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Hosea Jan "Ze" Frank (; born March 31, 1972) is an American online
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
ist, composer, humorist and public speaker based in Los Angeles.


Personal life

Frank was born to German-American parents (his father is Chemistry Nobel Laureate
Joachim Frank Joachim Frank () (born September 12, 1940) is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize i ...
) and raised in a
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
. He has a sister, who is a painter, as was indicated in his series ''
the show with zefrank ''the show with zefrank'' was a web video show by Ze Frank produced each weekday from March 17, 2006 until March 17, 2007. The format of the program combined commentary on media and current events with viewer contributions and activities. It is c ...
''. He was educated at
Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
school, known for its constructivist teaching methods, and graduated with a
B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in
Neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...
from
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
in 1995. At the university, he played guitar and sang lead vocals for a
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
/
jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and ente ...
band called Dowdy Smack, along with Blues Traveler bassist
Tad Kinchla Thaddeus Arwood "Tad" Kinchla (born February 21, 1973) is an American musician, who is the bassist for the jam band Blues Traveler. Early life He was born in Princeton, New Jersey, Kinchla is the younger brother to long-time Blues Traveler gu ...
, until its dissolution in 1998. In 2003 he married his longtime girlfriend Jody Brandt whom he met at Brown University. Brandt is a licensed
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
. At the end of 2008, Frank and his wife moved from Brooklyn Heights, in New York City, to Westwood, in Los Angeles. He was listed as second author on a paper published in ''
The Journal of Neuroscience ''The Journal of Neuroscience'' is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Society for Neuroscience. It covers empirical research on all aspects of neuroscience. Its editor-in-chief is Marina Picciotto (Yale University). Accordin ...
'', which was featured briefly in episode 21 of ''
a show Hosea Jan "Ze" Frank (; born March 31, 1972) is an American online performance artist, composer, humorist and public speaker based in Los Angeles. Personal life Frank was born to German-American parents (his father is Chemistry Nobel Laureate J ...
'' on May 25, 2012, called My Pupils, explaining that his study of neuroscience of vision was motivated by his harmless anisocoria condition.


Career

In 2001, Frank created an online birthday invitation and sent it to seventeen of his closest friends. Forwarded wildly, the invitation soon generated millions of hits and over 100 gigabytes of daily web traffic to Frank's personal website. The site grew to include interactive group projects, short films, animations, and video games, many
Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...
-based, including children's educational videos featuring handy tips such as "Don't vacuum your face." Frank won a 2002
Webby Award The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...
for Best Personal Website (People's Voice) and in 2005, he was featured in Time Magazine's "50 Coolest Websites." Frank debuted onstage at
Mark Hurst Mark Hurst (born December 13, 1972) is a journalist, author, broadcaster, game designer, and Internet entrepreneur. He founded the GEL ("Good Experience Live") tech conference, and hosts a weekly technology-focused radio program, ''Techtonic'', o ...
's first annual Gel conference in 2003. In 2006, his YouTube channel "zefrank1" was created, which hosts the popular ''True Facts'' series. He has spoken for many years at TED Conferences, with presentations in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2014. Frank has served as an
adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...
at ITP/
NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
, Parsons School of Design, and
SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges ...
. Discussing his work in the digital medium, and the potential of new platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, Frank said, "For me, experimentation is not about the technology. In an ever-changing technological landscape, where today's platforms are not tomorrow's platforms, the key seems to be that any one of these spaces can use a dose of humanity and art and culture." Frank was formerly the president of
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
Motion Pictures, and from January 2018 he served as the chief research and development officer for BuzzFeed. As of April 2019 Frank has moved on from BuzzFeed to pursue other endeavors.


''the show''

On March 17, 2006, Frank launched the daily video program ''
the show with zefrank ''the show with zefrank'' was a web video show by Ze Frank produced each weekday from March 17, 2006 until March 17, 2007. The format of the program combined commentary on media and current events with viewer contributions and activities. It is c ...
''. The format of the program combined commentary on media and current events with viewer contributions and activities. Each tightly edited three-to-five-minute episode combined ''
Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fro ...
''-style commentary on world events with songs, observations, and occasional games or challenges for his viewers to participate in. Thousands of photos, videos, and music files were contributed by the audience, including over 1,000 photos in one 20-hour period. The show appeared each weekday until its final episode on March 17, 2007, exactly one year after its start. Following the success of the show, Frank signed with the
United Talent Agency United Talent Agency (UTA) is a global talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California. Established in 1991, it represents artists and other professionals across the entertainment industry. , the company has more than 1,400 global employees. U ...
of Beverly Hills, California for representation. The Show's style has influenced many popular video bloggers today, such as the
Vlogbrothers Vlogbrothers (sometimes stylized as VlogBrothers or vlogbrothers) is a video blog channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by the Green brothers: John Green and Hank Green. The first incarnation of the brothers' online ...
. In October 2013, Frank posted the entire library of the show episodes on YouTube, having removed them several weeks earlier from previous host blip.tv. The entire catalog was also available for purchase from his web-store at zefrank.com.


''a show''

On February 27, 2012, Ze Frank announced that he was going to do a thrice-weekly show, that will be "same same but different" from ''The Show''. Similar to his other projects, Frank's new venture would be a collaboration between him and his audience. The new show, titled "a show" was funded by a
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
campaign that raised $146,752 in eleven days. It debuted on April 9, 2012, with an episode titled "An Invocation for Beginnings"
Animated dreams
(short animations built around audio submitted by viewers of 'a show') were a regular weekly feature. Eight months later, with the release of the "Body Karaoke" episode on November 30, 2012, "a show" and its related collaborative efforts, including "projects" and "missions" went on unannounced hiatus. No official announcement has been made regarding the status of "a show" or whether series production would resume. On January 12 and 13, 2013, Frank hosted a public participatory showcase event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz, California, entitled "Ze Frank Weekend", featuring hands-on workshops and activities, exhibits related to "a show", and the results of collaborative "projects" and "missions" developed between April and November of the previous year. The show continued to run on the YouTube channel "zefrankenfriends" until November 2013.


''True Facts''

In December 2012 Ze Frank released a video titled "True Facts About Baby Echidnas" that featured footage of echidnas and a voiceover by Frank including facts and reactions to the video footage, which has been viewed over 10 million times. Frank later released other videos in the series focusing on animals including "True Facts About the Octopus" which has been viewed over 13 million times, and one video which instead focused on actor
Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...
titled "True Facts About Morgan Freeman" which was viewed over 12 million times. After a hiatus spanning over 3 years, Ze Frank continued the "True Facts" series with an episode titled "True Facts about the Frogfish" on April 24th 2018.


Other media appearances

* In February 2004 Frank appeared on the
TED Conference TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
with a talk titled "What's so funny about the Web?" * On May 18, 2007, Frank spoke at the
Ruby on Rails Ruby on Rails (simplified as Rails) is a server-side web application framework written in Ruby under the MIT License. Rails is a model–view–controller (MVC) framework, providing default structures for a database, a web service, and we ...
conference in Portland, Oregon. * Frank was a substitute host on the July 23, 2007, edition of the PRI
public radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
show '' Fair Game with
Faith Salie Faith Coley Salie (born April 14, 1971) is an American journalist, writer, actress, comedian, television, radio, and podcast host and Rhodes scholar. She is a contributor to ''CBS Sunday Morning'' and a panelist on NPR’s '' Wait Wait... Don't T ...
''. * Frank spoke at
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...
as part of the monthly ''Caroline Werner Gannett Lecture Series'' on October 3, 2007. * In March 2008, Frank MCed the Graphex Gala Awards Ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. * Frank was a featured guest on
The Sound of Young America ''Bullseye with Jesse Thorn'' (formerly ''The Sound of Young America'') is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). The weekly show is currently h ...
on July 17, 2008. * On April 11, 2011, Frank hosted an online streaming benefit concert with
Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at a ...
to raise funds and inform viewers regarding the plight of the Japanese people following the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Frank conducted interviews with experts such as James Kondo, adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister, and architect Mark Dytham, as well as an assortment of musicians including Amanda Palmer,
Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...
,
Jamie Cullum Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...
,
Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at a ...
, and
KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song " Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on '' Later... with Jools Holland''. Th ...
. The event was called ''Live 4 Sendai'' (part of the
Live 4 X Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Live! (2007 film), ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film *Live (2014 film), ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *''Live (Apocalyptica DVD), ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *L ...
series) and it raised funds for
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
, The
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
, and
Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
to further their restorative efforts in the region. * In 2012, Frank once again attended
VidCon VidCon is an annual convention for fans, creators, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. In October 2020, VidCon Now relaunched as an ongoing, free digital offering. Vetera ...
, performing briefly onstage. * Frank voices the popular ''Dear Kitten''
Friskies Friskies is an American brand of wet and dry cat food and treats owned by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, a subsidiary of Nestlé global. Friskies was initially introduced by Carnation Company in the 1930s as a dog food brand. When Friskies c ...
videos.Friskies 'Dear Kitten' commercial goes viral
CBS 46, July 7, 2014


References


External links


Wiki pages
at the site *

by Heather Green, ''BusinessWeek'', July 28, 2006 * *
"Nerdcore comedy" (TED2004)

Zefrank's postings
on Buzzfeed.com
Animated dreams
from 'a show' {{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Ze 1972 births Living people American humorists Brown University alumni People from Brooklyn Heights Video bloggers American Internet celebrities American people of German descent American artists People from Guilderland, New York BuzzFeed people People from Westwood, Los Angeles