Christopher Null
{{Short description|American film critic (born 1971)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Christopher Null
| image = File:Null outside (1).jpg
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|9|7}}
| birth_place = Houston, Texas, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| years_active =
| education = University of Texas at Austin (MBA)
| occupation = Film critic, writer
| title =
| family =
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Ashley Carder Null|1998|2010|end=div}}
- {{marriage|Susanne Bergstrom-Null|2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/05/google-wont-let-forget-divorce/|title=Google, Why Won't You Let Me Forget My Divorce?|date=7 May 2015|publisher=Wired|access-date=7 May 2015}}
}}
| credits =
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Christopher Null (born September 7, 1971) is an American writer, journalist and entrepreneur. A former blogger for Yahoo! Tech,{{cite web|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2007/01/30/pros-and-cons-of-windows-vista/|title=Pros and cons of Windows Vista|last=Evangelista|first=Benny|date=30 January 2007|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=11 January 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GadgetGuide/story?id=4075726|title=Will CES Bring the Next iPhone?|last=Phillips|first=Ashley|date=7 January 2007|publisher=ABC News|access-date=11 January 2015}} he was the editor of Drinkhacker.com,{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2010/04/22/shots-adults/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426135721/http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2010/04/22/shots-adults/|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 April 2010|title=Shots for Adults|last=Goldsmith|first=Richard|date=22 April 2010|publisher=Fox News|access-date=11 January 2015}} and the founder{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/16/sprj.cas03.moverview/index.html|title=Rehashed summer smashes|last=Botelho|first=Greg|date=16 May 2003|publisher=CNN|access-date=11 January 2015}} and editor-in-chief of Filmcritic.com,{{cite web|url=http://archive.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/news/2007/08/cellphone_piracy|title=Hollywood's Next Anti-Piracy Crusade: Crappy Cell Phone Copies|last=Kravets|first=David|date=31 August 2007|website=Wired|access-date=11 January 2015}} which operated from 1995 to 2012.{{cite interview|last=Null|first=Christopher|interviewer=David Spark|title=Hacking Media Production Podcast: How to Launch a Competitive Content Site|url=http://www.sparkminute.com/2013/04/03/hacking-media-production-podcast-how-to-launch-a-content-site-in-a-really-crowded-space/|date=3 April 2013|access-date=11 January 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://filmracket.com/about-the-staff/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150115132436/http://filmracket.com/about-the-staff/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=15 January 2015|title=About the Staff|date=2013|website=Film Racket|access-date=11 January 2015}} He is also the former magazine editor for PC/Computing and the founder of Mobile PC magazine.{{cite web |title=Pitching Mobile Tech News with Chris Null {{!}} Eric Schwartzman |url=https://www.ericschwartzman.com/on-the-record-online-with-mobile-magazine-editor-in-chief-chris-null/ |website=ericschwartzman.com}}
Early life
He was born on September 7, 1971, in Houston, Texas. He obtained an MBA at the University of Texas at Austin.{{Cite web |title=The University of Texas at Austin |url=https://www.utexas.edu/ |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=The University of Texas at Austin |language=en}}
Career
Null has built a career spanning technology journalism, film criticism, and online publishing.{{Cite web |title=Mr. Null Makes a Movie, Part One by Christopher Null |url=https://www.eclectica.org/v1n1/reviews/null_movie.html |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=www.eclectica.org}} He began his editorial career in technology, serving as Managing Reviews Editor for LAN Times in the late 1990s before advancing to Smart Business (formerly PC Computing), where he held roles as Reviews Editor and Executive Editor from 1998 to 2002.{{cite web |title=Christopher Null Movie Reviews & Previews {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/christopher-null/movies |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}} Null then became Editor-in-Chief of New Architect magazine from 2002 to 2003 and led Mobile PC (later Mobile) magazine as Editor-in-Chief throughout its publication from 2003 to 2005.{{cite web |year=2015 |title=Christopher Null: Executive Profile & Biography |url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=13537440&privcapId=364433 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150115132434/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=13537440&privcapId=364433 |archive-date=15 January 2015 |access-date=11 January 2015 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek}} Additionally, he served as a technology columnist for American Express’s Executive Travel Magazine from 2008 to 2014.
From 2006 to 2010, Null was a member of the inaugural blogging team for Yahoo! Tech.{{cite interview |last=Null |first=Christopher |interviewer=Andrea Koppel |title=Secret Tapes of President Bush Leaked To New York Times |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/sun/date/2005-02-20/segment/02 |access-date=11 January 2015 |publisher=CNN |date=20 February 2005}} He has also contributed to WIRED from the late 1990s onward, publishing hundreds of articles that cover topics ranging from laptops to hearing aids. {{Cite web |title=Christopher Null - Contributing Writer Bio |url=https://mwg.aaa.com/author/christopher-null |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=AAA |language=en}}
In the entrepreneurial space, Null founded Filmcritic.com in 1995, an online movie review platform where he personally authored over 4,000 reviews and served as Editor-in-Chief for the site’s other movie critics.{{cite web |title=Reversal - The Movie: Film Critic.com Review by Christopher Null |url=https://www.reversalthemovie.com/oldsite/www.reversalthemovie.com/more-movie-press30.html |website=www.reversalthemovie.com}} The site was acquired by AMC in 2009, and Null continued working with AMC for three years before the site’s closure in 2012. He was also a founding member of the Online Film Critics Society.
In 2007, Null launched Drinkhacker, one of the longest-running spirits review websites, with more than 10,000 posts.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-08 |title=Christopher Null, Author at Distiller Magazine |url=https://distilling.com/distillermagazine/author/christophernull/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Distiller Magazine |language=en-US}} In 2011, he established Null Media LLC, a boutique writing and editing company.
= Writing =
Null is also an accomplished author, having published four books, including two novels. {{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-respond-to-unhappy-customers-online/|title=How to respond to unhappy customers online|last=Johnson|first=Dave|date=31 January 2013|publisher=CBS News|access-date=11 January 2015}} He is also the author of two books: Five Stars!{{Cite book |last=Null |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEu3PAAACAAJ |title=Five Stars!: How to Become a Film Critic, the World's Greatest Job |date=2005 |publisher=Sutro Press |isbn=978-0-9720981-1-3 |language=en}} (2005, Sutro Press), a manual for aspiring film critics, and Half Mast (2002, Sutro Press), a novel.{{cite web |last=Robinson-Jacobs |first=Karen |date=27 April 1999 |title=Savvy PC Sellers Find Niches to Survive |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-27-me-31535-story.html |access-date=11 January 2015 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
In 2015, Null authored an article for Wired discussing the distinctive nature of his last name, which gained significant attention online.{{Cite web |title=These unlucky people have names that break computers |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160325-the-names-that-break-computer-systems |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=www.bbc.com |date=25 March 2016 |language=en-GB}} The article's popularity led to its feature as the focus of a Radiolab episode, as well as segments on Wait, Wait... Don’t Tell Me! and the British quiz show QI.{{Cite web |last=Farrier • |first=John |date=2015-11-05 |title=The Last Name of "Null" Gives This Man Problems with Computers |url=https://www.neatorama.com/2015/11/05/The-Last-Name-of-Null-Gives-This-Man-Problems-with-Computers/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Neatorama |language=en}} Null continues to respond to media inquiries regarding the "Null" phenomenon highlighted in his article.{{Cite web |last=Randolph |date=2017-01-18 |title=My surname is NULL |url=https://bornsql.ca/blog/my-surname-is-null/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Born SQL |language=en-US}}
Selected bibliography
- {{Cite book |ref=none |last=Null |first=Christopher |url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cul-de-sac-christopher-null/1146284293?ean=2940185712382 |title=The Cul-de-sac |publisher=Tule Publishing |year=2025 |isbn=9781965640234 |pages=331}}
- {{Cite book |ref=none |last=Null |first=Christopher |url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/five-stars-how-to-become-a-film-critic-the-worlds-greatest-job-christopher-null/1113185118 |title=Five Stars! How to Become a Film Critic, the World's Greatest Job |year=2013 |isbn=9780972098113 |pages=258 |publisher=Sutro Press |language=English}}
- {{Cite book|ref=none|last=Null |first=Christopher |url=https://www.amazon.com/Half-Mast-Novel-Christopher-Null-ebook/dp/B00169MKDO?ref_=ast_author_mpb |title=Half mast |date=2002 |publisher=Sutro Press |isbn=978-0-9720981-0-6 |edition=1st |location=San Francisco}}
- {{Cite book|ref=none|last1=Parnell |first1=Tere' |title=Network administrator's reference |last2=Null |first2=Christopher |date=1999 |publisher=Osborne/McGraw-Hill |isbn=978-0-07-882588-0 |series=Network professional's library |location=Berkeley, Calif.}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.chrisnull.com/}}
- {{IMDb name|0637868}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Null, Christopher}}
Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers
Category:American film critics
Category:American magazine editors