| Jeff Bakalar | |
| Birth Name: | Jeffrey Ian Bakalar |
| Birth Date: | 24 March 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Brooklyn, New York |
| Spouse: | Stacie Blair Bakalar (2010-present)[1] |
| Alma Mater: | Towson University (B.A.) |
| Years Active: | 2004-present |
| Known For: | podcaster, celebrity interviewer, videogames journalist, internet personality |
| Children: | 1 |
Jeffrey Ian Bakalar (born 24 March 1982) is a professional podcaster, video game journalist, and formerly the host of CNET's longest-running podcast, The 404 Show. He is the General manager at Fandom-owned Giant Bomb, focusing on the site's operations while also hosting podcasts and content for the brand as well. He is a former employee of CNET Video and during his time there was a recurring personality on various podcasts on Giant Bomb.[2] [3]
Bakalar was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1982[4] and was raised in Briarwood, Queens before his family relocated to Marlboro Township, New Jersey where he attended Marlboro High School. He graduated from Towson University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Electronic Media and Film, where he won an award for a mockumentary he directed called Adult Swim.[5]
In 2010, he married his longtime girlfriend, Stacie Davis.[6]
He currently lives in New Jersey.
During his college years, Bakalar worked as a production office intern for actor and producer Bob Balaban in New York City at his production company Chicagofilms[7] while Balaban completed work on Gosford Park.[8]
In 2004, he signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Maverick Records to direct and produce a documentary for the pop punk band Mest. The documentary, entitled Seven Deadly Sins was released as a pack-in bonus with copies of the band's 2005 album Photographs.[9] [10]
In 2007, Bakalar joined CNET as a home theater and gaming editor, eventually starting a technology and pop culture podcast called The 404 Show with Randall Bennett and Wilson Tang.[11] In hosting the podcast, Bakalar has interviewed Tony Hawk, Marc Maron, John Hodgman, Shaun White, Wayne Brady, Scott Aukerman, Michael Showalter, Andrew W.K. and others.[12] Each year the podcast is performed live at the Consumer Electronics Show, where it has featured Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, Felicia Day and others.[13] [14]
In 2012, Bakalar started CNET's first-ever weekly tech parody comic called Low Latency, which he writes and is illustrated by Blake Stevenson.[15]
Bakalar briefly co-hosted another CNET project, Pre-Game, but stopped production after a year of programming to focus more on The 404 Show.[11]
Bakalar is a member of the New York Videogame Critics Circle, an advocacy group for game writers in and around the New York City area.[16]
He regularly appears on TV and radio as a technology, pop culture, and video game expert. Bakalar has been featured on G4's Attack of the Show, NPR's All Things Considered, and CNBC's Power Lunch.[17] [18] [19]
In late 2014, Bakalar joined CBSN as a regularly appearing tech and pop culture pundit representing CNET.[20]
On May 22, 2015, he joined the cast of Giant Bomb's Giant Beastcast, where he remained a regular member until its conclusion in May 2021. He later joined the cast of its sister podcast, the Giant Bombcast.[21]
On September 29, 2017, the final episode of The 404 Show podcast was published.