By now you’ve heard the news about the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Maybe you’ve even seen the video event announcing the new product. But who was that angry-Moby-looking guy in the video? He’s kind of a big deal in the U.K., but a lot of the U.S. coverage of the Samsung event didn’t seem to know who he was. Here’s a quick primer on who Jason Bradbury is.
Jason Bradbury first rose to prominence in 2004 when he became the host of a Channel 5 UK television program called The Gadget Show, in which he shows gadgets. Okay, sorry, I had to make that joke. The show has gone through several revamps over its 19 series (those are seasons for us uncultured American folks) history, but currently it’s returned to a traditional Attack of the Show-like “let’s hire a bunch of presenters to show us new smartphones and videogames in the comfort of our own studio” format.
The show has also helped to set 7 Guinness World Records over the course of its many challenge segments, such as the longest R/C car long jump in 2010:
Bradbury also has an active presence on social media with almost 180,000 Twitter followers on his personal account, and he’s written a series of YA books called the Dot.Robot series, which apparently Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer once called “the best of a brand new breed of techno-thriller.” Eh, I don’t know, guys — a compliment from the guy who thought trying to continue the Hitchhiker’s Guide series after Douglas Adams’s death was a good idea… that sort of damns Bradbury’s novels with faint praise. Maybe it’s just me who feels that.
He also sometimes posts videos of himself doing stupid stuff like this:
Naturally he is quite a controversial figure because, as an Angry-Moby lookalike who inserts himself into any and all conversations about technology, he is the sort of person that some people feel instinctively compelled to want to punch.
Ugh. Jason Bradbury.
— Matt Brian (@m4tt) September 4, 2013
OMG noooooooo Jason Bradbury again. Like he wasn’t awful enough last time :(
— MrThaiBox123 (@tfaiso) September 4, 2013
I am immediately repulsed by Jason Bradbury. Someone run on stage and knock off his glasses
— Jon Phillips (@JonPhillipsSF) September 4, 2013
“The way I’d sum this up is as a brains and beauty combo. Is that fair?” :: Samsung marketing head punches Jason Bradbury across the face ::
— Tim Carmody (@tcarmody) September 4, 2013
Yeah, I wasn’t kidding about that punching thing.
So far Bradbury seems to be doing well for himself, however. If he ever wants a career change or decides that he’d like to be an international celebrity, our own Glen Tickle has some ideas:
I’m starting a rumor that this guy from the Samsung launch event is playing Lex Luthor. Spread the word. pic.twitter.com/4EflYOeFuW
— Glen Tickle (@glentickle) September 4, 2013
He’s no Bryan Cranston, but admit it — you see it too, now. I mean, who doesn’t want to punch Lex Luthor?
(featured image by Nick Treby)
- Stop trying to make smartwatches happen, Samsung
- But by all means, keep giving us awesome robots
- Cranston hasn’t been approached for Luthor but we can still hope
