ZeroDegrees.com (Business Social Network)
ZeroDegrees.com was one of the first business social networking sites before LinkedIn dominated the industry. Extensive research was conducted on the company to understand its business strategy and brand focus and to deliver an image that sets it apart from its competitors. I successfully redesigned and launched the site, and soon after, a large corporation purchased all the business social networking sites and their IP and shut them down. Three years later, Microsoft bought LinkedIn for 8 billion.
RESULTS
Investors received 20X return upon sale with the help of website redesign.
Inclusivity was way ahead of its time.
Throughout the site, I used a variety of visual and eye-candy graphics to reinforce the idea of making a connection through multiple devices.
The vision
ZeroDegrees was one of the first sites to prove and validate the number of degrees from Kevin Bacon. The company was located in the heart of Hollywood, across the street from Tower Records. It went viral, with thousands of customers wanting to know the number of separations they have from other celebrities.
Google It: “Six degrees from Kevin Bacon” is still a trendy topic.
ZeroDegrees is an online business networking service that allows members to add the names of business and personal contacts to a searchable database. It was one of the first business social networking sites. Its IP and its user base made it very attractive to VC.
Before/After – The original Zerodegrees.com website looked amateur. I was the sole designer responsible for redesigning the website to make it more modern. I hired a copywriter and launched the new site that directly increased the user base. The VP of marketing and CEO gave me a bonus upon the sale of the dot-com. A 20x VC return.
Dreamworks (SKG) – Pop.com (UGC Video site)
The Begging – Pop.com was a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and other top A-list Hollywood filmmakers. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen backed the company to produce as an original online social content entertainment company. DreamWorks, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg are joining Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, who created Pop.com, envisioning and embracing the future of online (internet) entertainment. Pop.com is an OUGC social entertainment company.
THE MAKING OF SUPERFANS
DREAMWORKS (SKG) – My original assignment was to help create a web presence for Pop.com, showcasing original digital shorts from A-list celebrities. Due to rising costs, the original content creation was put on hold. The business pivoted, and I was pulled into another acquisition—a community fan website called countingdown.com hosting Pop.com’s original content from A-list celebrities. I was responsible for the re-brand and a complete UX/UI redesign. Countingdown’s online success was based on a ticker timer that counts down when a movie is expected to release into movie theaters. The goal was to build movie hype through its user base. I still have the original Adobe Flash files.
DREAMWORKS (SKG) – EVOLUTION MOVIE SITE
Also, during that time at DreamWorks, the vision was to create movie sites affiliated with the pop.com and countingdown.com to give super-fans behind-the-scenes movie access. I art directed the movie “Evolution” website directed by Ivan Reitman. Instead of launching the typical beautifully finished movie website, the site was uniquely designed to be a rolling release where content changes daily. Fans had behind-the-scenes access to content with hooks into the fan community drove its success. I was literally changing content on the fly based from community feedback.
