Thoen and Thomson chatting up a local male babe.

The outlet came online in late August with video of Wakeride, Folk Fest, Jazz Fest and later, LB5Q.

“We’re trying to be a local MTV or College Humor,” said creative director Devon Hennig, who manages the site with executive editor Jackie Cook.

Hennig and Cook came together last year while studying marketing at the Edwards School of Business. It was there, with the help of the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence, that they began shooting video of university events and selling the edited product under the label TVZ Media.

Cook said they immediately realized the opportunity to not just sell the video, but to showcase the events to the public through the Internet. She feels with the “lack of eyes” on traditional news, there is a real audience for a media platform like Thread.

“In Saskatoon, the Sheaf, Planet S and the Verb are really the only things that young people are tuning in to these days,” Cook said.

“We’re just trying to be the video version of that,” Hennig added.

They say Thread is primarily about attending events and creating video while authentically interacting with people you see around the streets of Saskatoon. But since the launch, they have also branched into three episode-based series.

The most popular series thus far has been Babewatch. Essentially, the show follows hosts Manny Thomson and Nathan Thoen as they comb the city flirting with babes. Another series again hosted by Thomson is Local Music Map, which focuses on Saskatoon’s alternative music scene. And their newest series, Press Play, saw host James Aaron tour to the Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo for the first episode.

“We really want to be an open, approachable company where people with cool, creative ideas can come to us and pitch us their ideas,” Hennig said.

They said they are open to photographers, bloggers, comedians and musicians who have a concept and would like to gain some exposure.

Although Thread’s videos have already garnered roughly 17,000 total views, the site is clear of advertisements.

“As soon as you put advertisements up, it’s like inviting parents to the party,” Hennig said, referencing Mark Zuckerberg’s early Facebook business model which refrained from advertising.

“We may move to banners and splash ads in the future, but for now we just want to win the hearts of the people,” Cook explained.

With a staff almost entirely consisting of university students or recent graduates, they say Thread is strongly “focused on the college demographic.”

“We’re made by young people, for young people,” Hennig said.

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Photo: Supplied