HitFix#Katie Hasty
{{Short description|Entertainment news website (2008–2021)}}
{{Infobox website
| name = HitFix, Inc.
| company_type = Wholly owned brand of Woven Digital
| logo = Logo of HitFix.png
| founded = {{Start date and age|2008|12}}
| dissolved = {{End date and age|2021}}
| successor = Uproxx (pre-existing website of owner)
| location_city = Los Angeles, California
| location_country = United States
| area_served = Worldwide
| website_type = Entertainment news
| url = {{Website defunct|www.hitfix.com}}
| language = English
}}
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television.{{cite web |url=http://www.siteinfotool.com/hitfix.com |title=Hitfix.com - HitFix - Entertainment News, Events, Exclusives & Reviews for Movies, Film, Television, Music |work=Site Info Tool |access-date=April 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232156/http://www.siteinfotool.com/hitfix.com |archive-date=30 December 2013 }} In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,000,000 unique users per month milestone.{{cite web |url=http://www.techcoastangels.com/press/tech-coast-angels-joins-16m-investment-hitfix-unique-content-driven-entertainment-website |title=Tech Coast Angels Joins $1.6m Investment in Hitfix, Unique Content-Driven Entertainment Website |work=Tech Coast Angels |date=June 28, 2010 |first=Deborah |last=Jones |access-date=April 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723202250/http://www.techcoastangels.com/press/tech-coast-angels-joins-16m-investment-hitfix-unique-content-driven-entertainment-website |archive-date=July 23, 2013 }}
HitFix had been cited as a source by Time, Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, E! Online, and The Daily Herald.{{cite magazine |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/08/14/groovy-baby-mike-myers-will-return-for-austin-powers-4/ |title=Groovy, Baby! Mike Myers Will Return for 'Austin Powers 4′ |magazine=TIME |first=Nick |last=Carbone |date=August 14, 2011 |access-date=April 14, 2013}}{{cite news |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2009/12/13/avatar-weekend-roundup-2/ |title='Avatar' weekend roundup and fearless predictions |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=December 13, 2009 |first=Geoff |last=Boucher |access-date=April 14, 2013}}{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/13/austin-powers-4-mike-myers_n_926079.html/ |title='Austin Powers 4': Mike Myers Signs For New Sequel |date=August 13, 2011 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=April 14, 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/190407/the-hulk-is-mark-ruffalo-replacing-ed-norton |title=The Hulk: Is Mark Ruffalo Replacing Ed Norton?|first=Marc |last=Malkin |date=July 14, 2010 |work=E! |access-date=April 15, 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27935:contestants-its-tv-talent-judges-basking-in-fame-cash&catid=18:entertainment&Itemid=29 |title=Contestants? It's TV talent judges basking in fame, cash |work=The Daily Herald |date=May 17, 2012 |access-date=April 15, 2013 |archive-date=October 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001002702/http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27935:contestants-its-tv-talent-judges-basking-in-fame-cash&catid=18:entertainment&Itemid=29 |url-status=dead }}
In April 2016, it became a brand of Woven Digital and is now a part of the Woven Digital property Uproxx.{{cite news |title=Showbiz Site Uproxx Acquired by Guy-Focused Digital Media Firm Woven |author=Todd Spangler |url=https://variety.com/2014/digital/news/showbiz-site-uproxx-acquired-by-guy-focused-digital-media-firm-woven-1201158843/ |work=Variety |date=April 17, 2014 |access-date=12 November 2015}} In November 2016 the website switched from standalone{{cite web | url=http://www.hitfix.com/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110023259/http://www.hitfix.com/ | archive-date=10 November 2016 | title=HitFix - Entertainment News, Events, Exclusives & Reviews for Movies, Film, Television, Music |website=HitFix }} to a redirect to Uproxx.{{cite web|url=http://www.hitfix.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122132548/http://www.hitfix.com/ |archive-date=22 November 2016 |title= Redirect to uproxx.com/hitfix }}
Founders
HitFix was founded by ex-Reed Business Information Development executive Jen Sargent and former L.A. Times and MSN.com film editor Gregory Ellwood. Sargent and Ellwood's goal was to create a site that fit into the gap between trade publications and gossip- or celebrity-scandal-driven sites, such as TMZ, and to target an audience slightly skewed towards males – a unique approach in a female-driven industry{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2008/digital/markets-festivals/new-media-startups-ramping-up-1117997435/|title=New-media startups ramping up|first=Anne|last=Thompson|date=December 16, 2008}} – while catering to 18- to 34-year-olds.{{Cite web|url=http://www.socaltech.com/interview_with_jennifer_sargent_hitfix/s-0036989.html/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513223014/http://www.socaltech.com/interview_with_jennifer_sargent_hitfix/s-0036989.html/|url-status=dead|website=socaltech.com|title=Interview with Jennifer Sargent, HitFix|archivedate=May 13, 2012}}
Angel investment
HitFix received its first funding from Golden Seeds, the fourth largest angel investment group in the United States, in 2009. Since then, HitFix has twice benefited from investment from the Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest angel investment networks in Southern California.{{cite web|url=http://www.socaltech.com/venture_capital_totals_6_3__m_in_southern_california_in_q3/s-0038812.html|work=socaltech.com|title=Venture Capital Totals $603.2M In Southern California In Q3|date=October 18, 2011}} The first such investment came in February 2009 in the amount of $850,000. In June 2010, the Angels added to their commitment investing an additional $1,600,000.{{Cite web|url=http://www.techcoastangels.com/press/tech-coast-angels-joins-16m-investment-hitfix-unique-content-driven-entertainment-website|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723202250/http://www.techcoastangels.com/press/tech-coast-angels-joins-16m-investment-hitfix-unique-content-driven-entertainment-website|url-status=dead|title=Tech Coast Angels Joins $1.6M Investment in HitFix, Unique Content Driven Entertainment Website|archivedate=July 23, 2013}} In addition to Golden Seeds and Tech Coast Angels, HitFix investors include HBS Angels, Liquid Capital, and Gordon Crawford.
Contributors
=Gregory Ellwood=
=Drew McWeeny=
Formerly known as “Moriarty”, McWeeny previously wrote for Ain't It Cool News. In addition to being a screenwriter and movie critic, McWeeny now covers the movie industry for HitFix. McWeeny announced his move to HitFix in 2008 in a review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.{{cite web|last=McWeeny |first=Drew |title=Moriarty Has Seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!! |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/39274 |publisher=Ain't It Cool News |date=7 December 2008 |access-date=3 September 2011}}
On September 20, 2016, McWeeny announced via Twitter that he would no longer be working for Hitfix.{{cite tweet|user=DrewMcWeeny|author=DrewMcWeeny|number=778290313316098049|date=20 September 2016|title=I appreciate every one of you who reads my work. I'm not sure where you'll read it next, but it is no longer at HitFix.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010152810/https://twitter.com/DrewMcWeeny/status/778290313316098049 |archive-date=2016-10-10 }}
=Alan Sepinwall=
{{see also|Alan Sepinwall}}
After 14 years at The Star-Ledger, Sepinwall—also known for his blog, "What's Alan Watching"—moved to HitFix full-time in April 2010. Last spring,{{when|date=February 2013}} NBC executives went so far as to credit Sepinwall by name for his role in earning a renewal for Chuck.{{cite web |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100426006588/en/Star-Ledgers-Alan-Sepinwall-Moves-HitFix.Com |title=The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall Moves to HitFix.Com |work=Business Wire |date=April 26, 2010 |first=Laura |last=Georgian |access-date=April 15, 2013 |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708110110/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100426006588/en/Star-Ledgers-Alan-Sepinwall-Moves-HitFix.Com |url-status=dead }} Slate credited Sepinwall with having "changed the nature of television criticism".{{cite web|last=Levin|first=Josh|title=The TV Guide|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2011/02/the_tv_guide.html|work=Slate Magazine|access-date=15 February 2011|date=February 14, 2011}}