Whiskey Media

Whiskey Media was an online media company founded in 2007 by Shelby Bonnie, a co-founder of CNET who had previously served as its Chairman and CEO. After resigning from CNET in 2006, Bonnie, alongside business partner Mike Tatum and former CNET programmers Andy McCurdy, Sean Coonce, Ethan Lance, and Dave Snider, established the new venture. The company's name is a nod to a Kentucky distillery once owned by Bonnie's family. Whiskey Media focused on creating a portfolio of vertically-focused community websites, primarily targeting males aged 13 to 30.

The company's business model centered on a concept of "social publishing," combining professionally created editorial and video content with user-generated wiki-style databases. Revenue was generated through a freemium model; users could access sites for free, with paid subscription options offering premium features like HD video, mobile site access, and exclusive live shows. The first site under the Whiskey Media umbrella was Comic Vine, a comic book database and community originally launched in 2006 by Lance and Snider's company, Enemy Kite. This was followed by the launch of video game site Giant Bomb in 2008, anime and manga-focused Anime Vice in 2008, and technology site Tested and movie/TV site Screened in 2010. The editorial teams were largely comprised of respected veterans from other outlets, such as Jeff Gerstmann from GameSpot, who co-founded Giant Bomb, and Will Smith and Norman Chan from Maximum PC, who launched Tested.

The core of Whiskey Media's operation was its proprietary content management system, internally referred to as "Distillery." This platform provided the framework for the wiki-databases, community tools, and social features that were central to each website's function. This technology was a key asset, designed to empower small editorial teams to manage large, community-driven content platforms. In March 2012, Whiskey Media was dissolved through a two-part acquisition. BermanBraun, a media company run by Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, acquired the Whiskey Media publishing platform, along with the websites Tested, Screened, and Anime Vice. Concurrently, CBS Interactive purchased Giant Bomb and Comic Vine, a move that reunited several Giant Bomb staffers with their former employer. The sale marked the end of Whiskey Media's independent operation, with its assets and talent absorbed into larger media corporations. Keywords: online media, social publishing, vertical media, community websites, user-generated content, wiki-database, freemium model, content management system, Giant Bomb, Comic Vine, Tested.com, Screened.com, Anime Vice, Shelby Bonnie, Jeff Gerstmann, digital media, pop culture websites, niche communities, online publishing, tech media, gaming media