Geek Nostalgia: Celebrating 11 Years of ASK A NINJA
Can you believe it's been 11 years (I missed the boat on the 10 year anniversary) since the start of Ask A Ninja?! Think of what a different place the world was back in 2005. First off, I remember first watching his videos on my friend's iPod because subscribing to iTunes videos was a thing. I also remember Naruto was hitting its American spike in popularity, which is why we were so obsessed with ninja stuff to begin with.
Ask A Ninja had relatively little to do with ninja culture. It was comedian Douglas Sarine dressed as a ninja and making waves in the new genre of "vodcasting" with the help of his friend Kent Nichols. At the height of their popularity in 2007, the two were making $100,000 a month in ad revenue!
The show was known for its quick biting humor, erratic camera angles, and that ridiculously catchy song:
They even did a collaboration with Mythbusters!
Since then, the show has suffered a stumble of sorts. They attempted a relaunch in 2010 with moderate success, but nothing near the levels they first achieved. The last video was published over a year ago and has a widely different style than when it first launched:
Who knows why the show suffered a decline? Maybe ninjas aren't as popular as they once were? Maybe the ninja went into hiding after the bright lights of Hollywood became too much? Here's what I do know: with all the issues happening in 2016, I need to ask a ninja questions more than I ever have before. WHERE ARE YOU?!