YouTube Scrubs Up

If you didn’t already know, Google has played Father to YouTube for a while now. And in all things Google they’re developing what they own through eyes of some interesting innovation.

Google has recently sunk some grants into small production houses, who are mainly concerned with the small guns. Not Hollywood, not big budget, but the average-joe production house set-up specifically for the make-up tipster or comedic jokester next door. These studios are taking the YouTube superstars and giving them a green screen, some makeup, cash, costume and all the air-brushing of a post-production swipe.

The reasons? One would imagine that growth is the way. The public is now very familiar with those endless kittens and grainy garage monologues, and then there is GoogleTV that one needs to think about.

Not to mention, with the likes of Hulu and Netflix doing their good load of streaming film and TV.

( Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times )

The New York Times poses a case study, where YouTube user KassemG was taken by one such of these aquisitions, given money to pay his monthly rent, a wardrobe full of props, and some co-stars (YouTube startlets in their own right, LisaNova and ShayCarl). KassemG’s viewership shot from 50,000 to 1.3 million in a year, his bedroom comedy show turned pro…like.

YouTube churns revenue from these small-scale productions through advertising on their spots. They in turn share the ad revenue with the studios and talent and coach them on copyright laws.

A new insight into what is becoming of our video viewing experience, and a new direction of production nurturing what would have otherwise been garage-based talent. Stay tuned.