Podcast
Sixteenth Minute (of Fame)
Hosted by Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts · EN
Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) is a weekly show from Jamie Loftus that takes a closer look at the internet’s main characters – one part reported, one part interviews, and one part Jamie collapsing her permanently internet-damaged brain. Whether it’s an enduring meme or a dreaded Character of the Day distinction, it’s the kind of notoriety that often results in little money, unwarranted attention, and a confusing blurred line of consent. What do you do when you get more attention and judgement than any one person is built to handle? The Sixteenth Minute of Fame is the place where we figure that out, putting people in the context of the moment they've been frozen inside of.
53episodes
Episodes
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the horny duolingo bird lives: zaria parvez
Apr 1, 202501:15:08Summary readyWhere do you go from pivoting your brand to nihilism? Horny, my friends. WILDLY horny. In our final installment of the Sentient Horny Brand series, Jamie speaks to the mind behind Duolingo’s chaotic, wildly horny social media presence Zaria Parvez. Remember when you couldn’t get the owl giving birth to sponges off your feed? Remember when you didn’t even WANT to? That was her, and getting there was a wild ride.We talk about her journey from nearly taking down a Christian school to changing the way that Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumes advertising, one shitpost at a time. Follow Zaria here: https://www.instagram.com/zariaparvez Join us on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SixteenthMinute/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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why is my freezer steak tweeting nihilism: the steakumm saga
Mar 25, 202501:06:22Summary readyPicture this: it's 2020, you're clinging to sanity, and a frozen steak your mom used to eat after school called SteakUmm is now tweeting in the hopes of turning you into a socialist. But... what? Can one be radicalized by hot dog grade meat? Is what's being sold here an idea or microwaveable meat slop? In our penultimate installment of the Sentient Brands series, Jamie gets into the weeds with the mind behind the SteakUmm account, writer and social media director Nathan Allebach. Spoiler alert: we do, indeed, live in a society. Follow Nathan here: https://beacons.ai/nathanallebach?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaw8UJ_ctC-xxP2HrkYDPA5-9p2LBtn_w_NQsXsZhvZeBBYwiEzyZ6LooY_aem_Dm_8G9fFWhqyK0YAyD1JzQ Read Nathan's history of sentient brands: https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/brand-twitter-jokes-history.html Follow Yedoye Travis: https://www.instagram.com/yedoye_/?hl=enSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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the wendy's twitter roast master: amy brown
Mar 18, 202501:14:42Summary readyIn part two of our 'Sentient Brands on Social Media' series, Jamie speaks to the GOAT of online joke writing -- the great Amy Brown, who defined the Wendy's brand on Twitter, then got radicalized and left Twitter in a blaze of bullying Elon Musk. We take a look at the brief moment where getting replied to by a cheeseburger could get you on the national news, and take a look at how a girl from Ohio goes from "Amy from Myspace" at the mall to a generation-defining social voice. Next week: nihilism and piss! Follow Amy here: https://bsky.app/profile/amybrown.xyzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summarythe time the denny’s tumblr became an edgy teen
Mar 11, 202501:09:59Summary readyIn part one of our ‘Sentient Brands on Social Media’ series, Jamie speaks with Serenity Discko, the original media writer behind the teenage edgelord Denny’s Tumblr account. But worry not, we go DEEP — Jamie sets the stage by tracing back our history of parasocial relationships with brands all the way back to World War I. Buckle in, the brands are getting angry, the brands are getting horny, and the brands want to be your best friend. Follow Serenity’s work here: Serenity Discko Watch The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis: https://youtu.be/eJ3RzGoQC4s?si=_eHsM0hadnUQA3Cr Read The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-attention-merchants-the-epic-scramble-to-get-inside-our-heads-tim-wu/8632123See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summarythe age of algospeak feat. the etymology nerd
Mar 4, 202500:35:40Summary readyThis week, Jamie talks with Adam Aleksik aka The Etymology Nerd about how relying on algorithms to communicate is changing the way we talk and scream at each other, and the inevitability that your nephew is going to grow up to say "seggs" without a shred of irony. Learn more about Adam's work here: https://www.etymologynerd.com/ Pre-order Algospeak: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/468266/algospeak-by-aleksic-adam/9781529949148See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summaryoh, by the way, f*** you: liam kyle sullivan and kelly, pt. 2
Feb 27, 202500:27:11Summary readyJamie continues her conversation with Liam Kyle Sullivan, AKA Kelly of "Shoes" fame, Mrs. Cunningham of "Muffins" fame, and an actor and comedian workshopping a show about what it all means. Bonus: Jamie's cousin Chloe stops by to explain why kids from New England had no idea Mrs. Cunningham was "doing an accent." Come to The Bechdel Cast's Oscars Spectacular Celebration this Sunday: https://www.dynastytypewriter.com/calendar-squad-up See Liam's show in Los Angeles this Thursday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-liam-kyle-sullivan-show-work-in-progress-tickets-1248665595409?aff=oddtdtcreator Follow Liam: https://www.liamkylesullivan.com/ https://www.instagram.com/liamksullivan/?hl=enSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summaryohmygod, shoes: liam kyle sullivan and KELLY
Feb 25, 202501:09:09Summary readyThis episode rules. This episode does not suck! Jamie meets up with Liam Kyle Sullivan, one of YouTube's earliest stars with his character Kelly of "Shoes," "Muffins," and much more, before he workshopped his one-person show in Los Angeles. Nearly two decades out from Shoes, Liam reflects on learning what YouTube was by becoming famous on it, how Hollywood struggled to translate internet fame to conventional media in the 2000s, and how his relationship with Kelly has changed over the years. Do these two still have their New England accents? Well, yes. Come to The Bechdel Cast's Oscars Spectacular Celebration this Sunday: https://www.dynastytypewriter.com/calendar-squad-up See Liam's show in Los Angeles this Thursday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-liam-kyle-sullivan-show-work-in-progress-tickets-1248665595409?aff=oddtdtcreator Follow Liam: https://www.liamkylesullivan.com/ https://www.instagram.com/liamksullivan/?hl=enSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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zoë roth the disaster girl: a lifetime of virality
Feb 18, 202501:10:45Summary readyWhen Zoë Roth was four years old, her dad snapped a photo of her in front of a neighborhood home being burned with its owners permission to clear the land -- and the rest is internet history. This week, Jamie goes in depth with Zoë twenty years later about becoming a meme just as she started to form memories, how she's chosen to interact (or not interact) with it over the years, and why she chose to forge her own path. Also, a deep dive into meme managers, and why there are so many dead cats with representation. Get tickets to the Bechdel Cast show at Dynasty Typewriter here: https://www.dynastytypewriter.com/calendar-squad-upSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summarythe backrooms: a blurry photo that changed the internet
Feb 11, 202501:20:41Summary readyOur weirdest episode yet? Let's GO. This week, Jamie gets to the bottom of the backrooms, one of the most famous images on the internet -- posted to a horror-themed 4chan board in 2019, one blurry picture of an empty expanse of offices inspired teenage horror fans, online sleuths, and adults sinking into existential dread alike. We're looking at all three corners of the backrooms' history, from its legacy as a monster-filled creepypasta for the teens, a 'liminal space' for doomscrolling millennials, and a place to be tracked down by the detectives entrenched in lost media. Spoiler alert: the REAL backrooms are alive, well, and started a GoFundMe in Wisconsin. Give to the Backrooms GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/https-gofund-me-405dafe1Follow Sara Bimo's work here: https://yorku.academia.edu/sarabimoFollow Peter Heft's work here: https://www.peterheft.com/Watch Kendra Gaylord's video on the backrooms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3cTIn2Z_CkWatch Farrell McGuire's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqsdKi59VrE&t=1082sSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryCZM Rewind: left shark, ten years later
Feb 8, 202501:09:59Summary readyIn honor of the ten year anniversary of the left shark moment at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015, a very specila rerun! Sixteenth Minute exclusive! We’ve got the first in depth interview with Bryan Gaw, aka the Left Shark himself. This week, Jamie revisits the 2015 Super Bowl saga that was Left Shark — the costumed cartilaginous fish that went rogue in 2015 beside Katy Perry during a chorus of ‘Teenage Dream,’ capturing the world’s heart. The person inside is just as lovable, and Jamie takes the bus to West Hollywood to meet dancer-turned-celebrity-stylist Bryan Gaw to revisit one of the internet’s few wholesome moments. Plus… ELLLLLVIS PRESTOOOO Follow Bryan Gaw here: https://bryangaw.com/ And here: https://www.instagram.com/bryangaw Original Air Date: 9.3.24See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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