Gary Vaynerchuk

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Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk, photo by Erik Kastner
Background information
Born November 14, 1975 (1975-11-14) (age 33)
Babruysk, U.S.S.R.
Nationality American
Internet activity
Genre(s) wine education, wine criticism
Notable work(s) Wine Library TV
Signature phrase Changing the Wine World
Official site garyvaynerchuk.com

Gary Vaynerchuk was born in Babruysk, U.S.S.R. (today Belarus) on November 14, 1975 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1978. From a platform as co-owner and Director of Operations of Wine Library, a wine retail shop in Springfield, New Jersey, Vaynerchuk gained fame as the host of Wine Library TV, a daily internet webcast on the subject of wine.

Contents

[edit] Reaction

Vaynerchuk's informal style, described as "unpretentious, gonzo approach to wine appreciation"[1] is in contrast to conservative wine industry norms. Vaynerchuk refers to his followers as "Vayniacs" and "Vayner Nation".[2] Conversely, his hyperactive on-screen delivery has caused criticism from some of the wine purist audience.[3]

He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal,[4] GQ, and Time,[5] appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Ellen.[6] Vaynerchuk has been described as "the first wine guru of the YouTube era",[2][7] "the wine world's new superstar",[8] and by Rob Newsom, a Washington State wine maker, "outside of Robert Parker, probably the most influential wine critic in the United States".[9]

[edit] Wine Library TV

New Media Expo 2008
Left: with Justine Ezarik & Leo Laporte; Right: with Ezarik, et al.

Wine Library TV (WLTV or The Thunder Show) (2006-present) is a video podcast hosted by Vaynerchuk, featuring wine reviews and advice on wine appreciation. Episodes consists of wine tastings along with other wine related topics. The show debuted on February 21, 2006, and is produced on a daily basis, on weekdays, and is taped in the Wine Library store in Springfield, NJ. Episodes taped Monday through Thursday take place on a desk in Vaynerchuk's office, normally tasting three or four wines, and the Friday episode takes place on Vaynerchuk's office couch, tasting usually only one wine and answering questions submitted via his Facebook application Ask Gary.[10] The show may be watched by 90,000 viewers.[11]

Vaynerchuk gives his impressions and finally rates wines using the 100 point scale. As an outspoken critic of numerical scores, he has acknowledged his hypocrisy in using them.[2][12][13]

While typically a one man show, on occasion guests have been featured in the program. To date the most well-known guests have been Jancis Robinson,[11] George M. Taber, Kevin Rose, Maynard James Keenan, Ingrid Hoffmann, Timothy Ferriss, Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money, Wayne Gretzky, and Dick Vermeil, Super Bowl Winning NFL Head Coach.[14]

Vaynerchuk has also announced a partnership with Eatdrinkordie.com, where he has released videos about wine, sometimes working with celebrities like Anna Faris.[15]

In February 2009, Vaynerchuk launched Obsessed TV [16] with partner Samantha Ettus.

In March 2009, Vaynerchuk signed a 10-book deal with HarperStudio for over $1,000,000 and will release the first book, "Crush It! Turn Your Passion into Profits in a Digital World," in September 2009. The deal is groundbreaking in the publishing world as one of the first attempts to successfully use a low-advance/high royalty business model.[17]

[edit] Awards and honors

  • 2003: Market Watch magazine Business Award: "Market Watch Leader" (youngest recipient ever)
  • 2006: People's Choice Vloggie in the categories of "Cooking" and "Instructional/Educational"[18]
  • 2007: American Wine Blog Awards, Best Wine Podcast or Videoblog[19]
  • 2007: The Morning News' "Favorite Web Phenomenon, Soon-to-Be Culinary Celebrity, Web Bucket-Spitter"[20]
  • 2008: Bravo A-List Awards, 2008 Nominee for A-List Celebrity

[edit] Bibliography

  • Gary Vaynerchuk's 101 Wines: Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World (2008)
  • Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion (2009)[21]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Paul, Jonathan S., New York Magazine (May 20, 2007). "Does Your Wine Taste Like Stinky Socks Dipped in Cheese?". http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/32107/. 
  2. ^ a b c Steinberger, Mike, Slate (August 1, 2007). "Watch Me Drink!". http://www.slate.com/id/2171517/. 
  3. ^ Robinson, Jancis, jancisrobinson.com (November 15, 2008). "Gary, the arch Vayniac". http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a20081108.html. 
  4. ^ Vanessa O'Connell (2006-08-25). "Ripe for Change: Wine Sales Thrive As Old Barriers Start to Crumble". Wall Street Journal. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06237/716366-28.stm. 
  5. ^ Stein, Joel, TIME Magazine (2007-06-28). "Totally Uncorked". Time Inc.. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1638446,00.html. 
  6. ^ tv.winelibrary.com "About Winelibrary TV". http://tv.winelibrary.com/about. 
  7. ^ Crosariol, Beppi, The Globe and Mail (January 23, 2008). "YouTube wine guru: A subtle hint of 'Big League Chew'". http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080123.wldecanter23/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/home. 
  8. ^ Foley, Stephen, The Independent (08-04-2008). "Gary Vaynerchuk: The wine world's new superstar". http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/gary-vaynerchuk-the-wine-worlds-new-superstar-884063.html. 
  9. ^ Page, Karen & Dornenburg, Andrew, Washington Post (2008-01-30). "Suited for the Super Bowl". http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/29/AR2008012900731.html?nav=hcmodule. 
  10. ^ apps.facebook.com Ask Gary Facebook Application
  11. ^ a b Robinson, Jancis, Financial Times (November 15, 2008). "The online evangelist". http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/752277bc-b1da-11dd-b97a-0000779fd18c.html. 
  12. ^ "WLTV Spreadsheet". WLTV. http://tv.winelibrary.com/spreadsheet/. Retrieved on 2007-02-26. 
  13. ^ "How to score wine on the 100 point scale". cork'd. http://corkd.com/how_to_score_wine_on_the_100_point_scale. Retrieved on 2008-02-14. 
  14. ^ Dick Vermeil, Paul Smith and Gary Vaynerchuk - Episode #237
  15. ^ Gary Vaynerchuk's EatDrinkorDie Profile
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ Nelson, Sara (April 2, 2009). Twitter's "Garyvee" Vaynerchuk Gets A Book Deal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123868606261082747.html. 
  18. ^ "And the Vloggie Winners are...". Pod Tech Network. http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1441/and-the-vloggies-winners-are. Retrieved on 2007-02-23. 
  19. ^ "American Wine Blog Awards Winners". Fermentation. http://fermentation.typepad.com/fermentation/2007/02/american_wine_b_4.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-23. 
  20. ^ 2007 Editors’ Awards for Online Excellence by The Editors - The Morning News
  21. ^ [http://www.amazon.com/Crush-Time-Cash-Your-Passion/dp/0061914177/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243475118&sr=8-1 Crush It - Amazon

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk"
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