Justine Ezarik

Infobox Internet celebrity
name = Justine Ezarik

---

imagesize =
caption = Ezarik with lifecasting equipment
birthdate = birth date and age|1984|3|20
birthplace = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
nationality = American
webalias = iJustine, eJustine
period active =
host service = Justin.tv, Viddler
genre = Lifecasting, Blogging
meme = 300-page iPhone bill
meme date = August 2007
homepage =http://www.ijustine.com
signature phrase = "I am the Internet" Lyons, Kim " [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_522522.html The blog is on] " Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, August 16, 2007]

Justine Ezarik (pronounced|iːˈzeɪ.ɹɪk, born March 20, 1984), is a freelance graphic/web designer and video editor based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is best known as iJustine, a viral video comedian and lifecaster who communicated directly with her hundreds of viewers on her Justin.tv channel, ijustine.tv.Ezarik, Justine; [http://www.justin.tv/ijustine iJustine on Justin.tv] ] In addition to her position as an occasional panel member on MacBreak and MacBreak Weekly with Leo Laporte, she has made more than 200 videos, including satires on such subjects as "Lost" and parkour. Her videos have received more than 25 million views. [ [http://www.sporevote.com/index.html Spore Creature Creator Gallery] ] Verify source|date=August 2008 She is sometimes described as a "lifecasting star" [ [http://www.news.com/the-social/8301-13577_3-9782224-36.html McCarthy, Caroline. "Welcome to the Naked Generation," c|net News, September 21, 2007] ] or "new media star." [ [http://www.biztechtalk.com/enterprise_20/index.html Keldsen, Dan. "Dangers of Paper in an iPhone world," BizTechTalk, August 15, 2007] ]

Background

The daughter of a coal miner and gym teacher, Ezarik grew up in Pennsylvania.cite web | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/29/BUGUEQ1V8B1.DTL&hw=ezarik&sn=001&sc=1000 | last = Guynn | first = Jessica | title = Can't get enough Justin? You can watch Justine: 'Natural star' ready to take on leading role in the latest around-the-clock Web show | publisher = "San Francisco Chronicle" | date = 2007-05-29 | accessdate = 2007-08-24] After graduating from the Pittsburgh Technical Institute in 2004, she landed several jobs in graphic design and video editing before starting her own business. She appears live on the Internet through the use of a wireless webcam and microphone on her own iJustine lifecasting channel on Justin.tv, where she began transmitting her life via the Internet on May 29, 2007.cite web | url= http://laughingsquid.com/justintv-launches-lifecasting-network-with-ijustine/ | last = Beale | first = Scott | title = Justin.tv Launches Lifecasting Network With iJustine | publisher = Laughing Squid | date = 2007-05-29 | accessdate = 2007-08-24]

For Asher Moses of "The Sydney Morning Herald" (May 31, 2007) she explained how her initial contact with Justin Kan and his team led to her lifecasting channel: quote|Justine, a 23-year-old freelance graphic and web designer from Pittsburgh, said the camera-equipped baseball cap - and the legions of fans watching online - would follow her almost everywhere, except on visits to the bathroom. "I'll basically have the camera on 24/7 but if there is something I can't do [meetings, etc] with it on, i'll just leave it at home or let someone borrow it," she told smh.com.au. Justine is certainly no stranger to web video, having posted a plethora of short clips on video sharing sites Revver and Jumpcut... Justine said she first met her male counterpart at the San Francisco Macworld conference in January, and in April wore his camera for a day as a favor. "We briefly talked about me having a camera then and pretty much started finalizing things in the past week or so. I had the equipment on Thursday, and we tested it out Sunday-Monday and went live this Tuesday!" cite web | url= http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/justines-crazy-web-adventures/2007/06/01/1180205492657.html | last = Moses | first = Asher | title = Justine's crazy web adventures | publisher = "Sydney Morning Herald" | date = 2007-05-31 | accessdate = 2007-08-24 ] She stated that she did not intend to broadcast what she considers private moments, noting "That shouldn't be a problem. I am going to try as much as I can to do 24/7." Ezarik has been cited as being among the website's most popular lifecasters in October 2007 issues of both the "New York Times" and "Wall Street Journal".cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/technology/14digi.html |title=A Site Warhol Would Relish|publisher=New York Times|author=Stross, Randall|accessdate=2007-10-18|date=2007-10-14] [cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119222337985757660.html?mod=djm_HAWSJSB_Welcome|title=Online: Live|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc |work=Wall Street Journal|author=Little, Lyneka|accessdate=2007-10-16|date=2007-10-13]

In December 2006, she was named one of five finalists in the "Yahoo! Talent Show", a Yahoo! sponsored competition for best online videos, [cite web |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06343/745300-370.stm |title=Cybertainment: Local woman makes finals in online video contest |accessdate=2007-09-04 |author= McCoy, Adrian |date= 2006-12-09 |work= Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|publisher= PG Publishing Co |quote=Justine Ezarik, 22, of Carnegie, is among five national finalists in the Yahoo! Talent Show. Yahoo's competition for best online videos is aimed at the ever-growing user-generated video community.] finishing second to Rex Hermogino, who won the US$50,000 prize. [cite web |url=http://manilamaildc.net/article1493.html |title=Filam wins top Yahoo talent show - U.S. News |accessdate=2007-09-04 |author= |date= 2007-01-14 |format= |work= Manila Mail, Philippines|publisher=Maya Media, Inc |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=Hermogino, a 31-year-old singer and songwriter ... edged out Justine Ezarik, a filmmaker from Pennsylvania, to earn $50,000. ] She played a photojournalist covering a bank robbery in downtown Pittsburgh on the television series "The Kill Point" from Spike TV filmed in May 2007, [cite web | url = http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/29/BUGUEQ1V8B1.DTL | title = Can't get enough Justin? You can watch Justine / 'Natural star' ready to take on leading role in the latest around-the-clock Web show | accessdate = 2007-09-14 | date = 2007-05-29 |author= Guynn, Jessica | work = The San Francisco Chronicle | quote = On Friday she finished up a two-week shoot on the Pittsburgh set of "The Kill Point," a television series scheduled to premiere in July on Spike TV...] and covered the July 22, 2007 series premiere party live on her lifecast video stream. [cite web | url = http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_518584.html | title = Hundreds pack Altar Bar for 'Kill Point' premiere | accessdate = 2007-09-14 | author = Hentges, Rochelle | date = 2007-07-23| work = Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | quote = Ezarik held her digital camera over her head, taking pictures of her mirror image on screen, as she played a photojournalist reporting on the bank heist.] . In May 2008, iJustine introduced eJustine, a friend that she has used in her most recent videos. According to iJustine, eJustine is a social networking addict. It is iJustine in a wig and nerdy glasses dressed in a casual outfit.Fact|date=June 2008

In the media

In August 2007, she created "300-page iPhone bill", a viral video which quickly became an Internet meme. Stories of unexpected billing issues began to circulate in blogs and the technical press after the Apple iPhone's heavily advertised and anticipated release, but this video clip brought the voluminous bills to the attention of the mass media. Ten days after its initial posting, the video had been viewed more than 3 million times on the Internet, and had received international news coverage.cite web
url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/tribpm/s_522522.html
title=The blog is on - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
accessdate=2007-08-19
last=Lyons
first=Kim
date=2007-08-16
work=Pittsburgh Tribune Review
publisher=Tribune-Review Publishing Co
quote=Ezarik, 23, of Carnegie, made national news yesterday with a video of her flipping through her 300-page bill from AT&T -- mailed in a box -- for her new iPhone.] cite web
url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136068/article.html
title= A 300-page iPhone Bill? : iPhone owners rail at AT&T for paper waste with overly detailed bills
accessdate=2007-08-19
last=Keizer
first=Gregg
date=2007-08-16
work=Computerworld
publisher= PC World Communications
quote=One blogger, in fact, is in the middle of her 15 minutes of fame after posting a video that shows her unwrapping a 300-page AT&T bill.] The video was later reported to have reached over 8 million total views as of December 2007.cite web |url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/12/online_fame_easy_ads_harder_to.php |title=Online Fame Easy; Ads Harder to Get |accessdate=2007-12-15 |author= Whitney, Daisey |date=2007-12-08 |format= |work=TV Week |quote=...a video about her 300-page iPhone bill rocketed to 8 million views across YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo and Revver.] The video earned Ezarik a $5,000 payout from the video hosting service Revver. [cite web | url = http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2007-09-13-revver_N.htm | title = Posters reap cash rewards at video-sharing site Revver | accessdate = 2007-09-13 | date = 2007-09-12 | author = Graham, Jefferson | work =USA Today | quote = Blogger Justine Ezarik, who made a splash a few weeks ago with her tale of a 300-page iPhone bill, will see $5,000 from Revver for posting the clip.] She was interviewed by several media outlets in connection with her iPhone bill video, including "USA Today",cite web
url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2007-08-14-iphone-bill_N.htm?imw=Y
title=How many trees did your iPhone bill kill?
accessdate=2007-08-19
author=Graham, Jefferson
date=2007-08-15
work=USA Today
publisher=Gannett
quote=Justine Ezarik, a Pittsburgh graphic designer and active Internet blogger, got her first bill on Saturday. She says it was so huge—300 pages — it was delivered in a box.]
ABC News,cite web
url=http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3478095&page=1
title=Bulky iPhone Bills Can Top 300 Pages
accessdate=2007-08-19
author=Phillips, Ashley
date=2007-08-14
work=
publisher=ABC News
quote=For a heavy user like Ezarik -- she typically sends 30,000 text messages a month -- an itemized bill was incredibly long and heavy. The postage on her bill was $7.]
CNN, [cite web | url = http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0708/16/gb.01.html | title = CNN.com - Transcripts | accessdate = 2007-09-18 |date=2007-08-16| author = Glenn Beck| work = CNN]
Fox News Channel, [cite web | url = http://www.foxnews.com/video2/launchPage.html?081707/081707_studiob_iphone&iSurprise&Studio_B&Blogger%20shocked%20after%20receiving%20300-page%20iPhone%20bill&Technology&-1&iSurprise&Video%20Launch%20Page&News | title = Video: iSurprise | accessdate = 2007-09-13 | date = 2007-08-17 | work =Fox News Channel ]
WTAE-TV, [cite web |url=http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/video/13902229/index.html |title=Pittsburgh Blogger's 300-Page iPhone Bill Mailed In Box |accessdate=2007-09-04 |author= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2007-08-15 |format= |work= WTAE-TV Pittsburgh|quote=] and WPXI-TV. In the WPXI interview, the interviewer was surprised to learn that his interview was being shown live on the iJustine webcast. [cite web |url=http://www.wpxi.com/news/13899466/detail.html |title=Local iPhone Customer Gets 300-Page Phone Bill |accessdate=2007-09-04 |author= |date=2007-08-15 |format= |work=WPXI Pittsburgh |quote=Channel 11’s Andy Gastmeyer met with Ezarik, who has a Web page with a live camera, to discuss the bill. Gastmeyer was surprised to learn his interview was being shown live online.] In a live telephone interview on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" program, the interviewer discussed being able to see Ms. Ezarik's lifecast video stream of the interview on his computer while he was interviewing her. [cite web | url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12847181 | title = A Compact Device with a Very Bulky Bill | accessdate = 2007-09-11 | date=2007-08-16 |format = audio (RM, WM) | work = All things considered | publisher=National Public Radio|quote=As we are talking, I am looking at a computer, and I see you in your car...]

Ezarik was also featured in the August 28, 2007 weekly installment of Kevin Sites' People of the Web series on Yahoo! News along with Justin Kan, the creator of Justin.TV. Sites called her "the star of this network so far," and said "she has model good looks and easy cyber savvyness that attracts both technophiles and casual users alike." The final cut of the interview video included footage from the live web cast of the interview that showed Ezarik's webcam viewpoint. When Sites asked her to turn off her lifecasting equipment later in the interview, he noted that "at once the conversation seemed more relaxed and natural," and she discussed the difficulty of having people watching and publicly judging her all day. [cite web | url = http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/40075/the-real-reality-tv | title = The Real Reality TV : Meet Justine Ezarik and Justin Kan. These "lifecasters" live their lives in front of mobile webcams, for anyone to see.| date = 2007-08-28 | accessdate = 2007-09-16 | format = | work = People of the Web | publisher = Yahoo! News | quote=The site also has a burgeoning star, Justine Ezarik, a 23-year-old graphic designer from Pittsburgh area. ]

In an interview published September 21, 2007 she discussed her lifecasting activities with a reporter for "TG Daily", telling him that she has tried not to change her personal routine, except that she now vocalizes her thoughts by talking to herself for the benefit of the audience. She also now concerns herself with what the people around her are saying, especially if they try to share private information like phone numbers. In discussing her personal safety concerns, she said, “I've had a lot of people show up places that I am, call hotels and restaurants that I'm at. Everything has to be taken into consideration. I'm also very lucky that nothing bad has happened so far. Makes me think I should quit before it does!” [cite web | url = http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/34003/113/ | title = Personal safety a problem in 'lifecasting' - iJustine interview | accessdate = 2007-09-22 | date = 2007-09-21 | author = Cheung, Humphrey| work = TG Daily| quote=At first glance, Pittsburgh resident Justine Ezarik looks like she’s talking to herself as she eats lunch, drinks coffee and drives her car, but she’s isn’t insane, she’s part of a new legion of ‘lifecasters’.]

References

ee also

*JenniCam
*Brooke Brodack
*Sarah Austin
*Sousveillance

External links

* [http://www.ijustine.tv/ iJustine.tv; Ezarik's secondary official website]
* [http://tastyblogsnack.com/ Ezarik's blog]
* [http://www.justineezarik.com/ Justine's name-based site]