A VIDEO content with game element and viewer engagement is destined to become a hit.
In 2013, Japanese video content creator Squash Films decided to upload “Stalking Vampire” on YouTube “to reach to a worldwide audience.” So far, the video has more than 10 million views on YouTube and a total of 140 million across all other channels.
“Stalking Vampire” is a web series about a group of people being haunted—and forced to fight—vampires. Its success led to Squash Films’ partnership with another Japanese media entertainment group Breaker Inc. and the release of “Stalking Vampire 2.”
The series has a total fan base of 350,000 with 250,000 coming from YouTube and the remaining from other online channels where it is being streamed.
Google Tokyo took notice of the series’ immense popularity and decided to invite the members of Squash Films to create their content at YouTube Space in Roppongi Hills.
YouTube Spaces are created for collaborations among creators as well as venues for them to meet and exchange ideas. YouTube Spaces have worked with production companies and stars to create special original content.
“We want to inspire innovation, creativity and experimentation,” said David Macdonald, head of YouTube content operations for Asia-Pacific at Google Inc.
Google has recruited online stars to promote its local-language channels “with more targeted original programming and higher production values.”
“We want to enable creators to learn from industry experts, collaborate with other creators and have access to the latest production and post-production digital video equipment at no cost,” Macdonald added.
YouTube has over a billion users and the number of people watching YouTube a day is up 40 percent year on year since March 2014. The number of hours people spend watching videos on YouTube is up 60 percent year on year.