Ze Frank
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| Ze Frank | |
 Ze Frank hosting the web awards at SXSWi 2007 |
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| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hosea Jan Frank |
| Born | March 31, 1972 |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Jody Brandt (2003-present) |
| Internet activity | |
| Genre(s) | Comedy |
| Notable work(s) | the show |
| Official site | www.zefrank.com |
Ze Frank (born Hosea Jan Frank on March 31, 1972, first name IPA: [zeɪ], rhymes with "say") is an American online performance artist, composer, humorist and public speaker based in Los Angeles, California.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
Frank was born to German-American parents and raised in a suburb of Albany, New York. He graduated from Brown University in 1995 where he studied neuroscience.[1] Information given in the show indicates that he was educated at a Montessori school and also has a sister.
Beginning at Brown, Frank played guitar and sang lead vocals for a funk/jam band called Dowdy Smack, along with Blues Traveler bassist Tad Kinchla, until its dissolution in 1998.
Frank married his long-term girlfriend Jody Brandt in 2003. They met at Brown University and dated for five years before tying the knot. Jody is a licensed psychologist. She also officiated the wedding ceremony of Frank's bandmate Tad Kinchla in 2009. Frank and Brandt moved from Brooklyn Heights, NYC to Westwood, LA at the end of 2008.[citation needed]
[edit] Career
In 2001, Frank created an online birthday invitation and sent it to seventeen of his closest friends. Forwarded wildly, the invitation soon generated millions of hits and over 100 gigabytes of daily web traffic to Frank's personal Web site.[2] The site grew to include interactive group projects, short films, animations, and video games, many Flash-based, including children's educational videos featuring handy tips such as "Don't vacuum your face".
Frank won a 2002 Webby Award for Best Personal Website. In 2005, Frank was featured in Time Magazine's "50 Coolest Websites".[3] Frank debuted onstage at the Gel conference in 2003, and later spoke at the TED Conference in 2004 and 2005.[4]
Frank has served as an adjunct professor at ITP/NYU, Parsons School of Design, and SUNY Purchase.
Discussing his work in the digital medium, and the potential of new platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, Frank said, "For me, experimentation is not about the technology. In an ever-changing technological landscape, where today’s platforms are not tomorrow’s platforms, the key seems to be that any one of these spaces can use a dose of humanity and art and culture.”[5]
[edit] the show
| Hosting | Ze Frank |
|---|---|
 RSS |
http://feeds.feedburner.com/theshowzefrank |
| Atom |
http://feeds.feedburner.com/theshowzefrank |
| Updates | Weekdays |
| Picture format | .flv, .mov, .mp4 |
| Debut | March 17, 2006 |
| End date | March 17, 2007 |
| Genre | comedy, current events |
| Website | http://www.zefrank.com/theshow |
On March 17, 2006, Frank launched the daily video program the show with zefrank. The format of the program combined commentary on media and current events with viewer contributions and activities. Each tightly edited three-to-five-minute episode combined Daily Show-style commentary on world events with songs, observations, and occasional games or challenges for his viewers to participate in. Thousands of photos, videos and music files were contributed by the audience, including over 1,000 photos in one 20-hour period.[6] The show appeared each weekday until its final episode on March 17, 2007, exactly one year after its start. Following the success of the show, Frank signed with the United Talent Agency of Beverly Hills, California for representation.
[edit] Appearances
- In February 2004 Frank appeared on the TED Conference with a talk titled What's so funny about the Web?
- On May 18, 2007, Frank spoke at the Ruby on Rails conference, RailsConf, in Portland, Oregon.[7]
- Frank was a substitute host on the July 23, 2007 edition of the PRI public radio show Fair Game with Faith Salie.[8]
- Frank spoke at Rochester Institute of Technology as part of the monthly Caroline Werner Gannett Lecture Series on October 3, 2007.[9]
- On March 2008, Frank MCed the Graphex Gala Awards Ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. http://www.gdc.net/graphex/winners/index.php
- Ze was a featured guest on The Sound of Young America on July 17, 2008[10].
- On 6 October 2008, Ze was the keynote speaker at the Kalido User Conference.
- Ze presented at the 3rd Webstock conference in Wellington, New Zealand on February 19, 2009.
- Ze is currently featured in a weekly webseries for Time Magazine Online.
[edit] References
- ^ a b St. John, Warren (June 18, 2006). ""And You're So Funny? Write My Script"". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/fashion/sundaystyles/18ze.html?ex=1308283200&en=75012f528a1baac1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
- ^ Kukec, Anna Marie (April 23, 2001). "Web designer's email invite forwarded millions of times". Daily Herald.
- ^ Murray Buechner, Marryanne (June 20, 2005). "50 Coolest Websites 2005". Time. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1073316,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
- ^ Ze Frank's speech at the TED Conference (2004) Monterey, California (video)
- ^ Kirsner, Scott (2009) (in English). Fans, Friends & Followers: Building an Audience and a Creative Career in the Digital Age. Boston, MA: CinemaTech Books. p. 51. ISBN 1442100745. http://www.scottkirsner.com/fff.
- ^ "First Ze Take Hollywood" by Spencer Morgan, New York Observer, January 21, 2007
- ^ Ze Frank Keynote at Ruby Central and O'Reilly Media's RailsConf (2007) Portland, Oregon
- ^ Fair Game: Hasan Elahi, Rachelle Garniez, Harvey Pekar
- ^ The Caroline Werner Gannett Lecture Series - Ze Frank at Rochester Institute of Technology.
- ^ Ze Frank on The Sound of Young America
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ze Frank |
- Ze Frank's site
- zefrank.com wiki
- Ze Frank on IMDB
- Warren St. John interviews Ze Frank (June 18, 2006) for The New York Times (video)
- Interview: Ze Frank, performance artist by Mark Hurst of goodexperience.com on December 4, 2002
- "Ze Frank, YouTube, and Making Money" by Heather Green, BusinessWeek, July 28, 2006
- TED Talks: Ze Frank's nerdcore comedy at TED in 2004
- Ze Frank on creativity, an interview with about-creativity.com March 29, 2007
- Zefrank's postings on Buzzfeed.com
