UniversalExports.net
the world’s oldest James Bond 007 fansite

In the beginning …

When GoldenEye was released in 1995, the modern Internet was in its infancy. Netscape and AOL reigned supreme, and getting onto the World Wide Web” meant listening to that modem sound.

There was no Google, YouTube, or Wikipedia. The “official 007 site” was terrible – so if you wanted to experience James Bond online, you went to one of the fansites.

The first James Bond fansite was launched in 1994 by Kimberly Last.

By 1996, James Bond websites were popping up everywhere. While some have withstood the test of time, most of the early sites are long gone: 007Forever, Sakke’s Bond Pages, King Neptune’s 007 Site, the James Bond Diner … the list goes on and on.

Universal Exports: born 4.3.96

I first met James Bond as a kid watching the TBS marathons with my dad. The movies left such an impact that I once spent a summer trying to convince a friend that I was actually James Bond.

In high school, I was given an assignment to pick any subject and create a website about it. The choice was a no-brainer for me.

Little did I know, “UnivEx” would soon become a thriving community for Bond fans to share our love of 007.

Over the years, hundreds of people contributed content to the site, including interviews, fan stories, editorials, reviews, art, scripts, and more.

Together, we created one of the most comprehensive James Bond databases of all time.

Meanwhile, the site’s forum (The MI6 Debriefing Room) gave fans a way to chat about our favorite Bond moments and experiences. Needless to say, the topic of “which Bond movie is the best” was always a heated topic.

A Relic Frozen in Time (2008-2018)

Personally, UniversalExports.net represents an incredible decade of personal growth as an artist and web designer.

Between 1996 and 2008, it underwent dozens of redesigns, each of which represented a jump in either my skills or the capabilities of the Internet.

Then, life happened. Sweet, wonderful life. As a result, the hand-designed site has remained mostly untouched since the release of Quantum of Solace in 2008.

Today, visiting the old “UniversalExports.net” is like a trip to Q’s lab in Goldfinger. The tech might be outdated, but the good stuff’s all there.

UnivEx 007

It’s funny – I always thought of Universal Exports as a software with itterations. Each time I did a major overhaul of the design and functionality, I declared it to be a new version.

The first 6.9 versions of the site were hand-coded in ancient HTML … so updating the decades-old site with new tech was impossible. 

Enter UnivEx: v007 — a completely new take on my high school project.

The newfound coding and design freedom gives me space me to focus on my actual passion: creating new content for the site.

It also allows me to dip into the UniversalExports.net archives, hand-select the best pages, and update them with fresh design and content.

Plus, it gives me something to share on the UnivEx Facebook page.