The Shorty Awards: Oscars of Social Media

Welcome to The Shorty Awards annual show- honoring major brands to YouTube stars for their innovation in social media.The show, better known as Oscars of Social media, in its 8th year, garnished 3.4 million fan votes for various categories, a large increase to its two million total votes the year before.
The award night in New York City brought together everyone from a famous plastic surgeon in Miami who documents his patients surgeries to record producer to DJ Khaled.
Big winners of the night included DJ Khaled, Misty Copeland, Casey Neistat, Dwayne Johnson, Hannah Hart, Troye Sivan, Baddie Winkle and Kevin Hart.
"Snapchatter of the Year” nominations included one Danny Berk, a young surfer from San Diego, alongside names like DJ Khaled and Kylie Jenner.Berk, a semi professional athlete, started recording his adventures, built a following and that's when brands begin to reach out to him. In his Snapchat account, he does everything from documenting surfing to interviewing random bypassers on the street. Recently, Cinnabon commissioned him to take over its Snapchat account for their 30th anniversary.
"A lot of brands have Snapchat accounts, but they don't know how to use it and that's why they bring influencers like us," Berk who lost to DJ Khaled told CNBC.
"If you're trying to reach a younger generation, that's what everyone's on," he said of Snapchat. "I can't believe where I am today and that I'm making money off this app. It's like a dream come true."
Roman Atwood, won the award for YouTube comedian. He turned his more than 1 billion YouTube views into his own commerce store where he sells everything from shirts to beanies and pens. "Having a fanbase gives you massive upper hand, right away," he said. "No matter what you have to sell, you already have an audience that may be willing to purchase."
For Atwood it is important to be in the right place at the right time. "There's so many content creators now in the space. I don't think it's too late to get in, but I would hate to be starting right now. It's a different world," he said.
Victoria Bachan, Manor and CompanyPartner, equates getting nominated for a Shorty Award to that of a Golden Globe or Oscar for digital media. "It gives influencers confirmation that they're the upper echelon of the internet," she said. "It can also entice Fortune 500 companies to notice you and give you legitimacy in digital media."
Bachan represents clients like the famous dog, "Doug the Pug," which now has a calendar and book as well as video blogger, Ari Fitz, who provides fashion advice for tomboys.
"If I can go to brands and say,'my client is nominated for a Shorty Award,' it shows they're a proven personality on the internet who has fan engagement and that's what advertisers want."

Harris Markowitz, who was also nominated for "Snapchatter of the Year" told CNBC he was reached out to by multiple companies following the nomination, who were seeking influencers to contribute and run their Snapchat accounts.
Several weeks after his Shorty nomination, he signed a deal with Zillow to help launch its account, where he now contributes and produces various stories promoting its brand.
Here is the list of all the major winner:

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BEST ACTOR
Dwayne Johnson

BEST ACTRESS
Taraji P. Henson

BEST CELEBRITY
Jimmy Fallon

BEST COMEDIAN
Kevin Hart

BEST IN DANCE
Misty Copeland

BEST MUSICIAN
Adele

BEST SINGER
Troye Sivan

BEST TV SHOW
The Late Late Show with James Corden

TEAM INTERNET

BEST VINE ARTIST
Zach King

BEST VINE COMEDIAN
MeechOnMars
Mikaela Long

BEST VINE MUSICIAN
Us The Duo

BEST WEB SERIES
Good Mythical Morning

BEST YOUTUBE COMEDIAN
Roman Atwood

BEST YOUTUBE ENSEMBLE
PrankvsPrank

BEST YOUTUBE GURU
Sprinkle of Glitter

BEST YOUTUBE MUSICIAN
Lindsey Stirling

SNAPCHATTER OF THE YEAR
DJ Khaled

VINER OF THE YEAR
King Bach

YOUTUBER OF THE YEAR
Casey Neistat

CREATIVE & DESIGN

BEST IN ART
MatijaErceg

BEST BLOGGER
Momma’s Gone City

BEST IN DIY
ThreadBanger

BEST IN FASHION
Christian Siriano

INSTAGRAMMER OF THE YEAR
Baddie Winkle

NEWS & MEDIA

BEST ANIMAL
JiffPom

BEST AUTHOR
J.K. Rowling
Sarah Dessen

BEST IN FOOD
Hannah Hart

BEST IN HEALTHY LIVING
Jessamyn Stanley

BEST JOURNALIST
Katie Couric

BEST IN PARENTING
SACCONEJOLYs

BEST PARODY ACCOUNT
EmoKyloRen

BEST IN SPORTS
Stephen Curry

TECH & INNOVATION

BEST IN ACTIVISM
Janet Mock

BEST IN EDUCATION
Khan Academy

BEST IN GAMING
Rooster Teeth’s Let’s Play

BEST PODCAST
Ear Biscuits

BEST IN SCIENCE
I Fucking Love Science

BEST IN WEIRD
Bill Wurtz

PERISCOPER OF THE YEAR
Season & Snare

YOUNOWER OF THE YEAR
Merrell Twins

CONTENT

GIF OF THE YEAR
Pizza Rat

INSTAGRAM PHOTO OF THE YEAR
Peace for Paris

TUMBLR BLOG OF THE YEAR
Photoshop Your Dreams

VINE OF THE YEAR
Why the fuck you lyin’