Finally, after months of preparation, after thousands of Twitter nominations were parsed down to hundreds of shortlist nominees which were then trimmed down to the list of official nominees, the International Academy of Web Television announced the winners of the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards during a live ceremony hosted by actor and comedian Paul Scheer at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. There were quite a few unexpected twists and turns along the way but a brave crowd held their own for the 3 plus hour ceremony celebrating the best and brightest in New Media.

The Bannen Way Wins Best Editing in a Web Series at Streamys Craft Awards!
By Jamey Giddens on April 08, 2010

Kudos to Zach Arnold, who took home an award at yesterday's Streamys Craft Awards for Best Editing in a Web Series. Arnold netted the accolade for his work on the insanely hot, well-written, directed and acted Crackle.com web series The Bannen Way. This is no doubt the first of many Streamys Mark Gantt and Jesse Warren's breakthrough web serial— which costarred three of my fav-o-rite sudser alums, One Life to Live's Brynn Thayer, General Hospital's Vanessa Marcil and The O.C.'s Autumn Reeser— will take home this Streamys Weekend, as the soap opera for boys is nominated for seven awards! (Pick up your Video On Demand copy of The Bannen Way here.)

This week we hear the inspiring story behind one of the most successful web shows of 2010, The Bannen Way, with filmmakers Jesse Warren and Mark Gantt. Zadi Diaz, Rick Rey, and Steve Woolf talk about their origins in new media and Jesse and Mark offer story after story about the door being closed on their project by other people and their refusal to accept it.

This one is not to be missed by creatives and filmmakers out there who are frustrated with the system and need to hear people talking about never taking no for an answer. Jesse and Mark tell stories that neither of them ever heard from each other before, and we get into gritty detail about the way The Bannen Way was conceived, created, packaged, and delivered.

Crackle Sees Video Streams Rise

Ad support lags despite growth
By Mike Shields, Mediaweek
March 15, 2010

Original scripted online video isn't dead. In fact, despite a shakeout in the space, producers continue to pump out new episodic projects. But the medium needs to show more signs of life if it hopes to reignite interest among major advertisers, insist digital buyers.

A spark may have come in the past few months in the form of "The Bannen Way," an original project from Sony Pictures Entertainment's Crackle. According to video analytics firm Visible Measures, the show's 16 episodes have been streamed more than 13 million times since late December. More promising is that its audience held up in February.

The Bannen Way" Heats Up the Web
By Sandra Kofler
March 8, 2010

When an HBO-quality Web series with a notoriously butt-kicking cast gets 13 million views and leads this year's Streamy Awards nominations, you know you want on that fast-moving caboose. "The Bannen Way" gives us a good-hearted bandit trying to leave the goon life behind, but not without some deadly hurdles to dodge, hop into bed with and escape from. We're talking foxy assassins, a mob boss uncle (Robert Forster, Heroes), a lawman dad (Michael Ironside, Cold Case), a sex trafficker (Michael Lerner, Entourage) and a foxy accomplice (Vanessa Marcil, Las Vegas), all of whom make Neal Bannen's (Mark Gantt) path to a normal life a sexy, painful and action-filled bombshell. You're hereby warned that if strong language and mild nudity aren't your office's M.O., best save this one for your own viewing time. The first two episodes are free, with the rest downloadable from iTunes individually or as a full-length movie. Get a taste with the trailer below -- and prepare not to blink.

Originally from Stockton, California, Mark got his start in the business working in the Art Department, Props and Production on over 100 feature, TV and commercial projects, all the while training as an actor and director at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Before creating The Bannen Way, Mark wrote, directed, produced and/or edited over a dozen short films (including the award-winning Martine), and acted opposite Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven, Burt Reynolds in The Hollywood Sign, as well as in many other films and TV shows.