by Marc Hustvedt on December 28th, 2009
On one level, the news here is rather straightforward—a new comedy web series, The Suffersons, debuted online today from creator Blair Singer. The New York based playwright and staff writer on TV hits Weeds and Monk, has crafted a minimalist comedy about an out-of-work accountant arduously trying to pen his first novel under the chastising eye of his acerbic wife.
Michael Chernus (Bored to Death, Mercy) stars as the budding novelist Josh Sufferson alongside Susan Pourfar as his mocking wife Dana. As it unfolds, Dana’s mocking turns competitive as she learns he’s writing about their marriage, prompting her to start crafting her own account of the
by Joshua Cohen on November 17th, 2009
If the RIAA issued platinum certifications for web series, the offices of KnowYourMeme would be decked out with some serious bling. Originally conceived by Rocketboom producers way back in December 2007 as way to air daily episodes while the production team was on Winter vacay, the spinoff series has gained some serious traction as a resource and discussion board for online, cultural phenomena. Know Your Meme’s informative, sporadic installments document the discovery, dissemination, and decline of internet memes. To the uninitiated, that might sound like a small, nerdy niche, but then you hear the numbers and accolades: the website’s traffic chart looks like a hockey stick with well over half a million visitors a month (and growing) and TIME called it one of the top 50 best websites of 2009.
So, what’s next? What happens after you win at the internet? In the words of Texas rapper Chamillionaire, “It’s one thing to go platinum. Where do you from there? Then Weird Al calls.”
“We were contacted by Davis Cox from Apex Exposure, who was promoting Al’s new best-of album,” say Know Your Meme stars and producers Kenyatta “Yatta” Cheese and Jamie “Dubs” Wilkinson. “Davis was already aware of both the show and the community that our viewers had built around Know Your Meme and thought it’d be a perfect fit.”He was right.
by Tim Saccardo on September 25th, 2009
When it comes to internet in-jokes, are you always one of the last to catch on? Do you not know the difference between Bubb Rubb and Rickroll? When friends have Lulz at your Fails, do you have no idea what that means? Fear not, internet noobs, your friends at the Rocketboom Institute for Internet Studies have sent help in the form of their web series Know Your Meme.
For the uninformed, Wikipedia defines an internet meme as “a phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet.” This includes everything from Peanut Butter Jelly Time to Keyboard Cat to All Your Base Are Belong to Us.
While Know Your Meme certainly isn’t the only comprehensive list of internet memes on the web (also check out encyclopediadramatica.com and wiki.ytmnd.com), it is the only one to create a series of mini-documentary videos that both define specific memes and explore their origins and effects on online culture.
Each episode of Know Your Meme is hosted by Rocketboom correspondents, like Elspeth Rountree, Kenyatta Cheese, Jamie ‘Dubs’ Wilkinson and new Rocketboom NY host mememolly, in white coats on a laboratory set as if they are scientists who have painstakingly researched meme data and are presenting you with reports on their findings
