Benedict Townsend

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.

Renumeration for everything they feel they've given to a platform that's long neglected them. How did it go? Well, hold your horses, folks. There's a whole episode about that. But let's just put it this way. When was the last time you opened Vine? Okay, so how in the bloody heavens did we get here?

Renumeration for everything they feel they've given to a platform that's long neglected them. How did it go? Well, hold your horses, folks. There's a whole episode about that. But let's just put it this way. When was the last time you opened Vine? Okay, so how in the bloody heavens did we get here?

A bunch of teenage pranksters have Twitter, one of the world's biggest social media giants, with a multi-billion dollar market cap by the proverbial... I mean, can I say balls? Balls feels wrong. Imagine I'm saying a classier version of balls. They're not even past the legal drinking age, but they're holding Vine, an app invention that has revolutionized social media as we know it, for ransom...

A bunch of teenage pranksters have Twitter, one of the world's biggest social media giants, with a multi-billion dollar market cap by the proverbial... I mean, can I say balls? Balls feels wrong. Imagine I'm saying a classier version of balls. They're not even past the legal drinking age, but they're holding Vine, an app invention that has revolutionized social media as we know it, for ransom...

Well, dear listener, to understand how we got here, we have to go back to when and how it all started. The thing that made Vine interesting, that made the app so popular so quickly, wasn't just that it let you edit videos on your phone, but the creative challenge it posed to the public. You have six seconds, now make something good.

Well, dear listener, to understand how we got here, we have to go back to when and how it all started. The thing that made Vine interesting, that made the app so popular so quickly, wasn't just that it let you edit videos on your phone, but the creative challenge it posed to the public. You have six seconds, now make something good.

Freelance tech designer Rich Arnold also remembers the buzz when Vine landed.

Freelance tech designer Rich Arnold also remembers the buzz when Vine landed.

If you know American accents, you might be able to pick up on Rich's New Jersey twang. He'll play a bigger role later in our story, but at this point, he's just moved to the city to pursue his tech career, which back then wasn't exactly a thing on the East Coast. It was another way that Vine was already breaking the mould.

If you know American accents, you might be able to pick up on Rich's New Jersey twang. He'll play a bigger role later in our story, but at this point, he's just moved to the city to pursue his tech career, which back then wasn't exactly a thing on the East Coast. It was another way that Vine was already breaking the mould.

What were the things about Vine that felt like cool and new and odd and interesting?

What were the things about Vine that felt like cool and new and odd and interesting?