http://www.placevine.com/blog/2012/03/08/web-series-news-placevine-studios-top-ten-emerging-web-series-stars-of-2012-part-one/
With web TV watching amassing so much popularity among an ever expanding 2nd screen looky loo set here in the early days of 2012, a number of web series thesps’ star power is beginning to shine that much brighter in the online video universe as well. Fueled by a steady increase in online video viewership as reported in comScore’s US Online Video Rankings for January 2012, the potential for significantly upped viewer engagement levels of web series and their casts among an at home audience that’s growing weary of the network’s perpetual reality TV, talent contest and crime scene drama heavy nightly time slot offerings is growing not like the proverbial weed, but more like an oak tree on steroids. Factor in another compelling aspect that finds brands and advertisers looking to cash in on an up for grabs vast new www video landscape according to Troy Dreier’s insightful article at StreamingMedia.com, and what was once an entertainment genre niche to the computer whiz’s’ clique has transformed into an opportunity to steady the reins of a potent amalgamation of fame and fortune powered by the clicks of hundreds of thousands of web TV watchers now standing at the doorstep of the online video creative community. However, in order to helm this juncture of circumstances effectively, web series content needs it’s players not only to deliver in front of the camera, but to engage it’s audiences effectively with news concerning their show’s progress and updates through other avenues of communication, social media in particular. With that said, here’s Placevine Studios list of the Top Ten Emerging Stars in Web Series in 2012, a compilation of web show stars who’s visibility stock is rising.
Number 10- Brian Michael Block, ’Aidan 5′
With the visionary sci-fi web show ‘Aidan5′ gaining more visibility by way of some significant web video awards nominations, namely a nod in the Best Drama category earlier this year at the International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV), Det. James Aidan’s real life alter ego Brian Michael Block is stepping forward from the shadows in a big way, and with season 2 of the clone on clone crime drama ramping up for premiere soon, Brian and the rest of the ‘Aidan5′ cast can look forward to much more upped visibility levels with audiences in the near future.
Number 9- Taryn O’ Neill, ‘Compulsions’
Along with her stellar body of work as Sara Flannery in the captivating Streamy Award winning web drama ‘Compulsions’, Taryn O’ Neill can also be seen in the post apocalyptic sc-fi web series thriller ‘After Judgement’, for which she was Streamy Award nominated in the Best Actress category. As one of the more active web TV personalities on Twitter, Taryn does a solid job of keeping her followers engaged with her savvy tweets and her witty prose that proliferates her Tumblr blog at http://operationbabe.tumblr.com/ .
Number 8- Deneen Melody, ‘Western X’
Western X’er Deneen Melody has transformed herself into a social media dynamo of sorts these days. With her regular Facebook updates, a new YouTube channel showcasing her web series and feature film and television work, and a weekly podcast devoted to all things geek and cool entitled ‘No Elfin’ Way’, this Cazador Productions alum is making some serious visibility inroads which couldn’t be timed better based on the influx of new web series and online video viewership lining up to make those all important clicks on the “play” icons of the online video players
Number 7- Tom Konkle, ‘Safety Geeks’, ‘Invention with Brian Forbes’
Tom Konkle is one of the hardest working actors in the web series space today. Along with his currently in production shows ‘Safety Geeks’ and ‘Invention with Brian Forbes’, Tom has appeared in a number of other web series and broadcast TV roles- The Guild’, NBC’s ‘Community’ and the Sy-Fy channel’s ‘Scare Tactics’ just to name a few. Tom’s enterprising attitude, his devotion to leveraging visibility towards his online video efforts via a consistent social media outreach approach, and the solid amount of respect he’s garnered from within the web video production community will most assuredly find him in one of the top performer spots in the online video universe in the months to come.
Number 6- Daryn Strauss, ‘Downsized’, ‘Digital Chick TV’
Nominated at this years Writer’s Guild Awards in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media, ‘Downsized’ creator and star Daryn Strauss is a bit of a double threat, in that not only does she put in marquee work as Beth, a character on her show who’s termination from her accounts manager position was dealt out under the most humiliating of circumstances (she was fired by a sock puppet), Strauss also provides some of the most insightful op-ed observations of women in the web series production world from her online video news site ‘Digital Chick TV’. A savvy online video pundit learned about all things web TV, look for Strauss to emerge as one of the community’s biggest influencers in 2012.
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