In 2012, Brian Robbins didn’t expect his YouTube startup to evolve so quickly. Within two years, AwesomenessTV had been acquired by DreamWorks Animation for $33 million, launched hit series on Nickelodeon, and expanded into full-length digital films. What began as a niche web channel became one of the most ambitious attempts to build a Gen Z-focused digital media empire.
“I didn’t think it was going to be that fast,” Robbins reflected in an early interview. “You think about, as a startup, who might acquire us, but I don’t think DreamWorks was even on the list.”
But Awesomeness wasn’t just a channel. From day one, Robbins envisioned a brand, a network that could define and dominate the tween and teen content space on YouTube and beyond.
The Birth of a Digital Brand
Founded by Brian Robbins and Joe Davola, AwesomenessTV emerged as part of the YouTube Original Channel Initiative. It was built to meet the growing demand for youth content on digital platforms, a demand Robbins observed firsthand in his own household.
“I have that demo in my house,” he said, referencing his kids. “The way they consume movies, TV, and music is totally different from the way I did. So you can fight it or you can join them.”
Backed by Robbins’ deep background in teen media (Smallville, Varsity Blues, All That), the company launched with a slate of short-form series and expanded rapidly into a multi-channel network, influencer management, and brand partnerships. Teens and tweens had never had a centralized home for digital content until AwesomenessTV came along.
DreamWorks, Hearst, and the Valuation Boom
In 2013, DreamWorks Animation acquired Awesomeness for $33 million, giving the startup major studio backing. The following year, Hearst Corporation invested $81.25 million for a 25 percent stake, doubling its valuation. By 2016, Verizon joined in, paying $159 million for another 24.5 percent and pushing the company’s valuation to $650 million.
The Verizon deal also included a $180 million content partnership for its mobile-first video app, go90. At the time, Awesomeness had diversified across digital video, music, publishing, fashion, and theatrical content. It was producing shows for Netflix and Nickelodeon and developing its own theatrical releases like Before I Fall, which premiered at Sundance.
DreamWorksTV, a separate YouTube channel focused on younger audiences, was also launched during this phase. It racked up millions of subscribers and views with shows like Life Hacks for Kids and Junk Drawer Magic, while promoting DreamWorks franchises across digital and streaming platforms.
Internal Conflict and Platform Collapse
Things began to unravel after Comcast acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016. With DreamWorks now owned by Verizon’s direct competitor, NBCUniversal, the shared ownership structure around Awesomeness became increasingly awkward.
Verizon and Comcast were unwilling to collaborate on Awesomeness, and the exits of founder Brian Robbins and DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg made the venture even more unstable. Plans for a standalone subscription service with Verizon were scrapped. Instead, Awesomeness focused on creating short-form series for go90.
That plan fell apart in 2018, when Verizon shut down go90 entirely. Since nearly 40 percent of Awesomeness’s revenue had come from that partnership, the company was suddenly adrift. DreamWorks no longer saw it as a core asset, and Verizon had lost interest after go90’s failure.
Robbins stepped down from his CEO role in 2017, sending a heartfelt note to staff that read: “You should be proud of what we have built together, I certainly am. And I can’t wait to see what’s next for AwesomenessTV’s success.”
The Viacom Acquisition and Reinvention
In July 2018, Viacom acquired Awesomeness for approximately $50 million, a fraction of its previous valuation. The deal did not include DreamWorksTV, which was retained by NBCUniversal and folded into its digital operations.
Awesomeness, minus DreamWorksTV, was integrated into Viacom Digital Studios, led by former Awesomeness exec Kelly Day. CEO Jordan Levin exited the company shortly after the transition, and corporate functions were consolidated.
Since then, AwesomenessTV has rebranded simply as Awesomeness, refocusing its efforts on long-form content aimed at Gen Z audiences. It has found new footing producing series and films for platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+.
A Gen Z Studio with Staying Power
Despite its rollercoaster history, Awesomeness has remained relevant by aligning with where younger audiences actually are. It produced the hugely popular To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before for Netflix and co-produced the Emmy-nominated PEN15 for Hulu. It also launched an Awesomeness-branded channel on Pluto TV, making its content freely accessible to younger viewers.
What started as a YouTube network has evolved into a nimble, platform-agnostic studio creating premium Gen Z content for the streaming age.
What Awesomeness Represents
Awesomeness was born from the idea that teens and tweens deserve content built for them, not adapted from old models, but created for the way they live and watch today. It was one of the first digital-first brands to truly understand YouTube as a distribution model rather than just a marketing channel.
Its story is a case study in modern media entrepreneurship. It scaled fast, attracted big money, fell into strategic limbo, and still managed to survive. Few digital brands from the YouTube MCN era have adapted as well.
Today, Awesomeness no longer chases virality for its own sake. It produces stories that reflect and resonate with Gen Z. While its ambitions are now more focused, its impact remains part of the foundation for how entertainment is built for and by a digital generation.
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