Inside the First TellyCast Digital Video Awards | Highlights, Winners & Red Carpet Reactions

The TellyCast Digital Video Awards have arrived! In this special episode, we bring you all the highlights from the first-ever awards show dedicated to the social video and digital-first industry, held at The Londoner Hotel in London’s Leicester Square.

Hosted by Max Fosh, the night celebrated the creators, producers, studios and platforms redefining what video content means in the digital age. Hear from winners including Channel 4.0, Footasylum, Spud Gun Studios, Sidemen Entertainment, and World of Entertainment — plus red carpet interviews with Zeze Millz, Joe Sugg, Eman SV2, and more.

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations and insights from the digital-first video world.

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Transcript

Hi, I am Justin Crosby and welcome to another TellyCast. This week we are bringing you some of the key moments from the very first TellyCast digital video awards held at the Londoner Hotel in London's Leicester Square on June the fifth, in front of the packed audience made up of the movers and shakers of the digital video world.

The industry's best channels, programs, and series were honored at a glittering ceremony. The first. Of its kind. You can catch the video of the night on our YouTube channel, TellyCast tv. In this episode, we are gonna run through the winners and the speeches to give you a bit of a flavor of the night. But first up, let's hear from some of the creators starting with Joes with our red carpet.

Interviewer, ob. 

Hello, Joe. 

Hello. How 

you did? 

Not bad, tall, handsome, normal. What have you been up to lately? 

What have I been up to? Um, I, I've become a potato farmer. I've started, uh, planting potatoes and grown potatoes in my spare time, which is, is not really work, but, um, I've been doing that grown, grown some veg.

That is totally amazing. Are you, is it working? 

I hope so. I've not dug 'em up yet. I'm a little bit worried, but they are growing, which is good. But, um, yeah, that I've been doing that. What else? Been doing? Um, various other bits and bobs, um. Running companies and keeping myself busy, but mainly growing potatoes.

Go do what you love. 

Exactly. Yeah. They're my two favorite things. 

And what are you doing tonight? 

What am I doing tonight? Uh, I'm going to go and mingle, um, hello some, some people. And then, uh, enjoy the, enjoy the show and sort of see what we've got in store for the very first one. 

Lovely to see you. 

Thank you very much.

Thank you. Next up it's podcaster and broadcaster, ZZ Mills. 

What have you been up to lately? 

What have I been up to lately? I've been, um, living, sleeping a lot recently. I do love a good sleep and today I went and got my nails done. Um, and that's what I've been doing and working radio. I'm on radio now, which is fun and yeah, I'm enjoying enjoying life.

Yeah. 

Wonderful. So this is the first TellyCast Digital Video Awards. Yes. Celebrating content creators, producers, 

all the good stuff. All the, all the good stuff. All the good stuff. 

What do you think? 

I think it's about time. This is I, this is the world we are living in now. Is it digital? Online content creators, influencers, so we should have something that celebrates us.

It celebrates platforms as well, producers, people that come up with the ideas. It is very, very, very important. For sure. 

You are so right.

What are you doing tonight? 

I'm presenting the award tonight for. Best children platform learning for when I do or if I do have kids. 

Exactly. You get hooked up. 

Right. Actually, now I know all the ones that I need to be learning about and saving them, bookmarking them for when I pop out kids or maybe adopt.

Adopt me. 

How am I? Let's go. 

We also caught up with football creator with over 4 million subs. Eman SV2. What you been up to lately? 

So lately we've been in Munich, so obviously you had the Champions League final as well. Um, got back probably when we get back. We got back on Monday, but we've been out there for the last week doing a lot of football stuff out there, capturing content, and it's been amazing.

Some of the stuff we've got. Gotta look out for it. 

I will definitely. Thank you. 

Thank 

you. I'm all about football 

Arsenal. Ah, 

good 

guy. Right there. There we go. 

This is the first TellyCast digital video awards. Yep. Content creative platforms, producers. What do you think about that celebration? 

Um, I think the celebration's amazing.

I mean, I feel like content creation as a whole. Um, it's definitely shaped this current decade and obviously previous decade as well. And I feel like content creators that I've been doing, it should be awarded with something like this as well. And it should be stuff that exposes the, um, exposures, the creation that people have been doing, man.

So yeah, I think it's a great thing. 

Beautiful. Tonight. What you doing 

tonight? I'm gonna be announcing the winner of Sports Channel of the Year. So yeah, I got a big one. Got a big one to do today. 

Give the gun a shout out. 

Oh, shout out, um, to myself, M and SV two, YouTube. Let's go. 

Thanks. Appreciate you. Thank you very much.

Our host for the night was Max Foosh. Here he is with ob. 

Hello. 

Hello. 

How are you doing? Not bad. Lovely to see you. Yeah, you don't see enough Fedoras these days, so I'm I You bring back the fedora. I say it's a fantastic hat, sir. 

Thank you very much. Cost a bloody fortune. 

Good. It looks like it as well. It is a very expensive piece of kit that It's off camera.

You guys can't see it. 

Come on, get me. 

There we go. Woo. It 

is a fab hat. Tell me something, what you've been up to lately. 

Um, I have just got back from Barcelona where I was cooking a steak using lightning. Um, I, yep, there we go. I bet that's the first time anyone said that tonight. Um, I, uh, wanted to see whether it was possible.

So I called up a lab and a, a lightning lab in, in Spain, and I asked could I cook a state? They said, uh, yes, of course. So I went down, um, and turns out it just causes the state to explode. Really? Yeah, absolutely. We then tried other means and we eventually kind of managed to cook it with electricity. Um, but uh, essentially don't try and cook a steak with lightning 

noted.

Yeah. 

That's just a, a, like a lesson learned for everybody who's watching 

tonight. We're here. Yeah. At the TellyCast Digital Video Awards. Probably long over you. An award of this sort for producers, platforms, content makers. What do you think? 

I mean, it's fantastic. I think everybody who gets into the world of entertainment, uh, all wants some recognition because we deeply cra as children.

And so to, uh, to have an awards, just to celebrate some digital video is, is really long overdue and very welcome. 

How you go? 

No, I've got none. Although I'm handing them out and if there are any leftover and they're blank, they will be coming home with me. 

I've seen them. You better order Uber now. 

Yeah, I don't think anyone's actually counted the amounts of awards.

So, uh, if you have shut up, 

I think there's always one spare in case of breakages. 

Yeah, there's always one spare, so that obvious that's coming. That's my fee. That's the fee for tonight. 

I have very nice, thank you so much, star of a number of shortlisted shows on the night. Specs. Gonzales was also on the red carpet.

What ya, what have you naughty lately? 

Uh, I've been playing a lot of football in a lot of charity games lately, so I've been exercising Nice. So I'm keeping fit. 

Brilliant. This is the first TellyCast Digital Video Awards. What do you think about creators, producers, channels? Being celebrated like this, 

I think it's very important that, uh, people like myself were creators and, uh, you know, people in production and stuff are, uh, acknowledged for the great work they do.

You know, a lot of people in the world are watching, are entertained by us. So, yeah, man, it's all about, you know, being acknowledged and saying thank you in a way, you know? 

Fantastic. What are you doing tonight? 

I'm giving that on the wall tonight. So I've, I've been asked, well, you know, it's a pleasure for me to, to give out an award.

I can't say what the, the category is, but, um, yeah, I'm giving that award to, um. A lucky 

production team Traders UK winner, Jake Brown was also a guest presenter on the night, 

what you've been obvious seen lately. So I've actually been, um, here and everywhere doing a lot of talks. I think people almost think I'm a good speaker.

So I've been doing a lot of, um, talks about communication stuff. I've been flying around different countries, um, been on Sky Sports, doing a few bits in Bobs 'cause that's obviously a big passion of mine football, uh, and advocating for disabled people. Well, me, me having cerebral palsy, I've been able to given this platform and kind of celebrate people with disabilities.

Amazing. Awesome. And what are you gonna be up to tonight? 

So, I'm actually presenting an award tonight. So I think my, my category is wildlife and animal, uh, the content. So looking forward to it, uh, and really excited to see who's here tonight and, uh, learn more about what's going on. 

Fantastic. Have a good night.

Good evening, you Digital legends, and welcome to the very first TellyCast Digital Video Awards.

I'm genuinely thrilled and a bit overwhelmed to be stood here in front of so many of you. Uh, tonight, TellyCast started as a B2B podcast in a cupboard. During the first COVID lockdown, I started with a dodgy wifi connection, a yeta USB microphone. A subscription to squad cast and a lot of time spent searching how to on YouTube, and that was obviously the days before AI started making content much quicker and easier to put together, but 230 episodes and four years later, thanks to you, we've built several events dedicated to this sector.

The content industry's first annual social video summit, the digital content forum in November, which is now in its fourth year. How to make money. A digital event, which debuted in April, our forthcoming digital bootcamp training programs, the drop website and newsletter, the TellyCast YouTube channel, and now an annual awards event dedicated solely to you the digital first community.

And none of this would've been possible without the support of the people in this room. The social video sector is filled with the most visionary people in today's content industry. I would never have dared to press that record button on the first episode without being inspired by your, screw it. Let's do it.

Approach digital Video is the Great media Democratizer of today. There's no reason why anyone with a great idea and a phone and a mic can just become the next major content studio. No waiting for permission from a gatekeeper or waiting for a commissioning bus that may never come along. There's never been a better time.

To be a content creator if you've got the right outlook and that determination and what an exciting sense of opportunity that creates the dynamic combination of creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and business acumen you bring to the room to tonight is genuinely inspiring. But still, I admit this event is a big swim.

When I first came up with the idea for tonight, I wasn't sure what would happen. I knew the digital first sector needed its own dedicated awards event that properly reflected the landscape and content. But I worried people might not enter. I worried no one would come. And I tell you, hiring a five star hotel in Leicester Square with Japanese toilets doesn't come cheap.

But um, I needn't have worried your response. Yeah, you're gonna go to check the Japanese toilets out. Now if you. Um, but I didn't have worried. Your response has been genuinely overwhelming, the number of entries, the range of talent, and now seeing this room packed with the leaders from across the industry, it's clear this moment was needed.

So I'm calling it the digital first sector has come of age, and tonight we celebrate everything that makes it so exciting. So fast moving and so full of possibility. Yeah,

so these awards are about long overdue recognition for the creativity, the production, the formats, the craft, the innovation, and let's be honest, the sheer multi-talented grind and attention to data and detail that goes into making an outstanding video content. The social platforms and then making it pay.

So tonight marks an important moment for the digital first sector in the UK and wider afield. The TV industry and its media have often been dismissive of the digital sector over the years. I know I was a PR and I was trying to push digital, uh, digital companies, and it was like pushing water uphill.

They, they waved away the idea of publishing on YouTube as somehow an inferior medium. Dismissing it as simply as, as short form, you know? But let's reflect for a moment on some key developments in the sector that have happened over the past few months. Netflix partnering with the side men to launch inside season two.

Where's the side babe? I remember where they're, alright, good to see you guys, which reached number two in the Netflix charts. And the stream is now making noises about looking further into this sector for its next format hits. And in fact, I'm sure loads of, you're already speaking to them and pitching them, and probably you've got commissions already or working with them.

Mr. Beast teaming up with Amazon Prime, Buzzfeed selling Hot Ones. Producer first with fees for $85 million. Channel four, leaning further into 4.0 it alright. ITV roaring into the sector with Zoo 55 Paramount Hearst. Oh, they all they are. You are there. Yeah. BBC studios, they're all building further into digital first, and of course, the news that YouTube has become the most watched media company on TVs.

Ahead of Disney and Netflix in the US for the third month running and nearly, this is amazing. Start nearly four in 10 of YouTube YouTube's 2.7 billion global monthly active users now. Enjoy watching TV and film content. I. On the platform, all of these point towards a golden age of multi-platform content creation, exploitation, and IP ownership for creators with lots of new business models at play, self-funded, brand funded, distributor broadcaster, and streamer funded.

That's not forgetting all the real world opportunity to make money off platform for successful shows and channels, brands, live events, brand extensions, book publishing, licensing, the list goes on. Many of you here tonight have been doing that already for some of the past decade, but now big media and brands had started to turn their gaze towards you and what an opportunity that that presents.

So again, welcome to the first TellyCast Digital Video Awards tonight is designed purely for you. We might not get it all right tonight, but, you know, test and learn. That's, uh, that's the approach, isn't it? So let me know. I'm sure you'll let me know, uh, if things go really, really wrong. So, before I stop interrupting your dinner, some brief thank yous a huge thank you to our judging panel.

Let's hear it for the judging panel.

They've, uh, they've given their time, insight, and industry expertise to help shape our shortlist and winners. Their objective input has been essential, ensuring the awards truly reflect the best in the business. And of course, you can blame them too if they don't win. Tonight, thanks to our guest presenters, you'll be seeing some familiar faces from the world of digital video tonight, so please give them a big count hand when they come on stage.

A special thank you to our sponsors, tubular Moment Labs and Tanooki. Alright.

Thank you guys for believing in this idea and supporting us in bringing it to life. We're incredibly grateful. For your backing. Um, guys, please do check out Tubular moment lads and Tanooki. Uh, these companies, you know, they can really help you succeed in the new production economy economy, so please do check them out thanks to the 22 team members.

So that's, that's a good point. TellyCast is only me, right? I'm the one employee that. Hardly ever gets paid. But, uh, tonight when I put this on, we've got 22 team members, freelancers who've helped create the event from the guys who've put up all the branding. Karen, our PR team, our video production partners, spirit Studios,

Toby and Tim, our photographers, Paul, Angela, Natalie, Andy, Sophie, ob, Fiona, and John, our event manager. I'm bound to have forgotten somebody, so apologies if I have. So finally, a little bit of housekeeping. If you'd like to order any more additional drinks you can do from your waiting staff from now until the award ceremony begins.

After the ceremony, the bar will reopen and stay open until late. We're gonna kick off the ceremony hosted by the brilliant Max Foss around the time you, you are having dessert? Yeah. In the Max Bosch. Let's hit it for Max.

Yeah, we've got 26 awards to celebrate tonight. Uh, and I know that you'll all support the winners when they're called up on stage. Let's make it really noisy tonight, right? Let's, let's make, really make a noise. You can get full coverage of tonight's winners in the drop, and that's drop media.co uk and the drop LinkedIn page and of course the awards website, digital video awards.co.uk If I don't get too drunk to upload it and, and all the winners a bit later.

Um, we can't do speeches, uh, for winners tonight, I'm afraid to, due to time restrict restrictions, but you'll be able to see all the winners reactions on our socials, including TellyCast TV on Insta, so. Again, welcome to the first TellyCast Digital Video Awards you Digital Legends.

Thank you for your support. Let's celebrate it and let's make it noisy.

So here's a rundown of the 26 winners on the night. Starting with best history channel history, hit YouTube channel from history. Hit digital original format, comedy and entertainment, donkey Kong experience from Spud Gun Studios. Digital original format TV show spinoff spiked by BBC studio's, EastEnders Digital production, digital, commercial, or single branded video was won by Band Wife Merman, apex Content Ventures, lad, Bible and Women's Aid.

Branded Content series. Scarman, United Heroes Group and bi. Single documentary was won by once in a Lifetime. Argentina from Copper 90 documentary channel was won by three documentary from Quinta Studios low budget production. There's something about Amy Parts four and five SP gun studios. Fast channel history.

Hit Fast Channel Little Do Studios. Unsung Hero was Dan Proctor from Spirit Studios. Winner of Kids Channel was Blue E's YouTube channel from BBC Studios Digital Brands. Best new channel was people our deep from strong watch studios. Best reality format from inside from the Side Men Entertainment Sports Channel was won by League of 72 from after Party Studios, sky and EFL.

Automotive Channel was won by Supercar Blondie from SB Media Group. The industry pioneer was lad Bible Comedy Channel was won by mashed again from Spud Gun Studios Wildlife and Animal Channel was won by BBC Earth's YouTube channel from BBC Studio's Digital Brands. Best interview format was Excon Carpenters from Crime and Investigation.

And Hearse Network's EMEA Brand channel special recognition award was Foot Asylum Cowshed Studios for foot asylum digital original format. Factual was won by scenes from after party studios Digital original format game show was won by Harry Pinero's. Worst in class. Season three from Wall of Entertainment.

Best video podcast was traitors unc cloaked by Listen and Social Video Channel of the year. Independent Studio was run by mashed again from SP Gun Studios. The social video channel of the year broadcaster was Channel 4.0 from Channel 4.0. And finally, studio of the Year was won by Wall of Entry Tank.

Let's hear from a few of the winners starting with Kayo, Grisel, and Sari from Channel 4.0. 

Congratulations guys, what have you won and show us it. 

We have one social video channel of the year for a broadcaster for Channel 4.0. I have nothing more to say. 

Yeah, pretty good. Pretty good. Like, um, really grateful production companies that make our content for us, like these guys over there.

Um, so like very grateful for them. Very grateful for like our audience. Uh, we've been really relentless in curating programs that hopefully build something really special, and we're just really proud to be recognized today. 

Yeah, we're super passionate about, you know, trying to pioneer what the future of broadcast looks like on social and for young audiences.

And, you know, our producers, everyone at Channel four, um, are a huge part of that. It's a real team effort. There's two of us here today, but there's so many people behind the scenes that make it happen, so, yeah. It's a, it's a real honor. 

Awesome. Tell me about the other nominees that wanted that so badly. 

So, such a strong category.

I mean, you know, we were just really glad to be in the Roman, to be a part of the nomination. So many amazing producers and people involved. So, yeah, yeah. 

All, all, all, all boats rise really, you know, like they win, we win, like. We, we, yeah. I 

think when we, when we started out, people didn't really believe in social and digital and, you know, we've been flying the flag for a long time.

So I think it's just great to see so many people in the room that are, that are spearheading the culture and yeah. We're, we're, we're dropping the ocean. 

Yeah. It's now not the future 

for sure. 

Happening. 

Yeah. Like, like, honestly, we are, we're just grateful to be here and, uh, to pick up this award. We've worked really hard on 4.0 and as Kai said.

Like, there are literally like hundreds of people who've been involved in this, so we're just like repping 

them really. So 

yeah. 

Next up we've got foot asylum's, chief Marketing Officer, Howard Tsal. Congratulations. 

Thank you very much. Show show award. So it's is the brand channel special recognition award, foot asylum.

Uh, and cow shed are our production company for our, uh, our YouTube videos. So, yeah, work, work very closely with the guys. It's a, it's a real honor, to be honest. Tell us about your team. So the team consists of Amy, social Media manager, um, Ryan and Georgia, and then Connor's, the head of marketing, and I'm the Chief Marketing Officer at Forts Island.

How, tell me about the competition. Um, there wasn't any, I think, um, yeah, there wasn't any, it was a surprise to us really, but when, when they start, when they started, um, talking about. The results and things like, such as the app downloads, everything we do is around bringing our consumer in and us being part of their world.

So producing great content, which is, um, absolutely synonymous with UK culture. It's absolutely part of our, uh, consumers life. And yeah, that, that's it really. But as soon as he started announcing like the criteria. I, I genuinely thought, yeah, that's, it's gotta bes couldn't, couldn't be anyone else. 

Congrats.

Thank 

you very much. 

Thank you. Cheers. Play. So tell the world who you are. 

Uh, we are led by group and, uh, we've won this beautiful award. We're very, very pleased. 

Great. So give us a quick word about your team. 

Uh, so our team is probably one of the smallest in the industry, but definitely one of the most hardworking.

Um, we run several channels, YouTube original content, and, uh, everything we do, we do with an incredible passion and hard work. Yeah. And everything we make is 'cause we wanna make it first and foremost. 

Fantastic. Congratulations. 

Nah, thank you so much. We're obviously fucking over the moon about this 

one.

Tell the wide world world out there who you are and what you made 

we're Sideman Entertainment. People told us we wouldn't sell out Charlton Athletics, so we sold out Wembley. Then they said we only make YouTube videos, so we made the biggest reality show since Big Brother. This is the brain behind it.

You wanna say hi. 

Hi. Hi. Yeah, he, he makes it happen and the side men facilitate the whole thing, so we're so grateful for to them. 

Listen, listen. Uh, can I do, can I do a quick, um, quick few words? Um, I think that there are so many talented people that come to amplify the entertainment space right now. We have Max Fosh up on stage right now.

I think he's one of the smartest and funniest people in the space. There are a hundred of him sitting on YouTube. There's a hundred thousand of him sitting around the world right now. We just need to let them into the room. And we were fortunate enough to have the sideman who had been grafting for 10 years to open that door to that room.

And I think this is the first of many words they will pick up. But it's so sick for us to see that the traditional media is saying, listen, come on, you can shine a little tonight. You know, 

couldn't have said better myself. 

Thankfully 

I was the one saying 

it then. 

Spud Gun Studios were big winners on the night, taking home four awards.

Here's Tom Jenkins, creative director and Tom Payne. 

Congrats again. 

Thanks. Thanks very much. Yeah. Number three. Yeah, going. 

Alright. Cool. Ami, so what you got this time? 

Uh, we've got a comedy channel of the year. 

Yeah, that's Comedy Channel. 

Yeah, that's Comedy Channel Up against Jimmy Carr and Comedy Central and then we won it.

Yeah. 

Bashed him up. 

Yeah, exactly. Mashed them up as it were. 

Fantastic. Finally, here are the winners of Studio of the Year. World of entertainments. Joe Van Wade and Percel Ascot. 

Yeah. Thank you. Just, just, yeah. Thank you to the TellyCast, uh, yes. Awards. Thank you for the judges as well. Of course. Yeah, just the acknowledgement and, um, the recognition.

Yeah. Big thank you to Channel 4.0 for, you know, big rocking with us and, um, sash collaborating in Sash Kai, EV. Laura. Laura. Yeah. Thank you so much. Um, also thank you to the talent, the talent that we've been, you know, working with for years, which we've never had the opportunity to. To get these kind of awards if it wasn't for such great talent, you know?

And if it wasn't 

for our team as well, it's not just the two of us. We have a big, big team out there. People who have stuck with us, they've been riding with us. Thank you guys, and just yeah, give the glory to God. Right. That's it. Amen. Amen. 

Well, that's all from the Londoner and the very first TellyCast Digital Video Awards.

Thanks to our event sponsors, Tanooki Moment Slab and Tubular. We'll be back next year. TellyCast was produced by Spirit Studios and recorded in London. Don't forget to subscribe to TellyCast TV on YouTube for industry videos, including highlights of the awards. Until next time, stay safe.