Goodbye Cheezburger! It was Laugh Out Loud Fun!

As we hurdle ever-faster towards leaving home and jumping into the world, a major milestone was achieved Friday… My last day as COO of Cheezburger! High emotions on this one… everything from “Woohoo, I’m done!” to “Hey Lisa, we’re now both unemployed and have no solid plan for making money again!” to “Oh no, that means we’re leaving in basically a week!” to “I’m really going to miss my team!” to “That was quite an incredible ride… thanks Ben!”

I joined Cheezburger as basically a favor to a good friend. Amber Dunn brought me into the crazy, funstastic, wild world of Cheezburger because she needed someone she could rely on in the face of an increasingly dire battle with ovarian cancer. Some people bake lasagnas for friends with cancer, or maybe knit them a prayer quilt. I’m an entrepreneur, so my way of helping was to leave the comforts of my stay-at-home part-time consulting practice and dive back into the tumultuous world of digital consumers and startup-like offices, doing whatever was necessary and helping to complete a turnaround Amber had started.

From brand consultant, to VP of Product, to COO, my career path had two unique elements in the short time I was part of the company: 1) I learned that a brand promise can actually mean a great deal to the world; and 2) The experience was bittersweet, as my old friend and co-worker faded and eventually left us, succumbing to a fight she fought as valiantly as any decorated warrior. I learned a lot about life and death in those weeks and months, often holding 1:1’s with Amber at her bedside at Swedish Hospital, as she faced dwindling options. I got the unfortunate ticket to sit ringside at the deathbed of someone too young, too vibrant and too alive. As we worked to position Cheezburger as a once-again fast moving, growing concern, I also was humbled by the relentless beat of time, which for Amber slipped through the hourglass at a greatly accelerated rate than for the rest of us. Our brand promise of laughing out loud and laughing with others – of spreading happiness just for the sake of being happy – felt more and more urgent with the ensuing dusk gathering around all of Amber’s family and friends.

And so, as I leave my position to ultimately help my own family find their path to happiness, I wish all of you at Cheezburger godspeed in delivering on your brand promise to as many people as you can touch. We get bogged down in ad sales reports and daily unique visitor stats and trending reports – but remember how important your mission is to so many, and remember how someone named Amber Dunn touched all of us in so many ways.