rocketboom

Sony Pictures Television has signed a distribution deal with pioneering Web series Rocketboom, which has been producing a quirky daily newscast since 2004.

Under the terms of the agreement--which reports pin in the seven figures--Sony will handle all distribution and ad sales, as well as use its Crackle.com player on the Rocketboom.com Web site. (Until this point, Rocketboom has used a YouTube embed on its home page.) It'll also see additional distribution on Sony's network, which includes the PlayStation 3 console.

Sony bought Crackle, then known as Grouper, back in 2006.

Created by entrepreneur Andrew … Read more

The Internet is still seeking its first true crossover artist. Amanda Congdon's attempt at turning Web stardom into the mainstream kind has floundered, at least to this point.

The former host of Rocketboom, a once popular quirky online news show, has cut deals with ABC and HBO that amounted to little, and now the 26-year-old is attempting a comeback in the style of video blogging that made her famous.

Working with Media Rights Capital, an independent production company, Congdon will host a new Internet-based show called Sometimes Daily. The show is going to be "an interactive variety show&… Read more

First it was for sale. Then it wasn't. Then it would be for sale soon. And now, finally--maybe--it will "not ever" be for sale.

This, of course, is Rocketboom creator Andrew Baron's Twitter account. When it was originally for sale last week on eBay, bidding for it had climbed to more than $1,500 before he pulled the plug on the auction.

In an interview last week, he told me that while he had decided to yank the original auction after discovering, he said, that the bidders for his Twitter account were spam marketers, he expected … Read more

It appears that for now at least, we won't get to find out the value of identity on Twitter.

A few days ago, Rocketboom creator Andrew Baron put his Twitter account up for sale on eBay, offering access to his 1,500-plus followers. (It's now at 1,757 followers.) Within a few days, the bidding had gone over $1,500 and appeared headed for much more.

At the same time, Baron went on Craigslist and was also offering to sell a two-day guest-hosting slot on his Twitter account for $150.

"I really love my Twitter account but … Read more

What if someone started an auction and we all ignored it?

I was hoping that might be the reaction in the "Twitosphere" after finding out that Andrew Baron put his Twitter account up for auction on eBay. Silly me.

My first reaction was to chuckle. It sounded like something out of Seinfeld--an auction about nothing. Would anyone be so much of an egomaniac to believe anybody would care? Then again, if Rocketboom's founder is serious about "auctioning" his Twitter account, have at it, pal. More likely, I'm sure he's laughing about every click … Read more

Here's an interesting question: In the world of social media, how important is identity? For example, if someone "friends" someone else, does it really matter who the friendee is?

Well, we might be getting a bit of an answer to this question. That's because Rocketboom creator Andrew Baron has announced he's selling his Twitter account--which includes more than 1,500 "followers"--on eBay. And as of Sunday morning, the auction had already gone up to $560.

"I really love my Twitter account but I feel like I haven't been using it … Read more

The right combination of smarts, beauty and goofiness drove Amanda Congdon to Web stardom. But perhaps that's not enough to make her a crossover talent.

ABC News announced last week that the online arm of the TV network won't be renewing the one-year contract it extended last November to the former host of Internet humor show, Rocketboom.

Congdon said on her blog that she's the one who decided to call it quits. However the relationship ended, the Internet will not miss Congdon's uninspired video blogs for ABCNews.com, and that's likely not all her fault. … Read more