EQAL

EQAL
Type LLC
Founded Los Angeles, California, USA (2008)
Headquarters Los Angeles, CA, USA
Key people

Miles Beckett, CEO
Greg Goodfried, President
Tyler Rubin, CTO, Paras Maniar, COO

industry = Entertainment, Technology
Products Web Series
Website hosting Software
Website http://www.eqal.com

EQAL is a media and technology company founded in 2008 by Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried, two of the creators of lonelygirl15.[1] EQAL builds influencer networks around celebrities and brands. Prior to building influencer networks, EQAL was best known for producing lonelygirl15 (LG15) as well as for producing other series in the LG15 Universe (the universe using the mythology started by the lonelygirl15 series) including KateModern in association with Bebo[2] and LG15: The Resistance,[3] as well as Harper’s Globe, the original web series, commissioned by CBS as a tie-in for the series, Harper’s Island.[4] The company builds custom social media networks and online solutions around the websites for a variety of celebrities, including Tori Spelling, Lauren Conrad, Bethenny Frankel, JWOWW, Nick Cannon, Ty Pennington, Randy Jackson, Chelsea Kane and others.

Contents

History

In 2006, Miles Beckett met Mesh Flinders, a screenwriter, at a birthday party. Beckett had the idea to use short internet videos to tell a story. Flinders had developed a character that he thought would be perfect for the project. Together the two of them contacted Greg Goodfried for legal advice, and the three of them subsequently created lonelygirl15.[5] The group became formally known as LG15 Studios/Telegraph Ave. Productions.[6][7]

While Mesh Flinders went on to pursue other endeavors at the end of 2007,[8] in April 2008, Beckett and Goodfried announced the formation of EQAL.[9] The new company raised $5 million in venture capital.[1] Among EQAL’s initial investors were Spark Capital, Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape, Conrad Riggs, formerly with Mark Burnett productions, tech investor Ron Conway, and Georges Harik, former developer of new products at Google.[6]

In May 2008, a partnership between EQAL and CBS was announced to create new original programming and online tie-ins for CBS network shows.[10][11][12] A few months later, it was announced that EQAL would produce the Harper's Globe online companion show for CBS's Harper's Island.[13] Through the CBS deal, EQAL met Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of CSI, and was hired by Zuiker to create the online component for Zuiker's first novel, Level 26, which was released in September 2009.[14] The Zuiker partnership was the first in a series of similar media partnerships. In 2009, EQAL launched two new original web series with dedicated social networks: Get Cookin for Food Network host Paula Deen[15] and The Kind Life With Alicia Silverstone for Silverstone about global warming and vegetarian topics.[16] In 2010, EQAL launched The Real Women of Philadelphia with Digitas for Kraft Foods and Paula Deen which went on to garner a gold Effie award in 2011. (link: http://www.effie.org/downloads/2011_Winners_List_with_trophy.pdf) EQAL continued to launch celebrity sites including AlisonSweeney.com, Healthy Bitch Daily in association with Skinny Bitch and Made Just Right with Earth Balance. In 2011, EQAL launched their Media Networks division to build social networks around celebrities and influencers. They have launched more than 20 sites with another 5 expected this year. Sites include LaurenConrad.com, Editorial with Tori Spelling, Bethenny.com, NickCannon.com, ElleandBlair.com, Michelle Phan.com, TyPennington.com, JWOWW.com, and many more. EQAL continues to work with brands. In March 2011, Real Women of Philadelphia season 2 launched as well as Real Women of Philadelphia Canada. In April 2011, Walgreens announced a partnership with EQAL and Alison Sweeney for Walk with Walgreens, a site dedicated to getting users fit through the power of walking. (link: walk.walgreens.com). EQAL created the highly successful Miss Glambitious 2011 for mark. cosmetics (Avon) and EQAL partner Elle and Blair Fowler, ringing together the message of empowerment held by both brands.

Key personnel

Miles Beckett

Miles Beckett (born Miles Zajaczkowski[17] on February 15, 1978) is the CEO and co-founder of EQAL as well as the co-creator and producer of lonelygirl15 and its spin off KateModern.

Beckett holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.D. from the University of California at San Diego. He completed a one year internship in plastic surgery at the Loma Linda University Medical Center and conducted one year of tissue engineering research at the National Institute of Health as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar. During medical school he was the founder and editor-in-chief of “The Pulse” a UCSD Medical School newsletter and “The Inhuman Condition,” an underground comedy newsletter.

Prior to creating lonelygirl15, Beckett was the founder and CEO of Shoutboy, a comedy podcast and the writer and director of West Wingers a political spoof of White House press conferences.[18] Beckett is also known for his art nouveau film The Great Cloister Caper, completed in 2001-2002 while he lived in Bethesda, Maryland.

Greg Goodfried

Greg Goodfried is the President and Co-Founder of EQAL, and one of the three creators of lonelygirl15 along with Miles Beckett and Mesh Flinders. He is currently married to Amanda Goodfried and together they currently have one child, Jack Goodfried.

Goodfried holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkley and a J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Prior to starting EQAL, Goodfried was a first year associate at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, LLP, where he worked as an entertainment attorney.

Products

Original productions

Media networks

Other original content

Software

References

  1. ^ a b Buckman, Rebecca (April 17, 2008). "Lonelygirl Gets Popular with Investors". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120840403372722269.html. 
  2. ^ Chowdhry, Amit (April 16, 2007). "Coming This July: LonelyGirl15 Presents… KateModern Exclusively on Bebo". Pulse2. http://pulse2.com/2007/04/16/coming-this-july-lonelygirl15-presents-katemodern-exclusively-on-bebo/. 
  3. ^ Gannes, Liz (August 27, 2008). "lonelygirl15’s Second Incarnation: The Resistance". Newteevee. http://newteevee.com/2008/08/27/lonelygirl15s-second-incarnation-the-resistance/. 
  4. ^ O'Malley, Gavin (March 19, 2009). "CBS Interactive, Eqal Launch Online Community". MediaPost News. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=102381. 
  5. ^ Gentile, Gary (September 12, 2006). "Creators Confess to Lonelygirl15". San Francisco Chronicle (Associated Press). http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/09/12/national/a214921D26.DTL. 
  6. ^ a b "'Lonelygirl15' creators launch production company, pull in venture funding". CNET News. April 17, 2008. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-9921126-36.html. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2009. 
  7. ^ "LG15/Telegraph Ave. Morphs Into Eqal". Online Media Daily. April 18, 2008. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=80921. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2009. 
  8. ^ Flinders, Mesh. "mesh's blog: Moving on...". http://meshflinders.blogspot.com/2008/01/mesh-moves-on.html. Retrieved Oct. 16, 2009. 
  9. ^ "EQAL, Inc.: Private Company Information". BusinessWeek. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=43607438. Retrieved Oct. 16, 2009. 
  10. ^ Weprin, Alex (May 14, 2008). "CBS Strikes Deal with lonelygirl15 Creators". Broadcasting & Cable. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/113725-CBS_Strikes_Deal_with_lonelygirl15_Creators.php. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2009. 
  11. ^ "CBS Will Lonelygirlize its TV Shows". Newteevee. May 14, 2008. http://newteevee.com/2008/05/14/cbs-will-lonelygirlize-its-tv-shows/. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2009. 
  12. ^ "CBS taps Lonelygirl15 guys for smart Web fusion". Los Angeles Times. May 15, 2008. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/webscout/2008/05/cbs-taps-lonely.html. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2009. 
  13. ^ "Web Video: How to Actually (Maybe) Make Money". BusinessWeek. Jan. 14, 2009. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_04/b4117097472612.htm?chan=magazine+channel_opinion. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2009. 
  14. ^ "Miles away from lonely". Edmonton Sun. July 26, 2009. http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/other/2009/07/26/10265261-sun.html. Retrieved Sept. 16, 2009. 
  15. ^ "EQAL Foregoes Originals, Gets Cookin’ With Paula Dean". NewTeeVee. June 11, 2009. http://newteevee.com/2009/06/11/eqal-foregoes-originals-gets-cookin-with-paula-deen/. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2009. 
  16. ^ Beardsell, Christine (June 2, 2009). "New Networks Offer Alternative to TV Upfronts". ClickZ. http://www.clickz.com/3633936. Retrieved Oct. 16, 2009. 
  17. ^ "Miles Beckett's official bio". lg15.com's LGPedia. http://www.lg15.com/lgpedia/index.php?title=Miles_Beckett. Retrieved 2008-03-06. 
  18. ^ "Virginia Heffernan, New York Times". New York Times. September 13, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/technology/13lonely.html?ex=1159848000&en=3d6e55969951817a&ei=5070. Retrieved 2008-03-06. 
  19. ^ Hustvedt, Marc (July 30, 2009). "EQAL Sharing Secret Sauce, Launching ‘Umbrella’ Platform". Tubefilter News. http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/07/30/eqal-sharing-secret-sauce-launching-umbrella-platform/. Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009. 

External links