Web Masters

Aaron talks to Gregg Spiridellis, co-founder -- along with his brother -- of JibJab, one of the world's first successful online animation studios. Hear the story of how they created the world's first huge viral video and how they learned to capitalize on their enormous audience to build a global business.

Show Notes

When Gregg Spiridellis and his brother, Evan, first launched their online animation studio -- JibJab -- in 1999, nobody knew how to monetize short-from video content on the Web. And that was still true five years later when their first massively successful viral video, This Land, spread to millions of people around the world in a matter of days.

But Gregg and his brother knew they were sitting at the front of a media revolution, and, if they kept iterating, they'd eventually find a sustainable business model. And they ultimately did, turning JibJab from a creator of one-off video shorts into one of the Web's largest personalized e-card services.

During the episode, Gregg shares his experiences with Aaron about growing JibJab from a Brooklyn garage working alongside his brother to a Southern California office with 100+ employees and, ultimately, a successful exit.

For a complete transcript of the episode, click here.

What is Web Masters?

Web Masters is an original podcast that explores the history of the Internet through the stories of some of its most important innovators. In each episode, host Aaron Dinin, a serial entrepreneur and digital media scholar, talks with Internet entrepreneurs who created important websites, tools, services, and features. Some are hugely popular, some you’ve never heard of, and all of them have impacted everything you do online. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Internet has enabled -- and continues to create -- some of the greatest business opportunities in history from the people who have proven they know how to build successful Internet businesses.