The Nerd Machine
 | |
| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Current status | Active |
The Nerd Machine, commonly referred to as TNM, is an American-based company and website founded by Zachary Levi in November 2010. Levi, along with Chuck prop master David Coleman and Courtney Coleman, launched the online community website to spread the "nerd" culture. It is possible to purchase merchandise from the site such as T-shirts, posters and hats. The website is home to a community of "nerds" and hosts a forum where people all around the world may discuss hobbies, culture and even start collaborations on large scale projects.
Community
The community has a population of over 16,000 members who talk, share and socialize about technology, science, conventions and anything in general. The community has members who have been there since the community began and still post very frequently. The number of members is constantly expanding due to fans of Chuck, General Nerds and people who are finding out about the Nerd Machine through Comic-Con. When zacharylevi.com is typed into the url bar, visitors are redirected to thenerdmachine.com so fans of Zachary Levi are encouraged to join the community as well as general nerds.
Members of the community have also undergone large scale projects, one of which was campaigning to save Chuck for season renewal after viewer population declined. Fans took to Twitter to campaign using the hashtag #NotANielsenFamily and tweeting to advertisers of the show.[1]
Members also advertise the website and spread the nerd culture by tweeting the hashtag #vivalanerdolution. The community may communicate with each other through the Nerd Machine forums or the chatroom. As well as the forums there is also the opportunity for members to have their own blog on the site. Members can be a part of the Nerd HQ experience through numerous different social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. Users themselves have created a dedicated Google+ circle for keeping in touch with each other and to discuss matters concerning The Nerd Machine.
On October 10, 2013 it was announced that the Nerd Machine community would be removed from the website and moved to Google Plus.[2]
Nerd HQ
In July 2011, Zachary Levi and the Nerd Machine partnered with Break media to create a series of videos and events at the 2011 Comic-Con International Convention.[3] At "Nerd HQ", various celebrity supporters of The Nerd Machine, such as Nathan Fillion, Scott Bakula and Jared Padalecki, talked in small panels answering questions that the audience posed to them. In addition to this, people were allowed to meet and have conversations with these celebrities and have access to unreleased video games. Nerd HQ was created as an alternative to Comic-Con "to allow fans and the people that they're fans of to interact in a more intimate, loving and, low-key setting, while still enjoying the same mecca of merchandise, video games and comic books they've come to know and love from Comic-Con."[4]
The idea to create this event came from Levi's Chuck co-star Adam Baldwin (also of Firefly fame). Levi "thought it was a shame that the entity of Firefly no longer had panel opportunities for fans and figured these intimate settings would be a great experience for approximately 200 people."[5] This event was also streamed live on Ustream so fans worldwide who were unable to attend could watch the event. The event also launched the website's first ever film festival, "The Nerd Machine Shorties", where members and fans would send in videos under a minute long. The top 5 videos sent in were featured on Break.com[6] and shown and discussed at Nerd HQ. Tickets for the event were sold in advance for $20 each. All proceeds from this event went to the charity group Operation Smile. Over $25,000 was raised in the first two days alone and by the final day $40,000 was raised and donated to the charity.[7] Nerd HQ was repeated at each SDCC since.
List of celebrities at Nerd HQ
- Adam Baldwin
- Aisha Tyler
- Alan Tudyk
- Alessandra Torresani
- Andrew Lincoln
- Angeli Landicho
- Arthur Darvill
- Charles Parnell
- Chloe Bennet
- Craig Ferguson
- Danai Gurira
- Danny Pudi
- Dominic Monaghan
- Dulé Hill
- Dylan O'Brien
- Felicia Day
- Eva Green
- Evangeline Lilly
- James Roday
- Jared Padalecki
- Jason Mewes
- Jenna-Louise Coleman
- Jensen Ackles
- Jewel Staite
- Joe Manganiello
- Jordan Gavaris
- Jorge Garcia
- Joss Whedon
- Karen Gillan
- Kevin Smith
- Lauren Cohan
- Maria Yuri De Ramos
- Matt Smith
- Missy Peregrym
- Nathan Fillion
- Norman Reedus
- Olivia Munn
- Richard Madden
- Rodrigo Santoro
- Scott Bakula
- Seth Green
- Stephen Amell
- Steve Franks
- Steven Yeun
- Sullivan Stapleton
- Summer Glau
- Tatiana Maslany
- Tom Hiddleston
- Travis Van Winkle
- Wil Wheaton
- Yvonne Strahovski
- Zachary Levi
- Zachary Quinto
References
- ↑ Watercutter, Angela (21 April 2011). "Twitter Campaign Tries to Save Chuck From Cancellation". http://www.wired.com. Wired. Retrieved 21 April 2011. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ http://www.thenerdmachine.com/nerd-machine-community-migration/
- ↑ "Break Media Partners With Zachary Levi on "Nerd Machine" Videos and Events at Comic-Con International 2011". http://www.businesswire.com. Business Wire. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ Prudom, Laura (20 July 2011). "'Chuck' Star Zachary Levi Talks Nerd HQ: A More Intimate Alternative to Comic-Con". http://www.aoltv.com. Aol TV. Retrieved 20 July 2011. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ Craik, Kristin (28 July 2011). "Zachary Levi and The Nerd Machine". http://www.businessreviewcanada.ca. Business Review Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2011. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Break presents Nerd Machine @ Comic-Con". http://www.break.com. Break Media. Retrieved 20 July 2011. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Birthday Fundraiser For Zachary Levi". http://www.operationsmile.org. Operation Smile. Retrieved 9 November 2011. External link in
|work=(help)