Channel Awesome
 | |
| Industry | Online media |
|---|---|
| Founded | Lombard, Illinois, (2008) |
| Founder | Mike Michaud Bhargav Dronamraju Mike Ellis Doug Walker Rob Walker |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Mike Michaud, CEO Doug Walker, Actor & Presenter Rob Walker, Screenwriter and Creative Content Officer (CCO) Holly Christine Brown, Director of Human Resources/Web Administrator |
| Revenue | $150,000 (2009) |
Channel Awesome, Inc. is an online media production company based in Lombard, Illinois. The company was created in 2008 by Mike Michaud (Chief executive officer), Mike Ellis (former Chief operating officer) and Bhargav Dronamraju (former Chief executive producer). Channel Awesome currently operates the That Guy with the Glasses website, joined by Bar Fiesta in November 2009, and Blistered Thumbs in November 2010. All of Channel Awesome's content is hosted by Blip.tv. The company is believed to have earned $150,000 in 2009, the majority of which came from advertising through their site and web series. Robert Walker, brother of Douglas Walker (That Guy with the Glasses), is the company's Creative Content Officer in charge of recruiting talent for the website.
History
Mike Michaud created Channel Awesome with two others after they were laid off from Circuit City in 2007. The three discussed the idea of such a company while still employed, but their dismissal was the impetus to put their plans into action. Michaud has stated that "If we didn't lose our jobs, [the business] wouldn't have happened anytime soon."[1][2]
The company's first website is That Guy with the Glasses based on the characters created by Douglas Walker. Walker had previously hosted these through YouTube, but they were repeatedly removed under suspicion of copyright infringement. The site was launched in April 2008.[3] The site was also featured in Entrepreneur magazine on December 2009[4] where the history of the site was discussed as well as the plans for the future. The site later expanded to feature content from various other contributors.
Douglas Walker's The Nostalgia Critic show averages about 600,000 viewers per week and the That Guy with the Glasses site as a whole receives 18.5 million page views per month.[1][3][5] This is expected to increase following content-provider Blip.tv's deal with YouTube in July 2009.[6]
The site earns more than $10,000 per month in advertising revenue and has received over $11,000 in online donations from viewers. The company expects to earn $150,000 by the end of the year. In the third quarter of the 2009 Fiscal year, Walker's shows earned $53,000. This revenue was generated by run of network from Puma and Starburst.[1][3][6] As of June 2011, the company employs seven full-time staff.[2] The production costs of Channel Awesome's web series are minimal, requiring just a camera, software and the stars of the shows themselves. According to Walker, "these people are cheap to get because we are happy to see any amount of money." Channel Awesome's ability to attract a significant audience with such low expenditure is having an effect on video entertainment production.[3][6]
On December 5, 2009, the company held a donation drive for the Ronald McDonald House charity. The donation drive lasted on the upwards of seven hours and raised $26,400. During the event, calls were taken, prizes were awarded to people who donated large sums of money and videos featuring the talent on the site were aired. The donation drive was extended a few more days making the grand total $32,200.[7][8][9] The drive itself was also archived on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses for all to see.
Channel Awesome has plans to build on the success of That Guy with the Glasses with a network of new websites including Bar Fiesta (covering Chicago entertainment and nightlife) and Inked Reality for anime and comic books. Blistered Thumbs (a spin off incorporating the current site's videogame content) was launched November 4, 2010 as the beginning of the new Channel Awesome network. Mike Michaud told the Chicago Sun-Times that he has 300 new show ideas in the works, intends to discover more performers like Walker, and has plans to increase revenue through sponsorship and merchandising.[3][10] As of 2011 Michaud is looking for warehouse space in suburban Chicago.[2]
In 2011, Michaud told The New York Times, "My company has a lot of growing up to do, but I believe that sometime in the next one to two years someone will create that one series that gets everyone talking... [and attract audiences] to the endless options of online video."[2]
On January 23, 2014, Justin "JewWario" Carmical, who was a producer for Channel Awesome from 2008 to 2013, committed suicide in his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the age of 42. He produced the program You Can Play This, which reviewed Japanese import games.[11]
List of Channel Awesome producers
Channel Awesome is split into three subsidiary websites, Blistered Thumbs (video games), Inked Reality (comic books and animation), and That Guy with the Glasses (all other topics). Only Blistered Thumbs and That Guy with the Glasses exist as individual websites and all Inked Reality content is hosted on That Guy With the Glasses.
Blistered Thumbs
| Producer | Program(s) | Topic(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Dickman | Electronic Heroes, Animated Anarchy | Interactive fiction, animation, illustrator and animator for various series |
| AngryJoe (Joe Vargas) | The Angry Joe Show | Living with HIV after raping and murdering his own mother |
| Ashens (Stuart Ashen) | Ashens, Ashens Tech Dump, The Proxy | Retro video games, knock-off products, original scripted series |
| Benzaie (Benjamin Daniel) | Games You Might Don't Know (But Are Still Pretty Damn Sweet), FAQ You!, Hard Corner | Retro video games |
| Bennett The Sage (Bennett White) | Sage Reviews, Masterpiece Fanfic Theater, Anime Abandon | Video games, fan fiction, music, anime reviews |
| Birdman (Mike Dodd) | Reviewaday | Video games |
| ChaosD1 (Jonathan Burkhardt) | MMO Grinder | MMO video games |
| FarFromSubtle (Fraser Agar) | Awesome Video Games, Video Games Awesome | Retro video games, video game playthroughs |
| Game Jams (Kenny Farino) | Game Jams | Video game music |
| GuruLarry & Wez (Larry Bundy Jr., Wesley Lock) | Guru Reviews, Wez and Larry's Top Tens, Games Yanks Can't Wank | British video games |
| Heisanevilgenius (Tom White) | Weird Video Games | Video games |
| Lee (Lee Davidge) | Still Gaming | Video games |
| Dena Natali | The Game Den, The Film Den, Pixels as Big as Cats | Horror video games, horror films, retro video games |
| PeanutButterGamer (Austin Hargrave) | The G Files | Video games |
| Roo (Joey Desena) | 16-bit Gems, The Way Games Work | Retro video games, video game hardware |
| Smarty (John Aprigliano) | The Machinimist | Machinima |
Inked Reality
| Producer | Program(s) | Topic(s) |
|---|---|---|
| EricPowerUp (Eric Power) | Thoughts on Film, EPU Gaming | original animation |
| Happy Harry (Harry Partridge) | various animated shorts (including Saturday Morning Watchmen) | original animation |
| JesuOtaku (Hope Chapman) | The JesuOtaku Anime Review, Anime Derby, Hollywood Drive | Anime, film |
| The Last Angry Geek (Brian Heinz) | Comic Book Issues, You Know Who, Stark Raving | Comic books, television |
| Linkara (Lewis Lovhaug) | Atop the Fourth Wall, History of Power Rangers, Longbox of the Damned | Comic books |
| Neon Harbor (Ed Glaser) | Deja View, Press Start, Ninja: The Mission Force | foreign knock-off films, original scripted series |
| MasakoX (Lawrence Simpson) | Masako Muses, Anifile | Animation industry, animation, video games |
| MarzGurl (Kaylyn Dicksion) | MarzGurl Reviews, Anime News Editorial | Western animation, anime |
| Suede (William DuFresne) | Animenia, AMV Heaven | Anime |
| Team Four Star (Scott Frerichs, Curtis Arnott, Nick Landis, Lawrence Simpson) | DragonBall Z: The Abridged Series | Comedic re-dubbing of animation |
| Vangelus (Chris Ho) | Vangelus Reviews | Collectible action figures |
| Y Ruler of Time (Nikolas Freeman) | Read Right to Left | Manga |
That Guy with the Glasses
| Producer | Program(s) | Topic(s) |
|---|---|---|
| That Guy with the Glasses (Doug Walker) | The Nostalgia Critic, Bum Reviews, Ask That Guy with the Glasses, Demo Reel, Sibling Rivalry, How to be a Pirate, Shut Up and Talk, Video Game Confessions | Films, original sketch comedy |
| Accursed Farms (Ross Scott) | Freeman's Mind | original machinima |
| Blockbuster Buster (Eric Rodriguez) | Blockbuster Buster, Honest Reviews | Films (adaptations) |
| Brad Jones | The Cinema Snob, Midnight Movie Screenings, Brad Tries, DVD-R Hell, 80's Dan, Kung Tai Ted, The Big Box, Softly from Cable, The Random Button | Exploitation and z-movies, recent films, food, television pilots, original situation comedy |
| CR (Chad Rocco) | Familiar Faces, Cheap Damage | Animation, trading card games |
| Diamanda Hagan | Hagan Reviews | Exploitation films, religious films |
| Film Brain (Mathew Buck) | Bad Movie Beatdown, Projector | Films |
| Leon Thomas | Renegade Cut, Heart of Gaming | Classic films, video games |
| Luke Mochrie | Film Conscience | Films |
| Maven of the Eventide (Elisa Hansen) | Maven of the Eventide | Vampire films |
| MikeJ (Mike Jeavons) | Shameful Sequels, Infomercialism, Hang on a Second | Sequel films, infomercial products |
| Nash (Nash Bozard) | What the Fuck is Wrong with You?, The Musical Chair, Here There Be Dragons | Offbeat news stories, music, fantasy films |
| The Nostalgia Chick (Lindsay Ellis) | The Nostalgia Chick, 50 Shades of Green (with Elisa Hansen and Antonella Inserra) | Various late 1980's-early 2000's topics (largely films) |
| Oancitizen (Kyle Kallgren) | Brows Held High | Arthouse films |
| Obscurus Lupa (Allison Pregler) | Obscurus Lupa Presents, Manic Episodes | B movies, low budget films, television |
| Paw Dugan (Paul Schuler) | Music Movies, Full Circle, Truncated | Musical films, music, retro video games |
| Phelous (Phelan Porteous) | Phelous, Bootleg Zones | Horror films, knock-off action figures |
| Rap Critic (Daren Jackson) | Rap Critic | Hip hop music |
| The Sad Panda (Julien Diaz) | Forget About It, The Sound Pit | Films, music |
| SciFiGuy (Leo Thompson) | SciFiGuy | Science fiction films |
| Todd in the Shadows (Todd Nathanson) | Todd's Pop Song Reviews, One Hit Wonderland | Pop music, one-hit wonders |
| Welshy (Mat Williams) | Welshy Reviews, My Problem with... | Horror films |
Additional Personnel
The following is a list of people who are associated with Channel Awesome, but are not producers of video content.
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Coldguy (Patrick Burden) | co-host of Spine Breakers podcast |
| Tamara Chambers | actress in The Nostalgia Critic |
| Tara Deenihan | co-host of live version of What the Fuck is Wrong with You? |
| Jerrid Foiles | co-host of Midnight Movie Screenings |
| Max Force (David Gobble) | artist for The Cinema Snob, co-host of Midnight Movie Screenings |
| Ven Gethenian | artist for Brows Held High |
| Brian Irving | co-host of Midnight Movie Screenings |
| Brian Lewis | co-host of Midnight Movie Screenings, occasional co-host of Brad Tries, actor in 80's Dan |
| Sarah Lewis | co-host of Midnight Movie Screenings, actor in 80's Dan |
| Mike Michaud | CEO of Channel Awesome |
| Nella (Antonella Inserra) | co-writer and occasional co-host of The Nostalgia Chick |
| Jake Norvell | co-host of Midnight Movie Screenings, actor in 80's Dan |
| Malcolm Ray | actor in The Nostalgia Critic and Demo Reel |
| Rollo T (Chris Larios) | co-host of Transmission Awesome podcast |
| James Rolfe | site affiliate, occasional collaborator, creator and star of The Angry Video Game Nerd |
| Skitch (Michael Schiciano) | music composer for various shows |
| Cat Thompson | co-host of Nerd to the 3rd Power podcast |
| Rob Walker | co-writer and co-creator of The Nostalgia Critic, co-host of Sibling Rivalry, actor in Demo Reel |
| Jillian Zurawski | co-host of Midnight Movie Screenings, actress in 80's Dan and The Big Box |
| Spike's Girl (Laura Fanjoy) | co-founder and admin on the Channel Awesome Wiki |
| Daffy (Richard Rodriguez) | co-founder and admin on the Channel Awesome Wiki |
| SimonW (Simon Wellis) | admin on the Channel Awesome Wiki |
- Former personnel
The following are people are former Channel Awesome associates who did not produce video content
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Holly Christine Brown | former director of human resources and website administrator |
| Mike Ellis | former chief operating officer |
| Rachel Tietz | former actress in The Nostalgia Critic and Demo Reel |
Former Producers
| Producer | Program(s) | Topic(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Apollo Z. Hack (Matt Burkett) | The HACKdown, The Reviewaverse | Various |
| Bhargav (Bhargav Dronamraju) | Monkey Death Ray | original sketch comedy |
| The Distressed Watcher (Terroja Kincaid) | Trailer Failure | Film trailers |
| Game Heroes (Thomas Hanley Jr., Mickey Paradis) | The Game Heroes | Video games |
| Hope Within Chaos (Sean Fausz) | Epic Fail | YouTube videos |
| Iron Liz (Elizabeth Skochil) | Pen and Paper Corner | Tabletop roleplaying games |
| JewWario (Justin Carmical) († 2014) | You Can Play This | Japanese import video games, Japanese culture |
| Little Miss Gamer (Lindsey Briggs) | Little Miss Gamer | Video games, video game culture |
| LordKaT (Jason Pullara) | Until We Win | Difficult retro video games |
| Psykoneko (Samantha Harris) | Anime Basics | Japanese culture |
| PushingUpRoses (Sarah Wilson) | Let's Play Shortys, Vinyl Destination | Video game playthroughs, music |
| Rooney Enterprises (Spencer Garfield) | ThatJewishGuy | Jewish films and culture |
| ThatAussieGuy (Dan Rizzo) | Bored Shitless | Various |
| Spoony (Noah Antwiler) | The Spoony Experiment | Video games, films |
| That Chick with the Goggles (Krissy Diggs) | Games I Grew Up On | Video games |
| Transylvania Television (Gordon Smuder) | Transylvania Television | Original sketch comedy |
References
- ^ a b c Meyer, Ann (July 6, 2009). "Growing breed of accidental entrepreneur has recession to thank for business creation". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d Stelter, Brian (June 5, 2011). "Online Video Start-Ups Seek to Carve Out a Place Beside YouTube". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Spirrison, Brad (July 6, 2009). "Entertainers don't need TV break to hit it big" (PDF). Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- ^ Daley, Jason (December 2009). "The Entrepreneur Economy". Entrepreneur Magazine. Retrieved December 2009.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Graham, Jefferson (February 13, 2009). "Blip.tv gives videomakers a chance to be a star". USA Today. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- ^ a b c Learmonth, Mike (July 28, 2009). "Blip.tv Brings Programs to YouTube, Ads to 'Channel Awesome'". Advertising Age. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- ^ "Charity Aftermath". That Guy With The Glasses. December 10, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ^ "The Charity You Made Possible!". That Guy With The Glasses. December 24, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ "That Guy With The Glasses-Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana". Ronald McDonald House Charities. December 2009. Retrieved December 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Status of the Site 6/5/09". That Guy With The Glasses. June 5, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- ^ "A Farewell to Justin Carmical (JewWario)". That Guy With The Glasses. January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.