DTran’s Blog

About GameZombie
In two years time, GZ has produced over 250 hi-quality, original game videos for global webcast. Official YouTube Partner status, various distribution contracts, and a rapidly expanding fan base have pushed GameZombie into the elite of game media. After winning a 2008 Webby Honoree Award, GZ is one of the few companies to repeat the feat in 2009.

Coming soon: Season 2 of GZ’s smash hit, ButtonMashers, and a brand new video game show called Ultimate Challenge that’s sure to be hit with video game fans around the world!

Web Awards & Distinctions
*2009 Webby Honoree Award
*2008 Webby Honoree Award
*10 featured videos on YouTube’s Gaming Channel
*2 full months on the front page of Bebo
*25 front page video stars by DailyMotion
*20 featured videos on GameTrailers
*3 full months on the front page of Revver
*10 front page editor’s picks on Crackle
*over 50 additional featured GZ vids
*over 7 million global video views

Bio
I grew up in New England, Southern California, and Europe, went to high school in Chicago, and received highest honors degrees in History and Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin. Upon graduation, I traveled throughout Central and South America, a journey that resulted in the novels, Fury & Redemption and Bad Blood Born. In the fall of 2006, I entered the Telecommunications Program at Indiana University at Bloomington. My thesis project was the two-time Webby Honoree Award winning original series, GameZombie TV.

This Fall 2009, I’m joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, helping develop UWW’s Media Arts & Game Development Lab. Simultaneously, I’m pursuing a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Communications & Technology, at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. My professional objective is to design cutting edge, hands-on new media education projects–like GameZombie–that compete and succeed on the web.

Key GZ Milestones
•7,000,000 Global Views – June 2009
•2nd Webby Honoree Award – April 2009
•200 Completed Original Game Videos – Dec 2008
•ButtonMashers Launched – Dec 2008
•Promoted Bebo Channel – June 2008
•YouTube Partner – June 2008
•1,000,000 views – April 2008
•Webby Honoree Award – April 2008
•First published video – March 2007

GameZombie – Video Selections:
•ButtonMashers Ep 4 on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWwsjN9lnjo (82k views)
•Cliff Bleszinski – Gears of War 2 World Exclusive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c81U7DO5zqk (the top video on the web for one of the industry’s brightest stars)
•GameZombie’s 2009 Webby Award reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAyWGadTHyg

Contact Information

Website:: http://GameZombie.tv
http://www.youtube.com/gamezombieutube
http://twitter.com/gamezombie
http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/07/27/but…
http://www.google.com/profiles/worldwith…
http://spencerstriker.com/

Education and Work

Grad Schools:

University of Wisconsin–Madison ‘13
Doctor of Philosophy, (PhD), Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Communications & Technology

Indiana ‘08
Master of Science (MS), Telecommunications, New Media Production

College:

Employer:

Media Arts & Game Development Lab

Position:

Faculty

Time Period:

July 2009 – Present

Location:

Whitewater, WI

Description:

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Employer:

GameZombie.tv

Position:

Creative Director & Executive Producer

Time Period:

August 2006 – Present

Employer:

Ivy Tech

Time Period:

January 2009 – August 2009

Location:

Bloomington, IN

Description:

Taught Game Development, Web Development, and Web Graphics

Employer:

Indiana University

Time Period:

August 2006 – May 2009

Location:

Bloomington, IN

Description:

Developed and taught the popular curriculum, ‘Web Video & the Game Industry – GameZombie’ to over 150 talented students. Oversaw advanced multimedia production in state of the art computer labs plus 3 years experience teaching and producing in a $1mill HDTV studio

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Web series project offers real-life experience to UW-W students

November 8, 2009

By KAYLA BUNGE ( Contact ) Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

EMAIL SHARE PRINT

Photo

Photo by Kyle Bursaw

GameZombie TV’s lead motion graphics designer Jason Jahnke, left, clicks on a video clip that isn’t working correctly. Meanwhile, production manager Maxwell Zierath, center, telephones the advisor to students at the Indiana University branch of Game Zombie TV to get them to send the file again. Lindsey Rients, right, another production manager, looks on at the work of another member of the team.

Photo

Photo by Kyle Bursaw

GameZombie TV’s lead motion graphics designer Jason Jahnke looks over some footage transmitted from students working at the Indiana University branch of GameZombie TV.

WHITEWATER — Students are brewing life in the multimedia lab in the basement of Andersen Library at UW-Whitewater—but instead of bringing breath to their “monster” for class credit, they’re gaining business identities.

GameZombie TV, a popular and award-winning gaming industry news and interview Web series that embraces the “by gamers, for gamers” mentality, is allowing students to get first-hand experience in a number of highly-competitive industries.

“It’s a powerful learning experience,” said Spencer Stuart, an instructor at UW-Whitewater and executive producer and creative director of GameZombie. “It’s not just a student project. They’re part of a studio that puts out content … “

The series receives hundreds of thousands of views a week and has received more than 7 million video views since its start in 2007. The studio produces two videos a week and has amassed a collection of more than 275 videos that are distributed through a number of video portals, such as YouTube. GameZombie even won a Webby Award in 2008 and 2009 for best online video in the student category.

Stuart created GameZombie as part of his master’s degree project at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., but even then, he had grand visions of the place GameZombie would hold in the gaming industry.

“It was always meant to be something real,” said the 31-year-old, who holds degrees in history and film and new media. “That’s the thing I hated about school. You make stuff, you show it to a room of 50 people, you get critiqued and you put it in your archive for the rest of time. It’s not motivating.

“But this … is like building equity in a brand, in a media product … that’s completely and totally out in the public.”

Stuart taught a class about online video production and the gaming industry at Indiana University, in which students essentially worked on video production, Web development and marketing for GameZombie. He plans to teach a similar class at UW-Whitewater.

GameZombie has evolved in its three years. It once produced game reviews, but now produces high-quality stylized reviews, interviews and video series.

“It wasn’t smart enough,” Stuart said of the old model. “It was fun, but it wasn’t smart from a business perspective. It’s very competitive to make videos for the Web, and too many people were already doing (reviews).”

GameZombie now is known for its dynamic videos that place an emphasis on high-quality two- and three-dimensional graphics, seamless-yet-schizophrenic editing and production style and obscure humor understood only by gamers.

The studio also has a big Web presence—even above and beyond its original videos. It has a Facebook page, a Twitter feed and a blog.

“There’s just an endless stream of content,” Stuart said.

Although GameZombie is not an official class yet (it will be in spring), and media arts and game development is not an official major yet (it will be next fall), dozens of students already are meeting regularly to learn the ropes of the studio, from lining up interviews to producing videos to marketing the business.

Maxwell Zierath, sophomore from Milton, wants to have a career in the gaming industry, and GameZombie is giving him a chance to not only create videos but also network with game developers and companies.

“This is an opportunity I can’t miss,” he said. “This is the best way for me to get out there after college.”

Brian Walsh, a senior from Hartland, is treating his time with GameZombie as an internship, even though he’s not getting college credit for it.

“I can get my feet wet in something I really want to do,” he said. “I never thought this was something I actually could do. (Working in the gaming industry) is just a pipe dream for most people. But I can use this to get an ‘in’ in the industry.”

Stuart said his students are showing a lot of motivation and enthusiasm for the work ahead of them. He is hopeful the program at UW-Whitewater will flourish as it did at Indiana University.

“It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of hard work. They’re playing for much higher stakes,” he said of his students.

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Bruce Lee Enterprises Announces Website Launch and Major Expansion of Brand

November 8, 2009

Projects Include Film, Television and Licensing

Press Release
Source: Bruce Lee Enterprises
On 4:59 am EDT, Monday October 26, 2009

- Print

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee and CEO of Bruce Lee Enterprises and LeeWay Media is announcing a major expansion of the Bruce Lee brand. Her organization has launched a flagship website, BruceLee.com, and is actively engaged in an ambitious program of licensing name and likeness rights and creating original film and television productions. Upon reacquiring her family’s merchandising rights from Universal Studios, Shannon has opened an in-house licensing division, Bruce Lee Enterprises (BLE), and LeeWay Media Group, a production company dedicated to the perpetuation of the Lee legacy through new media works.

“BruceLee.com will be the beacon of all things Bruce Lee on the Internet,” said Shannon Lee. “The site will include everything from facts about Bruce Lee to digital content to merchandise. I’ll also be writing a blog. My father’s fans have been asking for a place to find information and communicate with each other. This site will be a meeting place for our community.”

LeeWay Media Group, the television and film production company, is actively coordinating a slate of film and television productions. Projects in development include a Chinese language biopic directed by noted Hong Kong director Andrew Lau, an animation project with Waddell Media and Ireland-based Flickerpix, a CG action film, and a Broadway musical from veterans David Henry Hwang (M Butterfly), Stuart Oken (Lion King), Director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific), and David Yazbek (The Full Monty).

Recently completed projects include a 50-part television biography of Bruce Lee that aired in China on CCTV and How Bruce Lee Changed the World, which aired on the History Channel.

Bruce Lee Enterprises (BLE), the licensing company, has been focused on a slate of merchandising and advertising deals that include Pepsi Cola, Nokia, Lucky Brand Jeans and Charter Communications. “The ethos of Bruce Lee – action, power, grace and style – provides a broad base appeal that we are just beginning to realize,” says Alex Stephens, VP of Licensing at BLE. “Bruce smashed racial, gender and generational barriers during his lifetime and our partners understand that his image enables them to market products to a broad and attractive demographic.”

BLE also announced that Greenlight, a media licensing, talent and rights representation consultancy has been selected to represent the rights of Bruce Lee for advertising and endorsements world-wide.

BLE has declared an aggressive program to protect the integrity of the Bruce Lee brand in the United States and internationally. Kris Storti, COO and General Counsel, will coordinate this program. Says Storti, “We are re-doubling our efforts around the world. We are absolutely committed to a vigorous protection of the Bruce Lee brand and our intellectual property, and plan to pursue legal action whenever necessary. This, unfortunately, includes the recently announced biopic by JA Media and Robert Lee.”

The Bruce Lee Foundation, (bruceleefoundation.org) a non-profit organization, will be holding a convention at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles, November 13-15 which is open to the public. Linda Lee Cadwell, Foundation Chairperson and wife of the late Lee says, “We continue to be moved by the outpouring of affection and respect for Bruce around the world.” The Foundation provides scholarships and educational programs, as well as a long term goal of creating the Bruce Lee Action Museum.

“Our goal is simple,” says Shannon. “It is to continue to inspire people through my father’s legacy. There is a lot of value in continuing to put that energy out into the consciousness.”

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6070163&lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6070163

Contact:

Parker Public Relations
Charlotte Parker, 818-990-2252
CParkerPR@aol.com

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http://gapingvoid.com/

October 12, 2009

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entrepreneurs

October 10, 2009

Jessica Mah

Jessica Mah, 19, is currently the CEO and Co-Founder behind Indinero, a Mint.com for small businesses. Mah started her first startup at 13. Last year, shefounded internshipIN.com, a site to help high school and college kids find internships in their area. Now, at 19, Mah is finishing up her Computer Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as being the CEO of Indinero.

Ashley Qualls

Ashley Qualls, 19, started WhateverLife when she was 14, a site designed to give MySpace users free Myspace layouts and HTML tutorials. She employs both her mom, and her friends who do graphics for her. Qualls started WhateverLife in 2004 as a hobby, and now has turned into a business, with her site getting anywhere from 150,000 to 360,000 daily page views.

Donny Ouyang

Donny Ouyang, 17, started his first business in 2006 called Kinkarso Network. Kinkarso Network operates a number of web properties including; BattleForums.com, HostBright.net, ChristianAvenue.org, etc. Ouyang has been featured in Entrepreneur, PC Magazine, Retire At 21, Internet Entrepreneurs, and many other sites.

Sam Purtill

Sam Purtill is one of the founding engineerings of YouNoodle, a service that lets users follow start-ups that they are interested in and predict success of start-up teams based on analysis of historical data about qualities of the team’s founders and other information. Purtill originally built the site, and has been with the company since September 2007. Sam placed his previous project, ClassOwl, on hold to join YouNoodle, despite taking the idea to a product in less that six months. He also has worked on various design projects in Romania. Purtill is now attending Stanford University.

Grant Bell & Robert Day

Grant Bell is a teenage entrepreneur who is the co-founder ofTomorrow’s Web, an online network dedicated to supporting and engaging with young people with an internet in the web, technology and entrepreneurship. Bell is also the Founder ofPitchie, a stealth startup.

Robert Day is the co-founder of Tomorrow’s Web as well. Day has worked for various web companies such as ChannelFlip and Be Broadband’s OpenHub.

Mark Bao

Mark Bao, 17, is an internet entrepreneur based in Boston, MA. Bao is the founder of Avecora and Ramamia. In August 2009, Bao sold his product, Avecora OnDemand, to Branchr Advertising, and renamed the product Atomplan, which he is still the acting CEO of. In the past, Mark has been involved with the Facebook Platform, launching numerous applications, selling three applications, and organising the Facebook developer meetings in Boston, as well as the main event Facebook Developer Garage Boston.

Zachary Collins & Dustin Snider

Zachary Collins and Dustin Snider are the co-founders ofYazzem, a site which allows anyone to share their thoughts about anything that interests them by starting and joining topics. In July 2009, Collins sold Twtbase.com, a database of Twitter apps, and is also home to the very first Twitter applications search engine.

Patrick DeVivo

Patrick DeVivo is a blogger and entrepreneur in New York City. He founded Youth Bloggers Network in May 2007, and then sold the site to Teens in Tech Networks in March of 2009.

Of course, there are entrepreneurs that started their companies at a young age, and since then have grown their businesses. myYearbook co-founders Catherine Cook and Dave Cook started the company in 2005. Catherine is currently a student at Georgetown University, while also working on myYearbook’s growth and features. myYearbook is one of the largest teen oriented social networks, getting about 3 million unique page views per month according to Compete.

Disclosure: I am the Founder and CEO of Teens in Tech Networks. Teens in Tech Networksacquired Youth Bloggers Network in March 2009. Youth Bloggers Network was founded by Patrick DeVivo, who is mentioned above.

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illustration EstaDiezijn

October 10, 2009

Could you tell me some more about EstaDiezijn?My name is Esther Aarts, my company name is Esta. I am an illustrator and designer for all sorts of printed matter. I enjoy designing for common printing techniques (offset) as well as lesser used ones (silkscreen, mimeograph). How about having a look at my portfolio to see some of my work?Can you design my flyer / illustrate for our magazine / make my new CD cover?I can design your flyers, posters and tshirts, and illustrate your books, papers, album sleeves and magazines. Feel free to let me know what you are looking for. I am always interested to hear about illustration opportunities.Are your tshirt designs for sale?If you are looking for a nice tee to wear: Some designs are available as a T-shirt at online stores, for instance these:

In case you are looking for a T-shirt design for your clothing line, band or event, some of the designs on this site are for sale. But why not have a dedicated design suitable to your wishes? I can do T-shirt designs for various needs and budgets, just get in touch to find out more.Can you do a mural/wall painting?I can design and execute murals and wallpaintings of all sorts, ranging from a small childrens rooms to a large office wall. Just get in touch to find out more.Can you make my website?If you are looking for something different, an illustrated website rather than a “standard” one, of course I can illustrate the front end of your site. I don’t, however, build the “under the hood” part of a website.
To have the technical website built, best get in touch with a company that specialises in building websites, for instance Hexon, who can develop the back end and take care of the hosting.Do you have posters and/or printed matter for sale?At the moment, below poster is for sale. Other printed matter is in the making. Just watch this space for updates.

I’ve heard that you’ve used to be a dj too?That’s right! I used to dj at Jungle Galaxy in Doornroosje, Nijmegen, a monthly drum and bass night that stopped running in 2006 after 10 years. Although I spend most of my time enjoying drawing and illustrating these days, you still might catch me playing the odd old-skool drum and bass set every now and again. I’m no longer bookable as a dj (exceptions permitted) but if you are looking for a special flyer for your event, just let me know !How can I get in touch?For professional or personal inquiries, please write to esta@estadiezijn.nl