The 1UP Show
The 1UP Show was a video podcast that was updated weekly on the video gaming website, 1UP.com. It featured editors of 1UP.com along with the magazine editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly and Games for Windows: The Official Magazine. Like the website, the podcast focused on various aspects of modern gaming culture. Since its creation in 2005, the show has featured previews and reviews of games, as well as in-house debates and discussions on recent developments in the gaming community.
| The 1UP Show | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Fridays |
| Length | Approx. 1 Hr. |
| Production | |
| Camera | Rob Bowen Cesar Quintero Jason Bertrand Ryan O'Donnell |
| Direction | Ryan O'Donnell |
| Production | Matt Chandronait Ryan O'Donnell Demian Linn Rob Bowen Cesar Quintero Jason Bertrand |
| Video format | QuickTime, WMV |
| Publication | |
| Original release | October 21, 2005 – December 19. 2008 |
| Provider | 1UP Radio Network |
| Website | |
The 1UP Show was canceled after UGO.com bought out 1UP and the production crew got laid off. Some of the staff of The 1UP Show (Jason Bertrand, Rob Bowen, Matt Chandronait, Jay Frechette, Ryan O'Donnell and Cesar Quintero) started their own video production company, Area 5 Media, and its accompanying website, Area5.tv, featuring a show called CO-OP, which for all intents and purposes was a continuation of The 1UP Show.[1] The program was picked up by Revision3 in March 2009. CO-OP ceased production in 2010.
History
The first episode of The 1UP Show became available on October 21, 2005. It began as a low-budget side project created by Jane Pinckard and Ryan O'Donnell, both of whom also wrote the majority of the show's scripted segments. The two were aided in the show's production by then-Managing Editor of 1UP.com, Che Chou.
In the show's second season, production values of the show were raised significantly, with the addition of professionally made video graphics and high quality footage, as well as a theme song written and performed by Jane Pinckard and Eric Haller.
On January 7, 2009, the 1UP Network was sold by Ziff Davis to the UGO Network. In a blog post[2] by Matt Chandronait, the most recent producer of the video podcast, it was revealed that it would no longer be produced after the acquisition.
Style
The show was shot largely in and nearby the offices of 1UP and its affiliated magazines, though some portions were filmed on location at press events and game shows. Though various episodes of The 1UP Show featured brief segments of scripted skits and lighthearted segues, the majority of content was off-the-cuff.
Not The 1UP Show
When The 1UP Show could not make its weekly deadline, it was usually replaced with alternate video series titled Not The 1UP Show that featured its own, less news-related segments.
This included Broken Pixels, in which members of the staff (notably "Rest of the Crap" writer Seanbaby of Electronic Gaming Monthly) were simply filmed laughing and "enjoying" poorly received video games such as Bible Adventures on the NES and Escape from Bug Island on the Wii. This segment has since been seen as an offshoot from the show it started on.
While The 1UP Show was focused on game coverage, Not The 1UP Show was more focused on gaming and gaming culture.
Seasons
Season One: October 2005 - December 2005
The first season of The 1UP Show contains 10 episodes, loosely tied together through a series of ongoing skits. Usually, these skits will take place during the cold open of an episode and before the closing title card. Original music for the series was composed by Ryan O'Donnell. Though the show featured an opening title sequence featuring members of the 1UP.com staff, neither the cast nor crew of The 1UP Show were formally credited.
Season Two: January 2006 - June 2006
Season 2 of The 1UP Show saw the introduction of a standard opening credits sequence, accompanied by an original theme song written and performed by Eric Haller and Jane Pinckard. Managing Editor Che Chou left the 1UP.com staff and Ziff Davis early in the season to work under Microsoft (under the Turn 10 development team) to develop an Xbox 360 game, Forza Motorsport 2. In May, the events of E3 2006 were covered in a 3-part special.
The season features 21 episodes, including the first four episodes of Not The 1UP Show.
Season Two Main Cast:
- Team 1UP Show - Jane Pinckard, Ryan O'Donnell, Che Chou
- The High Rollers - John Davison, Sam Kennedy, Mark MacDonald, Simon Cox
- Guitar Heroes: 'Liberante' - Garnett Lee, Kimi Matsuzaki, Matt Leone, Andrew "Skip" Pfister
- Video Prod. Squad - Mikey Nguyen, Jason Bertrand, Cesar Quintero, Robert Bowen
- 1UP.com Art Ops - Greg Ma, Karen Chu
- The 'Core Club - Jared Rea, Patrick Klepek, Richard Li
- with James Mielke
Season Three: June 2006 - October 2006
The third season of The 1UP Show began on June 9, 2006. The series introduced a new summertime opening sequence with an alternate Beach Boys inspired version of the theme song, arranged by Jane Pinckard, Eric Haller, Ryan O'Donnell and Chris Groves. The Tokyo Game Show was featured in September. Near the end of the season, Jane Pinckard left Ziff Davis to work as a conference manager for the Game Developers Conference.
Season Three contains 18 episodes.
Season Four: October 13, 2006 - December 22, 2006
The fourth season of The 1UP Show began October 13, 2006. The impending launches of the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 were heavily explored in this season, as were other anticipated games such as Final Fantasy 12, Bully, Elite Beat Agents, Gears of War, and even an early feature on the following fall's Halo 3.
Season 4 contains 11 episodes, with one episode of "Not The 1UP Show" and another of "Broken Pixels".
Season Four Main Cast:
- Ryan O'Donnell, Kathleen Sanders, Cesar Quintero, Mark MacDonald, Demian Linn, Jason Bertrand, Rob Bowen, Nelson Laut, Mike Nelson, Crispin Boyer, Bryan "Fragile EAgle" Intihar, Dan "Shoe" Hsu, Shane Bettenhausen, Luke Smith, Garnett Lee, Andrew "Skip" Pfister, Matt Leone, Sam Kennedy, John Davison, Shawn Elliott, James "Milky" Mielke, Electronic Gaming Monthly staff, Official PlayStation Magazine staff, Games For Windows staff.
Season Five: January 19, 2007 - April 20, 2007
The fifth season of The 1UP Show began on January 19, 2007. 8 episodes, along with three episode of "Not The 1UP Show", were shown. Two more episodes of "Not The 1UP Show" were aired post-Season Five. During this season, Luke Smith had announced his departure from Ziff Davis to work at Bungie.
Season Five Main Cast:
- Ryan O'Donnell, Kathleen Sanders, Cesar Quintero, Mark MacDonald, Demian Linn, Jason Bertrand, Rob Bowen, Nelson Laut, and Mike Nelson from
Game Videos; Crispin Boyer, Greg "The Yakker" Ford, Bryan "Fragile EAgle" Intihar, Dan "Shoe" Hsu, Shane Bettenhausen, Michael Donahoe, and Jennifer Tsao from EGM; Shawn Elliott, Sean Molloy, Ryan Scott, Darren Gladstone, and Jeff Green from GFW; Luke Smith, Garnett Lee, Andrew "Skip" Pfister, Matt Leone, Sam Kennedy, John Davison, Karen Chu, Seana Lyn Mickols, Jenn Frank, Jared Rea, Todd Zuniga, and James "Milkman" Mielke from 1Up.
Season Six: May 11, 2007 - August 24, 2007
Episode one of the sixth season of The 1UP Show commenced on May 11, 2007 including a new summer season intro (accompanied by the theme song first introduced in season two). 15 episodes aired for the season, two episodes being "Not The 1UP Show" and 5 for E3.
Season Seven: August 31, 2007 - December 21, 2007
The seventh season of The 1UP Show began on August 31, 2007. It consisted of 16 episodes, one being "Not The 1UP Show" and another for a 1UP Show Special. The season premiere episode was the 100th episode of The 1UP Show, and also saw the departure of John Davison and Kathleen Sanders. John Davison will still take part in the 1UP Yours podcast.
Season Eight: January 18, 2008 - May 9, 2008
Season 8 of The 1UP Show premiered on January 18, 2008. 18 episodes were filmed, this includes coverage of the Game Developers Conference and the launch for both Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Grand Theft Auto IV. Two 1UP Show Specials aired post-Season 8 which covered the WWE Superstar Challenge, a new "Freeloader" and the premiere of a brand new series of 1UP Specials entitled "RSVP".
Season Nine: June 6, 2008 - August 22, 2008
14 episodes were aired for Season 9 of The 1UP Show which started on June 6, 2008. This season covered video game titles such as Soul Calibur IV, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World at War as well as E3 2008 and Leipzig Games Convention 2008 coverage. The Penny Arcade Expo was covered after the Season 9 finale under 1UP Show Specials.
Season Ten: September 22, 2008 - December 19, 2008
Season 10 began on September 18, 2008.[3] The final show was December 19, 2008.
The 1UP show came to a close after their purchase by UGO.com in 2009.
Awards and nominations
In 2007 and in 2008, The 1UP Show was nominated for a "Best of the Web Award" in "Best Podcast or Vodcast" by Media Industry Newsletter (min). In 2007, it lost to the Slate Magazine podcast. Results for the 2008 awards will be announced at Access Intelligence's "min day" Digital Media Summit on April 18, 2008.[4][5]
The 1UP Show was a mainstay of the Top 10 Games & Hobbies podcasts on iTunes's website, the gaming podcast with the highest number of Diggs at Digg.com. It was also the most popular podcast by 1UP (a Featured Provider in iTunes's podcast space).