Benedict Townsend

Narrative and creative by producer Kevya Cardoso, score and sound design by Patrick Lee, and mix by Chris James. Sophie Snelling is the executive producer, Al Riddell is head of factual podcasts, and Vicky Etchells is director of podcasts at Global. This is a Global Player original podcast.

Narrative and creative by producer Kevya Cardoso, score and sound design by Patrick Lee, and mix by Chris James. Sophie Snelling is the executive producer, Al Riddell is head of factual podcasts, and Vicky Etchells is director of podcasts at Global. This is a Global Player original podcast.

This is a Global Player original podcast. It's a bright day in Los Angeles, California, in autumn 2015. And in a building just a stone's throw from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a meeting is about to change the course of history. It's taking place in the conference room of an apartment block where a group of online creators live and make videos together. The address? 1600 Vine Street.

This is a Global Player original podcast. It's a bright day in Los Angeles, California, in autumn 2015. And in a building just a stone's throw from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a meeting is about to change the course of history. It's taking place in the conference room of an apartment block where a group of online creators live and make videos together. The address? 1600 Vine Street.

The name is no coincidence. The 18 people in this room are Vine's biggest stars, the most popular faces of a platform that, though none of them realise it yet, is just months away from total collapse.

The name is no coincidence. The 18 people in this room are Vine's biggest stars, the most popular faces of a platform that, though none of them realise it yet, is just months away from total collapse.

If you were anywhere online in the 2010s, you'd probably recognise the building, when its modern apartments overlooking public courtyards with views of Hollywood were the backdrop to the internet's most viral videos. And you definitely recognize a few of the people in the room. A tight-knit crew of attractive, barely 20-somethings, known for cross-posting videos of pranks and sketch comedy.

If you were anywhere online in the 2010s, you'd probably recognise the building, when its modern apartments overlooking public courtyards with views of Hollywood were the backdrop to the internet's most viral videos. And you definitely recognize a few of the people in the room. A tight-knit crew of attractive, barely 20-somethings, known for cross-posting videos of pranks and sketch comedy.

Sure, most of us were uploading dumb homemade videos back then, but the 1600 Viners, spearheaded by two shaggy-haired brothers named Logan and Jake Paul, turned it into a business.

Sure, most of us were uploading dumb homemade videos back then, but the 1600 Viners, spearheaded by two shaggy-haired brothers named Logan and Jake Paul, turned it into a business.

Yep, that's the same Jake Paul who boxed Mike Tyson last November in what was the most streamed sporting event in history. He reportedly earned over $40 million for that. Declaring your winner by unanimous decision, Jake Paul! The Paul brothers remain two of the biggest social media influencers in the world, and it was the frat house ecosystem they built on 1600 Vine Street that started it all.

Yep, that's the same Jake Paul who boxed Mike Tyson last November in what was the most streamed sporting event in history. He reportedly earned over $40 million for that. Declaring your winner by unanimous decision, Jake Paul! The Paul brothers remain two of the biggest social media influencers in the world, and it was the frat house ecosystem they built on 1600 Vine Street that started it all.

It was one of the earliest and most successful content creator houses, shared living spaces where they could collaborate to create content that collectively built their brands. It catapulted the brothers and their buddies next door to global fame.

It was one of the earliest and most successful content creator houses, shared living spaces where they could collaborate to create content that collectively built their brands. It catapulted the brothers and their buddies next door to global fame.

Soon, that kid from that video, oh my god, it's that kid, they were getting guest spots on TV shows, signing major movie deals, they were inking brand partnerships to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. So you're worth all the money these companies pay you? To be honest, I'm worth three times the amount I'm getting paid.

Soon, that kid from that video, oh my god, it's that kid, they were getting guest spots on TV shows, signing major movie deals, they were inking brand partnerships to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. So you're worth all the money these companies pay you? To be honest, I'm worth three times the amount I'm getting paid.

It was the dawn of a new kind of celebrity, and whether you loved them or hated them, at one point, you couldn't escape them. But I'm getting ahead of myself. On this fateful day in 2015, the 1600 Viners have arranged a meeting with representatives from Twitter, the social media giant that owns Vine. Their demand is simple. We want to be paid, and we want to be paid big.

It was the dawn of a new kind of celebrity, and whether you loved them or hated them, at one point, you couldn't escape them. But I'm getting ahead of myself. On this fateful day in 2015, the 1600 Viners have arranged a meeting with representatives from Twitter, the social media giant that owns Vine. Their demand is simple. We want to be paid, and we want to be paid big.

And if we aren't, well, we'll walk. Abandoning Vine en masse, taking our quite sizable followings with us, willingly decapitating the app's greatest source of popularity. You might be thinking, don't let the door hit you on the way out. But these guys are deadly serious. This meeting is the culmination of years of frustration.

And if we aren't, well, we'll walk. Abandoning Vine en masse, taking our quite sizable followings with us, willingly decapitating the app's greatest source of popularity. You might be thinking, don't let the door hit you on the way out. But these guys are deadly serious. This meeting is the culmination of years of frustration.