Linked
Entertainment Weekly recently did an article on the top 20 most entertaining websites. They then asked those specific webmasters what three sites inspired them. Essentially you have close to 80 websites which corner the pop culture and entertainment market. This also made me realize that I never explained some of the websites I have chosen to put on this blog.
Some of these are already self explanatory. The Kick Butt Productions home page, Internet Movie Database, and Google would fit that category. Chris West Hoops, Thought of the Day (also by Chris West), and Nick Vitrano are all websites of some of my very close friends who do some very entertaining things. I've mentioned Chris before and his fantastic writing talents in regard to basketball. Nick is a co-host for a popular radio sports talk show in Green Bay. Nick also has a segment called Nick at Night. If you get a chance listen to the one about Darth Vader if he truly had to be a father to Luke and Leia. Funny stuff. As I've also explained in other posts on this blog, Willy Porter has great music and is a big inspiration to me.
The two remaining are also very important to me and continue to surprise and inspire me.
The first is one you're probably very familiar with...Homestarrunner. Started by Mike and Matt Chapman (aka the Bros. Chaps) this website is home to a flash animated character named Homestar an "armless" character who is at times a few sandwhiches short of a picnic but acts like he lives life to the fullest. Another popular character on the site is Strong Bad who responds to e-mails every week with great sarcasm and wit.
I was first introduced to this site a few years ago and stuck with it since. Their story is quite remarkable. The Bros. Chaps were doing website consultant and some graphic artist work when they decided to play around with (at the time) this new thing called flash animation. Slowly but surely, they kept up with these characters and have now grown into a cult hit on the web. Thankfully, they make enough money based upon their merchandise that they can do the site commercial free and focus on the bizarre characters. If you are a pop culture junkie like I am, scour through the site and see what 80's and 90's popular geek references you can find. (Personal things of interest: Strong Bad e-mail about the Radio; the ballad of the Sneak; the Cheat Commandos).
Lastly, in my speeches folks have heard me talk about a man named Rob Schrab who used to draw a comic called Scud: The Disposeable Assassin. He has his own website which has some of his other work on it including the pilot for "Heat Vision & Jack" and some Scud updated. Rob used to do comedysportz in Milwaukee and was one of my 'coaches' for our high school league. Many of the guys who were in the Dead Alewives (a freestyle improv group) worked with Rob on the comic Scud and eventually moved out to California. Since he's been out there he's gotten some great oppurtunities. He, along with Dan Harmon, started Channel 101, a website dedicated to the free airing of people's movies and TV Shows. That website not only inspired a similar one (Channel 102 on the East Coast) but also was one of the first place where some very funny entertainers got to post their creative talents.
Of course this is a good time as any to plug the movie that Rob wrote the original story for, Monster House, which will be out in the theaters July 21st.
I believe that all of these sites are good examples of folks who have hung on to their dreams and work hard at them no matter what. Happy surfing, hope all of your enjoyed your fourth of July weekend!
pb
Some of these are already self explanatory. The Kick Butt Productions home page, Internet Movie Database, and Google would fit that category. Chris West Hoops, Thought of the Day (also by Chris West), and Nick Vitrano are all websites of some of my very close friends who do some very entertaining things. I've mentioned Chris before and his fantastic writing talents in regard to basketball. Nick is a co-host for a popular radio sports talk show in Green Bay. Nick also has a segment called Nick at Night. If you get a chance listen to the one about Darth Vader if he truly had to be a father to Luke and Leia. Funny stuff. As I've also explained in other posts on this blog, Willy Porter has great music and is a big inspiration to me.
The two remaining are also very important to me and continue to surprise and inspire me.
The first is one you're probably very familiar with...Homestarrunner. Started by Mike and Matt Chapman (aka the Bros. Chaps) this website is home to a flash animated character named Homestar an "armless" character who is at times a few sandwhiches short of a picnic but acts like he lives life to the fullest. Another popular character on the site is Strong Bad who responds to e-mails every week with great sarcasm and wit.
I was first introduced to this site a few years ago and stuck with it since. Their story is quite remarkable. The Bros. Chaps were doing website consultant and some graphic artist work when they decided to play around with (at the time) this new thing called flash animation. Slowly but surely, they kept up with these characters and have now grown into a cult hit on the web. Thankfully, they make enough money based upon their merchandise that they can do the site commercial free and focus on the bizarre characters. If you are a pop culture junkie like I am, scour through the site and see what 80's and 90's popular geek references you can find. (Personal things of interest: Strong Bad e-mail about the Radio; the ballad of the Sneak; the Cheat Commandos).
Lastly, in my speeches folks have heard me talk about a man named Rob Schrab who used to draw a comic called Scud: The Disposeable Assassin. He has his own website which has some of his other work on it including the pilot for "Heat Vision & Jack" and some Scud updated. Rob used to do comedysportz in Milwaukee and was one of my 'coaches' for our high school league. Many of the guys who were in the Dead Alewives (a freestyle improv group) worked with Rob on the comic Scud and eventually moved out to California. Since he's been out there he's gotten some great oppurtunities. He, along with Dan Harmon, started Channel 101, a website dedicated to the free airing of people's movies and TV Shows. That website not only inspired a similar one (Channel 102 on the East Coast) but also was one of the first place where some very funny entertainers got to post their creative talents.
Of course this is a good time as any to plug the movie that Rob wrote the original story for, Monster House, which will be out in the theaters July 21st.
I believe that all of these sites are good examples of folks who have hung on to their dreams and work hard at them no matter what. Happy surfing, hope all of your enjoyed your fourth of July weekend!
pb
posted by Peter Brooks at 12:12 AM
<< Home