This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Kyle Bunch watches the blogosphere every day as head honcho of Blogebrity. Prepare as he breaks down the top 10 Blogebrities and sneaks in an eleventh when noone's lookin:
Per Tony's mission to load LAist with as many Top 10's of 2006 as possible, we humbly submit our list of The Top 10 Blogebrities of 2006*, in order from coffee hot (thousands of links) to magma hot (magazine covers, development deals, merchandising rights, etc.), on the Blogebrity Hotness Scale™
TIE - 10.) Jessica Coen // Vanity Fair / (formerly of) Gawker
Like Ana Marie Cox before her -- parlayed her Gawker Media gig into a full-time job at a major media outlet (Only, Ana Marie Cox didn't spend a quarter of her time at Wonkette lampooning her future bosses.) and left throngs of readers longing for their daily cup of Coen.
TIE - 10.) Jason Calacanis // Calacanis.com / CalacanisCast
His outspoken personality rubs some the wrong way, but his candor over the past year in his blog and now podcast -- while going from entrepreneur to AOL exec., through his departure at AOL -- offer an entertaining look into corporate culture and entrepreneurial thinking running head-on into each other.
9.) Zach Klein, Ricky Van Veen, Jakob Lodwick & the CH Staff // CollegeHumor
While rumors of a Facebook buyout circled all year long, the CH "clan" turned their loyal college audience into REAL dollars, selling a majority stake in the company to Barry Diller's IAC for a handsome some (total rumored to be $30 mil or so). With a movie in development, and Diller's resources behind them, the College Humor guys are laughing all the way to the bank.
8.) Ninja & Co. // Ask a Ninja
The Ninja was pretty much a 2006-only phenomenon (they released their first episode in late 2005, everything else in 2006). From airing their 2nd episode on January 5th, to throwing a big Yahoo/Revver-sponsored party at Cinespace upon releasing their first DVD in December, the people at Ask a Ninja had a big year.
7.) Gina Trapani, Adam Pash, Rick Broida, & Wendy Boswell // Lifehacker
It started as a surprising new title for a company whose primary trade was gossip, but Lifehacker has grown into one of the most
widely-read (and almost entirely snark free) Gawker Media titles. And they aren't stopping at pixels and bits. Lifehacker: The Book is available in stores now.
6.) Team TMZ // TMZ.com
You may not love their content -- but you can't deny the role they've played in some of the year's biggest gossip stories. From Mel Gibson's crazy night to Brandon Davis's Firecrotch rant , the year in gossip wouldn't have been the same without the muckracking excellence of TMZ.com.
5.) Kevin Rose // Digg / Diggnation
Now entering its third year of existence, Digg continues to be a huge source of traffic for bloggers, while Diggnation remains one of the few podcasts that doesn't totally put you to sleep, thanks largely to one savvy production decision -- alcohol + video podcasting = better video podcasting.
4.) Will Leitch // Deadspin
Deadspin, the sports site from Gawker Media, was a hit immediately out of the gate upon its launch in 2005. But '06 saw the site reach new levels of cultural influence, soaring on the wings of four hilarious words -- "you're with me, leather". Leitch has since signed landed a book deal with HarperCollins, and is rapidly emerging as the heir apparent to Bill Simmons' "sportswriter for people born after Astroturf" throne.
3.) Michael Arrington // Techcrunch
How many bloggers had magazine spreads featuring them lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills? That, plus $50-100,000 in ad revenue per month, has to be worth something.
2.) Amanda Congdon // ABC News / (formerly of) Rocketboom
In the ranks of Blogebrities who've turned blog fame and notoriety into real world notoriety, Amanda has to rank near the top. And in '06, she made the leap from big media feature/occasional cameos at Rocketboom to big media player, with a new gig at ABC and a development deal at HBO.
1.) Ze Frank // The Show
Ze's been publishing online in some form or another for years now, but the launch of The Show in March of 2006 became an almost instant must-watch, contributed to a 300% rise in the sale of rubber duckies, and catapulted him to the top of the A-list.
