Atom.com
Atom.com (formerly AtomFilms) was a broadband entertainment network offering original short subject movies, animations, and series by independent creators. The company was founded in 1998 in Seattle by Mika Salmi. Sequoia Capital, led by Michael Moritz, was the lead investor in Atom Films.
Company type | Humor, film website |
|---|---|
| Industry | Online video entertainment, film |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Mika Salmi |
| Defunct | 2012 |
| Fate | Absorbed into Comedy Central |
| Successor | CC Studios |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Parent | Paramount Media Networks |
| Website | atom.com |
Atom.com (formerly AtomFilms) was a broadband entertainment network offering original short subject movies, animations, and series by independent creators.[1][2][3] The company was founded in 1998 in Seattle by Mika Salmi.[4] Sequoia Capital, led by Michael Moritz, was the lead investor in Atom Films.[5][6]
Overview
[edit]Atom Films was the first online video platform for Oscar winners Jason Reitman,[7][8] Aardman Animations,[9][10] and David Lynch.[11] It was the first site to work with a major intellectual property rights owner to allow derivative works by the general public when it created a partnership with George Lucas and LucasFilm for The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards in November 2000.[12][13]
Buyout
[edit]On August 10, 2006, Atom Entertainment was bought by MTV Networks (now called Paramount Media Networks) with all its properties, including AtomFilms, Addicting Games, Addicting Clips (renamed AtomUploads) and Shockwave.com.[14] The buyout occurred shortly after negotiations against and subsequently with Google to purchase YouTube. In 2012, Atom.com was absorbed into Comedy Central, and was renamed CC Studios.
Domain marketplace
[edit]Atom.com is currently a domain name marketplace, rebranded from Squadhelp in April 2024.[15][16]
References
[edit]- ^ Marriott, Michel (April 29, 2004). "NEWS WATCH: ENTERTAINMENT; Hurtling Onto Your Hard Drive, Short Films on Demand". The New York Times.
- ^ Lyman, Rick (March 27, 2000). "MEDIA; Hollywood Greets Online Entrepreneurs". The New York Times.
- ^ Harmon, Amy (December 16, 2000). "COMPANY NEWS; SHOCKWAVE.COM SETS ATOMFILMS TAKEOVER". The New York Times.
- ^ Houston, Frank (June 15, 2000). "Hollywood Flirts With Short Films on the Web". The New York Times.
- ^ "Viacom's MTV Unit Buys Atom Entertainment for Its Film, Gaming Web Sites - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
- ^ "A VC With A Silicon Touch: Michael L. Moritz, WG' 78". Wharton Magazine. 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
- ^ Nichols, Peter M. (2000-12-30). "Now Playing, Short Stories At a Web Theater Near You". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
- ^ "AtomFilms trusts in Sundance short".
- ^ "Mika Salmi : AtomShockwave va diffuser les prochains épisodes d'Aardman Animations". 4 February 2002.
- ^ "Aardman's 'Angry' at AtomFilms site". 12 April 2000.
- ^ "David Lynch to produce "crude and bad quality" cartoons for web". TheGuardian.com. 23 March 2000.
- ^ "AtomFilms.com is the official site for Star Wars spoofs | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "Lights, sabers, action! / 'Star Wars' fan films out of this world thanks to cheaper, powerful technology". 9 May 2005.
- ^ Ahrens, Frank (August 10, 2006). "Viacom's MTV unit buys Atom Entertainment for its film, gaming web sites". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2006.
- ^ Levi, Daniel (17 April 2024). "Squadhelp rebrands to Atom just a year after raising $10 million in funding - Tech Startups". Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "Goodbye SquadHelp, Hello Atom! Popular Naming & Branding Platform Goes Nuclear With Move to Atom.com". www.dnjournal.com. Retrieved 15 September 2025.