Congratulations Elizabeth! You have made my day more times than you can ever know with Gawker. I hope you get New York Magazine media ducats and, eventually, a greater platform from which to do that voodoo that you do so well.

I guess that rumor you shot down on that LA site was true. Someone in your personal circle is leaking...

no, the rumor wasn't true. NY mag hadn't yet contacted me at that point (about *anything*), and although i'm filling in for Intelligencer this week, and possibly contributing to the column in the future, we're not talking about a gossip job.

ES,

My advice: stay at Gawker and ask for 33% ownership in the brand. Gawker will be sold to CondeNast/Primedia/Jann/whoever for $10m in five years.

Going to an established media company would be a waste for someone with your talent. Stick with Nick and get a huge chunk of equity.

Be the brand.

best Jason

good advice from jason, but good luck getting nick to un-ass any equity. he made it this far owning the whole thing, he's not about to share the pie with a writer...no matter how many freelance gigs she's getting with the mainstream.

Miss Thang is too good for gossip huh?

Thank goodness, maybe if you get a real job you won't be on every media maven's dance card seven nights a week and you'll have time to go to the movies and the Bulgarian bar with your old friends who knew you pre-Soho House.

Interesting to see Mr. Calacanis is now such a fan. Too bad he didn't hire you when he had the chance, but for your drinking problem...

Thanks God I didn't hire ES.... slaving away writing about venture capital would have been the worst thing ever for ES. The only reason we didn't hire ES, for the record, is because we hired someoen who worked for two of our top competitors... that was a move that I was sure would work. Of course I was wrong, and we are no longer working with that person.

Anyway, ES if you want to start your own thing email me immediatly. I will fund it, buy you a new laptop, pay for your SoHo house membership and split the equity 50-50 with you. I'm not joking... you're a God amongst insects and you need your own platform... not a dying one like New York magazine.

all the best, Jason Calacanis

Just please don't do anything that would deprive us, your slavering audience, of your life-redeeming yuks for a single day.

PS: "Be the brand!"? Jason, has boom retro begun already?

Well, I think it's all good. You're a star, Liz.

I'm thinking Liz should get the best of both worlds- a top job somewhere while keeping the gig on Gawker as part of the agreement. I really don't see why that can't happen.

Never underestimate the power of a big company to screw you over once you've signed away your independance. I've seen it happen too many times before.

I try to imagine it: all of these people, writing about one another reading about one another writing about one another... It is as if some mad scientist had crossed Tom Wolfe's injunction: 'Get out! Stop writing about yerselves! Look at the bonfire of vanities all around you!' with P.J. O'Rourkes admonition: 'God damn you kids, get in off the lawn right now and start playing video games!' Voila: Blogs.

I know what you mean, Roberto. 2 years ago I remember thinking the same kinda thing: "Damn, all these people yakkin' on about airplanes slamming into buildings. So cliche."

Eh. They can knock blogs all they want. I make my living via my blog- the more people slam them, the less competition I have. Rock on.

making a liivng via your blog? last I checked your blog was down. better check with your ISP.

>> Jason, has boom retro begun already?

The media space is ready for new brands right now. It is the perfect time to start something new if you're willing to do the "slow burn."

Gawker.com is the perfect example... they are building a brand day in and day out while there is no competition in the marketplace. In another two or three years there will be seven Gawker-style sites fighting for the market and Gawker will be the lead candidate for the top slot.

I think Gawker has a shot to be a really great magazine as well. Sort of a better Radar, etc.

Anyway, if you're thinking of starting a media property I suggest doing it now while everyone else is on the side line. That worked for me with Silicon Alley Reporter and VentureReporter.net, both of which were starting in down markets (1996 and 2001)... pre- and post- boom.

best Jason-at-Calacanis-Dot-Com

Ha. Thanks for the tip, Anon. Last time I checked it was working fine, but who knows. Anyway, watching all these wonderful things happen to Liz & Co has been both a real education and inspiration. Go, Liz, go!

well, that forum turns out to become some kind of promotion space for dear jason!
thanx, we know ur email address by now!

congrats!

On the one hand, yeah, large congratulations, nicely done.
On the other hand, reading more stiffly regulated content will always pale in comparison to freewheeln' blog entries, so I hope you can continue to do both.

Best of luck with the various people trying to woo you away from Gawker, even if it makes me unhappy. (Choire does fine, but nobody slings the snark like you do.)

If you ever need (more) sycophants, give me a call.

Gawker is the brand, not Elizabeth.

Gawker is not Gawker without Elizabeth. A brand is nothing without content, voice and emotion. Elizabeth is/was Gawker. However, Choire is great and Gawker will continue to be great and will become the new Choire/Gawker brand and will be as succesful as Elizabeth/Gawker.

OK, following my own logic, I guess Gawker is the brand. It's just gonna be a different brand:-)

Gawker is es not the other way around. It is noticealby different W?O her. Take up Mr. Calacanis

Anon writes: "Gawker is the brand, not Elizabeth."

Nick, come on, that's you, right? Anon my eye.

Gawker.com will be just fine at the end of the day and so will ES. However, Gawker is loosing their voice and trying a different voice. Perhaps Gawker will become a revolving door of voices around a theme the same way SNL has a revolving door of comedians around a theme.

However, ES has defined herself as a distinct voice and the reward of that hard work is she will either land a great, high-paying gig or she will start her own property. Perhaps over time she will do both.

I'll support her either as a loyal reader or a backer/partner (were she to give me the chance).

And despite Nick's strange (and false) attacks on me on his personal page (a little defensive perhaps?) I still respect what he has done with Gawker and Gizmodo. They are both great brands and he is a smart guy.

best Jason

Jesus. Go back to work, people.

Jason Calcanis, you are a douche.

Scribblers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your (newspaper) chains.

it is i, rick.

It's official, you're the most happening chick I'll never know.
All the wakos have left us on the East End but, maybe I'll see Mel again at the vegtable market.
Take Care-

Hugh,
It's because you have a comma (,) in your signature. When people click your name... no connection. Just fix your sig.

Didn't know SNL had a theme. What the hell is it?

And what exactly is Gawker's "value-add" to its "brand", above and beyond the voice it will soon be "loosing"? A domain name maybe?

Thank god the 90's are over.