Web TV series honoured at CES

At CES International 2012, there seems to be a general certainty in the notion that the future of video entertainment lies on the web. It seems natural, therefore, that the show should play host to the inaugural International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV) Awards.

The award show is sort of like an Emmy Awards for web TV series. The fact that it took place in the famous Venetian hotel, just down the hall from where the technical Emmys taking place shows how serious the ambitions of the academy are.

The winners were chosen by majority vote from the active members of the IAWTV, who cast their votes on 350 or so submitted web series.

“The inaugural IAWTV Awards winners represent the best of what is possible in Web television,” said Paul Kontonis, Chairman of the Board of Directors for IAWTV, and Vice President/Group Director of Brand Content at Digitas. “The content is premium, in all genres, produced independently and by major studios and attractive to both audiences and advertisers.”

The awards were given across 32 categories and winners include:

Best Comedy Web Series: The Guild
Best Drama Web Series: RCVR/Web Series
Best Hosted Taped Web Series: The Web.Files
Best Hosted Live Web Series: What’s Trending with Shira Lazar
Best Animated Web Series: Red vs. Blue
Best Documentary Web Series: White Collar Brawler
Best Variety Web Series: Kids React
Best News Web Series: Tech News Today
Best Educational Web Series: DadLabs
Best Writing (Comedy): Felicia Day, The Guild
Best Writing (Drama): Susan Miller & Tina Cesa Ward, Anyone But Me
Best Writing (Non-Fiction): Rudy Jahchan, A Comicbook Orange
Best Directing (Comedy): Sean Becker, The Guild
Best Directing (Drama): Chris Preksta, The Mercury Men
Best Directing (Non-Fiction): Brett Register, What’s Trending with Shira Lazar
Best Female Performance (Comedy): Felicia Day (Codex), The Guild
Best Female Performance (Drama): Rachael Hip-Flores (Vivian McMillan),Anyone But Me
Best Male Performance (Comedy): Jeff Lewis (Stan), The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour
Best Male Performance (Drama): Daniel Bonjour (Luke Weber), RCVR/Web Series
Best Host (Taped): Kristyn Burtt, The Web.Files
Best Host (Live): Shira Lazar, What’s Trending with Shira Lazar
Best Cinematography: Joost van Starrenburg, RCVR/Web Series
Best Design: Greg Aronowitz, Dragon Age: Redemption
Best Costume Design: Shawna Trpcic, Dragon Age: Redemption
Best Makeup/Special Effects: Greg Aronowitz and Kimberly Graczyk, Dragon Age: Redemption
Best Visual Effects: Chris Preksta, The Mercury Men
Best Editing: Tony E. Valenzuela, BlackBoxTV: The Series
Best Original Music: Rob Gokee, Night of the Zombie King
Best Supplemental Content: The Mercury Men
Best Interactive/Social Media Experience: What’s Trending with Shira Lazar
Best Website Design: The Guild
Best Distribution Platform: Blip.tv

The fact that the awards were able to honour Red vs Blue, one of the most established series on the web, and Geek goddess Felicia Day ( If I have to tell you that she was everyone’s favourite girl next door in Buffy and the love interest in Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, what kind of geek are you?) suggests that the time of web TV series is most definitely here. On the other hand, the number of repeat winners suggests that there’s still ample space for growth in the medium.

Stuart Thomas attended CES International 2012 courtesy of Ford