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Valley Stream Herald
December 23, 1999
VS Webmaster attracting venture capitalists
By ROBERT REMLER
What started out as part of a resume for a Valley Stream resident is now attracting attention of advertisers and venture capitalists. Dominick A. Miserandino is the creator and founder of a website called TheCelebrityCafe.com. Just 27 years old, he said that running his own website is better than what he used to do for a living.
After graduating from SUNY Stony Brook, Mr. Miserandino worked on Wall Street assisting traders. "I realized it wasn't for me and that's why I started my own _ business." That business is called TheCelebrityCafe.com and it was started four m years ago. Aided by the growth of the Inter_ net, TheCelebrityCafe.com website is now _ global. Dominick said his site is read in Japan, Canada, U.S.A. Australia, Italy and _ Ireland "The Internet is great for that," he B said
TheCelebrityCafe.com web page is a "a well-rounded entertainment site." It includes features such as contests, trivia, a search directory, album of the day and 'today in history.' Two years ago the site began to feature celebrity interviews. A variety of individuals have been featured on the website. Mr. Miserandino tries to keep the website balanced by featuring three categories of people. "The first category being established well-known talent," he said. In the past, the website featured interviews with members of Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead.
The next category he defined as "people who the general public has probably heard of along the way but just can't pinpoint." He said individuals who fall into this category "have all had notable careers and recognition in their own right but haven't reached that Rolling Stone Magazine like level."
The third category is composed of up and coming independent artists, according to Mr. Miserandino. A "growing recognition in the entertainment industry has allowed us to become more editorially selective," he said.
On interviewing on-line, Mr. Miserandino noted, "the ease and the convenience are incredible. Celebrities enjoy the ability to take extra time to answer." That extra time also detracts from the interviewing process, he reports. "Giving people extra time to think may remove some of the 'naturalness' of their answer," noted Mr. Miserandino, who was himself interviewed on-line for this article.
The current, multi-featured format on TheCelebrityCafe.com homepage was launched three months ago. Several people work on it and the page has gotten a lot of attention, according to Mr. Miserandino. Each week TheCelebrityCafe.com is getting more advertisers, he said, "It's not making enough to do any more than pay rent and a few bills." However, he noted that the site did do remarkably well in November. He noted the site has brought him more than simply checks in the mail.
"Thanks to the recognition I've gotten through the site, I'm working on a humorous book of essays and short stories." The fact of the matter, according to Mr. Miserandino, is that advertising on the Net is still in its infancy stages." The premise remains the same: "If you have a product that matches an audience, advertise where that audience reads. "
He elaborated on what it was like to be on the receiving end of a website: "We get about two hundred e-mails a day and strive to answer each one of them." The questions from his readers range from "the bizarre to the normal." There is no consistent pattern, he said "Everyday I get a few e-mails from both extremes. Some people ask for their favorite celebrities' home phone numbers and others want to contribute to the site in some way. On the concept of an emerging "dotcom" community in Valley Stream, Mr. Miserandino indicated the process was already underway. "I think the entire world is becoming more of a dot-com community not just Valley Stream. The world is growing this secondary village interlaced with the physical one."
Mr. Miserandino said one individual on his staff lives an hour and a half away from him, yet he works with that person throughout the day. "It's like we are in the same room. "
For the past four years, Mr. Miserandino has lived in the Valley Stream house once occupied by his great-grandparents. He is originally from Brooklyn, but his father, grand parents and great grand parents were long time Valley Stream residents. He considered Valley Stream a "warm and family orientated community." Valley Stream, he said, " retains a hometown feel while being close to the city and that balance gives the best of both worlds." And now the reach of the village includes the intersection of Sunrise Highway and the Information Highway.
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