What's New This Issue
The 8 trends reinventing how—and what—America watches:
Selfie Celebs
BrandCasters
GO(Lo)PROs
Popular Flick
V.I.T.s
Nichework Execs
Game Changers
PrEditors
This report also features expert interviews with:
Adam Stotsky, President, Esquire Network
Casey Neistat, Video producer and director
Dave Howe, President, Syfy
Mynette Louie, Julie Parker Benello and Wendy Ettinger of Gamechanger Films
Gary Vaynerchuck, YouTube Star and founder, GrapeStory
Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment
John Noren, Founder, Reupp
Lisa Hsia, Executive Vice President, Digital, Bravo and Oxygen Media
Rebecca Howard, General manger of video, New York Times
Steve Porter, Video Remixer Owner/CEO, PorterHouse Media
Larry Fitzgibon, Steven Kydd and Joe Perez of Tastemade
Pablo Gonzalez and Nicolas Gonda of Tugg
David King Lassman and Joe Summer of Vyclone
Werner Brell, Managing director, Red Bull Media House
The Curve: Video's Super 8
Video used to be pretty straightforward: It was what was on TV or at the movies. It meant morning talk shows, commercials, summer blockbusters, the evening news, and prime-time television. Sure, the advent of cable expanded our options, but if Americans were asked 10 years ago, “What’s TV?” the unanimous answer would have been: the flickering screen in the living room, and the shows on that screen.
Today, it’s not so simple: Video is time-shifted, place-shifted, uploaded, streamed, tweeted, cocreated, and kick-started. Three of the top five platforms on which Generation X and Y regularly watch videos—YouTube, Netflix, and Facebook—didn’t exist a decade ago; and 67% of 18- to 49-year-olds say that the way they watch video today is radically different from just a year ago.
No wonder we were intimidated by the challenge of forecasting the future of video; after all, it’s hard to know where to begin when TV—arguably, the very heart of video—can no longer be clearly defined (see “TV or Not TV?”). So we decided to go straight to the source and talk with the visionaries at the forefront of what’s next in the (very wide) world of video.
We hope that you enjoy this special edition of The Curve: Video’s Super 8, which dives into a topic near and dear to our heart. As always, we welcome your feedback, and we look forward to partnering with you this year and beyond.
Methodology
We tapped into the talent of the NBCUniversal execs Jeff Wachtel, Dave Howe, Lisa Hsia, and Adam Stotsky and also sought out a new wave of media pioneers, including Werner Brell, managing director of Red Bull Media House North America; Rebecca Howard, general manager of video, The New York Times; and Mynette Louie, president, Gamechanger Films. We spoke with the next-generation YouTube star GloZell Green, the rogue digital director Casey Neistat, and the DJ turned VJ Steve Porter. And we looked at the breakthrough business models being shaped by Tastemade, Xplore, GrapeStory, Tugg, and Vyclone. Finally, because the real source of media innovation is often the audience itself, we took time to understand “a day in the life” of V.I.T.’s (Video Innovation Trendsetters), the first movers of all-things-v. Added together, these visionaries helped us to identify Video’s Super 8—the eight trends reinventing how—and what—America watches.
About The Curve
THE CURVE is a semiannual book about what’s ahead in consumer culture. It’s a curated synthesis of social shifts, industry trends, and quantitative and qualitative research that tells a story of what’s influencing consumers today, what’s shaping culture next, and the actionable insights and opportunities for marketers and brands.
CURVE FILMS is the production studio that brings to life insights from The Curve. With semiannual productions in a variety of formats—from documentary-style films to animated shorts—Curve Films strives to creatively showcase key content from The Curve in a way that is as entertaining as it is informative.
The Curve and Curve Films are produced by NBCUNIVERSAL CONTENT INNOVATION AGENCY, a division that works across the NBCU portfolio to create innovative, insight-driven marketing campaigns that enable brands to reach and engage their audiences.
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