Industry Digital media | Number of employees 70 (2016) | |
Founded March 3, 2015; 2 years ago (2015-03-03) Headquarters San Francisco, California, U.S. Key people Nathan Brown (President)
Tom Lofthouse (CCO)
Ben Lerer Parent Group Nine Media
(Discovery Communications/Lerer Hippeau Ventures) | ||
Seeker is an American digital media network and content publisher based in San Francisco, California. The network was established in 2015 within a former independent division of Discovery Communications known as Discovery Digital Networks. Seeker produces online video and editorial content for the digital media landscape, with an emphasis on social platforms and YouTube.
Contents
History
Seeker was relaunched in May 2016 in an effort by Discovery Digital Networks to reach millennial audiences looking to satisfy their curiosity by immersing themselves in science, technology and culture. The network was initially launched in March 2015, with a focus on exploration and adventure.
In October 2016, Seeker was acquired by the newly founded Group Nine Media, along with Thrillist Media Group, NowThis News, The Dodo and SourceFed Studios. This new media group earned a $100 Million investment from Discovery Communications, and is under the leadership of former Thrillist CEO Ben Lerer.
Properties
Seeker has a number of flagship shows and properties, as well as affiliated talent including Jason Silva, Louis Cole, and award-winning journalist Laura Ling.
In 2015, Seeker launched Rituals with Laura Ling, which has gone on to be nominated for an Emmy, and won multiple other awards. A Seeker Stories documentary co-produced with the ONE Campaign highlighted energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, was honored with a Shorty Award in 2016. Seeker Daily, a short-form news show, partnered with YouTube to cover the 2016 Republican & Democratic Party national conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
In 2016, Seeker launched a new Virtual Reality initiative, producing 360º and VR content for the Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift VR headsets. Seeker VR is also distributed on YouTube and the DiscoveryVR app. CEO Ben Lerer noted a large investment in Virtual and Augmented Reality content in an interview as part of the Bloomberg Cornell Tech Series on March 7, 2017.
TestTube & DNews
On September 12, 2012, DNews was launched on YouTube with three hosts: Trace Dominguez, Anthony Carboni, and Laci Green. Three videos were uploaded every day.
In May 2013, Discovery Digital Networks launched the TestTube network, which became the home of DNews, Laci Green's Sex+ Channel, and Blow it Up! hosted by Tory Belleci from Mythbusters.
On May 25, 2016, Discovery Digital Networks rolled out changes to its network lineup. The TestTube channel – which had since been renamed to TestTube News – rebranded to Seeker Daily, a show that previously ran on the primary Seeker channel. The overall format of the TestTube News was preserved, but the TestTube brand was phased out of existence.
On March 2, 2017, DNews' YouTube channel was rebranded to Seeker.
On March 17, 2017, the Seeker Daily channel was rebranded with a new format and new team as NowThis (part of Group Nine Media; along with Seeker), which received strong criticism from pre-NowThis fans.