Morgan Webb
Encyclopedia
Morgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer
of the G4 show X-Play
, and host of the show G4 Underground
. She was previously the host of the podcast WebbAlert and a monthly columnist for the United States edition of FHM
, where she contributed a monthly video game column entitled "Tips From The Gaming Goddess".
as a website
administrator. After the company went under during the dot-com bubble
burst of 2000, her friend Catherine Schwartz
got her hired at TechTV
in 2001, and Morgan became employed as the associate producer and web researcher for The Screen Savers
. Throughout 2002 and 2003, she also regularly co-hosted TechTV's Call For Help
with Chris Pirillo
. In April 2003, Webb left The Screen Savers to co-host X-Play
with Adam Sessler
.
Webb is one of only six TechTV
personalities, including Adam Sessler
, Sarah Lane
, Chi-Lan Lieu
, Kevin Rose
, and Brendan Moran
, to survive the massive layoffs resulting from the May 2004 merger of G4
and TechTV. Since G4's later change in format, only Sessler and Webb remain with the network. Their show, which is still called X-Play, aired its 500th episode in early 2007, and its 1000th episode on February 1, 2010. and currently broadcasts three new episodes per week.
In August 2005, Webb became a contributing game columnist for FHM
, alongside her regular hosting duties on X-Play
. Her monthly column was titled "Tips From The Gaming Goddess". Readers were encouraged to email Morgan their video game-related inquiries; she would then answer one question each month. In February 2007, Webb wrote her final column for the magazine that discontinued its U.S. publication in March. She also hosted the short lived Free Stuff
on G4 until it was canceled in June 2007.
From August 2, 2007 to January 25, 2009, Webb had a daily [Mon - Fri] video blogging initiative called WebbAlert. These videos were 5–6 minutes in length and consisted of a recap of popular technology news of the day. On occasion, Webb departed from the regular news format in favor of an episode on one particular topic of interest. Examples included a recap of the annual TED Conference, a viral video
special showcasing "future 'Darwin Award' winners", and tech-centric "Holiday Buyer's Guides". In January 2009, Webb suspended WebbAlert indefinitely due to issues with maintaining it on a daily basis concurrently with her hosting duties on X-Play
.
On February 25, 2009, G4 announced that Webb would be the host of their new show, G4 Underground
. A weekly series that profiles a wide range of people and topics that are of interest to the "internet generation," it premiered March 29, 2009 at 9PM ET.
, Canada
. As an infant and small child, Webb appeared in advertisements for Gerber
baby food, Kenner Toys
, and most famously, an ad for McDonald's, where she recited the ingredients of the Big Mac
to a game of Pat-a-cake. Though Webb's parents refused to let her watch television as a child, she made up for it by playing video games. She began with an Atari
, primarily the game Combat
, but as technology progressed, The Legend of Zelda and Phantasy Star
became two of her favorite games.
After Webb graduated from high school, she left home to attend UC Berkeley. There she earned a bachelor's degree
in rhetoric
(with a minor in Italian) in 2000.
On August 19, 2006, Webb married Rob Reid in a service at City Hall
in San Francisco, California
. Reid founded the music website Listen.com, and was involved in the creation of the RealNetworks
music service Rhapsody
(which was based on Reid's Listen).
magazine spotlighted her in their July 2004 issue. FHM
featured a five-page article in their November 2004 issue, and also had her listed in three consecutive years for their annual The 100 Sexiest Women In The World article: #73 in 2005, #62 in 2006, and #51 in 2007. Other magazines have featured her as well, voted "Hottest Woman of the Year" in RTD's 2006 Top 10 countdown and in an article in the Fall 2006 Edition of Colleges.com U Magazine.
In April 2004, Webb, along with fellow TechTV personalities Sarah Lane
, Laura Swisher
, Catherine Schwartz
, and Melanie Kim, were included in the "TechTV's Sexiest Techie" poll sponsored by Playboy magazine. TechTV viewers could vote for their favorite girl via the Playboy website, and the winner of the poll would be offered a nude photo spread in a future issue of Playboy. Webb won the poll but she immediately refused, despite being "very flattered" by the photo shoot offer, citing her own personal reasons and her parents' objection to the idea.
Webb has appeared in the music video "Strange New Element" from the band Low Water. She makes her appearance near the end of the video alongside other fellow TechTV personalities, including Catherine Schwartz, Sarah Lane, Laura Swisher, Chi-Lan Lieu, and Sumi Das
. In addition to appearing in Low Water's music video, Morgan is featured in the artwork of the band's album, Hard Words In A Speakeasy. She additionally provided her own vocals for "X-Play: The Musical", which aired in February 2007. She is a frequent guest on various talk shows, including The Tyra Banks Show
(in February 2008), Chelsea Lately
(in early 2009), and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
(on April 15, 2009). She is also a frequent guest-host on G4's Attack of the Show!
. On June 17, 2009 Webb appeared on KCRW Radio
, as part of the station's Guest DJ Project.
On June 21, 2008 Webb along with her X-Play co-host Adam Sessler, participated in the 50th Annual Hollywood Stars Celebrity Softball
game at Dodger Stadium
. The five-inning charity
exhibition saw Webb and Sessler competing on opposing teams, with Morgan playing in outer left field and making one appearance at bat. She was retired
after she hit a pop-fly to first base. Despite this, Morgan's white team defeated Sessler's blue team by a score of 5 to 2.
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
of the G4 show X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
, and host of the show G4 Underground
G4 Underground
G4 Underground is a cable television newsmagazine series airing on G4 hosted by Morgan Webb. "G4 Underground" is described as having a similar format of ABC's 20/20, except it takes a look at many topics that most major news programs don't cover such as Porn 2.0, Urban Spelunking and Salvia...
. She was previously the host of the podcast WebbAlert and a monthly columnist for the United States edition of FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
, where she contributed a monthly video game column entitled "Tips From The Gaming Goddess".
Career
Webb attended UC Berkeley from 1996 to 2000. She developed computer skills in her free time there, and after graduating from college, worked for a dot-com companyDot-com company
A dot-com company, or simply a dot-com , is a company that does most of its business on the Internet, usually through a website that uses the popular top-level domain, ".com" .While the term can refer to present-day companies, it is also used specifically to refer to companies with...
as a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
administrator. After the company went under during the dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
burst of 2000, her friend Catherine Schwartz
Catherine Schwartz
Catherine Michelle Schwartz is an American television personality perhaps best known for her former role as co-host on the TechTV television program Call for Help with Leo Laporte.-Early years:...
got her hired at TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
in 2001, and Morgan became employed as the associate producer and web researcher for The Screen Savers
The Screen Savers
The Screen Savers was a live American TV show on TechTV. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV on May 11, 1998. The Screen Savers originally centered around computers, new technologies, and their adaptations in the world...
. Throughout 2002 and 2003, she also regularly co-hosted TechTV's Call For Help
Call for Help
Call for Help, also known as CFH, was a computer-themed television program that first aired exclusively on TechTV , a cable and satellite television network focused on technology, and then aired on G4techTV Canada and the HOW TO Channel in Australia...
with Chris Pirillo
Chris Pirillo
Christopher Joseph Pirillo is the founder and maintainer of Lockergnome, which is a network of blogs, web forums, mailing lists, and online communities. He spent two years hosting the TechTV television program Call for Help, where he also hosted the first annual Call-for-Help-a-Thon...
. In April 2003, Webb left The Screen Savers to co-host X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
with Adam Sessler
Adam Sessler
Adam Donovan Sessler is co-host of X-Play on G4 with Morgan Webb and, as of December 17, 2008, editor-in-chief of G4's game content for the network. He is the only remaining television personality from the G4's origin network ZDTV.-Background:Sessler was born in Berkeley, California...
.
Webb is one of only six TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
personalities, including Adam Sessler
Adam Sessler
Adam Donovan Sessler is co-host of X-Play on G4 with Morgan Webb and, as of December 17, 2008, editor-in-chief of G4's game content for the network. He is the only remaining television personality from the G4's origin network ZDTV.-Background:Sessler was born in Berkeley, California...
, Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane
Sarah Christina Lane is an American television and Internet personality. She is most notably known for her appearances on TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show!, and Revision3's popSiren...
, Chi-Lan Lieu
Chi-Lan Lieu
Chi-Lan Lieu previously worked on the TechTV show Fresh Gear as a correspondent until it was canceled following the merger of TechTV and G4. She later became an on-air contributor for The Screen Savers in November of 2004 until departing the network in January of 2005.Chi-Lan appears in the music...
, Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose is an American Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk...
, and Brendan Moran
Brendan Moran
Brendan Moran is an American television personality best known for his work as a co-host and field reporter on the G4 television program Attack of the Show!...
, to survive the massive layoffs resulting from the May 2004 merger of G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
and TechTV. Since G4's later change in format, only Sessler and Webb remain with the network. Their show, which is still called X-Play, aired its 500th episode in early 2007, and its 1000th episode on February 1, 2010. and currently broadcasts three new episodes per week.
In August 2005, Webb became a contributing game columnist for FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
, alongside her regular hosting duties on X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
. Her monthly column was titled "Tips From The Gaming Goddess". Readers were encouraged to email Morgan their video game-related inquiries; she would then answer one question each month. In February 2007, Webb wrote her final column for the magazine that discontinued its U.S. publication in March. She also hosted the short lived Free Stuff
Free Stuff
Free Stuff was a television program on the G4 network. In this show "featured products" ranging in value from $20.00 to $599.00 are previewed and then given away. Viewers enter to win the items by using their computer to submit codes which are shown to the viewers by Lloyd the Chimp during...
on G4 until it was canceled in June 2007.
From August 2, 2007 to January 25, 2009, Webb had a daily [Mon - Fri] video blogging initiative called WebbAlert. These videos were 5–6 minutes in length and consisted of a recap of popular technology news of the day. On occasion, Webb departed from the regular news format in favor of an episode on one particular topic of interest. Examples included a recap of the annual TED Conference, a viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
special showcasing "future 'Darwin Award' winners", and tech-centric "Holiday Buyer's Guides". In January 2009, Webb suspended WebbAlert indefinitely due to issues with maintaining it on a daily basis concurrently with her hosting duties on X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
.
On February 25, 2009, G4 announced that Webb would be the host of their new show, G4 Underground
G4 Underground
G4 Underground is a cable television newsmagazine series airing on G4 hosted by Morgan Webb. "G4 Underground" is described as having a similar format of ABC's 20/20, except it takes a look at many topics that most major news programs don't cover such as Porn 2.0, Urban Spelunking and Salvia...
. A weekly series that profiles a wide range of people and topics that are of interest to the "internet generation," it premiered March 29, 2009 at 9PM ET.
Personal life
Webb was born on October 5, 1978 in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. As an infant and small child, Webb appeared in advertisements for Gerber
Gerber Products Company
Gerber Products Company is a purveyor of baby food and baby products. A former American-owned company, Gerber is now a subsidiary of Nestlé, and is currently located in Fremont, Michigan, USA.-History:...
baby food, Kenner Toys
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
, and most famously, an ad for McDonald's, where she recited the ingredients of the Big Mac
Big Mac
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
to a game of Pat-a-cake. Though Webb's parents refused to let her watch television as a child, she made up for it by playing video games. She began with an Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
, primarily the game Combat
Combat (video game)
Combat is an early video game by Atari for the Atari 2600. It was released as one of the nine launch titles for the system in October 1977, and was included in the box with the system from its introduction until 1982...
, but as technology progressed, The Legend of Zelda and Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star
is the first installment in Sega's renowned series of the same name. It was released for the Sega Master System in Japan on December 20, 1987, and then in North America and Europe in 1988. It is considered one of the pioneers amongst console role-playing games, both for its advanced graphics...
became two of her favorite games.
After Webb graduated from high school, she left home to attend UC Berkeley. There she earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
(with a minor in Italian) in 2000.
On August 19, 2006, Webb married Rob Reid in a service at City Hall
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall, re-opened in 1915, in its open space area in the city's Civic Center, is a Beaux-Arts monument to the City Beautiful movement that epitomized the high-minded American Renaissance of the 1880s to 1917. The structure's dome is the fifth largest in the world...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Reid founded the music website Listen.com, and was involved in the creation of the RealNetworks
RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The company is the creator of RealAudio, a compressed audio format; RealVideo, a compressed video format; RealPlayer, a media player; RealDownloader, a download...
music service Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
(which was based on Reid's Listen).
Media appearances
Throughout 2004 and beyond, Webb was featured in numerous issues of print publications. MaximMaxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
magazine spotlighted her in their July 2004 issue. FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
featured a five-page article in their November 2004 issue, and also had her listed in three consecutive years for their annual The 100 Sexiest Women In The World article: #73 in 2005, #62 in 2006, and #51 in 2007. Other magazines have featured her as well, voted "Hottest Woman of the Year" in RTD's 2006 Top 10 countdown and in an article in the Fall 2006 Edition of Colleges.com U Magazine.
In April 2004, Webb, along with fellow TechTV personalities Sarah Lane
Sarah Lane
Sarah Christina Lane is an American television and Internet personality. She is most notably known for her appearances on TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show!, and Revision3's popSiren...
, Laura Swisher
Laura Swisher
Laura Swisher was the comedic sidekick of Unscrewed with Martin Sargent that aired late-nights on TechTV. The show was cancelled on November 11, 2004, after G4 had purchased TechTV....
, Catherine Schwartz
Catherine Schwartz
Catherine Michelle Schwartz is an American television personality perhaps best known for her former role as co-host on the TechTV television program Call for Help with Leo Laporte.-Early years:...
, and Melanie Kim, were included in the "TechTV's Sexiest Techie" poll sponsored by Playboy magazine. TechTV viewers could vote for their favorite girl via the Playboy website, and the winner of the poll would be offered a nude photo spread in a future issue of Playboy. Webb won the poll but she immediately refused, despite being "very flattered" by the photo shoot offer, citing her own personal reasons and her parents' objection to the idea.
Webb has appeared in the music video "Strange New Element" from the band Low Water. She makes her appearance near the end of the video alongside other fellow TechTV personalities, including Catherine Schwartz, Sarah Lane, Laura Swisher, Chi-Lan Lieu, and Sumi Das
Sumi Das
Sumi Das is the former co-host of TechTV's Fresh Gear. On July 3, 2003, she left TechTV to join the cable news channel MSNBC as a reporter. While there, she reported from Modesto, California on the Scott Peterson trial....
. In addition to appearing in Low Water's music video, Morgan is featured in the artwork of the band's album, Hard Words In A Speakeasy. She additionally provided her own vocals for "X-Play: The Musical", which aired in February 2007. She is a frequent guest on various talk shows, including The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show, also known as and shortened to Tyra or The Tyra Show, is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. The last new episode aired on Friday, May 28, 2010.-2005-2009: Syndication:...
(in February 2008), Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...
(in early 2009), and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
(on April 15, 2009). She is also a frequent guest-host on G4's Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Canada and Fuel TV in Australia. The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey...
. On June 17, 2009 Webb appeared on KCRW Radio
KCRW
KCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...
, as part of the station's Guest DJ Project.
On June 21, 2008 Webb along with her X-Play co-host Adam Sessler, participated in the 50th Annual Hollywood Stars Celebrity Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
game at Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
. The five-inning charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
exhibition saw Webb and Sessler competing on opposing teams, with Morgan playing in outer left field and making one appearance at bat. She was retired
Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
after she hit a pop-fly to first base. Despite this, Morgan's white team defeated Sessler's blue team by a score of 5 to 2.