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Andrew Baron

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andrew Baron
Baron in 2006
Born
Andrew Michael Baron

(1970-03-31) March 31, 1970 (age 56)
Notable workRocketboom, Know Your Meme

Andrew Michael Baron (born 1970) is the founder of Rocketboom, video aggregator Magma, the non-profit Humanwire, and the co-founder of Know Your Meme.[1] Baron has taught undergraduate and graduate classes at Parsons School of Design and was teaching IDTech at M.I.T. when he came up with the idea for Rocketboom.

Early life

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Baron holds a BA in Philosophy from Bates College and a master of Fine Arts in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design.

Early career

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In 1999, Baron was the owner of a visual and performing arts gallery, Movements Gallery on 6th Street in Austin, Texas which the Austin Chronicle named 'Best New Multi-Disciplinary Space in Austin' in the 'Best of Austin's Critics Poll'.[2]

An active music composer throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Baron scored numerous scores for Austin-area artists, including "Mad About Harry", a film by AMFILMS awarded as a Hollywood Film Festival, 2000 finalist. He was appointed by the City of Austin Arts Commission to serve as a Mixed Arts Advisory Panelist, 2001.[3]

Online video

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Baron with Sarah Austin in 2008

After releasing Rocketboom in late 2004, Baron established himself as one of the first vloggers and arguably one of the most influential. With Rocketboom, Baron built one of the first large audiences around a video show, and went on to generate the first large-scale advertising deals.[4][5]

On August 19, 2005, Baron was interviewed on CBS Evening News. In an "Eye on America", segment CBS veteran Jim Axelrod commented on the effort at daily news coverage on a limited budget and Baron's early grasp of the next Internet wave. "You know what they call that? Vision."[6]

Baron directed a portion of "Killer", an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation which aired February 2, 2006.[7]

Steve Jobs featured Baron's Rocketboom on stage when releasing the video iPod[8] and again when releasing the Apple TV.[9]

In March 2006, Baron commented on the sale of a week of advertising for $40,000 on eBay in Brandweek:

"Advertising with us has extra value because we aren't going to accept advertising from someone whose morals are against us, someone like Hummer," said Rocketboom producer Andrew Baron. The creators of the show are acting as ad agency as well as media for the ads for TRM and EarthLink. "We've got to approve the ads and if we like them, chances are our viewers will like 'em."[10]

Know Your Meme

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In 2008, Baron created the first version of the Know Your Meme database, to accompany a spin-off show he created and produced for Rocketboom.

In 2011, Baron sold Know Your Meme to Cheezburger in a reported "low seven-figure deal".[11][12][1]

Humanwire

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In 2015, Baron founded Humanwire, a humanitarian platform based in Boulder, Colorado, designed to connect individual donors directly with refugee families from regions including Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, and Jordan. Media coverage described the organization as enabling donors to support housing, education, medical care, and other essential needs while maintaining direct communication with recipient families.[13][14][15]

The platform’s model emphasized direct, one-to-one relationships between donors and families, distinguishing it from traditional humanitarian aid organizations. Coverage from regional and national outlets highlighted Humanwire’s grassroots approach and its use of digital tools combined with on-the-ground workers to facilitate real-time support and communication.[16][17]

Activities also included in-person educational efforts, such as the establishment of the Butterfly Effect Center, a brick-and-mortar school in Lebanon for displaced Syrian children.[18]

In 2017, reporting by The Denver Post raised allegations of financial mismanagement, including delayed aid distributions, which led to criminal charges against Baron.[19][20][21]

Baron disputed the charges and the reporting. Though the Denver Post coverage ended in 2017, a 2020 review by ‘‘The Principal Post’’ reported that it found no evidence that donor funds had been misappropriated and stated that “the facts do not support” earlier allegations, also noting that the criminal case had been dismissed [22]

Baron’s case in Boulder was dismissed and sealed in January 2020 and his arrest records were removed in March, 2020.[23][24]

Meme Talks

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In 2026, Baron developed and began touring Meme Talks, a lecture series examining the history and cultural evolution of memes, tracing their development from early forms of communication to the modern internet era.[25]

Awards

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Baron's work had been recognized by the Webbys,[26] the Vloggies and Streamys.[27]

Personal life

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Andrew Baron is the son of trial lawyer Fred Baron. Andrew Baron made international news again in 2008, when he used his blog to plead with a drug company to help save his father's life.[28]

References

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  1. 1 2 Wei, Will. ""Cheezburger" Network Acquires "Know Your Meme" For 7-Figures". Business Insider. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Movements Gallery - Andrew Baron". Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
  3. ↑ "Andrew Baron - Portfolio". Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  4. ↑ "How to be a Star in a YouTube World - WSJ.com". Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Dembot: Chit Chat". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ "- FutureMedia News, Reviews, Interviews, Analysis, Expos, Press Events, Parties: CBS Features Rocketboom Leading Vlogger Revolution • Andrew Baron Admits $25-A-Day Expense • Amanda Congdon Shines • Jim Axelrod Giddy with Exclusive".
  7. ↑ "Andrew Baron". IMDb.
  8. ↑ "Dembot: Apple Video iPod Demo". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Dembot: Rocketboom Affirmed by Hero". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Rocketboom Takes Off: Earthlink and TRM are First Advertisers". Archived from the original on February 27, 2006.
  11. ↑ "'Know Your Meme' Acquired by Cheezburger in Seven-Figure Deal". Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  12. ↑ Tsotsis, Alexia (March 28, 2011). "When LOLs Collide: Cheezburger Network Buys Know Your Meme". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Boulder man matches Syrian refugees with Western sponsors". Colorado Public Radio. 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  14. ↑ Bear, John (November 25, 2015). "Boulder web developer starts Humanwire to help refugees". Times-Call. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Boulder man creates website to help refugees". KUSA-TV (9News Denver). November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  16. ↑ Dorn, Lori (November 20, 2015). "Humanwire, A Free Platform to Help Donors Support Crowdfunding Campaigns for Middle East Refugees". Laughing Squid. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  17. ↑ Hernandez, Elizabeth (April 22, 2017). "CU Boulder student, family provide gift of music to young Syrian refugees". Daily Camera. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Butterfly Effect Center". YouTube. [Channel Name]. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Founder of Boulder charity for Syrian refugees pleads no contest to fraud, receives deferred sentence". The Denver Post. October 29, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Boulder entrepreneur under fire for nonprofit's fundraising practices amid delays in aid to Syrian war refugees". The Denver Post. September 29, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  21. ↑ "She came from Lebanon to help fix a struggling nonprofit, but says she found evidence of a crime at Boulder's Humanwire". The Denver Post. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  22. ↑ "In Fairness: Andrew Baron". The Principal Post. 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  23. ↑ Corey Hutchins (June 3, 2022). "10 journalism 'heroes' of Colorado interviewed". Colorado Media (Substack). Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  24. ↑ Andrew Baron (March 2022). "On Humanwire". Dembot. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  25. ↑ Andrew Baron. "Meme Talks". Meme Talks. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Dembot: Rocketboom Nominated for 2 Webby Awards!". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Rocketboom: @alyankovic this Streamy's for you!!... - Dembot". Archived from the original on September 18, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  28. ↑ "RocketBoom Founder Fighting for Father's Life; Meanwhile, Drug Company is Committing PR Suicide".
  • Axelrod, Jim. CBS Evening News: "Eye on America" (August 19, 2005)
  • Farhi, Paul. "Rocketboom!": American Journalism Review (June–July, 2006)
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