If the Streamy Awards could dream up their perfect host, it may very well be Matthew Patrick. Together with his partner Stephanie Patrick, he’s blazed the trail for creators and championed internet culture just as The Streamy Awards has done with their events for over a decade now. But the comparisons don’t stop there.
After all, “MatPat” started The Game Theorists channel in August 2009 just five short months after the inaugural Streamy Awards in March of that same year. Interestingly enough, Patrick’s initial uploads were his theater performances meant to showcase his acting, singing, and on-stage presence. Plenty of which we’ll see on display when he hosts The 2023 Streamy Awards this Sunday at 6 PM PST which will be streamed live on YouTube. In many ways, we could even say Patrick was destined to host the Streamy Awards from his days at Duke University where he majored in both theater and neuroscience. But hey, as MatPat’s famous tagline goes, “that’s just a theory.”
With an average viewership of 6.4 million views over the past three years, the Streamy Awards has been called “the crystal ball of culture” as co-founders Drew Baldwin and Josh Cohen continue to spotlight the next generation of media in partnership with Dick Clark Productions. This year, the event will feature performances from hip-hop prodigy Armani White and Swedish elctro-pop duo Icona Pop alongside creators who will be presenting awards such as Rhett & Link, Ryan Trahan, Smosh, Tana Mongeau, Chris Olsen, Colin and Samir, Dream, Dylan Mulvaney, Michelle Khare, and more.
Beyond hosting, Patrick and his team at Theorist Media have brought in 16 Streamy nominations and won seven times thanks to their YouTube community of 36 million subscribers and 8 billion total views. MatPat shared his enthusiasm for hosting the Streamy’s this year, stating:
“I’ve always been a huge fan of the Streamy Awards as a way to showcase and elevate the incredible talent in the digital video space. Hosting the Streamy Awards is like getting to throw a party for people I admire and whose content I love.”
As a well-respected creator in the industry, this isn’t the first time MatPat has been suggested for a marquee hosting role. During our sit-down interview last year, we discussed an online petition that had been circulating to have MatPat become the new host of Jeopardy, which now has over 400,000 signatures.
This year’s nominations reflect the diverse talent that has come to define the creator community. MrBeast, who recently broke YouTube’s record for most views on a single video in 24 hours, leads the nominations with five nods, including the coveted Creator of the Year award. Notably, MrBeast’s venture Feastables also secured a Creator Product Award nomination. Feastables reportedly made over $10 million in sales in the first few months of launching and is now available in every Walmart, Speedway and 7/11 nationwide. Other creators nominated for their products include fitness enthusiast Blogilates’ PopFlex, Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime, Shay Mitchell’s Beis, and more. These creators have ventured into the realms of fashion, food, and more, carving a unique space for themselves in the market.
The Streamy Award’s Breakout Creator award highlights emerging talents who are making waves in the creator space. This year’s nominees include Alix Earle, Drew Afualo, Dylan Mulvaney, Jake Shane (known as octopusslover8), and Keith Lee. This category has historically been a launching pad for creators to achieve broader recognition, as demonstrated by past winners like Charli D’Amelio, Emma Chamberlain, Liza Koshy, MrBeast, and Ryan Trahan.
As digital culture continues to overlap with traditional celebrity spheres, the Crossover Award celebrates public figures who have seamlessly embraced the online landscape. Notable celebrities such as Hailey Rhode Bieber, who has over 2M subscribers on YouTube, as well as the Jonas Brothers, Kate Hudson, and Paris Hilton have all received nominations in this category.
Another key award category is Show of the Year, which features Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date, Anthony Padilla’s ‘I Spent a Day With’, and Michelle Khare’s ‘Challenge Accepted’. Rhett & Link’s “Good Mythical Morning” is also nominated for their ninth consecutive year for Show of the Year. If they win, the duo could take home their third Show of the Year award, after winning previously in 2019 and 2022.
The Streamys will also award First Person content, with nominees including last year’s Streamys host Airrack as well as Danny Duncan. When discussing finding the format that worked best for him in our interview, Duncan mentioned, “When I started filming, I just wanted to film everything I can. Anything, any genre.” This method has clearly worked well, as he now has over 7.2M subscribers on Youtube.
The Streamy Awards and Rolling Stone have collaborated to introduce the inaugural Sound of the Year award. Nominees include impactful songs that have dominated social media and resonated across popular culture such as Area Codes by Kaliii, and Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 by PinkPantheress and Ice Spice.
As the anticipation builds for the upcoming Streamy Awards, one thing is certain: it will be an evening full of surprises and celebration especially with Patrick taking on hosting duties. I’ll be on the ground during the event to capture the moments and key takeaways so stay tuned for a full recap. In the meantime, don’t forget to tune in Sunday, August 27, at 6pm PT / 9pm ET to Streamys.Watch.
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