Blog
A Team for a Period

Years ago I had a VHS tape in my possession about the history of the New York Knicks (NBA basketball team for anyone unaware). I watched this tape dozens of times, as I was an absolute die-hard Knicks fan (until they abandoned Patrick Ewing and the owners ran the team into the ground, but that's a story for another time). On this tape was an interview with Bill Bradley, who played the position of small forward and was a core member of two championship Knicks teams in the early 1970's. Bradley was discussing the two championships in 1970 and 1973 and remarked about something that always stuck with me: what he was most proud about was being a member of a special team for a period.

EPIC FU recently won its second Webby Award over the past three years, with four total nominations during that time. This year it was the People's Voice Award for Best Reality/Variety Host (yay, Zadi!). It's great to win awards, but what made me really proud about this one was that it meant that we have been a quality show for a period. It's hard enough doing anything successful in the entertainment business, and on the web things move at a pace that makes everything else look like it's standing still. So to have been a part of building something that has been special for a period stands out in my mind and makes me very proud.

EPIC FU is about to undergo a transition, something on which we've kind of cornered the market in our three years of producing the show. I'm hoping that our new approach and format will will keep our fans excited and cultivate the same kind of loyal, generous audience we've enjoyed so far. EPIC FU is the kind of show that can go on for 20 years under the right circumstances; we still feel like we have such a long way to go.

We had a great creative team in 2008, who I mention all the time but can't seem to thank enough: producer Rick Rey, editor Mike Ambs, co-producer Sarah Atwood, production assistant Annie Tsai, and editor Daniel Merlot. We also have to thank Barrett Garese of UTA for working so closely with us and being anything but a typical agent.

Online video has taken some stiff blows to the chin over the past few months, but we're all hanging in there because we still believe that this thing can really change the landscape of media. Now that the big entertainment companies are in the water with us, independent creators need to stay fast and lean, take the opportunities when they come, and try to build something that will last.

Huge thanks to everyone who voted for us in the 2009 Webby's!

comments
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Mike Hedge said:

yay!!!! totally neat!

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Mike Ambs said:

I feel so lucky to have been (and hopefully *will be* again in the future) a part of Smashface. I really, really was more happy working with this team of people than I ever have been working on anything else.

Here's to the future! I know EPIC FU has a long, long life ahead of it!