Gawker
the rich
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how things work
Mediabistro Thinks Pretty People Can Still Get Media Jobs
You all know the tale: MediaBistro started as a series of cocktail networking parties hosted by Laurel Touby, who then realized she could monetize a website by charging (voluntarily, at first) for job postings. Then came the classes, which are totally overpriced—especially when compared with nearly identical, yet much longer, journalism classes at the New School. (I've taken both!) Then came the seminars—would you pay $75 to watch dubious dating columnist Julia Allison and others talk about personal branding? MediaBistro makes money by getting people to pay them to learn how to break into journalism. But let's be honest: they're basically an expensive Learning Annex for people who want to work in the media but have no contacts or connections. So what's MediaBistro gonna do to make money turning the downturn, with MediaJobs disappearing left and right? How about desperate stunts: charging for cheesecake videos that cross the line: More » -
Freelancing
Laurel Touby Needs Help
Laurel Touby, the millionaire founder of Mediabistro—which totally exists to give freelancers the false hope of getting media jobs—has been called upon to give a speech about "Best Practices in Freelancing." Except she's forgotten everything about freelancing, because she's a millionaire now! So she needs you freelancers to help: More » -
Bloggers
Mediabistro Scared Of Competition
Once upon a time, media bulletin board site Mediabistro had a talented, anonymous ad blogger called Agency Spy, who got good dirt and the occasional undeserved murder rap. The original Agency Spy left to start her own blog a couple months ago, but earlier today she put up a post saying the site was grinding to a temporary halt. Why? Because, Mediabistro multimillionaire founder Laurel Touby said, MB was enforcing a noncompete agreement against her! Seems pretty petty, Laurel, considering you're the second-richest internet media woman in New York now. The $23 million Mediabistro machine can't compete with one little alumnus? Tisk tisk. [Adscam, The Brief] -
Entrepreneurs
Dany Levy Is Richer Than You Think
Daily Candy, the email newsletter for women who like to buy things, was improbably successful. Former journalist Dany Levy founded it in 2000; it quickly became profitable, and she sold a controlling stake in the business to the private investment firm Pilot Group in 2003 for $3.5 million. Pilot Group sold the newsletter to Comcast last week for (an unbelievable) $125 million. But Levy, we hear, retained about a 20% interest in Daily Candy—which would mean that she walked away from the sale with $25 million. That would make her the undisputed internet cash queen of New York media. Take that, Laurel Touby! More » -
the internets
Reclusive Boa-Wearing Millionaire Online For One Night Only
Mediabistro maven Laurel Touby is doing a one-hour telechat for the website Spirited Woman. This is notable for two reasons: one, you have to gawk at the site's hippie-rainbow 1996 design. Two, they're hyping up her online appearance with this: "Laurel rarely does interviews." HAH. In 2008 alone, she's been quoted in the New York Times, Mergers & Acquisitions, Law and More, and a CNBC segment about middle-class milionaires. -
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request for information
It's A Circus
There's no Gawker correspondent at this week's Mediabistro conference—unless a tipster volunteers for the role. (Photograph: Julia Allison and sidekicks greeted attendees with top hats.) -
memos
Mediabistro Recruits Freaks To Liven Circus
Freelancer-helping website MediaBistro's upcoming conference, the unfortunately-named MediaBistro Circus, may not be coming along so well: boa-wearing propriestress Laurel Touby recently emailed, like, literally every single person she knows, begging them to register for "two days of inspired programming designed to bring very senior-level media people up to speed on what's happening in digital media." Another bad sign? Hiring circus freaks via Craigslist—on the cheap. More » -
the internets
Laurel Touby's Awesome Twitter: "Dining with two Bloombergonians"
Boa-wearing MediaBistro entrepreneur Laurel Touby has made the mediabaristas of New York City laugh, again and again, with her inability to use e-mail. (Then we remember that she sold MediaBistro for $23 mil—at which point all laughter abruptly stops.) So you can understand the concern we feel about her brand-new Twitter account. So far she's plugged her conference, announced gym plans, and given out her dining coordinates so people can "drop by and say hello": More » -
reply all
"I just invited everyone in my Outlook Contact sheet. And you were in there!!"
Boa-sporting Mediabistro.com proprietress Laurel Touby continues unabated in her menacing campaign to misuse email—an invention originally designed to simplify communications. Her latest infraction: in order to promote an upcoming "Mediabistro Circus," she decided to save a little time by sending a mass email to her entire contact list—all 2,000 people. The message starts off with an apology to those who "hate my guts," which is a good sign that perhaps it would be better to pursue a different outreach strategy. The entire ill-conceived email, after the jump. More »
