What's Trending

What's Trending operates as a digital entertainment publisher, focusing on curating and reporting on viral content and pop culture trends across the social web. The company was founded in 2011 by Shira Lazar and Damon Berger. Lazar, who serves as the host and CEO, brought to the venture an extensive background in television hosting, video blogging, and digital content creation for various media outlets including CBS News and The Huffington Post. Berger, also a co-founder, had a history in digital marketing at 20th Century Fox and later served as the CEO of What's Trending before moving on to roles at Fullscreen, Mattel, and WildBrain.

The company's journey began with a live, weekly interactive show produced in partnership with CBS Interactive, streaming on CBSNews.com and YouTube. This initial format featured Lazar as the host discussing trending news with celebrity panelists. A significant milestone occurred in August 2012 when a partnership with YouTube enabled a major expansion, shifting the broadcast from weekly to a daily live show. In June 2013, the company secured a seven-figure investment from Bedrocket Media Ventures, which was allocated to expand production, distribution, and advertising sales efforts. Over the years, What's Trending has become an independent entity, What's Trending, Inc., and has diversified its content distribution through numerous partnerships. These collaborations include content deals with Sinclair Broadcasting Group for a show on Circa News, a segment for Comcast's Watchable streaming service, and distribution agreements with GSTV and Screenvision Media to show content in gas stations and movie theaters.

The business model centers on creating and distributing engaging video content related to entertainment news and internet culture. Revenue is generated through multiple streams, including brand partnerships for content creation, advertising sales, and sponsored posts. The company's core product is its daily and weekly news coverage, which takes various forms such as a 'Trending Now' video countdown, interviews with celebrities and digital influencers, and feature packages. This content is disseminated across a wide array of platforms, including its own website, a popular YouTube channel, social media, and out-of-home (OOH) networks, reaching a cross-platform following of over 5 million. The company targets a broad audience interested in pop culture, viral videos, and digital trends, functioning as a news source for the social web.

Keywords: digital media, entertainment news, pop culture, viral content, Shira Lazar, web series, online video, social media trends, content creation, YouTube partnership, digital publisher, influencer marketing, brand partnerships, video journalism, interactive show, Damon Berger, digital culture, trending topics, content curation, social web news