Daniel O'Brien (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Daniel O'Brien also known as "DOB", is a humorist, roller blade enthusiast, and senior writer for Cracked.com
. Cracked magazine has existed in print since 1958 but was relaunched in its present form in 2006. O'Brien, as well as being one of the senior editors, also appears in many of the site's web videos including the award winning series, Agents of Cracked.
. While working as a bartender, he studied creative writing at Rutgers University
in New Jersey. It was this work that inspired his online novel, Bartender.
in 2007. In November 2010, Cracked.com received one billion hits to its webpage for the year 2010 alone. O'Brien himself has written over 200 articles for the site that receive tens of millions of hits.
Swaim talks about how the popularity of the videos have created the misperception that Michael Swaim is the most famous writer of Cracked, but as Swaim says Daniel O'Brien's blog is "huge" while his own are some of the "least-viewed things on Cracked."
O'Brien and Swaim started working together as their collaborative writing skills really jelled, although in real life Swaim says O'Brien has the drunken lout personality while Swaim is the mild-mannered straight man. In another interview, O'Brien stated that, "We wanted to do a series that was not only a big flagship series [that represented what Cracked is about], but also something that felt classic."
The series premiered in November 2009, and the first 13 episodes were viewed nearly 4 million times. After its first season, the series won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Streamy Awards
. The Agents of Cracked was renewed in October 2010 and ran for another 13 episodes, followed the next year by a third season of 10 episodes.
Some of the material that ends up in the Agents of Cracked are based on real events, including an incident where Dan is confronted by the FBI and Secret Service after writing an article titled "How to Kidnap the President's Daughter."
Cracked.com
Cracked.com is a humor website that was spun off the last attempt to revive Cracked magazine. It began in its current form in 2007.-Attempted relaunch of Cracked:...
. Cracked magazine has existed in print since 1958 but was relaunched in its present form in 2006. O'Brien, as well as being one of the senior editors, also appears in many of the site's web videos including the award winning series, Agents of Cracked.
Early life
Dan grew up in Hazlet, New JerseyHazlet, New Jersey
Hazlet Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 20,334....
. While working as a bartender, he studied creative writing at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in New Jersey. It was this work that inspired his online novel, Bartender.
Cracked writer
In 2007, O'Brien started working for the Cracked.com website as senior editor and blog contributor. A print magazine similar to Mad Magazine, Cracked had been around for decades before becoming a strictly online venture that was purchased by Demand MediaDemand Media
Demand Media, Inc. is an online media company and content farm that operates online brands such as eHow, and Cracked, and is known for creating online content through its Demand Media Studios division based on a combination of measured consumer demand and predicted ROI...
in 2007. In November 2010, Cracked.com received one billion hits to its webpage for the year 2010 alone. O'Brien himself has written over 200 articles for the site that receive tens of millions of hits.
Agents of Cracked
O'Brien and Michael Swaim have become the faces of Cracked, especially after starring in its many videos like the award winning Agents of Cracked. In an interview with The Huffington PostThe Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
Swaim talks about how the popularity of the videos have created the misperception that Michael Swaim is the most famous writer of Cracked, but as Swaim says Daniel O'Brien's blog is "huge" while his own are some of the "least-viewed things on Cracked."
O'Brien and Swaim started working together as their collaborative writing skills really jelled, although in real life Swaim says O'Brien has the drunken lout personality while Swaim is the mild-mannered straight man. In another interview, O'Brien stated that, "We wanted to do a series that was not only a big flagship series [that represented what Cracked is about], but also something that felt classic."
The series premiered in November 2009, and the first 13 episodes were viewed nearly 4 million times. After its first season, the series won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Streamy Awards
Streamy Awards
The Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
. The Agents of Cracked was renewed in October 2010 and ran for another 13 episodes, followed the next year by a third season of 10 episodes.
Some of the material that ends up in the Agents of Cracked are based on real events, including an incident where Dan is confronted by the FBI and Secret Service after writing an article titled "How to Kidnap the President's Daughter."
Other work
O'Brien continues to work on other projects including co-writing Fielder's Choice which was optioned into a American film production of the same name and released on TV in 2005.External links
- Cracked.com Member's Page
- Bartender - Online novel co-written by Daniel O'Brien
- Official website and blog