Sarah Meyers

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Sarah Meyers

Sarah Meyers at Bloghaus 2008
Background information
Born
Nationality American
Internet activity
Web alias(es) Sarah Austin
Host service(s) Justin.tv, Mogulus
Genre(s) Lifecasting, Video journalism
Signature phrase "Be nice."
Official site http://pop17.com/

Sarah Meyers (aka Sarah Austin) is a Manhattan-based video journalist who offers opinions, interviews and tech news on her Internet show, Pop17, which focuses on "the new cultural phenomenon of online micro-celebrity." [1] She is also seen on Mogulus, [2] and YouTube displays more than 120 of her videos from various venues. [3]

Meyers was a tech news producer and DJ for three years at UC Berkeley’s radio station, KALX 90.7 FM. [4] She graduated to video with Party Crashers, a D7tv series in which she was seen crashing Silicon Valley parties. [5][6][7] She was kicked out of the TechCrunch 7 party in 2006, but the following year she was on the invite list for TechCrunch 8. [8] For D7tv, she attended such events as the Yahoo! Christmas party and the Vegas Music Conference. [9][10][11]

In 2007, she recalled her life in San Francisco:

My history teacher was the first to get me involved in new media because he would have us create videos as essays about history using Apple products and new media technologies. I started my career when I hosted a tech news show at UC Berkeley's radio station KALX 90.7fm. Every Friday, joined with five million people in the Bay Area. We featured new technologies, investments and products as a "tech update" in the half-hour news show. I took classes at San Francisco State University's film and broadcast departments before moving to Manhattan. [12]

In the tradition of Paul Krassner, Meyers sometimes combines legitimate news coverage with personal journalism and prankster activities. During the summer of 2007, she collaborated with Gizmodo videographer Richard Blakeley on a short video, "Optimus Prime Refused Service," which found a sizable audience on YouTube and other sites. Wearing an Optimus Prime helmet, Meyers pulled into a McDonald's drive-through and placed an order but got no service. She drove off as the manager began writing down her license plate number and making a phone call. On July 27, 2007, Meyers' Optimus Prime humor was featured on ABC News. [13][14]

Sarah Meyers with Justin.tv founder Justin Kan at DoubleClick's April 26, 2007 ad:tech party in San Francisco.
Sarah Meyers with Justin.tv founder Justin Kan at DoubleClick's April 26, 2007 ad:tech party in San Francisco.

Contents

[edit] Video journalism

During the spring of 2007, she began lifecasting in San Francisco on Justin.tv. In August 2007, she moved to New York where she continued to lifecast as a video journalist, attending such events as the Halo 3 launch, the Ground Zero Memorial service, New York Fashion Week and New York's Comic Book Club and staging meet-ups with other lifecasters.[15] She also embarked on solo expeditions to such locations as the Apple Store, the Brooklyn Bridge on a rainy night, a Chinese restaurant in Queens and the Queens Botanical Garden. In Austin, Texas, she covered Maker Faire 2007. She amplifies her video journalism with reports in the Sarah Meyers blog. [16]

[edit] Pop17

After extensive tests through the winter of 2007-08, Meyers launched her online show, Pop17, in March 2008. She examines Internet insiders and talents, such as Jessica Rose, noting, "Pop17 is a two-to-three minute daily exploration to track, analyze and understand the new cultural phenomenon of online micro-celebrity. Who are these new influentials? What are their stories? How have they leveraged their online successes?" Although some of her shows offer commentary on Internet trends and start-ups, she mainly interviews vloggers, bloggers and tech types, a parade of personalities that includes Tionna Smalls, Mike Hudack, Rachel Sterne, Gary Vaynerchuk, Andy Plesser, Sarig Reichert, Bre Pettis, Lisa Nova, Matt Mullenweg and Jake Jarvis. Her sponsors are Virgin America, Perkett PR and TechCrunch.

She described her earlier interactive PopSnap series on Mogulus as "a daily show that talks about where technology will take you; it’s about the power of technology and how it empowers people’s lives. I’m tracking the process where old media meets new media." In an extension of lifecasting, viewers would chat during the live show, and she sometimes responded on camera to comments as they appeared.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pop17
  2. ^ Mogulus
  3. ^ YouTube: SarahMeyers Channel
  4. ^ West, Jackson. NewTeeVee: "Sarah Meyers on Broadcasting Web Video
  5. ^ D7tv
  6. ^ Wired: "TechCrunch 9: The Web's Brightest Meet, Drink," July 28, 2007.
  7. ^ Douglas, Nick. Valleywag: "The vidding crashers: August Capital boots vloggers from TechCrunch party," August 21, 2006.
  8. ^ Gadgets Out There: "PopSnap: Sarah Meyers' Live Online TV Show," November 29, 2007.
  9. ^ VMC (Vegas Music Conference)
  10. ^ D7tv: Sarah Meyers
  11. ^ TeXtra 18: "First TeXtra Guest: Sarah Meyers," April 12, 2007.
  12. ^ About PopSnap
  13. ^ ABC News
  14. ^ Milk and Cookies: "Optimus Prime Refused Service" (with comments), July 4, 2007.
  15. ^ Sarah Meyers lifecasting in Times Square
  16. ^ Sarah Meyers blog

[edit] See also

[edit] Watch

[edit] External links