L.A. Weekly Web Awards 2012: We've Got Some Finalists!

We asked for your help finding the best and brightest online in Los Angeles, and you delivered. After combing through thousands of nominations for the L.A. Weekly Web Awards 2012, we're happy to announce our finalists.

But we can't do all of this ourselves. We've got a panel of judges to help us pick the winners. Let's meet them, shall we?

Tony Pierce is the Online News Editor at KPCC. He's also the former editor of LAist, and helped launched blogs such as "LA Now," "Hero Complex," and "Framework" at the Los Angeles Times.

Adam Lisagor is the founder of Birdhouse, a video production company that has made promo videos for tech companies including Groupon, Airbnb, and Square. He also runs sandwichvideo.com, youlooknicetoday.com, and adamlisagor.com.

Willy Blackmore is the Los Angeles editor of TastingTable.com.

Jo Stougaard is a Studio City-based food blogger who blogs at My Last Bite and has been taking pictures of her food since 1982.

Kevin Bronson is a former Los Angeles Times editor, writer and blogger who founded the L.A.-centric music website BUZZBANDS.LA in 2008.

Mitchell Frank is the trailblazing entrepreneur and nightlife visionary behind The Echo, Echoplex, Spaceland Productions and the Regent Theatre.

Shira Lazar is the host and executive producer "What's Trending", and was named one of Fast Company's 2011 Most Influential Women in Technology and Huffington Post's "Women in Tech to follow on Twitter."

Ze Frank is a an online artist and media creator. His current project is "A Show with ZeFrank" in which his audience collaborates to make amazing things.

Nancy Miller is the deputy editor at Los Angeles magazine, and previously worked as the West Coast editorial director at Fast Company and as a senior editor at Wired, where she covered the intersection of culture and technology.

Jake Swearingen is the web editor of L.A. Weekly.

Even with those folks on board, we still need some help. Which is why we're turning to you -- the smart, savvy, very good-looking readers of L.A. Weekly -- to help us pick winners in three categories: Best Podcast, Best YouTube Star, and Best Web Series. Head over to our poll page and drop your vote for who should win. (One vote per customer, please.) We'll leave the poll open until midnight on August 30th.

The complete set of winners (both readers' choice and judge-selected) will be announced September 19. We'll also be throwing a little party at Bardot that night -- stay tuned for more details.

Thanks to everyone who made nominations, and best of luck to all our finalists!

The full list of finalists for the L.A. Weekly Web Awards 2012:

Best Neighborhood Blog
The Eastsider LA
WeHo Daily
Tropico Station
Mar Vista Mom

Best Online Do-Gooder
Los Angeles Streetsblog
Hound the Press
Mark Horvath for Hardly Normal and Invisible People
City Watch LA

Best Breaking News Source
@ABC7
@wehodaily
@LAist
@TMZ

Best Sports Blog
Lakers Now
LA Kings Insider
Mayor's Manor
Lost Angeles

Best Media Personality Twitter
@DaveAnthony
@RobDelaney
@TomLeykis
@MeganAmram

Best Public Safety Twitter
@LAscanner
@venice311
@HollywoodLA311
@LAPDScanner

Best L.A. City App
Beat the Traffic
Made in L.A. Soundmap
Park Me
Waze

Best Instagrammer
goeastlos (East Los Angeles)
lifeserial (Matt Allard)
laurenlemon (Lauren Randolph)
ilegend_photographer (Johny Hopkins)

Best Arts & Culture Site
Artbound - KCET
Big Wheel Online Magazine
East of Borneo
Los Angeles Review of Books

Best Startup
Earwolf
BakeSpace
Maker Studios
Viddy

Best Fashion Blog
Cupcakes and Cashmere
Streetgeist
Jazzi McG
Where's My Other Shoe

Best Sex Blog
AV Flox
Sex Nerd Sandra
Sex Work Activism in Los Angeles

Best Musician Twitter
Health
Riff Raff
Flea
Katy Goodman

Best Musician Instagrammer
Malia James
Kreayshawn
Adam Weiss
Intuition

Best Musician Online Presence
Iggy Azalea
Bethany Cosentino
Wax
Earl Sweatshirt

Best Food Blog
Good Food
ConsumingLA
LA Foodie
East Side Food Bites

Best Food Twitter
Consuming LA
Adam Roberts
Akasha Richmond
Michael Voltaggio

Best Food Instagrammer
DineLA
Bakespace
Pinoy Panda

Best Bar Blogger
Beers in Paradise
Caroline on Crack
The Minty
Thirty in L.A.

Best Online Food Presence
Grill 'Em All
Buttermilk Truck
Kogi BBQ Truck
Ludo Truck

Best Podcast
How Did This Get Made?
Comedy Bang Bang
Independent Thinking with Steve Gelder
Sick and Wrong
Walking the Room
You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes
Uhh Yeah Dude
The Spoon
The Apple Sisters
WTF with Marc Maron
Who Charted?
Sklarbro Country

Best YouTube Star
Awkward Kids
The Apple Sisters
Daniel Nelson
Freddie Wong
Jenna Marbles
Jessica and Hunter
Rachel Bloom

Best Web Series
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
Bloomers
Burning Love
Dealership
Drink Inc.
Front Seat Chronicles
Glitter, Glue and Gluttony
Leap Year
The Maurizio Show
Mermates
Pretty
Save the Supers
Squaresville
Sync
The Bomb Shelter
The Ex-Box
The Vault
Vampire Mob
Walking in L.A.