EPIC FU
Encyclopedia
Epic Fu is a web series
created by new media producers Steve Woolf and Zadi Diaz. The show premiered on June 1, 2006 with Zadi Diaz as the host.
Airing weekly on the Epic Fu web site and various online distribution channels, the show draws its content from current news stories centered around emerging art, music, technology and web culture.
and MTV
by Advertising Age
and described as a hyperfast-paced pop culture newscast by Wired
, each episode of Epic Fu runs an average of 5–10 minutes and is generally divided into four main sections: news, music, interviews, and community.
Every episode of Epic Fu begins with host Zadi Diaz at her desk introducing the week's top stories. The news section often includes stories highlighting how technology and the web is affecting our culture in art, music, style and politics. News stories are also submitted by audience members.
The Epic Fu community contributes regularly to the content of each episode in the form of news links, correspondent pieces, and response videos to "Campfire" discussions. The central hub for the show's community is called MIX, currently involving over 3,000 of the show's fans, and is located on the Epic Fu website. There, fans upload photos, videos, music, submit ideas, and begin discussions on forum threads. EPIC FU also uses social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to connect with fans. The show regularly initiates collaborative projects to involve its community. Some of these have been a collaborative film, flash game battles, Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), and participation in an eco-challenge called Seven Days Without Plastic. Participating members are incorporated into the show.
Epic Fu first premiered as JETSET (also referred to as Jet Set Show) on June 1, 2006 and was geared towards a young audience. Amanda Congdon
and Andrew Baron
were initially tied to the first few episodes of the production, but the partnership dissolved with the Rocketboom
split in July 2006.
In April 2007, JETSET was the first established web show to sign with web video studio Next New Networks (NNN). NNN took the role of selling sponsorship and handling cross-promotion for the show. In its tenure with NNN, the show grew from 30,000-40,000 views per episode to 3 million views a month.
In October 2007, Smashface Productions decided to change the name of the show from JETSET to Epic Fu, citing a need to protect their intellectual property with a more unique name.
After a year with NNN, Epic Fu was contemplating a move to television, but then signed with West Coast digital studio Revision3 in June 2008. This was notable because at the time EPIC FU was the highest profile web show to switch from one new media studio to another. The partnership ended shortly after in December 2008, when Revision3 laid off nine employees, cancelled three original shows and eliminated two of its distribution deals, citing that the shows didn't fit with their long-term plans.
Currently, Epic Fu is independently run and distributed through Blip.tv
.
Episodes of Epic Fu are produced by Smashface Productions and filmed in Los Angeles, California. Production is led by Zadi Diaz and Steve Woolf.
The show has had various producers involved throughout its time on-air, including Brian Lerner and Rick Rey. Annie Tsai and Sarah Atwood have also helped in production efforts and occasionally acted as correspondents. Daniel Merlot and Mike Ambs have been credited as editors.
Below are past and present segments that have appeared on EPIC FU.
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
created by new media producers Steve Woolf and Zadi Diaz. The show premiered on June 1, 2006 with Zadi Diaz as the host.
Airing weekly on the Epic Fu web site and various online distribution channels, the show draws its content from current news stories centered around emerging art, music, technology and web culture.
Format
Compared to Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
by Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
and described as a hyperfast-paced pop culture newscast by Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, each episode of Epic Fu runs an average of 5–10 minutes and is generally divided into four main sections: news, music, interviews, and community.
News
Music
The show typically includes a music video intermission called "Music Video Spotlight" also known as "Sh!t We Like," which highlights an independent or unsigned band or musician.Interviews
Interviews appear in the second half of the show and are generally conducted on-location. Guests include web personalities, technologists, artists, musicians, political figures, inventors, authors, television personalities, and off-beat types.Community
History
Amanda Congdon
Congdon sometimes went on the road. One episode showed her dancing in various locations throughout St. Petersburg, Russia. She has performed her frenetic signature dance in the streets and parks of Austin and other cities. In the 15 April 2005 episode, she stood in Washington Square Park and posed...
and Andrew Baron
Andrew Baron
Andrew Michael Baron is the creator of Rocketboom, Know Your Meme and the video aggregator site, Magma. Baron holds a BA in Philosophy from Bates College and an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design. Baron has taught undergraduate and graduate classes at Parsons and was...
were initially tied to the first few episodes of the production, but the partnership dissolved with the Rocketboom
Rocketboom
Rocketboom is a daily vlog produced by Andrew Baron that was most recently hosted by Meme Molly until August 25, 2011. Joanne Colan hosted from July 12, 2006 until April 17, 2009. In the intervening time between Colan and Molly, Caitlin Hill hosted a few episodes in April 2009...
split in July 2006.
In April 2007, JETSET was the first established web show to sign with web video studio Next New Networks (NNN). NNN took the role of selling sponsorship and handling cross-promotion for the show. In its tenure with NNN, the show grew from 30,000-40,000 views per episode to 3 million views a month.
In October 2007, Smashface Productions decided to change the name of the show from JETSET to Epic Fu, citing a need to protect their intellectual property with a more unique name.
After a year with NNN, Epic Fu was contemplating a move to television, but then signed with West Coast digital studio Revision3 in June 2008. This was notable because at the time EPIC FU was the highest profile web show to switch from one new media studio to another. The partnership ended shortly after in December 2008, when Revision3 laid off nine employees, cancelled three original shows and eliminated two of its distribution deals, citing that the shows didn't fit with their long-term plans.
Currently, Epic Fu is independently run and distributed through Blip.tv
Blip.tv
The website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions....
.
Production
The show has had various producers involved throughout its time on-air, including Brian Lerner and Rick Rey. Annie Tsai and Sarah Atwood have also helped in production efforts and occasionally acted as correspondents. Daniel Merlot and Mike Ambs have been credited as editors.
Segments
| Title | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Artist of the Week | A weekly profile highlighting an emerging independent artist. Generally artists featured in this segment are experimental in nature and are using the web to connect with their patrons. |
| Flash Game Challenge | A regular segment where viewers are asked to participate in an online game battle. Scores are posted on MIX, the EPIC FU community site, and the player with the highest score is called out in the next show and given "prime real estate" in the form of an image and link to their user page on the sidebar of the community site. |
| Music Spotlight/ Sh!t We Like | A weekly showcase of new music videos from independent bands and musicians. |
| FU of the Week | A weekly segment where someone who is challenging the status quo (giving the mainstream way of doing things the FU) is interviewed or showcased. |
| Campfire | A bi-weekly discussion with members of the EPIC FU community where member Q&A's are discussed and included in the show via video. |
| FUcabulary | A character segment where Steve Woolf dresses up as a coach and schools the viewer on new internet slang words. |
| Sarah's Rave Review | A character segment where Sarah Atwood gives movie and web video series reviews as she goes in and out of rave parties. |
| Rick Factor | A satire of tech news delivered by Rick Rey as a right-wing news commentator. |
| Blog of the Week | A segment where a favorite blog is picked and discussed. |
Notable Interviews
A partial list of some of the people that have been interviewed on EPIC FU- Arianna HuffingtonArianna HuffingtonArianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...
of The Huffington PostThe Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,... - Chuck DChuck DCarlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
of Public Enemy - Dan HarmonDan HarmonDan Harmon is a writer and performer. He is the creator and an executive producer for the NBC television comedy series Community, and, along with Rob Schrab, a founder of the alternative television network/website Channel 101....
& Rob SchrabRob SchrabRob Schrab is a comic book creator, actor, comedian, writer, and film and television producer. Schrab grew up in Mayville, Wisconsin. He is known as the creator of the comic book, Scud: The Disposable Assassin, co-writer of the feature film Monster House, the unaired pilot Heat Vision and Jack,...
, creators of Channel 101Channel 101Channel 101 is a non-profit short film festival in Los Angeles, which also has a sister festival in NYC, Channel 101: NY. Channel 101 is a creation of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab in which participants submit a short film in the format of a pilot under five minutes in length...
and The Sarah Silverman ProgramThe Sarah Silverman ProgramThe Sarah Silverman Program is an American television series that starred comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the series with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab... - Dr. Horrible writers Maurissa TancharoenMaurissa TancharoenMaurissa Tancharoen Whedon is an American actress, singer, dancer, television writer and lyricist.She co-wrote Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and appeared onscreen as Groupie #1, as well as on the DVD audio track "Commentary! The Musical," in which she sings about the scarcity of non-stereotyped...
, Jed Whedon, Zack WhedonZack WhedonZack Whedon is an American screenwriter and comic book writer. He graduated in 2002 with a film degree from Wesleyan University where he served as president of the Eclectic Society... - Elon MuskElon MuskElon Musk is an American engineer and entrepreneur heritage best known for co-founding PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors. He is currently the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity...
, founder of Tesla MotorsTesla MotorsTesla Motors, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components. It was the only automaker building and selling a zero-emission sports car, the Tesla Roadster, in serial production...
and SpaceXSpaceXSpace Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California... - Fatal1ty, pro gamer
- Felicia DayFelicia DayKathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...
, actor and star of Dr. Horrible and The GuildThe GuildThe Guild is an American comedy web series created and written by Felicia Day, who also stars as Cyd Sherman . It premiered on YouTube on July 27, 2007. Subsequent webisodes premiered on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video. The webisodes were later made available on... - Jonathan CoultonJonathan CoultonJonathan Coulton is an American singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans...
, singer-songwriter - MC FrontalotMC FrontalotDamian Hess , better known by stage name MC Frontalot, is a Brooklyn-based hip hop musician and self-proclaimed "world's 579th greatest rapper". He is best known in nerdcore hip hop and video game culture, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcades annual Penny Arcade Expo...
, nerdcore hip-hop musician - Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
, singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
musician - Tim HeideckerTim HeideckerTim Heidecker is an American actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric...
& Eric WareheimEric WareheimEric Wareheim is an American actor, comedian, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric. Wareheim, along with Tim Heidecker, created the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Check It Out! with Dr...
of Adult SwimAdult SwimAdult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job - Xeni JardinXeni JardinXeni Jardin is an American weblogger, digital media commentator, and tech culture journalist. She is known for her position as co-editor of the collaborative weblog Boing Boing, as a contributor to Wired magazine and Wired News, and as a correspondent for the National Public Radio show Day to Day...
of Boing BoingBoing BoingBoing Boing is a publishing entity, first established as a magazine, later becoming a group blog.-History:...
Awards
- 2006 Podtech Vloggie Award – Favorite Kids and Teens videoblog
- 2007 Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
People's Voice Winner – Music/Variety - 2008 Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
Official Nominee – Variety - 2009 Streamy AwardsStreamy AwardsThe Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
Official Nominee – Best Web Series Host - 2009 Streamy AwardsStreamy AwardsThe Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
Winner – Best Hosted Web Series - 2009 Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
Official Nominee – Variety - 2009 Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
People's Voice Winner – Best Reality/Variety Host - 2010 Streamy AwardsStreamy AwardsThe Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
Winner – Best Web Series Host
Further reading
- Alimurung, Gendy. LA Weekly Some UTA Online All-Stars. November 15, 2007.
- The Associated Press Websites attract striking writers with creative freedom, potential profits. November 29, 2007.
- Bell, John. Digital Influence Mapping Project Brilliant Online Show: EpicFU (sic). October 24, 2008.
- Gannes, Liz. NewTeeVee Epic Fu Creators Back at Next New Networks. March 4, 2009.
- Gannes, Liz. NewTeeVee Whither Epic Fu? Next Steps for the Seminal Web Show. September 3, 2009.
- Hart, Hugh. Wired Celebs, Nerds Win Big at Streamy Web Awards. March 30, 2009.
- Hustvedt, Marc. Tubefilter 'EPIC FU' is Back, Dazzles Web TV Meetup Crowds. January 22, 2010.
- Moran, Michael. Times Online The Web Watcher: PopJunkie TV; homemade television networks. April 24, 2008.
- McCarthy, Caroline. CNet Internet Week New York's party scene off to a testosterone-fueled start. June 5, 2008.
- Miller, Liz. NewTeeVee Epic Fu’s Return: Same Flavor, Slightly More Focus. January 22, 2010.
- Parkins, Cameron. Creative Commons Featured Commoner: Epic Fu. August 4, 2008.
- Whitney, Daisy. TV Week Leading Digitial Agents. October 26, 2008.
- Whitney, Daisy. TV Week Boxee in Deals With Blip, iPhone. March 16, 2009.
External links
- EPIC FU official website
- EPIC FU official blog
- EPIC FU on Twitter
- EPIC FU Official Myspace page
- EPIC FU Official Facebook fan page
- EPIC FU on YouTube