YouTube is becoming fertile soil for the entertainment industry. It's helped launched the careers of of Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black among many others. VH1 is hoping lightning continues to strike with its sketch comedy show from Internet star Stevie Ryan.
"Stevie TV," which debuts on the cable network March 4, will offer comedy bits featuring mix of celebrity parodies and original characters. Some of Ryan's recurring impersonations will include pop culture darlings like Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga. As far as original personalities, Ryan will reprise some from her YouTube videos as well as create new ones.
This step to the national stage is big one for the 26-year-old Ryan, a self-proclaimed "poor girl from Victorville (CA) that was just messing around with a camera."
At the Television Critics Association Winter press tour, Ryan explains that while she's excited about the show's prospects, the move from the Internet to the small screen has offered some challenges.
"I was worried because when you're on the Internet, you don't have censors. You can do whatever you want, you can say whatever you want. You are your own censor," Ryan says. "But then with VH1, it was like, 'Oh. We're censored to an extent.'"
She adds that one other area of adjustment is relinquishing control over certain areas of the production. This is a far cry from how things worked in her YouTube days, when she ran all facets of the shoot.
"It's a lot to get used to because you kind of become a control freak when you're doing every single thing," Ryan says.
Ryan's made a huge first step in her jump from YouTube to the tube. But whether she'll achieve stardom on the level of Bieber or Black, only time will tell.
