Jeff Bakalar

Jeffrey Ian Bakalar (born (1982-03-24)March 24, 1982) is a professional podcaster, video game journalist, and formerly[2] the host of CNET's longest-running podcast, The 404 Show. He is the General manager at Fandom-owned Giant Bomb, focusing on the site's operations while also hosting podcasts and content for the brand as well. He is a former employee of CNET Video and during his time there was a recurring personality on various podcasts on Giant Bomb.[3][4]

Jeff Bakalar
Born
Jeffrey Ian Bakalar

(1982-03-24) March 24, 1982
Brooklyn, New York
Alma materTowson University (B.A.)
Years active2004-present
Known forpodcaster, celebrity interviewer, videogames journalist, internet personality
Notable work
  • The 404 Show
  • Mest: Seven Deadly Sins
  • Pre-Game
  • Giant Beastcast
  • Giant Bombcast
  • CBSN
SpouseStacie Blair Bakalar (2010-present)[1]
Children1

Personal

Bakalar was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1982[5] and was raised in Briarwood, Queens before his family relocated to Marlboro Township, New Jersey where he attended Marlboro High School. He graduated from Towson University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Electronic Media and Film, where he won an award for a mockumentary he directed called Adult Swim.[6]

In 2010, he married his longtime girlfriend, Stacie Davis.[7]

He currently lives in New Jersey.

Career

During his college years, Bakalar worked as a production office intern for actor and producer Bob Balaban in New York City at his production company Chicagofilms[8] while Balaban completed work on Gosford Park.[9]

In 2004, he signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Maverick Records to direct and produce a documentary for the pop punk band Mest. The documentary, entitled Seven Deadly Sins was released as a pack-in bonus with copies of the band's 2005 album Photographs.[10][11]

In 2007, Bakalar joined CNET as a home theater and gaming editor, eventually starting a technology and pop culture podcast called The 404 Show with Randall Bennett and Wilson Tang.[12] In hosting the podcast, Bakalar has interviewed Tony Hawk, Marc Maron, John Hodgman, Shaun White, Wayne Brady, Scott Aukerman, Michael Showalter, Andrew W.K. and others.[13] Each year the podcast is performed live at the Consumer Electronics Show, where it has featured Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, Felicia Day and others.[14][15]

In 2012, Bakalar started CNET's first-ever weekly tech parody comic called Low Latency, which he writes and is illustrated by Blake Stevenson.[16]

Bakalar briefly co-hosted another CNET project, Pre-Game, but stopped production after a year of programming to focus more on The 404 Show.[12]

Bakalar is a member of the New York Videogame Critics Circle, an advocacy group for game writers in and around the New York City area.[17]

He regularly appears on TV and radio as a technology, pop culture, and video game expert. Bakalar has been featured on G4's Attack of the Show, NPR's All Things Considered, and CNBC's Power Lunch.[18][19][20]

In late 2014, Bakalar joined CBSN as a regularly appearing tech and pop culture pundit representing CNET.[21]

On May 22, 2015, he joined the cast of Giant Bomb's Giant Beastcast, where he remained a regular member until its conclusion in May 2021. He later joined the cast of its sister podcast, the Giant Bombcast.[22]

On September 29, 2017, the final episode of The 404 Show podcast was published.[2]

References
  1. "The 404: Talking to Stacie Bakalar (VIDEO)". HuffPost. 2013-07-29. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  2. The 404 Show: This is the end - Video, retrieved 2017-12-30
  3. "Interview: CNETís The 404 podcast - Reckoner". www.reckoner.com.au. 2014-07-30. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  4. "Senior Editor / Reviews - Gaming, Video". CNET. 2007-04-23. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  5. "Jeff Bakalar - IMDb". IMDb. 2005-03-22. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  6. "2005 Winners". 2005-09-20. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  7. "The 404 699: Where it's one down, two to go (podcast)". 2010-11-01. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  8. "Linkedin: Jeff Bakalar". 2009-11-11. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  9. "The 404 Yuletide Mini-sode 2013: Steve Guttenberg takes over (podcast)". 2013-12-27. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  10. "Mest | Awards". allmusic. 2014-05-30. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  11. "Mest: Seven Deadly Sins (2005 Video)". IMDb. 2005-10-18. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  12. "Interview: CNETís The 404 podcast - Reckoner". reckoner. 2014-07-30. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  13. "The 404 634: Where Michael Showalter... (podcast)". CNET. 2010-07-30. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  14. "The 404 1,479: Where we don't give credit on the grab (podcast)". CNET. 2014-05-06. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  15. "The 404 at CES 2013: Where we pay tribute to Danny DeVito (podcast)". CNET. 2013-01-09. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  16. "Meet Crave's new cartoonist, Blake Stevenson". CNET. 2011-12-15. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  17. "Members". New York Videogame Critics Circle. 2013-07-22. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  18. "The Loop: Week In Review Videos". G4. 2007-11-19. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  19. "Concerns Of Racism In Multiplayer Video Games: NPR". npr.org. 2010-02-22. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  20. "Get in the Game". video.cnbc.com. 2010-03-11. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  21. "Google expected to unveil its next big thing". CBS News. 2015-05-22. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  22. "Stephen Colbert and The Giant Bombcast launch new 'casts". The A.V. Club. 2015-06-08. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
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