w00tstock

Bio |  Photos |  Articles

(Note: the official spelling is “w00tstock”—lowercase “w” and zeros in place of the first two “o”s)

W00TSTOCK

For decades, geeks were ostracized, picked on, laughed at and punished by the sun’s harmful UV rays. But there is only so long that a people can be kept down before they rise up against their oppressors; and, indeed, the dawn of the 21st century has seen the ascendancy of geeks and geek culture.

We now celebrate that rise to power–and let’s face it, nerds pretty much run everything now–with w00tstock, a special event for geeks of every stripe. Television host/special-effects artist Adam Savage (“MythBusters”), actor/author/blogger Wil Wheaton (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”, “Stand By Me”) and music-comedy duo Paul and Storm (The Internet, Da Vinci’s Notebook) present a night of songs, readings, comedy, demonstrations, short films, special guests, and other clever widgets born from and dedicated to the enthusiasms, obsessions, trials and joys of geek pride.

This is the dawning of the Age of Geekdom–and its voices will ring true at w00tstock.

ADAM SAVAGE

Adam Savage has spent his life gathering skills that allow him to take what’s in his brain and make it real. He’s built everything from ancient Buddhas to futuristic weapons, from spaceships to dancing vegetables, from fine art sculptures to animated chocolate — and just about anything else you can think of.

Since 1993, Adam has concentrated on the special-effects industry, honing his skills through more than 100 television commercials and a dozen feature films, including “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” and “Episode II: Attack of the Clones”, “Galaxy Quest”, “Terminator 3″, “A.I.” and the “Matrix” sequels. He’s also designed props and sets for Coca-Cola, Hershey’s, Lexus and a host of New York and San Francisco theater companies.

Not only has he worked and consulted in the research and development division for toy companies and made several short films, but Adam has also acted in several films and commercials — including a Charmin ad, in which he played Mr. Whipple’s stock boy, and a Billy Joel music video, “Second Wind,” in which he drowns.

Today, in addition to co-hosting Discovery Channel’s “MythBusters”, Adam teaches advanced model making, most recently in the industrial design department at the San Francisco Academy of Art. Somehow he also finds time to devote to his own art — his sculptures have been showcased in over 40 shows in San Francisco, New York and Charleston, W.Va.

WIL WHEATON

Wil Wheaton’s successful acting career began in 1986 with acclaimed roles in “Stand By Me” and “Toy Soldiers”. He continued to build his resume through his teen years as series regular “Wesley Crusher” on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and opposite Robin Williams in “Flubber”. But Wil is much more than just an actor; he’s an author, blogger, voice actor, Columnist for the LA Weekly and Suicide Girls, widely-followed Twitter user, and a champion of geek culture.

Wil currently splits his time between acting and writing. He has recently appeared as serial killer Floyd Hansen on “Criminal Minds”, comic book publisher Miles Sklar on “NUMB3RS”, and as the voice of Ted Kord, the Silver Age Blue Beetle, on “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”. He’s published three acclaimed books: “Just A Geek”, “Dancing Barefoot”, and “The Happiest Days of Our Lives”. His latest book is “Sunken Treasure”. All of his books grew out of Wil’s immensely popular, award-winning weblog, which he created at WIL WHEATON dot NET and currently maintains at WIL WHEATON dot NET: in Exile. While most celebrities are happy to let publicists design and maintain their websites, Wil took a decidedly different turn when he started blogging in 2001. He designed, coded, and maintained WWdN entirely on his own, until he “blew up” his sites’ database in 2005 and moved his blog to the TypePad service. In 2003, Forbes.com readers voted WWdN the “Best Celebrity Weblog.” Wil’s blog was chosen by C|Net for inclusion in their 100 most influential blogs, and is an “A” lister, according to Blogebrity.com. In the 2002 weblog awards (the bloggies) Wil won every category in which he was nominated, including “Weblog of the year.” In 2007, Wil was nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Bloggie, alongside Internet powerhouses Slashdot and Fark. In the 2008 weblog awards, Wil was voted the “Best Celebrity Blogger,” and in 2009 Forbes named him the 14th most influential web celebrity. This is all amusing to Wil, who doesn’t think of himself as a celebrity, but is instead, “just this guy, you know?”

WIL WHEATON dot NET: In Exile started out as a backup blog for WIL WHEATON dot NET. Until Wil gets busy repairing and rebuilding WWdN, it’s his home away from home, where he is not a number, and is a free man.

PAUL AND STORM

Paul Sabourin and Greg “Storm” DiCostanzo have been writing and performing comedy music together for over a decade, starting with their stint in the a cappella band Da Vinci’s Notebook. Road warriors throughout their entire career, their experience performing live in venues ranging in size from living rooms to stadiums has given them a virtual utility belt jam-packed with tools for keeping audiences on the edges of their seats.

Known for their sharp satirical writing and ability to deploy multiple musical styles, Paul and Storm’s music can be found on radio (including the “Bob and Tom” syndicated radio show and Sirius/XM’s “Dr. Demento Show”), television (Comedy Central, “The Drew Carey Show”), and throughout the internet (The Guild, Homestar Runner).

Paul and Storm are also widely known through their association with Jonathan Coulton, and as co-creators and co-hosts (with Wil Wheaton and Adam Savage) of the geek-oriented w00tstock concert series, whose guests have included Neil Gaiman, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Felicia Day and Chris Hardwick. They’re also notorious for generating far-reaching Twitter memes, most notably #wookieeleaks and #kanyenewyorkercartoons.

PHOTOS

Photo by Dan Tentler (hi-res version)

ARTICLES ABOUT W00TSTOCK

PRESS/PHOTO AT W00TSTOCK

No press events are held during w00tstocks, and no press passes are issued; sorry. Depending on venue, a limited number of front-of-house photo credentials may be issued.

For additional information, please e-mail press@w00tstock.net