Goodbye!

So long and thanks for all the fish!

Be sure to email roflcon AT gmail DOT com if you’d like to comment on future plans.  We’ll post any updates to this blog!

Bonus ROFLs: Andy Ochiltree (Jib Jab)

Here’s our post-panel interview with Andy Ochiltree, head writer for Jib Jab…

Geoffrey: During the panel, you talked about the “perfect storm” that created the Jib Jab phenomenon. What does that mean? What were the elements of the storm?

Andy: People were really weary of this election — Bush and Kerry. The rhetoric was ridiculous. I don’t think there was a lot of respect on either side of the party lines. They were so ridiculous, and it was something a lot of people were talking about. The mudslinging and the name-calling. Gregg and Evan’s piece encapsulated that dialogue and it got out to America.

Other elements: a lot more people were using email. People like you and me have always been using email, but when it came to 2004, a slightly older demo started using it. People in their 30s and 40s. All of a sudden, it went mass, compared to the 2000 election when it wasn’t. That enabled us to spread it all over, through the people who helped us by sending links to their friends, by posting on their blogs and stuff.

That kind of explosion and mainstreaming of internet culture lead to its popularity, I guess.

G: Jib Jab did a very good job turning its meme into a corporation with major sponsors. How did that happen?

A: The founders were really smart and they knew how to leverage the audience they got into other forms of business. It’s about hitting the pavement. Gregg and Evan are networking constantly — aside from being brilliant, they get their ideas out there. They’re great promoters as well, and they should be promoting it, because it’s awesome stuff.

I think it’s just about seeing the opportunities that you’ve done has afforded you, and finding those areas you can really move into and capitalize. It’s about strategy and the founders know it.

Bonus ROFLs: Joe Mathlete (Marmaduke Explained)

This is Geoffrey from Overtime Comedy, happily guest blogging about teh awesome ROFLcon. I interviewed some of the guests after their panels, to squeeze extra knowledge out of them.

Here’s some more wisdom from memestar Joe Mathlete of Marmaduke Explained, post-panel…

Geoffrey: The panel was about making money on memes/websites. Have you been thinking about other ways to profit from Marmaduke Explained, apart from Google Ads and shirts? Or is it really just a hobby?

Joe: It’s barely even a hobby at this point. I stopped selling the shirts because it kinda weirded me out a little bit, and I’m not very good with the post office. I thought it was funny that the Chuck Norris Guy said he was a poor college student. He’s written a book. I was able to quit my job for a couple months, but I do that all the time anyway.

Yeah, it barely qualifies as a hobby — more like a fun obligation at this point.

G: Chuck Norris Guy was legally threatened by Chuck Norris’ people. Have you heard anything from Marmaduke’s creator or publishers?

J: No, no. Not a single thing. My theory for the longest time was that the guy who writes Marmaduke was too old to have a computer on the internet, and that maybe I generated some interest in the strip, so the publisher doesn’t care too much. I’m pretty sure I’ve never infringed any copyrights with the things I’ve sold. Never used the artwork. Sorta careful about that. I was kinda hoping at one point that I’d get a cease and desist, so I can move onto something else.

G: Have your eye on any other strips you might want to do next? Or what’s your next project, if it’s not comic-blog related?

J: Gonna get drunk for the rest of the day, probably.

I drew a nipple on Ziggy’s nose for about a week, just cause everyone told me I should do more comic strip stuff. They thought I was serious about that. (It was for a week.)

My future plans have not a lot to do with comic strips.

Bonus ROFLs: Dino Ignacio (Bert Is Evil)

After his panel on “Pwning For The Good of Mankind,” I asked Bert Is Evil creator Dino Ignacio a few more questions…

Geoffrey: I’m not going to ask you any more questions about your secret, unfortunate encounter with the CIA, but did you ever have any interactions with Sesame Workshop?

Dino: The closest interaction would be the open letter they sent about the whole thing. They never contacted me directly, but I think they were cool about it. In the open letter, they asked the mirrors of the site to shut down, because they knew my site was down. They were very polite — I received no threat from them at all.

G: Your site was popular very early on. Do you consider yourself a grandfather to the meme movement?

D: If there’s a grandfather, I would say it was Mr. T Ate My Balls. That’s one of my biggest influences. That, and the Spam Cam.

G: Do you feel a “class of ‘96″ camaraderie with those memes?

D: Maybe, because we were all pre-celebrity status. I’m with that group, I guess. Back when a million hits meant something! <Laughs>

G: Can you tell me about what you’re doing for EA?

D: I’m working on Dead Space — it’s a survival, shooter game. I’m doing the user interface for the game. With a small team of people, we’re doing all the holograms and signs.