Andrew Baron
Encyclopedia
Andrew Michael Baron is the creator of Rocketboom
, Know Your Meme
and the video aggregator site, Magma. Baron holds a BA in Philosophy from Bates College
and an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design. Baron has taught undergraduate and graduate classes at Parsons and was teaching at M.I.T. when he came up with the idea for Rocketboom.
named 'Best New Multi-Disciplinary Space in Austin' in the 'Best of Austin's Critics Poll'. http://a.parsons.edu/~baron/gallery.html
An active music composer throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Baron scored numerous scores for Austin-area artists, including "Mad About Harry", a film by AMFILMS awarded as a Hollywood Film Festival, 2000 finalist. He was appointed by the City of Austin Arts Commission to serve as a Mixed Arts Advisory Panelist, 2001. http://a.parsons.edu/~baron/portfolio.html
On August 19, 2005, Baron was interviewed on CBS Evening News. In an "Eye on America" segment CBS veteran Jim Axelrod
commented on the effort at daily news coverage on a limited budget and Baron's early grasp of the next Internet wave. "You know what they call that? Vision." http://futuremediatv.blogspot.com/2005/08/cbs-features-rocketboom-leading.html
Baron directed a portion of "Killer," an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
which aired February 2, 2006. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2284715/
Steve Jobs
featured Baron's Rocketboom on stage when releasing the video iPodhttp://www.dembot.net/006807.html and again when releasing the AppleTV http://www.dembot.net/010811.html
In March 2006, Baron commented on the sale of a week of advertising for $40,000 on eBay in Brandweek:
In 2008, Baron created the first version of the Know Your Meme
database, to accompany a spin off show he created and produced for Rocketboom.
Also in 2008, with one of the most followed Twitter accounts, Baron made international news when he put his Twitter account up for sale on eBay. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9917670-52.html
Baron released his third major site, Magma, in 2009.http://dembot.com/post/106602229/magma
In 2011, Baron, sold Know Your Meme to Cheezburger in a reported "low seven figure deal". http://news.tubefilter.tv/2011/03/28/know-your-meme-acquired-by-cheezburger-in-seven-figure-deal/
Andrew Baron is the son of trial lawyer Fred Baron. Andrew Baron made international news again in 2008, when he used his blog to plea with a drug company to help save his father's life. http://techcrunch.com/2008/10/14/rocketboom-founder-fighting-for-fathers-life-meanwhile-drug-company-committing-pr-suicide/
Baron's work had been recognized by the Webbys http://www.dembot.net/009018.html, the Vloggies and Streamys http://dembot.com/post/515551780/rocketboom-alyankovic-this-streamys-for-you.
Rocketboom
Rocketboom is a daily vlog produced by Andrew Baron that was most recently hosted by Meme Molly until August 25, 2011. Joanne Colan hosted from July 12, 2006 until April 17, 2009. In the intervening time between Colan and Molly, Caitlin Hill hosted a few episodes in April 2009...
, Know Your Meme
Know Your Meme
Know Your Meme is a web series originally from Rocketboom which documents various Internet memes and other online phenomena, and also investigates new and changing memes through research and the scientific method...
and the video aggregator site, Magma. Baron holds a BA in Philosophy from Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
and an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design. Baron has taught undergraduate and graduate classes at Parsons and was teaching at M.I.T. when he came up with the idea for Rocketboom.
Early career
In 1999, Baron was the owner of a visual and performing arts gallery, Movements Gallery on 6th Street in Austin, Texas which the Austin ChronicleAustin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
named 'Best New Multi-Disciplinary Space in Austin' in the 'Best of Austin's Critics Poll'. http://a.parsons.edu/~baron/gallery.html
An active music composer throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Baron scored numerous scores for Austin-area artists, including "Mad About Harry", a film by AMFILMS awarded as a Hollywood Film Festival, 2000 finalist. He was appointed by the City of Austin Arts Commission to serve as a Mixed Arts Advisory Panelist, 2001. http://a.parsons.edu/~baron/portfolio.html
Online Video
After releasing Rocketboom in late 2004, Baron established himself as one of the first vloggers and arguably one of the most influential. With Rocketboom, Baron built one of the first large audiences around a video show, and went on to generate the first large scale advertising deals.http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117873682757897483-YOE18NkHlFKKRDnCxjJx_OTtvvE_20080513.htmlhttp://www.dembot.net/011627.htmlOn August 19, 2005, Baron was interviewed on CBS Evening News. In an "Eye on America" segment CBS veteran Jim Axelrod
Jim Axelrod
Jim Axelrod is a National Correspondent for CBS News, and reports for the CBS Evening News and other CBS News programs.Axelrod was one of CBS News' embedded correspondents in Iraq and was the first TV reporter to broadcast live from Saddam International Airport after its takeover by American...
commented on the effort at daily news coverage on a limited budget and Baron's early grasp of the next Internet wave. "You know what they call that? Vision." http://futuremediatv.blogspot.com/2005/08/cbs-features-rocketboom-leading.html
Baron directed a portion of "Killer," an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
which aired February 2, 2006. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2284715/
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
featured Baron's Rocketboom on stage when releasing the video iPodhttp://www.dembot.net/006807.html and again when releasing the AppleTV http://www.dembot.net/010811.html
In March 2006, Baron commented on the sale of a week of advertising for $40,000 on eBay in Brandweek:
- "Advertising with us has extra value, because we aren't going to accept advertising from someone whose morals are against us, someone like Hummer," said Rocketboom producer Andrew Baron. The creators of the show are acting as ad agency as well as media for the ads for TRM and EarthLink. "We've got to approve the ads and if we like them, chances are our viewers will like 'em." http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002034874
In 2008, Baron created the first version of the Know Your Meme
Know Your Meme
Know Your Meme is a web series originally from Rocketboom which documents various Internet memes and other online phenomena, and also investigates new and changing memes through research and the scientific method...
database, to accompany a spin off show he created and produced for Rocketboom.
Also in 2008, with one of the most followed Twitter accounts, Baron made international news when he put his Twitter account up for sale on eBay. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9917670-52.html
Baron released his third major site, Magma, in 2009.http://dembot.com/post/106602229/magma
In 2011, Baron, sold Know Your Meme to Cheezburger in a reported "low seven figure deal". http://news.tubefilter.tv/2011/03/28/know-your-meme-acquired-by-cheezburger-in-seven-figure-deal/
Andrew Baron is the son of trial lawyer Fred Baron. Andrew Baron made international news again in 2008, when he used his blog to plea with a drug company to help save his father's life. http://techcrunch.com/2008/10/14/rocketboom-founder-fighting-for-fathers-life-meanwhile-drug-company-committing-pr-suicide/
Baron's work had been recognized by the Webbys http://www.dembot.net/009018.html, the Vloggies and Streamys http://dembot.com/post/515551780/rocketboom-alyankovic-this-streamys-for-you.