IAWTV on the Streamys: ‘We watched with great embarrassment’

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Well, this seems unfortunately inevitable. After Sunday’s epic failure that was the Streamy Awards, the International Academy of Web Television has issued a public apology for the show, which, as it turns out, the IAWTV had very little to do with. According to the letter, this will not be the case next year. (Read some of the Web backlash here.)

I’ll let you read the rest for yourselves: (My favorite parts are in bold.)

Letter from the Chair

April 12, 2010

Dear IAWTV Academy Members:

It is with deep regret that I write this letter to you this evening. Last night was supposed to be a celebration of excellence in the digital entertainment community – another big step forward for all of us and our industry. Instead, our industry was reduced to a series of tasteless and crude “bits”. Last night in the end was a step backwards for all of us. As the Chair of the Board of the Directors of the IAWTV, I apologize for last night’s show. While the IAWTV does not have direct oversight of the content of the Streamy Awards, it should and will moving forward.

The IAWTV is a non-profit organization that selects nominees and, ultimately, decides the winners of the Streamy Awards. We did not produce the Streamy Awards show, nor did we have any knowledge of the contents of the show beforehand. Like you we watched the show with great embarrassment as our industry was ridiculed and debased.

With due respect to the talented winners of the Streamy Awards last night, you and the digital entertainment community deserve much better. To that end, the IAWTV will ensure that moving forward every event we are affiliated with lives up to our ideals. If the Streamy Awards take place next year, we will approve the show’s producers, vision, practices and its content in advance. We have all worked hard to bring our industry to where it is today. Egregious mistakes were made last night.

I take full responsibility for what took place and will work tirelessly with the board of directors and our membership to make sure this never happens again.

I hope you will judge us not by how hard we have fallen, but by how well we get up, dust ourselves off, and learn from our mistakes.

Sincerely,
Michael Wayne
Chair, Board of Directors
IAWTV