RocketBoom star video blogger Amanda Congdon shocked not only her fans, but apparently her partner as well, when she announced this morning that she had been “unboomed.” Though the details are unclear, Congdon has left the building – Star Jones style.
Congdon, whose buxom good looks many have cited as their only reason for tuning in to the Internet’s premiere video blog, seemed on the verge of tears as she put to rest rumors that she was on vacation. She, well, sort of, said she was fired. But various reports around the blogosphere conflict on the nature of the split between Congdon and her (ex)business partner Andrew Baron.
“I apparently have been unboomed,” said Congdon. “Apparently my partner, Andrew Baron, is no longer interested in being my partner. Since he owns 51 percent of Rocketboom, and I own 49 percent of Rocketboom, that’s just something I’ll have to live with. So I’m just kind of accepting. I guess this is my last appearance in front of the map.”
Immediately the blogosphere was abuzz about the news as fans speculated on what happened, even to the extent of theories of a secret romance gone sour, and debated whether or not RocketBoom would survive without her. But the story became especially interesting when Baron announced that he had heard the news the same time as everyone else.
“I have just learned of this myself from watching Amanda’s video. I guess it is in fact over,” wrote Baron. “I’m not sure what I will do – I have no one else to take Amanda’s place and haven’t really ever imagined Rocketboom without her except for the past week as everything has been up in the air.”
Obviously, that sounds very different than her story.
Amanda’s response? She went to the beach, presumably in Los Angeles, which is revealed to be at the heart of the matter. According to Dave Coustan, Congdon was moving to LA, whether Baron liked it or not (you know, because winter in New York City is only slightly less painful than winter in Chicago). Coustan published an email from Baron with more details:
Amanda decided she was unable to stay in NYC and informed me, the Rocketboom business and the rest of the team via her videoblog post this morning that she was moving on.
We wanted her to get to Hollywood to pursue her personal opportunities as soon as possible, but her demand to move this week without waiting any longer, without a justification, and without an adequate proposal for a plan for how the show itself would work, we were unable to uproot Rocketboom from NYC at this time.
Maybe it wasn’t that she was fired. Maybe she interpreted Baron’s reluctance to uproot the company as not being interested in being her partner. Who’s telling the truth? We probably won’t know any more until Amanda comes back from sunning herself.
Steve Rubel reports that Congdon attracted over 250,000 daily viewers, nearly as many as CBS.com and NBC.com. Many speculate also that she may have been offered a position on television, which precipitated her exit strategy.
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