Uproxx

Uproxx
Type of site
 News and entertainment
Available in English
Founded 2008
Headquarters Culver City, California, United States
Owner Uproxx Media Group
Key people Jarret Myer, Founder, CEO
Brett Michael Dykes, Editor-in-Chief
Kristopher Maske, Editorial Director
Ryan Perry, Creative Director
Website uproxx.com
Current status Active

Uproxx is an American digital media company that covers entertainment and culture. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater and acquired by Woven Digital in 2014. The site's target audience is males aged 18-34.

History

Uproxx was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The two also founded hip hop label Rawkus Records in 1996[1] and YouTube media company Big Frame in 2011.[2] Uproxx was initially a network of blogs and formed when the founders partnered with the owners of other blogs, including acquiring With Leather and FilmDrunk[3] from Fat Penguin Media founder Ryan Perry, who later signed on as creative director.

Uproxx was acquired by Woven Digital in April 2014.[4] Myer joined Woven as general manager of publishing.[5]

In December 2014, Woven raised US$18 million in Series A funding. A portion of the capital was allocated to growing Uproxx through staff hires and video development, including new web series.[6][7] Uproxx acquired Dime Magazine in January 2015 to expand the sports division of the site.[8]

Content

Uproxx is a news and discussion website that is geared toward millennials, specifically males aged 18-34.[4][7] The site covers viral news stories related to entertainment and culture, with an emphasis on sports, film, TV, and music.[9][10][8] Uproxx is divided into verticals including Entertainment,[10] Sports,[8] and Life,[11] each of which comprises multiple blogs. These blogs include The Smoking Section, which covers hip hop and culture;[12] With Spandex, about pro wrestling;[13] GammaSquad, covering "geek" culture;[14] Real Talk, a hip hop blog;[15] and Dime Magazine, which focuses on basketball.[8] In addition, Uproxx offers a platform for live Q&As with celebrities and creators to promote upcoming projects.[4]

Video

Video makes up a significant portion of the site's content and Uproxx produces both original and sponsored video.[4][16]

In 2013, Uproxx partnered with 5-Second Films to produce longer content for Uproxx Video on YouTube.[17] Since its acquisition by Woven, Uproxx has placed more emphasis on video content and released several web series.[7][18]

The site launched "Luminaries", its first original series in January 2015.[6] The show profiles young inventors and the first two episodes generated 18.5 million views within the first four months.[5][19] The series was nominated for a Webby Award in 2015.[20]

The site's second series, a parodic news series called The Desk, debuted in March 2015.[18] The next month, in April 2015, Uproxx began a documentary series centered on pop culture called Uproxx Docs. It commenced with a three-part piece about rock band Guns N’ Roses.[5]

Also in 2015, Uproxx launched several sponsored video series. Among these were "Uncharted: Power of Dreams", a show that profiles rising musicians, with Honda,[21] and "Human", a video series about artisans and others who preserve traditional work, sponsored by Coors Banquet.[22] Human won an OMMA award in 2015.[23]

Staff and operations

Uproxx is headquartered in Culver City, California.[18]

The editorial staff is led by editor-in-chief Brett Michael Dykes,[24] editorial director Kris Maske, and creative director Ryan Perry.[25] The company's video production is overseen by chief creative officer Benjamin Blank.[26][18]

In 2015, the site hired Chris Mottram, formerly of SB Nation, to be managing editor of Uproxx Sports[8] and Keith Phipps of film website The Dissolve to be editorial director of TV and Film.[10]

Other staff members include Alan Sepinwall, senior TV critic, Steve Bramucci, managing editor of the site's Life section,[11] Brandon Stroud, pro wrestling editor, Brian Grubb, senior TV editor, Mike Ryan, senior entertainment writer,[24] and Vince Mancini, senior film writer.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Bring Da Rawkus". Vibe: 64–65. July 1998. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
  2. ↑ Joshua Cohen (June 27, 2012). "Big Frame Gets $3 Million to Make a Bigger, Better YouTube Network". Tubefilter. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 Jordan Hoffman (June 18, 2013). "Popping a Cork With Filmdrunk's Vince Mancini". Indiewire. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Todd Spangler (April 17, 2014). "Showbiz Site Uproxx Acquired by Guy-Focused Digital Media Firm Woven". Variety. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Bree Brouwer (April 22, 2015). "UPROXX Launches Documentary Series With Three-Part Piece On Guns N’ Roses". Tubefilter. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  6. 1 2 Sam Gutelle (January 16, 2015). "Uproxx Debuts ‘Luminaries’, Its First Original Web Series". Tubefilter. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Anthony Ha (December 11, 2014). "Advertising Tech Woven Digital, Owner Of Uproxx And Brobible, Raises $18M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Andrew Bucholtz (January 24, 2015). "Uproxx Aacquires Dime, Hires Chris Mottram From SB Nation To Run Uproxx Sports". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Julianne Tveten (December 11, 2014). "Woven, the company behind UPROXX & BroBible, raises $18M Series A round". Built in LA. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Sam Adams (August 27, 2015). "The Dissolve's Keith Phipps Will Be Uproxx's Film/TV Editor". Indiewire. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  11. 1 2 Kierran Petersen (July 23, 2015). "Should you visit Cuba before Americans 'ruin' it?". Public Radio International. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Sahil Patel (April 17, 2014). "Entertainment Site Uproxx Acquired by Male-Focused Publisher Woven". VideoInk. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Matt Yoder (Apr 24, 2015). "AA Podcast #116 – Brandon Stroud, Uproxx". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Amanda Chrisman (November 3, 2014). "Jake Gyllenhaal was almost Nolan's Batman". FanSided. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  15. ↑ Eddie Meadows (2010). Blues, Funk, Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Hip Hop, and Rap: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  16. ↑ Mike Shields (April 17, 2014). "The Edgy Male-Targeted Digital Media Company Woven Acquires Uproxx". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  17. ↑ Sam Gutelle (February 12, 2013). "UPROXX and 5SF: YouTube Channel Was Years In The Making". Tubefilter. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Natalie Jarvey (March 16, 2015). "Uproxx Launches Daily News Show 'The Desk' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  19. ↑ Mike Shields (April 17, 2015). "Here’s How Fast a Web Series Can Take Off on Facebook". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  20. ↑ "This Teen Created The World’s Safest Gun: Luminaries". NepHub. May 21, 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  21. ↑ Tim Baysinger (September 24, 2015). "This Uproxx Series Will Spot Emerging Stars for Honda: 10 episodes bring new music to Honda Stage". AdWeek. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  22. ↑ Tim Baysinger (August 4, 2015). "How a Web Series About Tradition Helped a Beer Brand Reach Millennials". AdWeek. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "Omma Awards Winners". MediaPost Communications. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  24. 1 2 Sam Adams (December 17, 2014). "ScreenCrush's Mike Ryan Will Move to Uproxx in January". [Indiewire]]. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "About Uproxx". uproxx.com. Uproxx. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  26. ↑ Melita Kuburas (June 24, 2014). "Woven hires Ben Blank to oversee production arm". StreamDaily.tv. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
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