Today is a sad, sad day in the satirical newscasting, as comedian Jon Stewart steps down after sixteen years as host of The Daily Show. Jon’s irreverent brand of humor entertained countless Americans and others around the world, engaging them in political and media matters  in all new ways (and in some aspects, far better than actual news organizations.) The Daily Show has been such an integral part of so many people’s lives for such a long period of time, it’s hard to imagine what things were like before The Daily Show.

Washington DC-based art director, designer and ADC Young Guns 7 winner Lindsay Ballant has tapped into this feeling with #beforethedailyshow, a site that collects the thoughts of the populace about what they did and how they thought before becoming fans of the show.

“…I could easily trace many life decisions back to my interest in politics, media, communication and perception, and I can trace that interest to watching Jon on The Daily Show…”

“I knew the day would eventually come, but I admittedly was still a bit shellshocked to hear that Jon announced earlier this year that he would be leaving the show,” says Lindsay. “This may sound a bit dramatic, but I could easily trace many life decisions back to my interest in politics, media, communication and perception, and I can trace that interest to watching Jon on The Daily Show when I was in high school (that led to going to a very liberal art school in Manhattan, and you know the rest).”

When it was announced that Jon’s last show would be August 6th, Lindsay contacted frequent collaborator Ian Boyle, stating that they ‘had’ to do something to commemorate the show, with a heavy dose of comedy befitting of the program. “We worked on it over nights and weekends for about five weeks, and we’re really thrilled about the way it’s been received from friends and strangers, says Lindsay. “Besides, what other project could you spend 6+ hours furiously screenshoting Daily Show archives to find the *perfect* Stubeef facial expressions? I love what I do for a living!”

BEFORETHEDAILYSHOW.COM