THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Special Project

Special Project
From the 15th Annual Shorty Awards

Vlad & NIki

Finalist in Long Form Video

Objectives

“Vlad & Niki” videos are created to entertain children while challenging them to explore, create, learn, and think outside the box.  In the “Four Colors Playhouse Challenge” video, Vlad, Niki, little brother Chris, and mom Victoria decorated color-coordinated rooms with items sourced from their home, motivating kids to look at their surroundings with fresh eyes and see the adventure to be had with simple household items.

Seeking to inspire and educate children on a global scale, the “Vlad & Niki” channels showcase the best of childhood with a lively mix of videos emphasizing having fun and education.  Capturing the hearts and minds of preschool-aged children and their families worldwide, “Vlad & Niki” educates and entertains 309+ million followers on 21 YouTube channels. 

“Vlad & Niki” content is created by the boys’ father, Sergey Vashtekov, and mother, Victoria, the adult sidekick on the boys’ adventures.  Starring nine-year-old Vlad, seven-year-old Niki, and three-year-old Chris, each “Vlad & Niki” video inspires children to explore, learn, create, and think outside the box.  With videos that feature an engaging blend of comedic live-action antics, appealing sets and props, lively animation, and fun music, “Vlad & Niki” creates a unique world that connects with the preschool audience like no other brand does.  While viral success is never guaranteed, the “Four Colors Playhouse Challenge” video was created to inspire children to see the fun and adventure in their homes.  The video succeeded on a massive scale.

Strategy and Execution

“Vlad & Niki” is an imaginative, live-action preschool YouTube series, showcasing the everyday comedic antics of two brothers.  The series stars nine-year-old Vlad Vashketov and seven-year-old Niki Vashketov, along with the help of their humorous mother Victoria Vashketova and three-year-old brother Chris. 

The streaming content is created to entertain children while challenging them to explore, create, learn, and think outside the box.    “Vlad & Niki” spirited subject matter explores everyday life themes featuring topics such as learning the alphabet, celebrating with friends, playing with cars, participating in physical activities, exploring animals at the zoo, emulating superheroes, teaching about healthy eating habits, partaking in arts and crafts, and playing with toys.  

By creating a solid emotional connection with their audience, the “Vlad & Niki” brand has built a long-standing trust among parents and caregivers looking to Vlad, Niki, and Chris as role models for their children.  With a vast multicultural global audience, “Vlad & Niki” messaging is spread throughout hundreds of millions of households worldwide.  With this unrivaled reach for a live-action preschool brand, the lessons learned from the boys have an educational and emotional impact that young viewers will take with them as they grow.

Like many “Vlad and Niki” videos, the “Four Colors Playhouse Challenge” episode was filmed in the Vashtekov home.  A sturdy, colorful miniature “house” was created for the video, featuring four color-filled rooms, one for each of the boys and their mom Victoria.  Using color-coordinated props and furnishings from around their home, the boys and mom, Victoria, decorated each room to reflect its owner.  The use of bright and vibrant colors is a brand trademark, and this video uses color with powerful impact. 

Directed by their father, Sergey, the video was filmed during the boys’ summer vacation.  Filming with three energetic boys is always an adventure, as “Vlad & Niki” videos show.  In the “Four Colors Playhouse Challenge,” the boys play with dump trucks one moment and eat colorful fruit and vegetables, the next.  By fitting in subtle messaging about healthy eating, the video educates kids while keeping a lively sense of fun, a powerful trait of all “Vlad & Niki” videos. 

Results

The boys dominate the preschool space as global superstars with 21 channels in 18 languages. Adding 92+ million international viewers in 2022, “Vlad & Niki” currently has 309+ million global viewers and has amassed more than 178 billion views across their channels. 

This popular video was one of the reasons the “Vlad and Niki” channels experienced such massive growth in 2022.  Posted on July 29, 2022, the “Four Colors Playhouse Challenge” video has garnered more than 373+ million views on their English Channel and has more than half a billion views globally. 

While each video on the “Vlad and Niki” channels is created to appeal to every follower, some videos resonate more than others.  The “Four Colors Playhouse Challenge” is an impressive example of the brand’s massive impact globally. 

As an example of blending education and adventurous fun, the “Four Colors Playhouse Challenge” video exemplifies the “Vlad & Niki” brand.  The video’s massive viral reach proves that this compelling mix of learning and playful adventuring connects with kids and their parents worldwide.

By showcasing discovery play, imagination, bright colors, fun music, and the boys’ exuberant personalities; this video exemplifies a perfect example of “Vlad & Niki” content.  With more than 500 million views worldwide, it has proven to be a great success.

(Number of views calculated in the ‘Results’ above are based on this Entry’s submission on January 20, 2023.)

Media

Video for Vlad & NIki

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Vlad & Niki/Content Media Group FZC, LLC

Link

Entry Credits