Digital Entertainment Network

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Not to be confused with The Digital Entertainment Network.

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Digital Entertainment Network (DEN.net)^[1] was a multimedia dot-com company.

1 Founding
2 Website Development
3 Collapse
4 Legacy
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Founding

Rector hired traditional media executives from Broadcast TV, Film, Commercials, Documentary and Cable to create a destination website featuring serialized "6 minute shows" on the internet.

Launched in 1996, it raised 72 million dollars from a combination of private investors and venture capital firms. The site launched in May of 1999, and produced 26 original series aimed at teenage boy subcultures, including gay teens, Christian kids and extreme sports enthusiasts.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Website Development

After a substantial amount of hype, the site itself turned out to be rather conventional for the time. DEN developers wrote the ports for Windows Media Player, Quicktime and Real Player for the Linux OS, which helped enable sites like youtube and myspace. DEN Developers also obtained a patent for delivering video advertising over the internet.^[2] DEN.NET Streaming media content was delivered in three formats and three different download speeds.^{[citation needed]} DEN signed record breaking advertising deals with sponsors such as Ford,^[3] Microsoft, Pepsi, Penzoil, Blockbuster Entertainment and DELL.

[edit] Collapse

Many industry observers noted that DEN was a quintessential example of the excesses and lack of control of the dot-com craze.^[4]

The company's troubles mounted after its three founders, including its chairman Marc Collins-Rector (who settled a lawsuit alleging a sexual relationship with a child and registered in Florida as a sex offender.^[5]) resigned.^[4] A 75 million dollar IPO was cancelled in February 2000; in May the company told its remaining staff (it had laid off over 100 people earlier) that it no longer had any money with which to pay them;^[6] later it filed for bankruptcy.^[7] Subsequently, civil lawsuits from boys employed by DEN alleged sexual abuse and coercion using drugs and guns by Collins-Rector, co-founder Chad Shackley, and DEN Executive VP Brock Pierce.^[8]^[9]

[edit] Legacy

Many of the DEN alumni have gone on to create other internet sites including suicide girls,^[10] current.tv,^[11] Proxicom,^[12] Revver, Disney, Hollywood Records, MTVI, Procter & Gamble, Warner Reprise Records, the Aspen Comedy Festival, Nike, Dark Horse Comics, The Emmys, IXL, Static, Warner Bros Music, South Park, Marilyn Manson, HBO and MTV, Intuit, CNN^[13].^{[citation needed]} DEN and its founders have been the subject of many subsequent media articles^[14] and parodies^[15].