The Red Carpet for Web Celebs

Sunday’s 3rd Annual Streamy Awards brought a familiar Hollywood format to an “alternative” sort of film industry. From quirky web comedienne Grace Helbig to dramatic Hulu series The Booth At The End, the Streamys showcased the most entertaining & thought provoking web video content of 2012. Virb, a sponsor of this year’s Streamy Awards, was on the red carpet to meet some of the talent.

The award show flowed like an inspired web-surfing session, with internet celebs performing and collaborating for the packed house. Barbadian singer Shontelle performed her hit “Impossible,” silhouetted by a video collage of several talented YouTube cover artists–a few of whom also joined her on stage. The (mt)-hosted lifecaster ijustine, geek god George Takei, and news innovator Larry King were all part of the web star-studded audience. Our geeky hearts melted when Nice Peter and Epic Lloyd performed “Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates” from their Epic Rap Battles of History series. Mr. Antoine Dodson even made a brief appearance, complete with auto-tuned “hide yo kids, hide yo wife” reprise.

The genre-bending content honored at the Streamys ranged almost as wide as the web itself. Among the honored creations was Red vs Blue, an original and wildly entertaining science fiction series shot via an xBox hack. Hannah Hart took Best Female Performance: Comedy for her hilarious “My Drunk Kitchen” series. Philip DeFranco won for his humorous yet informative YouTube news show. Even the venerable Vanilla Ice made an appearance, closing out the show with his signature “Ice Ice Baby.” The unifying theme to all this creative chaos: “Creators rule.”

We’re living in an age when anyone with an idea truly has the power to reach and impact a vast audience. As showcases like the Streamy Awards become more mainstream, that impact only grows. It’s an honor to be a part of it. Thanks, Internet.