Comedy writer Scott Rubin has been hired to help jump-start National Lampoon by running the entertainment firm’s latest venture, NationalLampoon.com.
The Web site will incorporate print, motion picture, TV and radio material associated with National Lampoon, a subsidiary of J2 Communications in Los Angeles. Rubin will oversee creative direction and original content for the site.
He says the new venture is not meant to replace National Lampoon magazine, which ceased publication in 1998 because of declining sales.
Instead, the Web site is designed to take the firm in a new direction. “This is the rebirth of the soul of the National Lampoon,” Rubin says. “We’re re-pouring the foundation of the company.”
Though he never worked for the magazine, Rubin has written material for comedians Garry Shandling, Howie Mandel and Louie Anderson.
He says he’s been given free rein in creating the Web site, which is scheduled to launch in the fall. To that end, Rubin has hired old friends and twentysomethings with the kind of Gen-X (and Y) humor he wants to feature on the site.
Among its regular features, NationalLampoon.com will offer “News on the March,” which Rubin says will include “twisted news stories that will change daily,” and an interactive game feature called “World Wide Waste of Time.”
The site will also have an archive for downloading classic Lampoon magazine articles and radio routines.
Rubin has been a comedy writer for most of his career. His material has been featured on “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with David Letterman,” and MTV. He was also founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of Laff Track magazine.
Born in the Bronx, N.Y. and raised in Buffalo, he graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in cinema.
Jolie Gorchov
