Taryn Southern

{{Infobox model

| name = Taryn Southern

| image = Taryn Southern.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1986}}{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvqVyR_gTuV/ | title=Instagram }}

| birth_place = Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

| education = University of Miami (BS, BA)

| occupation = Tech artist, advisor, filmmaker and speaker

| years_active = 2004–present

| website = {{URL|http://www.tarynsouthern.com}}

}}

Taryn Southern is an American public speaker, artist, and brand strategist who works with emerging technologies. She was formerly known for her work as a TV host, actress and YouTuber.

Early life

Southern grew up in Wichita, Kansas and landed her first starring role in a pre-Broadway theatrical production at the age of 10.{{cite web |url= https://ovrtur.com/production/2880848 |publisher= Ovrtur |title= Jane Eyre, World Premiere |date= 1995 }} As a teenager, she co-hosted a regional teen talk show for WB Kansas .{{cite news |url-access= subscription |url= https://www.kansas.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/denise-neil/article1047077.html |first= Denise |last= Neil |title= 'Rules' Lands Wichitan a Shot at Lasting Fame |date= Oct 31, 2010 |url-status= live |archive-date= Nov 5, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101105102119/http://www.kansas.com/2010/10/31/1565794/rules-lands-wichitan-a-shot-at.html }} At 20, Southern graduated from the University of Miami, earning a B.S. in Anthropology and a B.A. in Journalism. While in school, she competed in American Idol and received a grant to travel to Peru to study the shamanic use of ayahuasca among rainforest communities.{{cite video |title= Draw My Life |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaWP_n-V_po |date= Mar 28, 2013 |display-authors= 0 |first= Taryn |last= Southern |website= YouTube |accessdate= Feb 24, 2014}}

Career

= Emerging technology =

In 2017, Southern received a grant from the Google Creator Lab to create experimental VR content. One piece, New World, won AT&T's 2020 Film Award {{Cite news|url=https://discover.submittable.com/blog/2020-att-film-awards-winners/ |title=2020 AT&T Film Awards Winners |website=discover.submittable.com |access-date=2023-01-06}} and another, Life Support, was nominated for a Streamy Award.{{Cite news|url=https://vrscout.com/news/song-made-ai-360-video/|title=Song Made By AI Gets Stunning 360° Music Video - VRScout|date=2018-02-20|work=VRScout|access-date=2018-04-02|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/8476867/streamy-awards-2018-nominees-full-list|title=David Dobrik Leads 2018 Streamy Awards With 6 Nomination|date=2018-09-18|language=en-US}} Southern was also chosen to be an ambassador for The Geena Davis Institute Gender in Media #ShesGotDrive campaign to promote female voices in media.{{Cite news|url=https://seejane.org/gender-in-media-news/taryn-southern-yulin-kuang-clara-chung-join-geena-davis-institutes-shesgotdrive-campaign/| date=2017-02-17|title=Taryn Southern, Yulin Kuang and Clara Chung Join Geena Davis Institute's #ShesGotDrive Campaign}}

Southern's immersive content work led her to begin producing music with AI-based musical composition tools. In 2018, she released a music album titled I AM AI, where the instrumental backing music was generated using a variety of AI-based tools including Amper, an open source product which allows users to create music based on user generated inputs, IBM Watson Beat, Google Magenta and AIVA.{{Cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/21/technology/future/taryn-southern-ai-music/index.html|title=Popular YouTube artist uses AI to record new album|last=McFarland|first=Matt|work=CNNMoney|access-date=2018-04-02}}{{Cite news|url=https://theverge.com/2017/8/27/16197196/taryn-southern-album-artificial-intelligence-interview|title=Musician Taryn Southern on composing her new album entirely with AI|work=The Verge|access-date=2018-04-02}} Her first single, "Break Free", was released in August 2017, and features music generated using Amper.{{Cite news|url=http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/the-first-track-of-the-first-album-composed-and-produced-by-ai|title=AI and a Human Make a Pop Record... For Real|last=Berman|first=Robby|work=Big Think|access-date=2018-04-02}} Her song "New World" was tokenized using blockchain technology to enable hundreds of collaborators to split backend royalties on sales and streams of the track.{{Cite news|url=https://futurism.com/help-make-worlds-first-tokenized-song/|title=You can help make the world's very first tokenized song|date=2017-11-08|work=Futurism|access-date=2018-04-02|language=en-US}} The album received international attention, and radio play in the US.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/0c3dc8f7-4853-4379-b0d5-62175d33d557|title=Is music about to have its first AI No.1? - BBC Music|date=2018-02-28|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-04-02}}

In April 2019, Southern debuted her first full-length feature documentary, I AM HUMAN, which explored the co-evolution of the human brain and technology. I AM HUMAN had its worldwide premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in New York and was co-directed and produced by Southern.[https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/i-am-human-2019 I AM HUMAN] tribecafilm.com The Winner of four Best Feature awards following its premiere, I AM HUMAN chronicled the journey of three real-world pioneers with implantable brain-computer interfaces. I AM HUMAN won numerous awards including Best of the Fest at the 2019 El Dorado Film Festival,Trupp, Julia (October 22, 2019) [http://idleclassmag.com/2019-el-dorado-film-festival-announces-winners/ The 2019 El Dorado Film Festival announces winners] idleclassmag.com Audience Choice for Best Feature at the 2019 Eastern Oregon Film Festival,[https://www.eofilmfest.com/eoff2019-unofficial-awards/ #EOFF2019 (UN)OFFICIAL AWARDS] Outstanding First Feature at the Tallgrass Film Festival, Best Feature at Other Worlds Austin{{cite web | url-access=limited |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/605503282878189/2496539757107856 |archive-date = 2022-04-30| url = https://www.facebook.com/OtherWorldsAustin/photos/a.633134153448435/2496539757107856/?type=3&theater |title = Other Worlds Film Fest on Facebook |website=Facebook}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}} and Best Director at the Oslo Film Festival.{{cite web | url-access=limited |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/108200829698686/697593300759433 |archive-date = 2022-04-30| url = https://www.facebook.com/osloindependentfilmfestival/photos/a.267454367106664/697593300759433/?type=3&theater |title = Oslo Film Festival on Facebook |website=Facebook}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}} I AM HUMAN was released on March 10, 2020 on video-on-demand platforms.{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/movies/new-movie-release-vod-march-2020/|date=2020-03-20|title=Here are all the new movies on VOD this month, from 'Birds of Prey' to 'Rise of Skywalker'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}

=Digital media and YouTube =

On July 2, 2007, Southern released her first YouTube video, which garnered more than a million views and appeared on FOX and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews.{{cite video |url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19976248 | title=Hardball with Chris Matthews for July 24 | date=July 24, 2007 | access-date=}}

Shortly after, Southern was appointed the face of AT&T U-Verse's entertainment channel and Cosmopolitan's first daily online series.{{cite video |url= http://yhponline.com/2009/11/16/yhp-interviews-actress-writer-producer-and-tv-host-taryn-southern/ | title=YHP Interviews Taryn Southern | date=Nov 16, 2009 | accessdate=}} In addition, she starred in the first online series for The WB, Sorority Forever{{cite news |url= http://www.tubefilter.com/2008/10/31/sorority-forever-finale-arrives-as-ladies-hit-global-scene |author= Hustvedt, Marc |title=Sorority Forever Finale Arrives | date=October 31, 2008 | access-date= May 1, 2012}}

In 2009, Southern wrote/produced her first comedic musical web series, which later sold to MTV as a half-hour comedy pilot, with David Zuckerman as co-writer/executive producer.{{cite video |url= http://www.tubefilter.com/2009/03/11/mtv-orders-up-private-high-musical/| title=MTV Plans Spoof of High School Musical | date=March 11, 2009 | accessdate= May 1, 2012}}

In 2013, Southern released a musical comedy album, which reached #20 on the iTunes comedy chart and was recognized by Billboard.{{cite news | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/3356483/bubbling-under-youtube-star-taryn-southern-heads-to-radio-with| title=Bubbling Under: YouTube Star Taryn Southern Heads to Radio With 'Crush'|author = PRI | publisher=billboard.com | date=July 19, 2013 | access-date=July 13, 2020}} The song “Crush”, which was on the album, made it to the Top 100 in radio play that August.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/3356483/bubbling-under-youtube-star-taryn-southern-heads-to-radio-with |title=Bubbling Under: YouTube Star Taryn Southern Heads to Radio With 'Crush' |magazine=Billboard |date=2013-07-19 |access-date=2014-02-25}} Southern ultimately released more than 50 original songs and covers as well as an 80's inspired album, Flashback Friday.{{cite news | url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWPxlS_2HvH2uaZfRcAIgnUthJIRGEnHO| title=Flashback friday | publisher=youtube.com | date=July 19, 2015 | access-date=July 13, 2020}}

Southern launched her YouTube channel in 2012 by releasing one video per week for a year. In 2014, Southern's YouTube Channel was listed on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels, ranked at #52.{{cite web|title=The NMR Top 100 YouTube Channels: 75-51!|url= http://newmediarockstars.com/2014/12/the-nmr-top-100-youtube-channels-75-51/|website=New Media Rockstars|access-date=6 January 2015}} As of 2015, she had more than 450,000 subscribers.

By 2017, Southern had stopped posting regular content on her YouTube channel. She cited the YouTube algorithm as problematic for the digital community, and a desire to focus on other creative endeavors and experiments with emerging technology.{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-star-taryn-southern-explains-the-demanding-reality-of-social-media-fame-2017-6|title=YouTube star Taryn Southern explains the demanding new reality of being famous on social media|website=BusinessInsider.com|date=2017-01-25}}

= TV hosting, radio, acting, singing =

When Southern was seventeen, she was part of American Idol season three's Top 50.{{cite news |title=Lusty Online Ode Amuses, Enrages Viewers |url= http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?id=4162322c-2314-44a7-8b8c-7541ca196751 | author=Ottawa Citizen| date= July 14, 2007 | access-date= September 10, 2008}} She went on to host and executive produce DirecTV's first original series, Project My World, before landing other jobs in the entertainment industry and building a YouTube channel.{{cite video |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/668610/directvs_new_original_series_project_myworld_sends_three_friends_to// | title=DirecTV's New Original Series | date=September 26, 2006 | accessdate= May 1, 2012}} She was later a live correspondent on the US version of The X Factor.,{{cite magazine | url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118046251 | title=X Factor Expands Digital Domain |author=Wallenstein, Andrew | magazine=Variety | date =November 17, 2011 | access-date=November 22, 2011}} a correspondent on Discovery Channel's Shark After Dark Live, which earned the #1 ratings spot in its time slot.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.deadline.com/2013/08/shark-after-dark-devours-cable-talk-rivals-for-second-night-in-a-row-discovery-tops-cable-in-demo/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810110004/http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/shark-after-dark-devours-cable-talk-rivals-for-second-night-in-a-row-discovery-tops-cable-in-demo/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 10, 2013 |title='Shark After Dark' Devours Cable Talk Rivals For 2nd Night; Discovery Tops Cable In Demo |magazine=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2014-02-25}} Southern was later hired to continue her role as correspondent for Naked After Dark on Discovery Channel, a companion late-night show to Naked and Afraid.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.channelguidemag.com/tv-news/2014/03/15/naked-after-dark/ |title='"Naked After Dark" Premieres after Sunday's "Naked and Afraid" |magazine=channelguidemag.com |access-date=2014-03-15}} She also debuted a series with Marriott that was later renewed for a second season,{{cite web|url=http://news.marriott.com/2015/07/moxy-hotels-announces-do-not-disturb-youtube-series-with-comedian-taryn-southern.html|title=MOXY Hotels Announces "DO NOT DISTURB" YouTube Series with Comedian Taryn Southern|date=2015-07-23|publisher=Marriott|access-date=2015-07-23|archive-date=2015-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726042141/http://news.marriott.com/2015/07/moxy-hotels-announces-do-not-disturb-youtube-series-with-comedian-taryn-southern.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://news.marriott.com/2016/11/moxy-hotels-premieres-second-season-original-web-series-not-disturb-hosted-comedian-taryn-southern/|title=Moxy Hotels Premieres Second Season of Original Web Series "Do Not Disturb" Hosted by Comedian Taryn Southern|date=2015-11-15|publisher=Marriott|access-date=2015-11-15|archive-date=2018-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209170656/http://news.marriott.com/2016/11/moxy-hotels-premieres-second-season-original-web-series-not-disturb-hosted-comedian-taryn-southern/|url-status=dead}} and launched a digital talk show with Maker Studios.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-marvel-universe-maker-studios-20150428-story.html|title=Maker Studios to develop programs based on Marvel 'lore'|newspaper=LA Times|date=28 April 2015|access-date=2015-04-28}} The series, which launched in 2015 and 2016, was an exploration of internet culture, and featured guests ranging from celebrity/science enthusiast Seth MacFarlane and King Bach to psychedelic advocate Zach Leary and activist musician Kate Nash.{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/10/31/stream-con-taryn-southern-interview/|title=Stream Con: Taryn Southern interview|website=EW.com|access-date=2015-10-31}}

Southern's television acting roles included: a recurring role in the fifth season of the CBS comedy series Rules of Engagement, as well as guest starring on New Girl, American Dad!, The League and Guys with Kids.{{Cite web |date=2015-07-11 |title=What people really think of your selfies: YouTuber's hilarious tips |url=https://www.today.com/money/youtube-star-taryn-southerns-selfie-tips-t31601 |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}{{Cite web | title=East High School grad Taryn Southern named to Seventeen magazine’s YouTube Hot List {{!}} The Wichita Eagle | url=https://www.kansas.com/entertainment/article2480579.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003072421/http://www.kansas.com:80/entertainment/article2480579.html | access-date=2024-12-23 | archive-date=2014-10-03}}

Personal life

In 2019, Southern was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She completed a year of treatment in the summer of 2020, and has raised funds for an organization that provides cold cap medical treatments to young women with breast cancer.{{Cite web |last= Buckly|first=Dennis |title=Taryn Southern: A Survivor's Journey with Breast Cancer |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/taryn-southern-a-survivors-journey-with-breast-cancer/ar-AA1jksdV |website=New York Tech}}{{Cite web |last= Staff|first=Vice |date=October 29, 2021 |title=How Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Has Evolved |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-breast-cancer-research-and-treatment-has-evolved/ |website=}}

Videography

=Film/TV=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
2007 \|Project My World \|Taryn \|Nine episode documentary
2007–2008 \|The Heavy Show \|Various characters \|
2008 \|Senior Skip Day \|Isha \|movie
2008 \|Sorority Forever \|Taryn Monaghan \|31 episodes
2009 \|Woke Up Dead \|Debbie
2010 \|Pound of Flesh \|Dyonesia Cosa \|movie
2010 \|Rules of Engagement \|Allison \|Guest Star in 5 episodes
2010 \|The Temp Life \|Nancy Roder \|8 episodes
2010 \|Battle Los Angeles \|Reporter on beach \|movie
2011–2012 \| It's Fred \| Judy Munsley, Fred's Mom \| 9 episodes
2012 \|New Girl \|Megan \|Guest appearance in Season 2, Episode 3 "Fluffer"
2012 \|Guys with Kids \|Erica \|Guest appearance in Season 1, Episode 12 "Marny's Dad"
2014 \|Last Man Standing \|Rachel \|Guest appearance in Season 3, Episode 15 "Tasers"

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2007

|Project My World

|Taryn

|Nine episode documentary

2007–2008

|The Heavy Show

|Various characters