A Glimpse into the World of Streamers

You could say that live streaming is a social experiment in its own right; a documentation of human engagement or activity, performed to and on behalf of a global audience in real time. But what if this practice of documentation had to itself, be documented live? Nicolà Abela Garrett speaks to Executive Producer Mark Holland, the brains behind House of Streams, coming to a device near you.

At the time of writing, Mark is on the cusp of phenomenality. He is spearheading a social experiment that is about to hit our portable devices; yet another distraction prizing us away from good old television. “Legacy TV is still very relevant, but video on-demand and streaming are shifting the focus away from scheduled televised entertainment, especially now with the writers’ strike.”

So, what are people watching these days? Live streams, of course, with professional live streamers delivering hours of everything you never thought you needed to watch.

In fact, this is the point from which the social experiment commences. In House of Streams, eight professional live streamers will willingly remove themselves from their isolated habitats to share a villa in Mellieħa for two whole weeks between the 10th and 25th June. They’ll go about their daily routine of creating content live to their loyal followers, but here’s the twist: they’ve agreed to be filmed 24/7 as they deliver their work, with remote-controlled cameras dotted all around the premises transmitting everything that happens… to our screens.

There is a kind of Droste effect happening here, overlapping the boundaries between the digital realm and that of brick-andmortar. There are two audiences participating in the experiment: us, and the streamers’ regular viewers. Audiences will be able to shift their virtual seats by subscribing to any one of the streamers, and consume the experiment from that perspective. The common denominator? The streamers will be constantly watched from all angles, serving two audiences simultaneously.

The idea is for audiences to get an unfiltered fly-on-the-wall insight into live streamers’ work and their lifestyles. “Aside from earning a comfortable living, many of them do in fact lead very interesting lives! We’ve come across quite a few characters during the selection process, and the show aims to delve deeper and find out why they do it, how they got into it, and how they navigate their lives.”

So, what is it exactly that live streamers do? Their subject matter could cover anything, from playing games to reviewing any purchasable product under the sun, to engaging in the most wholesome activities for hours as people watch. “Our casting team has been on a journey of discovery, delving into the bizarre world of online knitting and streaming via jacuzzi, to professional gamers and IRL (in-real-life) content creators.” As for the selected few who’ll make it to the villa, Mark remains tight lipped. “To stay true to the essence of the genre, the talent in the House of Streams will be kept secret until the cast enters the House.”

There’s been a centrifugal shift in streaming over the years, in that the streamers themselves are now the star attraction, rather than the products they review. It’s a cult of personality that differentiates itself from the influencer world. “Unlike influencers, streamers deliver everything live on the spot, with no chance to edit or backtrack. They make their content on the fly, and this is what defines them.”

In fact, it is this aspect of their work that inspired Mark and his production team to go ahead with the project. “By live streaming the behind-the-scenes, making-of the series we will be adopting streamer methodology to produce the first of its kind series. With over twenty cameras the cast and crew will rotate aground the clock providing a unique stage for the streamers to collaborate and for the show to take on a shape of its own.”

Mark wants to capture the entirety of their collaborations, and the challenges that come with it. The idea is to document the high-pressure environment of a streamer’s job, which often gets misconstrued as just mucking about with a mic and a camera in one’s bedroom.

Contrary to the pedantic label streamers have been labelled with, some of the most successful of these come with an excellent backstory, and there’s more to them than just being astute content creators or game players; their personalities are what have ultimately propelled them into streaming stardom. However, the nature of their work renders them somewhat reclusive, which is why Mark is so keen to get them out of their bedrooms and into the villa. “They’re really excited about getting out of their spaces. They’re not going to have to worry about the logistics of filming, and they’re going to be around likeminded individuals in the same business. We’re aiming for it to be like a big group therapy session for streamers. Whatever happens, it’s going to be fascinating.” www.houseofstreams.tv

There certainly seems to be a thirst for the concept, particularly from the industry itself. Up until this point, Mark had received over a hundred applications, and not from amateur rookies. Most of those who applied are well-established players, with some of them having a huge dedicated following. Selecting the final eight of these streamers has been our biggest challenge and now the the true test is to see, whilst interacting with a live audience, how much the cast can multiply their collective and individual online acclaim.

With the emergence of content creators such as streamers, we are no longer in the age of digitalism; it is now the era of voyeurism. This thought brings us to the topic of censorship, and Mark tells us that in the streaming industry, platforms have the power to shut down peoples’ livelihoods if they inadvertently say or do the wrong thing or break the terms and conditions. The question of free speech is one which he’d like to see addressed by the team during the show, as is cyberbullying. Mark’s bowled over by the level of nonchalance these streamers have towards ‘keyboard warriors’ who’ve taken aim. A thick skin? More like a rhinoceros hide. The show intends to capture the essence of resilience during the social experiment, and he believes streamers could be exceptional role models to those who’ve been victims of online toxicity.

So, are we to assume that House of Streams is reality show about streamers? Not quite. Mark envisions it to be more of a live docuseries , as he hopes to redefine and disrupt the meaning of reality TV. “Our streamers will be showcasing to us what they do for a living, and as we want to stay true to their work and their fans, we don’t want to intrude on their performance. We want it to be organic, and there won’t be anything scripted.” The streamers will still have unfettered access to the outside world, unlike most other reality shows where this is either limited or prohibited entirely. Two hosts will be providing some direction during competitions and group sessions, and exercises will be assigned for them to stream as a team.shows where this is either limited or prohibited entirely. Two hosts will be providing some direction during competitions and group sessions, and exercises will be assigned for them to stream as a team.

As for those who might not be the greatest team players? “We’ve no intention of eliminating anyone, unlike most reality shows. Our objective is to keep them in the house, so that they may give us a glimpse into their profession, which is perhaps, if dwindling TV viewership is anything to go by, a glimpse into the future .” For the latest updates, check out houseofstreams.tv, and be sure to tune in on the 10th June. House of Streams is a Stream House Media Production. At SHriMP we specialise in the production of real and interactive content. For further details visit streamhouse.media.