IMDB: Movie watching Hobby → Multi-Millionaire Internet Mogul

Read time: 4 minutes

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Onto Today’s story….

Picture this: A young lad in Manchester, England, eyes glued to the TV, watching "Alien" for the umpteenth time.

Little did he know that his movie obsession would one day revolutionize the entertainment industry and turn him into a multimillionaire.

Buckle up, future moguls!

We're about to dive into the tale of Col Needham, the founder of IMDb, and how his geeky hobby transformed into a global powerhouse.

The Birth of an Obsession 🍿

Our story kicks off in the gritty streets of Manchester, where young Col Needham was growing up in a working-class family.

But don't cue the violins just yet!

Col wasn't sitting around feeling sorry for himself.

Oh no, he was too busy... watching movies.

Thanks to a family friend who owned a video rental shop, Col suddenly found himself with access to more movies than he could shake a remote at.

And boy, did he take advantage of it!

It's 1979, and while other kids are out playing football or chasing girls, our hero is holed up in his room, eyes wide, watching "Jaws" for the umpteenth time.

Was he scared of swimming pools afterward? You bet!

But did that stop him? Not a chance!

The Geek Inherits the Earth 🖥️

Fast forward a few years, and we find our protagonist with a new love in his life.

No, not a girl (sorry!), but something even better: a computer.

Now, you might be thinking, "A computer? Big deal!"

But remember, this was 1981.

Having a computer back then was like having a spaceship in your bedroom.

Col began using his new toy to keep track of all the movies he'd watched.

With the tenacity of a bulldog and the curiosity of a cat, he meticulously typed in every detail - directors, producers, writers, even the guy who held the boom mic!

"It's a bit geeky," Col admits, "but it worked out all right in the end."

Talk about an understatement of the century!

The Plot Thickens 📚

Now, let's fast forward to 1990.

Col's working as a software developer, living a normal life.

Well, as normal as you can get when you watch 1,100 movies a year. (That's right, folks. While you were sleeping, Col was binge-watching before binge-watching was cool!)

In a move that would change everything, Col decided to share his movie database with the world via Usenet newsgroups.

For those of you born after the invention of the smartphone, let me paint a picture.

Usenet was like a prehistoric version of Reddit, a collection of discussion groups where people could post messages about various topics.

And on October 17, 1990, Col shared his movie database that would change everything.

It was like throwing a match into a pool of gasoline – the film geek community exploded with excitement!

Suddenly, Col found himself at the center of a growing community of movie buffs.

They were sharing lists, adding information, debating the merits of different films and filmmakers.

It was chaos, but it was beautiful chaos.

The Plot Twist No One Saw Coming 🔄

Just when you thought our hero was settling into a comfortable routine of day job and movie database hobby, life threw him a curveball.

In 1993, a PhD student emailed Col with an idea that would change everything: "Hey Col, have you heard of this World Wide Web thing?"

Col, being the forward-thinking geek he was, jumped on the idea.

And just like that, IMDb was born on the World Wide Web, hosted on a server at Cardiff University.

Server Strain and Global Expansion 🌍

As word spread about this treasure trove of movie information, traffic to IMDb grew... and grew... and grew some more.

It was like trying to fit an elephant into a Mini Cooper - something had to give.

Col put out a call for help, asking universities around the world to lend a hand (or a server).

Soon, IMDb was being hosted on servers across the globe.

Talk about a global operation!

But the excitement didn't stop there.

In 1995, things really started to take off.

Col recalls, "All of a sudden, in a two-week period, our traffic doubled, then two weeks later, it doubled again."

It was a dream come true, right? Well, not quite. Remember, this was still a hobby project run by volunteers.

As the traffic exploded, so did the workload. Col and his team of volunteer editors were drowning in data, working around the clock to keep up with the demand.

They were at a crossroads.

Should they close down this rapidly growing behemoth? Or should they take a leap of faith and turn it into a business?

Little did Col know, this decision would be the plot twist that would change not just his life, but the entire landscape of how we interact with movies and TV shows.

From Hobby to Holy Cow! 🐮

Now, here's where most people would panic.

But not our Col.

He thought over it for a while and he saw this as an opportunity.

An opportunity to do what, you ask?

To maybe turn his hobby into a business!

In January 1996, IMDb.com launched as a commercial website.

Col, in a move that would make any entrepreneur's palms sweat, used his credit card to buy the first web server.

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

Hollywood Comes Calling 🎬

Imagine this: You're sitting at home, probably in your pajamas, when your wife tells you the New York Times is on the phone.

No, this isn't the setup for a joke.

This actually happened to Col!

The New York Times wanted to run a feature on IMDb because everybody in the film industry was using it.

Talk about a plot twist!

But wait, there's more!

Fox Studios wanted to sponsor an ad campaign for "Independence Day" on IMDb.

That's when Col realized he could actually make money from this crazy idea.

So, what did he do?

He quit his day job, of course!

Because when Hollywood comes knocking, you don't ask them to come back later.

The Empire Strikes Back (In a Good Way) 🌟

By 1998, IMDb was no longer just a website.

It was a phenomenon.

With 18 million visitors a month, it had become the go-to place for anything and everything related to movies.

But here's the best part: they still didn't have an office.

That's right, folks.

One of the most popular websites in the world was being run from a bunch of people's living rooms.

It was like the Justice League, if the Justice League were a bunch of movie nerds in their pajamas.

The Plot Thickens (Again) 🎭

Just when you thought things couldn't get any crazier, enter Jeff Bezos.

Yes, that Jeff Bezos from Amazon.

Col was sitting across from Bezos in a London hotel.

It was like David meeting Goliath, except this time, Goliath wanted to be friends.

In a move worthy of a Hollywood script, Bezos wanted to acquire IMDb.

Talk about a plot twist!

After careful consideration, and in a plot twist worthy of M. Night Shyamalan, Col said yes.

In 1998, Amazon bought IMDb for a reported $55 million.

Not bad for a hobby that started in a bedroom in Manchester, eh?

The Sequel is Always Bigger 🎥

Now, you might think this is where our story ends.

Big corporation buys startup, founder rides off into the sunset, roll credits.

But not for Col.

Oh no, this was just the beginning of Act Two.

Under Amazon's wing, IMDb soared to new heights.

They launched IMDb Pro, created the Starmeter, and even started influencing which movies got made!

Col, the kid who once won tickets to "Snow White" in a coloring competition, was now rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty at the Oscars.

Talk about a plot twist!

The Hero's Journey Comes Full Circle 🔁

Fast forward to today.

IMDb has over 250 million monthly users.

Col has watched over 10,000 films.

And that little hobby?

It's now worth millions.

But here's the kicker: Col still gets up at 6 am, seven days a week, to watch movies before his wife wakes up.

He still runs IMDb with the same fire that drove him to rewind those VHS tapes all those years ago.

"When people say to me, 'You have a really interesting job,' to me it's not a job," Col says.

"I describe it as a lifestyle."

And speaking of lifestyle, let's rewind back to where it all began - with a simple coloring competition that sparked a lifelong love affair with cinema.

It's the early 1970s in Manchester, England.

A five-year-old Col wins tickets to see "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at the local cinema.

It's his first time at the movies, and it's nothing short of magical.

Years later, Col gets a surprising confession from his grandmother.

"I have a terrible confession. After you went to bed that night, I couldn't help but color in the pieces that you missed!"

Can you imagine?

The coloring competition that set Col on his path to becoming a movie mogul might have had a little grandmotherly assistance!

But isn't that just like life?

Sometimes, it's the little nudges from the people who believe in us that set us on our path to greatness.

Lessons from the Director's Cut 🎓

Now, before we roll the credits on this epic tale, let's take a moment to unpack some of the golden nuggets hidden in Col's journey. These aren't just lessons, they're your secret weapons for your own entrepreneurial blockbuster.

1. Embrace your inner geek: Col turned his borderline obsessive love for movies into a multimillion-dollar business. What weird hobby of yours could secretly be your ticket to the entrepreneurial red carpet?

2. Start with a problem you want to solve: Col created IMDb to keep track of his own movie-watching habits. What everyday annoyance of yours could be the next big thing? Maybe your inability to find matching socks could lead to a revolutionary sock-pairing app!

3. Tenacity pays off: Col spent years building his database as a hobby before it became a business. How many times have you hit the snooze button on your dreams? Maybe it's time to wake up and smell the opportunity!

The Final Scene: Your Turn to Shine 🌟

And there you have it, future tycoons!

The incredible, inspiring, and slightly nerdy tale of how a kid with a movie obsession became the most influential name in the entertainment industry.

Whatever your obsession, whatever makes you stay up late at night tinkering and dreaming, that's your IMDb.

That's your million-dollar idea waiting to happen.

So, what are you waiting for?

The credits aren't rolling on your story yet.

In fact, they're just about to start.

Your audience is waiting, the stage is set, and the spotlight is on you.

And every success story - including yours - starts the moment you decide to turn your obsession into action.

So go ahead, future mogul.

It's your time to shine.

Lights, camera, action!

Keep Zoooming! 🍹

Yours “Anti-hustle” Vijay Peduru