The Streamys are on. Right now. As I start to write this. But I don't really care. But I do. I've been waiting for this for about 3 months. I should watch them for research for my paper on the web video industry, but this is quite possibly the worst awards show that I have ever watched. I've sat through the Emmys, Tonys, Oscars, Daytime Emmys, and the BAFTAs. But this might be the worst. Please allow me to explain.
First of all, I just finished stage managing/running the light board for a very small theatre production so I can understand the difficulty of getting a show to start on time and run smoothly. With that being said, if you tell me that something starts at 7:30, then I expect it to start at 7:30. I don't care if it only starts 3 minutes late, you did not say that it would start at 7:33. Also if you're going to start the awards show late, then start the live stream late. There was a good two minutes or so where there was no video but there was audio. Someone was asking someone else about cue cards. Yeah, we heard that.
Okay, about the actual awards ceremony itself. Was it necessary to start with a musical number? I love musical numbers. I really do. But that's an awards ceremony cliche. It's also unnecessary filler. And there was a lot of unnecessary filler. I saw plenty of filler and I didn't even watch the entire ceremony because I got so bored and annoyed. Asking people who don't watch web series what they thought about the Streamys was funny for about 2 seconds. Also, a host was probably unnecessary as well. These are all elements of traditional awards ceremonies like the Oscars and the Emmys. Aren't those the industries that are not as accepting as the web? Isn't that part of the reason that web series exist? The web video industry is a completely new industry. Why fall into the old patterns? Why even have an awards ceremony?
I'm not saying get rid of the awards all together, just the ceremony. Now, hear me out. Have an awards tweet-up instead. You can organize events all over the world (it is an international event after all) and invite fans as well as nominees. It would be difficult to coordinate all these events but it could be tons of fun and would get the awards out of Los Angeles. I mean there could still be an event there but just not only there. LA already gets the Oscars, the Emmys, and even the Daytime Emmys now, why does it need the Streamys too? Especially since the web video industry is not based solely out of LA. Or the US for that matter. Which leads me to...
The Bannen Way. Let's talk about The Bannen Way's inclusion as a nominee and its subsequent win. It was only eligible because they specifically made sure to release the first few episodes just in time to meet the deadline. I know that movies do this all the time to be eligible for Oscars: release a movie on Christmas in limited release just in time for awards season. I get it. It's nothing new. But remember what I said about old patterns? Also, geo-blocking. My understanding is that the Streamys are supposed to be international seeing as how it is organized by the International Academy of Web Television. By allowing shows only available in the US to be eligible makes it seem American. And Best Foreign Series? Again, makes it seem American and not international.
Back to the ceremony itself for a moment. What was with all those empty seats right in the front? Were there no seat fillers? Could you not tell people to move closer? It just made the ceremony look so pathetic. It looked like an awards ceremony that desperately wanted to be like the Oscars or the Emmys (while constantly reminding us that it is not the television or movie industries) but just could not measure up.
I think it's time to really change the entertainment industry. Not just do the exact same thing that tv and movies do. Show those industries what an awards show can be like. Be inclusive. Make it the can't miss party of the year.
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