
Despite Buzzfeed’s online heft, “The Try Guys” win in the Non-Fiction category was a notable upset. The non-bro man-band known for trying things like “Going Bald” and “Which Type of Alcohol F—s You Up the Most?” came out on top of a field that included king of YouTube PewdiePie, the Fine Brothers’ “Do They Know It,” AT&T’s “The Hills”-esque glossy serialized reality series “@SummerBreak” and the aforementioned “MatPat.”
It’s online video’s second biggest night because the main Streamy Awards show takes place October 4 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
King Bach will host the festivities, where 14 marquee awards will be given out in categories like Snapchat Storyteller, Best Viner, Live, Beauty, Breakout Creator, Fashion, First Person and two fan-voted categories, “Entertainer of the Year” and “Show of the Year.”
YouTube will stream the ceremonies worldwide beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
A blue ribbon panel of 500 digital video industry veterans, experts, and creators vote for the winners.
Presenters will include Tyler Oakley, GloZell Green, Jenna Marbles, the “Smosh” guys, Yousef “FouseyTUBE” Erakat, Brittany Furlan and James Van Der Beek.
Check out the full list of Saturday’s winners below:
AWARDS FOR CHANNELS, SERIES OR SHOWS
ANIMATED – sWooZie
DRAMA – I Ship It
INDIE – Brooklyn Sound
INTERNATIONAL – HolaSoyGerman
NON-FICTION – The Try Guys
VIRTUAL REALITY AND 360° VIDEO (NEW CATEGORY) – MatPat’s Game Lab
SUBJECT AWARDS
ACTION OR SCI-FI – Day 5
DOCUMENTARY OR INVESTIGATIVE – The Banker Suicides
FOOD – Tiny Kitchen
GAMING – The Game Theorists
HEALTH AND WELLNESS – Yoga With Adriene
KIDS AND FAMILY – Kid President
NEWS AND CULTURE – The Philip DeFranco Show
PRANKS – Roman Atwood
SCIENCE OR EDUCATION – Laci Green
SPORTS – 30 for 30 Shorts
PERFORMANCE AWARDS
COLLABORATION – Various Creators, Jimmy Kimmel Live (Mean Tweets – Creator Edition)
DANCE – Dominic “D-trix” Sandoval
ENSEMBLE CAST – Escape the Night
MUSIC AWARDS
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST – Todrick Hall
COVER SONG – Lindsey Stirling, Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
ORIGINAL SONG – $ave Dat Money, Lil Dicky, featuring Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan
CRAFT AWARDS
CINEMATOGRAPHY – The Slow Mo Guys, Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy
COSTUME DESIGN – Oscar’s Hotel for Fantastical Creatures, Gypsy Taylor
DIRECTING – Oscar’s Hotel for Fantastical Creatures, PJ Ligouri
EDITING – Casey Neistat, Casey Neistat
VISUAL AND SPECIAL EFFECTS – Corridor Digital, Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer
WRITING – Honest Trailers, Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, Dan Murrell and Andy Signore
CAMPAIGN AWARDS
BRAND CAMPAIGN – Writing With Grace, Grace Helbig (AT&T)
SOCIAL GOOD CAMPAIGN – Lilly Singh’s #GirlLove Challenge