DRDREW.COM LAUNCHES CUTTING-EDGE DESTINATION FOR YOUNG ADULTS
DRDREW.COM LAUNCHES CUTTING-EDGE DESTINATION FOR YOUNG ADULTS, Internet Wire, 4 Oct 1999
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DRDREW.COM LAUNCHES CUTTING-EDGE DESTINATION FOR YOUNG ADULTS
25,000 Pre-Registered for the Webs Newest Health & Lifestyle Site
PASADENA, CA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 10/ 4/99 -- Dr. Drew Pinsky, better known simply as Dr. Drew, the co-host of the nationally syndicated and highly-popular Loveline radio and television shows, today officially launched his much-anticipated health and lifestyle web site, drDrew.com.
drDrew.com, two years in the making, is a web site and community created for young adults, ages 14-34. Its mission is simple but powerful to provide a hard-to-reach audience with a venue to explore a wide range of physical, mental and emotional health topics in a trusted, compassionate and fun destination on the Web.
The Web is just a natural place for me to be, because that is where my audience is, said Dr. Drew. I wanted to create a site where young adults could get the information they need and interact with each other on topics that will affect their lives all in a comfortable and entertaining environment.
A Walk Through The Site
drDrew.com will be a destination site combining fresh and provocative content updated daily, with a lively community which encourages users to share their experiences with their peer group.
Site features include:
Frequently updated feature stories, user polls, and Q & A with Dr. Drew.
Original health articles on a wide range of topics, from depression and relationships, to disease and eating disorders
Frequently Asked Questions, all compiled into a searchable database
Dr. Drews Office which includes a comprehensive range of health resources, -including the National Institute of Health, support help-lines and information on volunteering in your local community
Personalities: profiles, interviews and chats with cutting-edge celebrities
News & Reviews for young adults events, cultural trends, music, movie and book reviews and more
And coming soon free homepages where users can share their stories and experiences and ecommerce for the products and services that matter most to this audience
DrDrew.com The Show Via Live Webcasts
drDrew.com also features one of the first Internet webcasts of its kind a live venue where the audience can call in or chat with Drew and a guest about sex, health, and relationships all possible via a streaming audio and video broadcast from drDrew.coms studio in Old Pasadena.
drDrew.com partnered with INTERVU Inc. (NASDAQ: ITVU; www.intervu.net), the leading service provider of Internet audio and video delivery solutions, to create the production studio and deliver its cutting-edge, web-casts. INTERVUs services are used by a host of major media sites including: CNN, House of Blues, Intel, Microsoft, MovieFone, MSNBC, NBC, and Turner Broadcasting, among others.
The drDrew.com show features a street level, glass-front studio allowing any passersby to watch the Dr. show being filmed. The 30-minute show will air twice a week while shows will be archived on drDrew.com.
Among guests for the first shows are punk rocker, Henry Rollins, (10/6/99), and the band, Blink 182 (10/14/99).
More than 25,000 Registered Pre-Launch
Since drDrew.com's registration page for the community went live in June, more than 25,000 people pre-registered for membership in the community.
"It is especially gratifying to see how quickly the community is taking shape, and members are participating" said Jennifer Maerz, the site's Managing Editor. "We are providing information that is difficult to access to the public. Some of this information is straight fact; some of it comes in the form of personal stories and experience; and a lot of it comes as a mixture of the two."
The drDrew.com Web site was designed and developed by the Los Angeles office of award-winning Internet solutions firm, Rare Medium. "The challenge was to find a place to begin this journey, to create a cool interactive environment that the audience would become an active member of and help build. One that would make Dr. Drew accessible and balance serious health issues with contemporary net culture" said Greg Holland, Rare Medium Executive Producer. "We're really happy with the result and a little bit in awe of the respect and admiration directed to Dr. Drew from his audience, which was pounding at the door while we were building the site. It's going to be great to see drDrew.com evolve as the audience becomes a community."
About Dr. Drew and drDrew.com
Dr. Drew Pinksy, M.D., is a true practicing physician, and has become a trusted source of information and advice among millions of young adults. Over the course of the past 16 years, Dr. Drew has developed a strong following with Loveline, a health, relationship and lifestyle-oriented radio show and MTV program.
Dr. Drew received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and his M. D. from University of Southern California School of Medicine. Dr. Drew was eventually awarded the position of Chief Resident at a USC facility. Both a Board Certified internist and addictionologist, Dr. Drew is also the Medical Director for the Department of Chemical Dependency Services at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena and the Chief of Service in the Department of Medicine. Prior, Dr. Drew was President of the Pasadena Medical Society and the former Editor of the Los Angeles County Medical Association Magazine. Along with his Loveline co-host, Adam Carolla, Dr. Drew is the author of The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and Love. Dr. Drew will serve as the President and Editor-in-Chief of drDrew.com, and his hands-on involvement will be the driving force in determining the sites content, events, partners and development.
drDrew.com was among the first companies to be funded through Palo-Alto based Garage.com, a highly regarded firm providing capital to promising young companies. Among drDrew.coms initial investors are the media company, Freedom Communications, and Dale Fuller, former President of the popular web site, WhoWhere.com.
Serving on the drDrew.com advisory board are Greg Maffei, CFO of Microsoft Corp., Guy Kawasaki, CEO of Garage.com, and Clarissa Wittenberg, Associate Director of Communications for the National Institute of Mental Health.
drDrew.com has assembled an exceptional management team. Heading up drDrew.com is CEO Curtis Giesen, who has been involved in the Internet industry since 1995 and helped build the dominant web gaming brand, Happy Puppy. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Curtis previously held VP posts at both Time Warner and Sony, and has considerable experience in building strong entertainment brands on the web for Generations X and Y. Howard Lapides, of Lapides Entertainment, is a Senior Vice President and co-founder, and brings extensive experience and relationships in the entertainment industry. Among other celebrities, Howard recently discovered and launched Tom Green, one of the biggest stars ever to hit MTV. Editorial efforts will be led by Jennifer Maerz, former Managing Editor of the San Francisco based, SOMA Magazine, who will serve as Managing Editor of the site. Dr. Tim Cruz, a 1999 graduate of UCLA Medical School, will be the resident Health Editor. Film Editor Michael Moses comes to drDrew.com with a portfolio of published work in major publications such as Rolling Stone, Billboard and Los Angeles Magazine. Khanh Nguyen, former webmaster for the Milken Family Foundation, has joined as CTO.
What People Are Saying About Dr. Drew and drdrew.com
"I have known Dr. Drew for many years and followed the progression of his career with admiration. He provides more accurate and useful clinical information to America's young people than anyone else I know."
-- Dr.George Lundberg, longtime Editor of the American Journal of Medicine and current Editor-in-Chief of Medscape
"Each generation has its icons and Dr. Drew is an entertainment and medical icon of the Internet generation. We leaped at the chance to work with him because he has huge credibility with a much sought after and difficult-to-reach demographic market."
-- Guy Kawasaki, CEO, Garage.com
"DrDrew.com is an example of a celebrity site that has a purpose; it isn't just a Vanity site, or a licensing agreement. Dr. Drew is taking advantage of the notoriety he has earned in a positive way and using the web site to extend his reach to help people. Young people will want to make this site a go-to resource for reliable health and lifestyle information, because it's from a source they trust, and count on for candor."
-- Allen Weiner, Vice President, Analytical Services, NetRatings
