MadeMan.com and Acer Announce 2012 Men of the Moment

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MadeMan.com, Break Media's leading online men's lifestyle platform, reveals its first annual 2012 Men of the Moment honorees. Presented by Acer, MadeMan.com recognizes aspirational men who were chosen for their measurable impact this year in the categories of Innovation, Philanthropy and Media. The 2012 Men of the Moment include:

• Philanthropy: Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, Warby Parker.
  Honored for their accomplishments in retail social entrepreneurship, Warby Parker created a business that is stylish, affordable, and looks good while doing good. They disrupted the eyewear industry by selling prescription glasses online under $100, undercutting the market leaders and emerging as one of the few competitors to Italian giant Luxottica. Their buy a pair, give a pair program provides glasses to those who can't afford them, bringing Warby Parker to the forefront of young companies using a one for one model to redefine corporate responsibility.
  
• Innovation: Brad Hargreaves, Co-Founder, General Assembly
  Discovering a significant gap between what young adults are taught in America's traditional education system and what skills they need to succeed, Hargreaves co-founded a global network of campuses for individuals seeking opportunity and education in technology, business and design. General Assembly combines a co-working space with academic lecture halls, establishing an innovative solution to prepare young people to be successful in the workforce and supporting the stimulation of ideas and growth in these sectors.
  
• Media: Freddie W. and Brandon Laatsch, YouTube Stars
  Freddie Wong and his collaborator Brandon Laatsch co-created the top 10 FreddieW channel on YouTube, which boasts over 745 million views and 3.8 million subscribers.  While short films are usually seen as just a stepping-stone and not a way to make a career in entertainment, the content creators forged a new path in media by developing a large fan base for their short online films. Through his videos' FX, gaming and pop culture integration, Wong was one of the first YouTube celebrities to emerge with a fan base rivaling - and often topping - those of traditional TV and movie stars, capturing Hollywood's attention in a way that forced the industry to look at original online content as a major player in entertainment.

"We are excited to partner with Acer to honor men who are aspirational to our readers and exemplify the qualities of the 2012 Made Man," says Mitch Rotter, Break Media's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Editorial. "In picking our Men of the Moment, we looked at innovators who infused new energy into their fields while inspiring others through their work."

"At Acer, we are committed to breaking down barriers between people and technology to inspire our customers to explore beyond limits," says Hugues Gontier, senior director of marketing, Acer America. "We aligned with Men of the Moment to honor a group of men who turned barriers into opportunities and emerged as leaders in 2012."

Throughout its Men of the Moment campaign, MadeMan.com will also feature exclusive interviews with notable men from 2012, including seminal hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irvin, and Emmy award winning comedian Louis CK, along with thought pieces on the current "State of Man" from contributors including Dana Adam Shapiro (director of Murderball, Monogamy).

To learn the stories behind these innovators, visit MadeMan.com/MenoftheMoment.

About Break Media:
Break Media is a leading creator, publisher, and distributor of digital entertainment content including video, editorial, and games. The company's properties include the largest humor site online—Break.com—as well as Made Man, GameFront, HolyTaco, ScreenJunkies,CagePotato, AllLeftTurns, Chickipedia, and TuVez. The Break Media Creative Lab is an in-house production studio creating original videos that range from award-winning branded entertainment to celebrity-driven web shorts to viral one-offs. The Break Media Network represents hundreds of publishers as one of the largest video advertising networks online, reaching more than 125 million visitors each month.

SOURCE Break Media