YouTube @ The Streamy Awards in Los Angeles

This Sunday, April 11, a handful of us here at YouTube will head to Los Angeles for the second annual Streamy Awards. The Streamy Awards are presented by the International Academy of Web Television to honor great original Web programming and visionaries in online entertainment.

As part of the ceremony, our CEO and co-founder, Chad Hurley, will be presented with the Streamy Visionary Award that recognizes “leaders and innovators who have made a significant contribution to the digital entertainment community.” On behalf of the whole team at YouTube, we are honored to be part of this event and have you to thank for it.

The greatest honors, however, belong to the creators of content, many of whom we are privileged to have as partners nominated for their own Streamy Awards. NextNewNetworks, Rocketboom, Phil DeFranco, and so many others: YouTube applauds you, your boundless creativity, and your independent drive to move the digital entertainment industry forward. You are all already much more than winners; you are reinventing the game itself.

The costs for filming and sharing original content are lower than ever. Today, anyone can record a video, add complex and sophisticated special effects and share it in 1080p Full HD with translatable subtitles to the world -- all at the fraction of the cost incurred 10 years ago. And as this market matures, the rewards for these original content creators and distributors will increase.

In the future, you will play an even bigger role in inspiring and shaping the world through video. Viewership of original Web content grows larger and stronger every day, and the producers of those videos are ever more successful, as they continually hone and elevate their digital craft. Never before has talent possessed so much creative power and freedom. And never before has there been such an eager audience awaiting your vision.

Thank you and keep creating, uploading and playing.

Kevin Yen, Director of Strategic Partnerships, recently watched ”2010 Streamy Awards Official Nominees Announcement.”