Seeker (media company)

Seeker
Industry Digital media
Founded March 3, 2015 (2015-03-03)[1]
Headquarters San Francisco, California, U.S.
Key people
 Caroline Smith (Chief Creative Officer)
Ben Lerer
Number of employees
 70[2] (2016)
Parent Group Nine Media
(Discovery Communications/Lerer Hippeau Ventures)
Website www.seeker.com

Seeker is an American digital media network and content publisher based in San Francisco, California. The network was established in 2015 within a former independent division of Discovery Communications known as Discovery Digital Networks.[3] Seeker produces online video and editorial content for the digital media landscape, with an emphasis on social platforms and YouTube.[1]

History

Seeker was relaunched in May 2016 in an effort by Discovery Digital Networks to reach millennial audiences looking to satisfy their curiosity by immersing themselves in science, technology and culture.[4] The network was initially launched in March 2015, with a focus on exploration and adventure.[5]

In October 2016, Seeker was acquired by the newly founded Group Nine Media, along with Thrillist Media Group, NowThis News, The Dodo and SourceFed Studios. This new media group earned a $100 Million investment from Discovery Communications, and is under the leadership of former Thrillist CEO Ben Lerer.[6][7]

Properties

Seeker has a number of flagship shows and properties, the largest and oldest being their YouTube channel also called Seeker (formerly DNews). It currently has over 2.5 million subscribers.[8]

In 2015, Seeker launched Rituals with Laura Ling, which has gone on to be nominated for an Emmy, and won multiple other awards. A Seeker Stories documentary co-produced with the ONE Campaign highlighted energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, was honored with a Shorty Award in 2016.[9] Seeker Daily, a short-form news show, partnered with YouTube to cover the 2016 Republican & Democratic Party national conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia.[10]

In 2016, Seeker launched a new Virtual Reality initiative, producing 360º and VR content for the Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift VR headsets.[11] Seeker VR is also distributed on YouTube[12] and the DiscoveryVR app.[13] CEO Ben Lerer noted a large investment in Virtual and Augmented Reality content in an interview as part of the Bloomberg Cornell Tech Series on March 7, 2017.[14]

Legacy properties

TestTube and DNews

On September 12, 2012, DNews launched on YouTube with three hosts: Trace Dominguez, Anthony Carboni, and Laci Green. Three videos were uploaded every day.[15][16] The show was rebranded to Seeker on March 1, 2017.[8]

In May 2013, Discovery Digital Networks launched the TestTube network, which became the home of DNews, Laci Green's Sex+ Channel, and Blow it Up! hosted by Tory Belleci from Mythbusters.[17]

In March 2015, Discovery Digital Networks launched Seeker Network, which became the home of Seeker Daily, Seeker Stories, and several affiliate shows that centered around adventure and human interest stories.[18]

On May 25, 2016, Discovery Digital Networks rolled out changes to its network lineup. The TestTube channel – which had since been renamed to TestTube News – rebranded to Seeker Daily, a show that previously ran on the primary Seeker channel. The overall format of the TestTube News was preserved, but the TestTube brand was phased out of existence.

On March 2, 2017, DNews' YouTube channel was rebranded to Seeker.[19]

On March 17, 2017, the Seeker Daily channel was rebranded with a new format and new team as NowThis (part of Group Nine Media; along with Seeker),[20] which received strong criticism from pre-NowThis fans.

Hosts and talent

  • Trace Dominguez (2012-2018)
  • Anthony Carboni (2012-2014)
  • Laci Green (2012-2014)
  • Tara Long (2014)
  • Amy Shira Teitel (2014-2018)
  • Julian Huguet (2014–present)
  • Ian O'Neill (2014–present)
  • Cristen Conger (2014)
  • Wilson Cleveland (2014)
  • Laura Ling (2015-2017)
  • Evan Puschak (2015)
  • Julia Wilde (2015-2016)
  • Crystal Dilworth (2015–present)
  • Jules Suzdaltsev (2015-2017)
  • Lissette Padilla (2015-2016)
  • Sapna Parikh (2015–present)
  • Matt Morales (2017–present)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Discovery adds online adventure channel to reach Web generation". Reuters. 2015-03-03.
  2. ↑ Patel, Sahil (27 May 2016). "'No walled gardens': Discovery embraces platform distribution". Digiday.
  3. ↑ "Discovery Communications Launches All-New 'Seeker' to Feed Bright, Curious Minds – Discovery Communications, Inc".
  4. ↑ "Discovery takes on Buzzfeed and Vice with 'Seeker'". Politico. 2016-03-31.
  5. ↑ "Discovery Introduces Seeker Network To Cater To Adventurous Spirits'". Tubefilter.
  6. ↑ Spangler, Todd (13 October 2016). "Discovery Investing $100 Million to Merge Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo in New Digital Venture". Variety.
  7. ↑ Balakrishnan, Anita (17 October 2016). "Group Nine scores $100 million for viral content empire". CNBC.
  8. 1 2 "YouTube - Seeker, Subscriber Count". Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  9. ↑ "SHORTY SOCIAL GOOD AWARDS ENERGY POVERTY & THE ELECTRIFY AFRICA ACT: HOW AFRICA IS HACKING ITS ENERGY CRISIS".
  10. ↑ "YouTube will livestream the Republican and Democratic national conventions in 360 degrees". VentureBeat.
  11. ↑ "Discovery Launches Virtual Reality Online Network". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. ↑ "Seeker VR". YouTube.
  13. ↑ "SEEKER". Discovery VR.
  14. ↑ "Bloomberg Cornell Tech Series: A Conversation with Ben Lerer". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  15. ↑ "Seeker - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  16. ↑ "DNews Starts Today! - YouTube". YouTube. 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  17. ↑ "No Cable Needed: Discovery Bows TestTube Online Network". Variety.
  18. ↑ "Introducing Seeker – A Digital Network Dedicated to the Spirit of Adventure". Discovery Communications.
  19. ↑ "Pluto Could Be Made A Planet Again, Along With 102 Other Celestial Bodies - YouTube". YouTube. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  20. ↑ "Seeker Daily Is Becoming NowThis - YouTube". YouTube. 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.