The strength of Gawker Media lies in the diversity of our talents and the fluid collaboration between team members. We Are Gawker Media gives you an inside look at who we are and what we do behind the scenes.
In this installment of We Are Gawker Media, we met up with Jesse Ma, our favorite Senior Legal Associate. Originally from San Francisco, Jesse loves to embark on culinary adventures in New York and when he's not finding a new restaurant to explore, he's surfing, skiing, or "tinkering around the interwebs." He's also been known to play Settlers of Catan into the late hours of the night and wear shorts along with flip flops deep into heart of winter.
What are a few of your favorite websites?
Basically I consume most of the web through Google Reader, but if I were on deserted island with an iPad and an Internet connection: Discovery.com, Gizmodo, Monocle, Netflix, The Economist, Dribbble... and a website to watch every episode of "Man vs. Wild."
Where do you find yourself spending the most of your money?
Rent, food, and travel. The latter two are much more enjoyable than the first. My favorite restaurant in the city has to be Estiatorio Milos. The Greek appetizers and seafood selection are so awesome, not to mention they make fresh loukoumades, which are basically deep fried doughnut holes covered in honey and dusted with crushed peanuts. Amazing.
If you could go anywhere for a month long vacation, where would it be?
If I had a month, I'd go SCUBA diving in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I've been once for about a week, but left wanting to explore the whole reef. Being under water there is like stepping into another world. The beaches are perfect. And it also wouldn't hurt to pick up a slight Australian accent too.
What's your favorite "manly" drink?
The 007.
What is that?
I'd tell you, but I'd have to...
Okay, okay. What about your overall favorite drink?
I like single malts, especially Macallan 18, but recently I've been branching out a bit. It's fun to explore. Trying single malts from around the world is a bit like traveling one sip at a time.
What is the longest amount you've been up without sleep?
I was up for around 72 hours when I was in a writing competition after my 1L year in law school. Lessons learned: caffeine does indeed work, proofreading documents five times is not fun, and absolutely everything is funny after being awake for 48 hours.
When I was younger, I stayed up for around 36 hours playing video games at the arcade with my friend at the Luxor casino in Vegas, pretty sure we beat every shooting game there and burned through hundreds of quarters.
Do you have any advice for someone moving from California to NYC?
Seasons are real over here, especially Winter. Most people still call soda, ‘soda.' Sadly, no one says ‘hella.' Oh and eat your fill of In-n-Out and Mexican food before you fly east.
I hear you have an awesome brother who also works at Gawker Media?
No comment.
