Forward-looking: Original content creation has become a fluid art form in which producers are willing to experiment with all sorts of new platforms and formats. At this rate, it's not inconceivable to think that traditional television's days are numbered.
Snap's original video push reached new heights on Wednesday with the debut of Snap Originals, a collection of a dozen original shows produced specifically for Snapchat.
Shows premiering today include Endless Summer, a docuseries that follows two Internet influencers in Laguna Beach, California; Class of Lies, a scripted show about two college roommates that operate a successful true-crime podcast; and Co-Ed, another college show that follows roommates as they navigate their freshman year.
As you would expect from Snapchat, all shows are shot vertically with the average episode lasting about five minutes. Revenue will come courtesy of unskippable six-second video ads that'll be shown a couple of times per episode.
Sean Mills, head of original content at Snap, told The Verge that he feels like he's watching the beginning of a fundamentally new medium "where people are just waking up to how you have to take a very different creative approach."
Mills probably isn't wrong. As mobile devices continue to reshape media habits, we're seeing more creators turn to alternate platforms like Snapchat and Instagram to host original content. These networks have their finger on the pulse of today's youth and it only makes sense to target them where they spend their time - in front of a smartphone screen.