Martin Sargent
Encyclopedia
Martin Paul Sargent is an American
television
personality and was co-host of the This WEEK in FUN podcast with Sarah Lane
. He is most well known from his time as a Segment Producer on TechTV
's The Screen Savers
and later as the host of his own late night talk show
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
.
and English
at the University of London
, Cornell University
and Syracuse University
.
In 1998, Sargent joined the ZDTV (later TechTV
) TV show
Call For Help
as the show's "Resident Craft Professional" and substitute co-host. In 2001, he moved from Call For Help to another TechTV show, The Screen Savers
, and became known first as "The Twisted Lister", for producing and presenting odd, "twisted" top-five lists on the show, and later for another segment, "Site of the Night", in which he presented strange website
s.
Sargent left The Screen Savers in April 2003, to host his own show, Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
, anchoring a newly introduced late-night programming block.
On March 25, 2004, Comcast
's G4 gaming channel announced a merger with TechTV. This move became hugely controversial among loyal fans of TechTV. Around May 6, G4 announced the termination of 250 employees from the San Francisco
office by July 10, 2004, allowing approximately 80 to 100 employees to transition to G4's main office in Los Angeles, California
if they agreed to relocate there. Sargent chose to stay with G4 and moved to Los Angeles.
Six months later, on November 11, 2004, G4TechTV
canceled Unscrewed and terminated
Sargent, along with many other former co-workers from TechTV.
Exactly one year after his termination, Sargent launched Infected, a comedy podcast
distributed by the internet production company Revision3. Infected was hosted by Sargent and "The Gator" (portrayed by co-writer Jay Speiden), produced by Joey Rabier, and was structured as a conversation between co-hosts and producer, with fake "commercials" for various real and fictional products as well as occasional guest callers. Recurring callers included inventor Alex Chiu as well as the fictional characters Johnny O'Banion (portrayed by co-writer/producer Stewart Engesser), a Hollywood reporter and former Loni Anderson
paramour, and karate master Rickey Kang (also played by Spieden). O'Banion and Kang were recurring characters on Unscrewed, and Rabier acted as a production assistant on the show and also appeared as his "intern" character for selected skits. The podcast was originally available in audio-only format, then offered an alternative video version consisting of a montage of still photographs relating to the topic discussed and taken at the recording session. The video version has since been offered in full-motion video. Infected was canceled in December 2007, after 50 episodes.
Sargent hosted Web Drifter
and Internet Superstar on Revision3 and Why Today Sucked, on GoTV Network's "Laugh Riot" channel, available for video-enabled cell phones on the Sprint network. Web Drifter began as a pilot originally pitched to Comedy Central
, but it was picked up by Revision3 after the cable network passed on the show.
On January 30, 2008, the Revision3 website released the first episode of Martin Sargent's new show, Internet Superstar.
As of October 27, 2008 he was made redundant as part of Revision3 layoffs. He has reappeared on Revision3 show 'The Digg Reel
' twice since he was laid off, once as acting co-host alongside Kevin Rose
while regular host Andrew Bancroft
was on vacation. In this appearance he expressed mock-anger that, as part of promotions within the show, other cancelled show 'Pixel Perfect
' has been revived, unlike his own shows. He appeared once more on The Digg Reel
's 100th episode, in which he jokingly stated that he secretly lived within the walls of the Revision3 building, resulting from his supposed inability to get another job.
Starting February 12, 2009, he and Sarah Lane
appeared together in a Podcast on Leo Laporte
's TWiT.tv network called This Week in Fun. The show aired for just shy of a year before going on hiatus in January 2010, following Martin's employment at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. Sarah and Martin left on good terms with the TWiT network, though they have made no solid plans of returning to production.
In November 2009, Martin and longtime associate Molly McDonald became engaged.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality and was co-host of the This WEEK in FUN podcast with Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane
Sarah Christina Lane is an American television and Internet personality. She is most notably known for her appearances on TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show!, and Revision3's popSiren...
. He is most well known from his time as a Segment Producer on TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
's The Screen Savers
The Screen Savers
The Screen Savers was a live American TV show on TechTV. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered around computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world...
and later as the host of his own late night talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent was a late night American television show focusing on the comedy of technology. It was produced at TechTV and aired from May 26, 2003 to December 2004...
.
Early life
Sargent studied HistoryHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
Career
Sargent's first job after school was as an editor at PC/Computing magazine.In 1998, Sargent joined the ZDTV (later TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
) TV show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Call For Help
Call for Help
Call for Help, also known as CFH, was a computer-themed television program that first aired exclusively on TechTV , a cable and satellite television network focused on technology, and then aired on G4techTV Canada and the HOW TO Channel in Australia...
as the show's "Resident Craft Professional" and substitute co-host. In 2001, he moved from Call For Help to another TechTV show, The Screen Savers
The Screen Savers
The Screen Savers was a live American TV show on TechTV. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered around computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world...
, and became known first as "The Twisted Lister", for producing and presenting odd, "twisted" top-five lists on the show, and later for another segment, "Site of the Night", in which he presented strange website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s.
Sargent left The Screen Savers in April 2003, to host his own show, Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent
Unscrewed with Martin Sargent was a late night American television show focusing on the comedy of technology. It was produced at TechTV and aired from May 26, 2003 to December 2004...
, anchoring a newly introduced late-night programming block.
On March 25, 2004, Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
's G4 gaming channel announced a merger with TechTV. This move became hugely controversial among loyal fans of TechTV. Around May 6, G4 announced the termination of 250 employees from the San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
office by July 10, 2004, allowing approximately 80 to 100 employees to transition to G4's main office in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
if they agreed to relocate there. Sargent chose to stay with G4 and moved to Los Angeles.
Six months later, on November 11, 2004, G4TechTV
G4techTV
G4techTV was a cable and satellite channel resulting from a merger between Comcast-owned G4 and TechTV. The headquarters is based in Los Angeles...
canceled Unscrewed and terminated
Termination of employment
-Involuntary termination:Involuntary termination is the employee's departure at the hands of the employer. There are two basic types of involuntary termination, known often as being "fired" and "laid off." To be fired, as opposed to being laid off, is generally thought of to be the employee's...
Sargent, along with many other former co-workers from TechTV.
Exactly one year after his termination, Sargent launched Infected, a comedy podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
distributed by the internet production company Revision3. Infected was hosted by Sargent and "The Gator" (portrayed by co-writer Jay Speiden), produced by Joey Rabier, and was structured as a conversation between co-hosts and producer, with fake "commercials" for various real and fictional products as well as occasional guest callers. Recurring callers included inventor Alex Chiu as well as the fictional characters Johnny O'Banion (portrayed by co-writer/producer Stewart Engesser), a Hollywood reporter and former Loni Anderson
Loni Anderson
Loni Kaye Anderson is an American actress who played the role of Jennifer Marlowe on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.- Early life :...
paramour, and karate master Rickey Kang (also played by Spieden). O'Banion and Kang were recurring characters on Unscrewed, and Rabier acted as a production assistant on the show and also appeared as his "intern" character for selected skits. The podcast was originally available in audio-only format, then offered an alternative video version consisting of a montage of still photographs relating to the topic discussed and taken at the recording session. The video version has since been offered in full-motion video. Infected was canceled in December 2007, after 50 episodes.
Sargent hosted Web Drifter
Web Drifter
Web Drifter was a weekly video podcast produced by Revision3 which followed host Martin Sargent going on the road to meet the people who make odd, strange, and/or weird websites.-Format:...
and Internet Superstar on Revision3 and Why Today Sucked, on GoTV Network's "Laugh Riot" channel, available for video-enabled cell phones on the Sprint network. Web Drifter began as a pilot originally pitched to Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, but it was picked up by Revision3 after the cable network passed on the show.
On January 30, 2008, the Revision3 website released the first episode of Martin Sargent's new show, Internet Superstar.
As of October 27, 2008 he was made redundant as part of Revision3 layoffs. He has reappeared on Revision3 show 'The Digg Reel
The Digg Reel
The Digg Reel was a daily video podcast hosted by Andrew Bancroft that covered the most recent popular videos from Digg. It was a spin-off show of Revision3's flagship podcast, Diggnation hosted by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht. The Digg Reel was launched in January 2008 and was originally hosted...
' twice since he was laid off, once as acting co-host alongside Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose is an American Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk...
while regular host Andrew Bancroft
Andrew Bancroft
-Films:Bancroft wrote and starred in Evolution: The Musical! which was screened at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. He also wrote, directed and starred in the music video "Maximum Wage".-Features in the media:...
was on vacation. In this appearance he expressed mock-anger that, as part of promotions within the show, other cancelled show 'Pixel Perfect
Pixel Perfect
Pixel Perfect is a 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie. It aired in the United States on January 16, 2004 and in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2004. This is the fiftieth Disney Channel Original Movie.-Plot:...
' has been revived, unlike his own shows. He appeared once more on The Digg Reel
The Digg Reel
The Digg Reel was a daily video podcast hosted by Andrew Bancroft that covered the most recent popular videos from Digg. It was a spin-off show of Revision3's flagship podcast, Diggnation hosted by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht. The Digg Reel was launched in January 2008 and was originally hosted...
's 100th episode, in which he jokingly stated that he secretly lived within the walls of the Revision3 building, resulting from his supposed inability to get another job.
Starting February 12, 2009, he and Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane
Sarah Christina Lane is an American television and Internet personality. She is most notably known for her appearances on TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show!, and Revision3's popSiren...
appeared together in a Podcast on Leo Laporte
Leo Laporte
Léo Gordon Laporte is an Emmy Award winning, American technology broadcaster, author, and entrepreneur. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, he now lives in Petaluma, California with his wife Jennifer and two children, Abby and Henry....
's TWiT.tv network called This Week in Fun. The show aired for just shy of a year before going on hiatus in January 2010, following Martin's employment at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. Sarah and Martin left on good terms with the TWiT network, though they have made no solid plans of returning to production.
In November 2009, Martin and longtime associate Molly McDonald became engaged.
Television
- Call for HelpCall for HelpCall for Help, also known as CFH, was a computer-themed television program that first aired exclusively on TechTV , a cable and satellite television network focused on technology, and then aired on G4techTV Canada and the HOW TO Channel in Australia...
- Contributor (1998–2001) - The Screen SaversThe Screen SaversThe Screen Savers was a live American TV show on TechTV. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered around computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world...
- Contributor (1999–2003) - Unscrewed with Martin SargentUnscrewed with Martin SargentUnscrewed with Martin Sargent was a late night American television show focusing on the comedy of technology. It was produced at TechTV and aired from May 26, 2003 to December 2004...
- Host (2003–2004) - VH1 40 Greatest Internet Superstars - Contributor (2007)
Podcasts and vidcasts
- InfectedInfected with Martin SargentInfected by Martin Sargent was a weekly video podcast produced by Revision3, hosted by Martin Sargent. Sargent created the podcast as a spiritual successor to Unscrewed, the late night TV show he hosted on TechTV and later G4techTV...
- Host (2005–2007) - DL.TV - Segment Host, CES Special (2006)
- Web DrifterWeb DrifterWeb Drifter was a weekly video podcast produced by Revision3 which followed host Martin Sargent going on the road to meet the people who make odd, strange, and/or weird websites.-Format:...
- Host (2007–2008) - Internet Superstar - Host (2008)
- This WEEK in FUN - Host (2009–2010)
Other
- Wilson Harold - Editor (1992–1993)
- College Pro - Crew Chief (1996)
- PC Computing Magazine - Editor (1998)
- TechTV's Digital Video for the Desktop - Author (2002)
- .net Magazine - Columnist (2007)