Epic Fu


Epic Fu is a web series created by new media producers Steve Woolf and Zadi Diaz. The show premiered on June 1, 2006 with 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 on emerging art, music, technology and web culture.

Format

Compared to Rolling Stone 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.

News

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.

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

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 4,000 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, and participation in an eco-challenge called Seven Days Without Plastic. Participating members are incorporated into the show.

History

Epic Fu first premiered as JETSET 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 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 original 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.

Production

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.

Segments

Below are past and present segments that have appeared on EPIC FU.
TitleSynopsis
Artist of the WeekA 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 ChallengeA 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 LikeA weekly showcase of new music videos from independent bands and musicians.
FU of the WeekA weekly segment where someone who is challenging the status quo is interviewed or showcased.
CampfireA bi-weekly discussion with members of the EPIC FU community where member Q&A's are discussed and included in the show via video.
FUcabularyA character segment where Steve Woolf dresses up as a coach and schools the viewer on new internet slang words.
Sarah's Rave ReviewA character segment where Sarah Atwood gives movie and web video series reviews as she goes in and out of rave parties.
Rick FactorA satire of tech news delivered by Rick Rey as a right-wing news commentator.
Blog of the WeekA 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