Formerly | DeFranco Creative |
---|---|
Industry | Digital media |
Founded |
|
Defunct | March 2017 [lower-alpha 1] |
Number of employees | 25 (2013 [2] ) |
Parent | Revision3/Seeker (2013–2016) Group Nine Media (2016–2017) |
YouTube information | |
Channels | |
Years active | 2013–present |
Genres |
|
Subscribers | 3.3 million (combined) |
Total views | 1,467.0 million (combined) |
Last updated: August 21, 2022 |
SourceFed Studios was an American digital media company and multi-channel network created by Philip DeFranco in 2011. After finding success during the early years of YouTube with his eponymous news show, DeFranco secured funding from YouTube and launched SourceFed as part of the YouTube Original Channel Initiative in 2012.
SourceFed was one of the more successful YouTube-funded channels and a nerd culture-focused spinoff, SourceFedNerd, was launched in 2013. DeFranco then sold his DeFranco Creative portfolio, which included SourceFed to Revision3, a subsidiary of Discovery Digital Networks (DDN). Under that portfolio, SourceFed's production and hosting staff launched and worked on various sister channels including SourceFedNerd, People Be Like, Super Panic Frenzy, and ForHumanPeoples (later rebranded as Nuclear Family).
In 2016, DDN folded Revision3 into Seeker and renamed DeFranco Creative as SourceFed Studios. Seeker and SourceFed Studios were then acquired by Group Nine Media in late 2016. In March 2017, Group Nine shut down the remaining SourceFed Studios YouTube channels. SourceFedNerd was briefly rebranded as NowThis Nerd, but Group Nine reversed this after fan backlash. Although inactive, the SourceFed Studios channels remain online.
SourceFed was an idea Philip DeFranco had been considering as an evolution of his own YouTube series, The Philip DeFranco Show (PDS). In an interview with Forbes , DeFranco stated that he originally wanted to turn his daily show into several daily segments. He recalled there was confusion among his audience when this format was tested, convincing DeFranco that he would need to create a new series to not alienate, but grow his audience. [3] Around this time, DeFranco also had plans to create a news network. [4]
In late 2011, YouTube began its $100 million funding of original or premium content channels. Due to DeFranco's position as a YouTube partner, the website offered him funding for an original channel. [5] The SourceFed channel, based on a blog of the same name, was one of these channels. [6] [7] [8] [9] DeFranco revealed that he acquired the funding to launch the channel by originally promising YouTube that the channel would be run as a "celebrity gossip channel", and that it would consist of a single show rather than multiple different shows. However, DeFranco negotiated for less funding, in return to have creative control over the channel's content. [‡ 1] DeFranco also hand-picked the first six hosts of SourceFed. [‡ 2] The channel launched on January 23, 2012. [6] [10] [11]
The SourceFed channel found early success in attracting a sizable subscriber base. DeFranco later created a spinoff channel, SourceFedNerd (stylized as SourceFedNERD), which was announced on May 16, 2013. [‡ 2] [12] A teaser trailer was released, promising the debut of the channel on May 20. [‡ 3] The New Movie Thing Show, The SourceFed Movie Club, and #TableTalk were moved from the original SourceFed channel to the Nerd channel. The spinoff channel hosted a live version of the #TableTalk series during the YouTube Comedy Week in 2013. [13] The online stream was received well, being successful in terms of both raw viewership, as well as viewer retention. [14]
In June 2013, Philip DeFranco sold SourceFed along with the other channels under his DeFranco Creative portfolio to Revision3. [2] DeFranco also became an executive of Revision3 and the Senior Vice President of Phil DeFranco Networks and Merchandise, a newly formed subsidiary of the former, as a result of the move. [2] [15] DeFranco's "sxephil" channel, on which he hosted the PDS, was already signed under the Revision3 network. [16] Revision3 itself was acquired by Discovery Communications in 2012, [17] [18] which was noted by The Verge to be Discovery's "first major play into the expanding web television [or digital media] market." [19] By the beginning of 2014, Discovery began calling its digital branch by the name Discovery Digital Networks in their company blog. [20]
While discussing the dissolution of SourceFed Studios, DeFranco retrospectively detailed that after selling his DeFranco Creative umbrella to Revision3, he began to have less involvement in SourceFed, before having no involvement at all. [‡ 2] DeFranco expressed, "for you [long time viewers of SourceFed] who know what the original content was, and what it is now, you know that it's like, it's pretty much a completely different channel—both in content and the people running it." [‡ 2] Previously, in June 2016, DeFranco made his earliest public clarification that he has "no hands on the creative decisions [made] on [SourceFed]." [‡ 4]
On September 19, 2013, the SourceFedNerd channel reached 500,000 subscribers. [‡ 5]
By 2016, Discovery eventually renamed Revision3 and DeFranco Creative as Seeker and SourceFed Studios, respectively. [21] [22] Additionally, Seeker's website's about page had SourceFed's properties listed under their ownership. [23] SourceFed Studios encapsulated SourceFed and Nerd, as well as the PDS. [22]
Discovery Digital Networks ceased to exist in late 2016, as Discovery Communications sold its assets into a new digital media holding company, Group Nine Media. [24] Group Nine therefore merged Thrillist Media Group, NowThis Media, and The Dodo with Discovery's Seeker and SourceFed Studios. [25] [26] Although SourceFed doubled its video views year-over-year, Discovery's CCO Paul Guyardo stated that the merger occurred due to a need for "more scale, more brand and more resources." [27] DeFranco clarified on Twitter that he had no involvement with the decision to dissolve SourceFed Studios. [28]
On May 4, the SourceFed Nerd channel was rebranded as NowThis Nerd without prior knowledge and against the wishes of the former hosts. This rebranding received backlash from viewers and former hosts. [1] The Nerd channel lost over 20,000 subscribers within the first five hours of the NowThis rebranding. [29] On July 3, 2017, NowThis Nerd reverted the channel back to SourceFed Nerd and deleted the content made since the rebranding. The SourceFed Nerd channel was left up to serve as an archive of the original content and NowThis Nerd became its own separate channel. [1]
SourceFed Studios launched and operated various channels during its existence:
Year | Award Show | Category | Result | Recipient(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 3rd Streamy Awards | Best News and Culture Series | Nominated | SourceFed channel |
Best Live Series | Nominated | SourceFed: The Nation Decides 2012 | ||
Best Live Event | Nominated | SourceFed: #PDSLive 2012 Election Night Coverage | ||
Audience Choice for Series of the Year | Won | SourceFed channel | ||
2014 | 4th Streamy Awards | Audience Choice for Channel, Show, or Series of the Year | Nominated | SourceFed channel |
Gaming | Nominated | SourceFedNerd channel | ||
News and Current Events Series | Won | SourceFed channel | ||
2015 | 5th Streamy Awards | Audience Choice for Channel, Show, or Series of the Year | Nominated | SourceFed channel |
Best News and Culture Series | Nominated | SourceFed channel |
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Ashley Rose Newton, known professionally as Lee Newton, is an American actress, comedian and Web personality. She is a former co-host of the YouTube news channel SourceFed, as well as a regular performer of The Gym Comedy group. Newton studied theatre in college, and is an alumna of The Groundlings Sunday Company. Newton was a founding member of the production company and web-series known as The Valleyfolk, in which she was a co-host alongside fellow former SourceFed hosts Joe Bereta, Elliott Morgan, and Steve Zaragoza.
SourceFed was a YouTube channel and news website created by Philip DeFranco in January 2012 as part of YouTube's original channel initiative, and was originally produced by James Haffner.
Disney Digital Network was an American multi-channel network located in Culver City, California. It was originally the successor to Maker Studios, co-founded by Lisa Donovan, Danny Zappin, Scott Katz, Kassem Gharaibeh, Shay Carl, Rawn Erickson II, Ben Donovan, and Philip DeFranco in 2009. Maker Studios was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2014 for $500 million, and was absorbed into the newly formed Disney Digital Network in 2017.
The Philip DeFranco Show, often abbreviated and referred to as the PDS, is a pop culture and news series created by American YouTube personality, Philip DeFranco, and his main claim to fame. The show has gone through several schedule changes through its lifetime, but as of 2023, airs weekly, Monday through Thursday. The first video with The Philip DeFranco Show included in its intro was uploaded on June 21, 2007. As DeFranco became increasingly popular, he signed with Revision3, which would eventually acquire all of DeFranco's assets, including the PDS. The Philip DeFranco Show has been sponsored by Netflix, Ting, and State Farm. The show has been nominated for and has won several awards that focus on internet culture and web series. In 2017, DeFranco purchased his assets back from Group Nine and the Philip DeFranco Show is now a part of the Philip DeFranco Network and produced by Rogue Rocket, DeFranco's production company.
Philip James DeFranco, commonly known by his online nickname PhillyD, and formerly known as sxephil, is an American media host and YouTube personality. He is best known for The Philip DeFranco Show, a news commentary show centered on current events in politics and pop culture.
Megan LeeAnn Turney is an American Twitch streamer, internet personality, cosplayer, glamour model, and vlogger. She became an internet personality through her hosting work, formerly with SourceFed and Rooster Teeth's The Know. She also maintains a personal YouTube channel where she posts vlogs and Let's Play videos and live streams. In addition to her work with online media, Turney also cosplays at various conventions, such as Comic-Con.
Toby Turner, also known by his stage name Tobuscus, is an American Internet personality and actor. Originally from Niceville, Florida, he is best known for his YouTube videos. As of November 5, 2021, Turner has a total of over 14.33 million subscribers and over 3.867 billion video views over his three YouTube channels.
Elliott Christopher Morgan is an American stand up comedian, actor, writer, host, producer and YouTube personality. Morgan is best known for being a co-host of the YouTube channel SourceFed. Morgan attended the University of Florida.
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Rev3Games was a streaming television channel owned by Revision3, a subsidiary of Discovery Digital Networks, with shows about video games. The channel launched on March 13, 2012. On November 12, 2012, Revision3 announced that it had hired Adam Sessler, a previous staff member of TechTV who had continued through to G4 to host the television series X-Play. Sessler was the editor-in-chief and executive producer of Rev3Games, until leaving Discovery Digital Networks in April 2014. The channel includes reviews and previews of upcoming games, interviews, and general discussion of video games. The channel's final hosts were Tara Long and Nick Robinson. Past hosts were Max Scoville, Scott Bromley, and Anthony Carboni. Discovery Digital Networks ended the operations of Rev3Games on November 6, 2014, for reasons that have not been disclosed.
Esteban "Steve" Zaragoza is an American online personality, singer-songwriter, musician and web series host, notable for his work on the current events and news series SourceFed. Zaragoza became a host on the series in 2012. The following year, Zaragoza became a host on its spin-off channel, SourceFedNERD. On his personal YouTube channel, Zaragoza frequently combines or crosses between dark, deadpan, surreal, character, and sketch comedy in a non-sequitur fashion.
William Washington James Haynes is an American YouTube and TV personality, rapper, and podcast host. Haynes was a personality on SourceFed, SourceFedNERD, and People Be Like, a Haynes-centric channel from SourceFed where he hosts People Be Like, Deep Dive, and Politics Be Like. On his personal channel, WilliamHaynesTV, he hosts a variety comedy-based videos. Haynes hosted the HeadGum network podcast, She Didn't Text Back, alongside musician-rapper Daren Vongirdner. In July 2017, Haynes premiered as a host on Disney XD's The IGN Show.
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Trisha Lyn Hershberger, is an American YouTuber, vlogger, and television host.
In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):