Unless you were around when I first started, way back in 1999 when I built my Oscar site from scratch, as a single mom with a baby and 1200 baud modem, you’d never know why so many Oscar sites use different URLS, like this one. That’s because my site, Oscarwatch.com, became successful enough that I was sued by the Academy for trademark infringement. That was way back in 2006. They were nice about it. But I was never again allowed to use the O-word in my site name. I have done my best to warn other sites not to use it, especially if they’re going to take any advertising, or brand themselves with the name. I imagine these women (and nonbinary) people plan to do the same.
The site is called OscarsCentral. Old-timers will remember Kris Tapley’s Oscar Central. The Academy doesn’t mind if you are not trying to “go pro.” It is advisable to think about creating one’s own brand, without using Oscar, if you want to build something for the future. Either way, you can find them here.
These are the four who have started the site:
They have a note at the bottom if you’re interested in contributing:
At OSCARS CENTRAL, we’re looking forward to having a place to highlight the work of the amazing women and non-binary writers in the film criticism + awards space. If you’re interested in joining our team or contributing, please send us a DM on Twitter or contact us via email!
Overall, their site design is pretty cool, I’d say. They have a Missed Opportunities podcast here. They have an FYC section here.
The graphics look good. The navigation is easy. And they’ve got a comment section it looks like. I did not notice that this site had launched but apparently they did so last year.
If they have any questions about running a website, they should hit me up and ask. I’ve been doing this longer than anyone else. We wish them the best of luck (except for their name, which they should change…)
