Imagine going from a toddler to a teen in all its ghastly awkward horror, in one year. Forget the buildup of hair growth and hormones, voice changes and acne. Imagine you go from playing in a sandbox to a full-on first semester of college. I mean you wouldn't have the accumulated experience of dealing with idiots in Middle School, or disappointment in PE class, or even your victories at speech and debate in High School or the bizarre sexual tensions of glee club and marching band. Hell, those who lack the maturity for college even after HS, end up dropping out after their first semester, with syphilis, a terrible tattoo and trying to figure out who will take half a semester's worth of failing credits for their abortive Philosophy degree. The Streamy awards flung themselves into that very situation last night as they experienced for the first time what precisely it is to hold a major event where people have expectations of you.
Let me just say, that this is not a Streamy bashing post. It's not. Anyone expecting me to make comparisons of last night's show to the Polish President's airplane will be disappointed.
All of us who love Teh Webz, have a vested interest in seeing the Streamy awards succeed. In fact, many of us were there not because we were entirely familiar with the content or the talent, but rather because we are part of the online community to who it is beneficial to be elevated by the prestige that comes with a well publicized and industry-wide awards show. The value of the Streamy awards is undeniable. However, the lack of self worth was evident in the production last night. What is a Streamy? Who is "The Academy"? Why did the kid from Wizards of Waverly Place present an award, and how is it that I know what Wizards of Waverly Place is?
The very first Academy Awards were a small dinner. The winners were announced a month before so they would show up, and they later agreed to not divulge the winners to the press until 11 PM the day of. From such humble beginnings came the lunatic 4 hour telecast we see today. The prestige and time commitment was earned from the 15 minute radio announcement that covered it early on ,to the 2 hour shows of the forties, and to the 4 hour monsters we have today
To say that the Streamy awards grew quickly is an understatement. 3.5 hours is difficult to fill, and as someone who works with Venues, I also know how trying it can be on audiences to sit still. Oscar night overnight, is not easy to do, and next year's Streamy awards need to fulfill the high expectations, quickly.
We all want the Streamy awards to succeed, we want the online community to have their awards show, but we are running against the clock and its only a matter of time before The Emmy Awards decide to add online categories thereby making the Streamys irrelevant. If we want to keep this as part of our community, and we should, then it is up to everyone who can to help The Streamy awards grow, and for the producers to call on the multidisciplinary talents of the web to produce a show worthy of the web.
And to find a liquor sponsor so there's an open bar at the after party. I wouldn't have ordered an "Atomizer" if i didn't think it was free.
If you want a review of the show itself, THIS ONE about sums it up.
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