Kate Russell, tech journalist, presenter and author who presented Nickelodeon UK's hit '90s gaming magazine series Fish & Chips - alongside James Gilby and Bert the Fish - has announced the launch of FerretTube!
Launched by Kate, who recently retired from her tenure at BBC Click, together with her business partner Richy Reay following a chance encounter with an abandoned ferret during lockdown, the channel streams 24/7 on Twitch (twitch.tv/FerretTube), applying broadcast production principles to provide high quality edutainment across a number of digital channels.
Kate explains: “The idea for FerretTube came after weeks of twiddling my thumbs during the first months of lockdown. I needed a project to occupy my time and keep my career ticking over, so looked at the resources I had available to me at home. I've been playing video games on Twitch for five years but wanted to do something more original that would bring joy to a wider range of people in these troubled times. I am also a big animal-lover - training as a veterinary nurse before I moved to tech journalism. Then, out for a walk one day I found a lost ferret, and it sparked an idea to combine my technology and streaming knowledge with my love of animals, to bring cute and fluffy live to the internet 24/7."
FerretTube features a spacious and colourful enclosure that has been specially designed around 4 high-definition day/night visions cameras set up to capture the best moments. The channel streams 24/7 footage of the ferrets' lives, together with two active play sessions out on the studio floor each day.
Fans can also subscribe for exclusive extras on the FerretTube Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/FerretTube.
Kate said: "It's impossible not to smile when you see our ferret kits running and bouncing around the room, and we are already building a fantastic community in the chat room who hang out there for company or just to relax and lurk. Even when they are not running about the ferrets look adorable when sleeping, up close on the night-vision camera that sits in the corner of their sleep box.”
As well as the day-to-day happenings in the enclosure, Kate produces and presents one in-depth show each week, covering all aspects of caring for pet ferrets. These shows are a chance to introduce special guests like 'Irina the vet' and 'Peter the handler', and run audience-led workshops to design and build creative ways to entertain the ferrets.
Kate explains: "We want to show the reality of getting and keeping a pet ferret and help viewers
understand everything that's involved - the good and the bad. So far, the audience has already gone through 'bite training' for the young kits with me. I have the scars to prove it, they don't! But they have also seen me get my first snuggles from these adorable little creatures. Ultimately, we hope this up close and personal view of a ferret-keeper's role will help reduce the number of pet ferrets being abandoned and needing rescue homes."
The launch comes as recent research* shows an enormous growth in demand for streaming channels during lockdown. Twitch, a gaming platform which introduced a 'Just Chatting' feature last year, saw a 62% increase in hours watched between the first and second quarter of this year - reaching 5 billion hours watched.
Kate adds: "History is going to look back on this period as a turning point in the way we consume
and create entertainment. People increasingly want to find content that relates to them, is tailormade and interactive. We believe strongly that the coming mass consumption of live streaming will help democratise the broadcast entertainment industry, which is fantastic for independent creators. Through FerretTube we want to demonstrate what is possible when you deliver broadcast production values into direct-to-audience content distribution channels in every kind of genre."
As the project progresses, Kate and Richy aim to create and share advice and how-to guides encouraging others who want to take streaming more seriously for themselves.
Kate concludes: “Like many others in the entertainment industry, Covid 19 has had a huge impact on my career and now feels like the right time to do this for me. I hope watching my journey will bring joy to some, and inspire others to set up their own channel, streaming the thing that they do or love. It could be a really good way to supplement their income – especially if you have a small business doing something interesting - as more and more diverse audiences from across the world turn to digital channels looking for something different to watch.”
**Report by Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet
Follow on: Kate Russell:
Twitter: @KateRussell
YouTube: FerretTube.live
Twitter: @ferrettubetv
FB: FerretTube TV
Instagram: FerretTubeTV
Patreon /FerretTube
#MayContainFerrets
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