Taryn Southern | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1986 (age 38–39) [1] Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
| Education | University of Miami (BS, BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Tech artist, advisor, filmmaker and speaker |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Website | www |
Taryn Southern is an American public speaker, artist, and brand strategist who works with emerging technologies. She was formerly known for her work as a TV host, actress and YouTuber.
Southern grew up in Wichita, Kansas and landed her first starring role in a pre-Broadway theatrical production at the age of 10. [2] As a teenager, she co-hosted a regional teen talk show for WB Kansas . [3] At 20, Southern graduated from the University of Miami, earning a B.S. in Anthropology and a B.A. in Journalism. While in school, she competed in American Idol and received a grant to travel to Peru to study the shamanic use of ayahuasca among rainforest communities. [4]
In 2017, Southern received a grant from the Google Creator Lab to create experimental VR content. One piece, New World, won AT&T's 2020 Film Award [5] and another, Life Support, was nominated for a Streamy Award. [6] [7] Southern was also chosen to be an ambassador for The Geena Davis Institute Gender in Media #ShesGotDrive campaign to promote female voices in media. [8]
Southern's immersive content work led her to begin producing music with AI-based musical composition tools. In 2018, she released a music album titled I AM AI, where the instrumental backing music was generated using a variety of AI-based tools including Amper, an open source product which allows users to create music based on user generated inputs, IBM Watson Beat, Google Magenta and AIVA. [9] [10] Her first single, "Break Free", was released in August 2017, and features music generated using Amper. [11] Her song "New World" was tokenized using blockchain technology to enable hundreds of collaborators to split backend royalties on sales and streams of the track. [12] The album received international attention, and radio play in the US. [13]
In April 2019, Southern debuted her first full-length feature documentary, I AM HUMAN, which explored the co-evolution of the human brain and technology. I AM HUMAN had its worldwide premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in New York and was co-directed and produced by Southern. [14] The Winner of four Best Feature awards following its premiere, I AM HUMAN chronicled the journey of three real-world pioneers with implantable brain-computer interfaces. I AM HUMAN won numerous awards including Best of the Fest at the 2019 El Dorado Film Festival, [15] Audience Choice for Best Feature at the 2019 Eastern Oregon Film Festival, [16] Outstanding First Feature at the Tallgrass Film Festival, Best Feature at Other Worlds Austin [17] and Best Director at the Oslo Film Festival. [18] I AM HUMAN was released on March 10, 2020 on video-on-demand platforms. [19]
On July 2, 2007, Southern released her first YouTube video, which garnered more than a million views and appeared on FOX and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. [20]
Shortly after, Southern was appointed the face of AT&T U-Verse's entertainment channel and Cosmopolitan's first daily online series. [21] In addition, she starred in the first online series for The WB, Sorority Forever [22]
In 2009, Southern wrote/produced her first comedic musical web series, which later sold to MTV as a half-hour comedy pilot, with David Zuckerman as co-writer/executive producer. [23]
In 2013, Southern released a musical comedy album, which reached #20 on the iTunes comedy chart and was recognized by Billboard. [24] The song “Crush”, which was on the album, made it to the Top 100 in radio play that August. [25] Southern ultimately released more than 50 original songs and covers as well as an 80's inspired album, Flashback Friday. [26]
Southern launched her YouTube channel in 2012 by releasing one video per week for a year. In 2014, Southern's YouTube Channel was listed on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels, ranked at #52. [27] As of 2015, she had more than 450,000 subscribers.
By 2017, Southern had stopped posting regular content on her YouTube channel. She cited the YouTube algorithm as problematic for the digital community, and a desire to focus on other creative endeavors and experiments with emerging technology. [28]
When Southern was seventeen, she was part of American Idol season three's Top 50. [29] She went on to host and executive produce DirecTV's first original series, Project My World , before landing other jobs in the entertainment industry and building a YouTube channel. [30] She was later a live correspondent on the US version of The X Factor ., [31] a correspondent on Discovery Channel's Shark After Dark Live, which earned the #1 ratings spot in its time slot. [32] Southern was later hired to continue her role as correspondent for Naked After Dark on Discovery Channel, a companion late-night show to Naked and Afraid. [33] She also debuted a series with Marriott that was later renewed for a second season, [34] [35] and launched a digital talk show with Maker Studios. [36] The series, which launched in 2015 and 2016, was an exploration of internet culture, and featured guests ranging from celebrity/science enthusiast Seth MacFarlane and King Bach to psychedelic advocate Zach Leary and activist musician Kate Nash. [37]
Southern's television acting roles included: a recurring role in the fifth season of the CBS comedy series Rules of Engagement , as well as guest starring on New Girl , American Dad! , The League and Guys with Kids . [38] [39]
In 2019, Southern was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She completed a year of treatment in the summer of 2020, and has raised funds for an organization that provides cold cap medical treatments to young women with breast cancer. [40] [41]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Project My World | Taryn | Nine episode documentary |
| 2007–2008 | The Heavy Show | Various characters | |
| 2008 | Senior Skip Day | Isha | movie |
| 2008 | Sorority Forever | Taryn Monaghan | 31 episodes |
| 2009 | Woke Up Dead | Debbie | |
| 2010 | Pound of Flesh | Dyonesia Cosa | movie |
| 2010 | Rules of Engagement | Allison | Guest Star in 5 episodes |
| 2010 | The Temp Life | Nancy Roder | 8 episodes |
| 2010 | Battle Los Angeles | Reporter on beach | movie |
| 2011–2012 | It's Fred | Judy Munsley, Fred's Mom | 9 episodes |
| 2012 | New Girl | Megan | Guest appearance in Season 2, Episode 3 "Fluffer" |
| 2012 | Guys with Kids | Erica | Guest appearance in Season 1, Episode 12 "Marny's Dad" |
| 2014 | Last Man Standing | Rachel | Guest appearance in Season 3, Episode 15 "Tasers" |
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