Press kit

Everything you need
to cover Huduzu.

Story angles, quotes, facts, boilerplate copy, and media contact. If you need something that isn't here, email us directly.

 Media inquiries
Quick facts

Huduzu at a glance.

111
Total ad tiles
Across 11 latitude bands
2
Polar premium tiles
The rarest positions on the sphere
7
Latitude zones
Each with distinct coloring
17
Years in development
Domain acquired 2008–09
$0
Cost to join waitlist
Founding member pricing at launch
3D
Rendered in the browser
No plugins, no downloads
huduzu.com
Website
Keokuk, Iowa
Founded / headquartered
Hamelton Brands LLC
Parent company
james@hamelton.net
Press contact
Story angles

Five angles for your story.

Human interest
A dream kept alive for 17 years — then finished by someone else
In 2008, a developer known as Sleeping Troll conceived the idea and gave the domain to a stranger for free, trusting that stranger to protect the vision. Seventeen years later, that stranger built it. The original creator has never been found.
Technology
The ad format that was impossible in 2008 is finally real
An interactive 3D sphere rendered entirely in the browser — no plugins, no downloads. What would have required cutting-edge engineering in 2008 now runs on any smartphone. Huduzu is a story about ideas waiting for technology to catch up.
Business
The anti-algorithm ad space: visibility by geometry, not by bid
Every tile on the sphere gets equal rotation time. No algorithm decides who gets seen. Placement is determined by latitude, not budget — the equator is the prime real estate, the poles are the rarest. Scarcity is structural, not manufactured.
Internet history
The spiritual successor to the Million Dollar Homepage — but interactive
Alex Tew's 2005 million dollar homepage sold a flat grid of pixels. Huduzu takes that idea into three dimensions, adds interactivity, and replaces static images with full advertiser pages. Same founding energy, completely different execution.
Search story
An Iowa developer is searching for the man who trusted him
James Hamelton has searched archives, forums, and old email threads looking for Sleeping Troll. His last email bounced. The domain is available. He's built a dedication page at huduzu.com/dedication.html — and he's still looking.
Local
Keokuk, Iowa just built the internet's first spherical ad space
Not Silicon Valley. Not Austin. Not New York. A solo developer in a small river town in Iowa spent seventeen years protecting a domain and then built something the internet had never seen. An indie web story through and through.
Approved quotes

Use these freely.

All quotes below are pre-approved for use in articles, broadcast, and online coverage without prior approval. For additional quotes or interview requests, contact us directly.

"Before anyone calls me the founder of Huduzu, there is something they should know. I did not create Huduzu. I inherited it. I protected it. And eventually, I finished it."
James E. Hamelton Jr. — Founder & Steward, Huduzu
On the origin of the project
"He offered me the domain for free — not because I had money, not because I was the most experienced developer. He did it because he believed I would protect the idea until the day it could finally become reality."
James E. Hamelton Jr. — on Sleeping Troll's act of trust, 2009
"Every renewal was a reminder: not yet. Someday. When the technology catches up. When the time is right. When I can finally do it justice."
James E. Hamelton Jr. — on seventeen years of stewardship
"The sphere isn't a banner. It's not a popup. Every tile is a destination — a full page where advertisers can put their logo, their story, their products, their links, everything. And it spins in front of every visitor, all the time, with no algorithm deciding who gets seen."
James E. Hamelton Jr. — on the Huduzu advertising model
"Some ideas arrive before their time. The fortunate ones live long enough to see the future catch up."
Huduzu — 2026
Boilerplate copy

Ready to paste.

Short (1 paragraph)

Huduzu (huduzu.com) is the world's first interactive spherical advertising space, built by James E. Hamelton Jr. of Keokuk, Iowa under Hamelton Brands LLC. The platform features 111 purchasable tiles arranged across a live 3D rotating globe rendered directly in the browser. Each tile links to a full advertiser page where brands can display logos, images, links, social profiles, and content. The concept originated in 2008 with a developer known as Sleeping Troll, who gave the domain to Hamelton before disappearing due to health issues. After seventeen years of stewardship, the sphere launched in 2026.

Long (2 paragraphs)

Huduzu (huduzu.com) is the world's first interactive spherical advertising space — a live, rotating 3D globe rendered entirely in the browser with 111 purchasable tile positions arranged across latitude bands from pole to pole. Clicking any tile zooms in and opens a full advertiser page where brands can place logos, images, video links, social profiles, products, and any other content they choose. Unlike algorithm-driven platforms, every tile receives equal rotation exposure; placement is determined by geography on the sphere, with equatorial tiles commanding the highest visibility and the two polar tiles representing the rarest positions on the platform.

The project has an unusual origin: in 2008, a developer known online as Sleeping Troll conceived the spherical ad space concept and registered the huduzu.com domain. Health issues prevented him from completing the build, and he transferred the domain to James E. Hamelton Jr. — a web developer from Keokuk, Iowa — at no cost, trusting Hamelton to protect the idea. For seventeen years, Hamelton renewed the domain and waited for the technology to catch up with the vision. The sphere launched in 2026 under Hamelton Brands LLC. Sleeping Troll has never been found; a public dedication page at huduzu.com/dedication.html documents the search.

Social / tweet-length

Huduzu is the internet's first interactive spherical ad space — 111 tiles on a live 3D globe. A developer conceived the idea in 2008, gave the domain away for free, then disappeared. 17 years later, someone finally built it. huduzu.com

Key people

Who to talk to.

James E. Hamelton Jr.
Founder & Steward — Huduzu & Hamelton Brands LLC
Self-employed web developer based in Keokuk, Iowa. Acquired the Huduzu domain circa 2009 from its original creator and spent seventeen years renewing and protecting the concept before building the platform in 2025–26. Also operates JIJ Web Solutions for client development work and is a published fantasy author.
Email Website
Sleeping Troll
Original Creator — Huduzu (2008)
A developer known online as Sleeping Troll conceived the spherical ad space concept in 2008 and registered huduzu.com. Associated with a project called Trolnest. Transferred the domain to James Hamelton after health issues prevented completion. His current whereabouts are unknown. If you have any information about Sleeping Troll, please contact james@hamelton.net.
Dedication page
Timeline

Seventeen years,
condensed.

2008
Sleeping Troll conceives the spherical ad space
A developer registers huduzu.com and begins building an interactive sphere. The browsers, hardware, and tooling of the era push back hard. Projects associated with the name Trolnest survive in archive fragments.
2009
Domain transferred to James Hamelton
Health issues force Sleeping Troll to reconsider the project. He offers the domain to Hamelton — a developer he met through online exchanges — for free. Hamelton accepts and begins the stewardship period.
2009–2025
Seventeen years of renewals
The domain renews annually. Hamelton operates other businesses and projects while the technology evolves. WebGL, canvas APIs, and modern browser capabilities gradually make the original vision achievable.
2025
Development begins in earnest
Hamelton begins building the full platform: PHP/MySQL backend, 3D canvas sphere renderer, Stripe checkout, advertiser dashboard, automated lifecycle management, and email systems.
2026
Huduzu launches
The sphere goes live at huduzu.com. 111 tiles available across polar, featured, equatorial, and mid-latitude tiers. The search for Sleeping Troll continues.
Media contact

Let's talk.

Ready when you are.

Available for interviews, additional quotes, background conversations, and custom assets. Response time is typically within a few hours. No publicist, no gatekeeping — direct access to the founder.

 Interview request  Read the full story  The dedication
 Embargoes honored. Background conversations welcome. Assets and screenshots available on request.