Marketing firm Didit makes bid to buy Gawker
Marketing firm Didit has made a $1.1m bid for the defunct gossip website Gawker which is going to a bankruptcy auction.
Marketing firm Didit makes bid to buy Gawker
If its bid prevails, Didit will relaunch the site as "Gawker for Good", publishing "positive" stories and donating half of all advertising and sponsorship revenue to non-profits chosen by readers and content creators.
The original Gawker closed in August 2016 after a Hulk Hogan legal case secretly funded by tech billionaire Peter Theil brought it to financial ruin.
Under Long Island-based Didit's auspices, the new Gawker would deliver content covering entertainment, sports, gaming and celebrity news.
According to David Pasternack, the company's co-founder and chief executive, storytelling is critical for marketing success, so it makes sense for the business to own a platform that is all about storytelling.
Pasternack said: "The explosion of branded content combined with the huge interest in CSR (corporate social responsibility) makes Gawker a logical investment for Didit, and a vehicle that helps our clients and nonprofits."
Bert Brodsky, managing partner at Didit added: "The Gawker brand will allow the Didit team to demonstrate that we can build a platform that delights readers, advertisers, and the nonprofit community, while covering Hollywood, sports, music, and news."
Bids for Gawker are due by 9 July and the auction will be held on 12 July.