About Daryn
Daryn Strauss is a WRITERS GUILD AWARD winning writer, producer, and director who has won numerous awards on projects that have spanned digital, social media, live, and TV and have garnered over 250 million views. Over her career, she has worked with some of the biggest media companies in the world as well new start-ups as they develop content on new media platforms and build out digital content experiences.
Her career began with her pioneering web series Downsized, a mosaic-style web series inspired by her time working as a paralegal at a NYC investment company during the economic crisis. She wrote, produced, and directed all episodes of the critically acclaimed series and was nominated for a WRITERS GUILD AWARD in 2012. The series was also recognized by numerous publications including the Los Angeles Times, Indiewire, Fast Company, and The Guardian as one of the best series on the web. Considered one of the pioneering web series, Downsized was also recognized by YouTube as one of the 10 Best Series on YouTube. In 2016, she won a WRITERS GUILD AWARD for Weight, her comedy about life after reality TV weight loss which was directed by network TV veteran producer/ director Frederick King Keller (24, Blue Bloods) and was recognized by Vimeo as one of the Best Comedies on the platform.
Feeling there was work to be done to bring a spotlight on female web series creators, Daryn created a blog Digital Chick TV to highlight web series helmed by women creators. This led to her becoming a leading behind-the-scenes voice behind many popular digital programs. She served as the programming director behind the TV broadcast of the EMMY nominated documentary series MAKERS: Women Who Make America on PBS. Her multi-platform, digital, and social strategy led to MAKERS becoming the biggest social media activation in AOL & PBS history, with much of the world’s female leaders, influencers, and feminist organizations tweeting. She then helped former MTV Chief Judy McGrath launch her new teen content platform Astronauts Wanted orchestrating collaborations on the then-new social app Vine and creating their first social series #DAYOFF, a social media twist on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off featuring teen influencers Cameron Dallas, Nash Grier, and Lauren Giraldo, which received millions of views on multiple platforms. She was also a writer on the hit EMMY winning interactive series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (70 million+ views on YouTube plus a story world across multiple social media channels).
Daryn is a long-time producer of several NewFronts, the annual multi-billion dollar digital media marketplace with events from Google/ YouTube, Hulu, New York Times, Amazon and stars such as Andy Cohen, Heidi Klum, and Rashida Jones. She also produced the digital companion experience to NBCUniversal’s 2017 Upfront which featured stars and content from across NBC, E!, and all of NBCU’s networks. An in-demand producer and director, she produced and directed many other live events, digital experiences, branded video series, and podcasts for NYC’s top advertising agencies and several major live events for the industry trade organization 4A’s.
In 2020, Daryn released two projects through her production company Digital Chick TV: "Pet Peeved", which is a selection at several festivals, and the social media thriller “I AM YOU”, which was released exclusively on the new Rizzle app in partnership with Rizzle Studios and instantly became a hit, earning nominations from the Indie Series Awards and the International Academy of Web Television. She was also part of the creative team behind “Innards!” for cult studio Troma Studios in 2022 and served as a consultant on the 2020 indie feature Alberto & the Concrete Jungle.
Daryn comes from a multicultural family, the daughter of a real-life Lucy & Desi with a sassy red-headed mom and conguero dad. She spent most of her childhood dancing and watching classic movies.
She has multiple projects in development.
About Digital Chick
Digital Chick TV first launched in 2010 as a blog by Daryn Strauss to bring attention to the work of female voices in the new world of web series. Now, Digital Chick is an award-winning digital content studio founded by Writers Guild Award winning digital pioneer Daryn Strauss, specializing in digital and multi-platform content which leverages today’s latest tech. Projects have garnered a Writers Guild Award, IAWTV Award, Indie Series Awards nominations, critical acclaim from the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, IndieWire, and other major publications, millions of views and social media impressions, named as a Staff Pick, Best in Narrative, and Best in Comedy Pick on Vimeo, and one of YouTube's Top 10 Made-for-the-Web Shows.
For content strategy, writing, programming and production on the branded side, clients have included 4A’s, Fullscreen, Studio71, Federated Media, Digitas, BBH, NBCUniversal, Astronauts Wanted, and Sony Music.
AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
(Individually awarded)
Winner, Writers Guild Award (2016) for Weight
Nominee, Writers Guild Award (2012) for Downsized
Nominee, Indie Series Award (2022) for I AM YOU
Nominee, IAWTV Award (2022) for I AM YOU
(Awarded on behalf of)
Winner, ProMaxBDA Award (2017), on behalf of NBCUniversal
Winner, Digiday Publishing Award (2013), on behalf of AOL's MAKERS
(Projects worked on awarded)
Winner, Emmy Award (2013), The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Nominee, Emmy Award (2013), MAKERS: Women Who Make America
CREDITS
Downsized - Creator/Executive Producer/Director
Weight - Creator/Executive Producer
#DAYOFF (Sony Music) - Creator/Executive Producer
MAKERS (PBS/AOL) - Programming Director
MAKERS premiere at Lincoln Center (PBS/AOL) - Producer/Director
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - Writer
Pet Peeved - Creator/Executive Producer/Director
I AM YOU (Rizzle) - Creator/Executive Producer/Director
Alberto & the Concrete Jungle - Casting Consultant
Digitas NewFront 2012-2019 - Executive Content Producer
Studio71 NewFront 2016 & Federated Media NewFront 2016 - Writer
NBCUniversal 2017 Upfront (NBCU) - Digital Producer
StratFest 2019-2023 (4A’s) - Executive Producer
Jay Chiat Awards 2019-2023 (4A’s)- Executive Producer
Decisions 2021-2023 (4A’s) - Executive Producer