e49 locally noted for building Fred08.com
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Published in the Times Free Press on September 19th, 2007
Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., may have announced his candidacy for president from Jay Leno's couch in Los Angeles, but when it came to his campaign Web site, Fred08.com, he brought his business to Chattanooga.
Mr. Thompson's site, Fred08.com, was developed and is maintained by episode49, a Chattanooga-based Web development company. Episode49 also maintained Mr. Thompson's "testing the waters" Web site, ImWithFred.com.
"We're totally responsible for Fred08," said Ken Smith, managing partner for episode49.
Mr. Smith said the company's relationship with the campaign grew through work episode49 did for the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
"That's kind of how this came about, through who you know," Mr. Smith said.
The company developed Mr. Thompson's Web site with Washington-based Web design company Bivings Group. Bivings Group designed the site, while episode49 created the databases and functionality to run it, Mr. Smith said.
"They do all the pretty stuff, and we do all the heavy lifting," he said.
Karen Hanretty, a spokeswoman for the Thompson campaign, said staffers knew episode49 could do some of the "innovative things with this Web site" that the campaign needed. For instance, the site hosted a Web broadcast of Mr. Thompson's candidacy announcement.
"It went off without a hitch," Ms. Hanretty said.
The site likewise has a feature where users can submit questions to conservative bloggers, which Mr. Thompson will answer with video responses, she said.
"Them being from Tennessee is just icing on the cake," Ms. Hanretty said.
Read the complete article on the Times Free Press: HERE.
