On November 15, 2014, James Franco submitted to the commands of his fans in a Google+ Hangout. From dancing in a tutu to reading poetry with peanut butter smeared all over his face to twerking, Franco acted out the weirdest fantasies of the internet. This project was in collaboration with Paper Magazine for their "Break the Internet" issue and the objective was to use the Google+ platform in a way that it had never been used before - as a creative format. This was the first time an artist and actor used a Hangout to collaborate creatively with his fans, and in no time, the project was covered all over the internet with hits from BuzzFeed, Gawker and other high-traffic sites, all asking the question, "What just happened?"
This entry should win because of its innovative and artistic use of social media and technology to play on the dynamics that most celebrities have online with their fans, which is basically being bossed around. Check the Twitter handle of any celebrity and you'll see demands to be tweeted at, followed, wished happy birthday, etc. Franco wanted to take that dynamic and put it on steroids by giving his fans the opportunity to ask him anything, using Google+ Hangouts technology to do so, and ultimately, Franco was shocked by what they were able to come up with. The end product was an artistic commentary on the fan/celebrity dynamic and the weird, funny, and sometimes twisted ways the internet works.
Papermag.com's announcement post got over 75,000 unique page views (roughly twice the amount of traffic they receive in an entire day).
The Hangout garnered 195,292 views on VOD and 30+ press hits ranging from local TV affiliates to BuzzFeed, Gawker and PerezHilton.
Franco's announcement post teasing the event received over 16,000 views.
