Posted by Steve Woolf

As some of you may know already, earlier today we launched a new website and rebranded our relatively successful web show JETSET into EPIC-FU. So far the response has been very strong in support of the new name and feel. There is also criticism and confusion, which is understandable. Name changes are a big deal and people get comfortable with things.

In the run-up to the name change, the one thing we did not have time to properly consider was a communications plans to make our motivations clear. After all, there's really only the three of us doing all the production work, editing, and website design and development for JETSET and other projects. We've had some great support from Next New Networks helping us with the show's myriad distribution points. But the thought behind the name change needs to come directly from the show creators, myself and Zadi. We couldn't ask our partners to explain our decisions for us.

JETSET began as "The Jet Set Show" in June 2006. At that time the show was for a much younger audience, and the name was chosen specifically to sound friendly and snappy. Over the months we found that our sensibilities were suited for an older audience and we shifted the show's creative direction to suit. Things move awfully fast on the web. By September 2006 we were building an audience of teens. By December 2006 we were building an audience of college-aged people. The Jet Set Show had become JETSET -- we were looking for ways to make the surrounding look and feel grow up with our audience.

The past few weeks JETSET has seen phenomenal growth. In September we had over a million total views for the show. In October we did a million views for a single week. So, you might ask, what's the problem?

Intellectual property is the problem. We have big, big plans for the show, and the term "jet set" is everywhere.

Creatively we also had a strong concern that the name JETSET no longer served any descriptive purpose in defining the show. To borrow a phrase from the great Rodney Dangerfield, if I had a nickel for every time we were asked if JETSET was a travel show, I'd have a shitload of nickels.

We always described our show as the new pop culture. What we meant by that was the strictest definition of the new POPULAR culture. Fred Seibert summed it up perfectly when we were in New York -- for most people over 25, MTV defined popular culture through music. For the people growing up now, the Internet is the defining cultural engine. Our show was always about exploring that culture and talking about all the people who were empowered by a new kind of media. That is the new popular culture as we see it. And that is an Epic Fuck You to the establishment in all the best and most meaningful ways.

Logistically a name and brand change is a huge pain in the ass. But the longer you wait the worse it gets. We've waited too long as it is. Even though JETSET has a following in the online video world, it's still in the very infancy of its development. One of our goals as a company is to take our shows across all forms of media, new and old. As we embark on that process, all of us content creators have to make sure we fully own everything we create so that we never have any baggage to lug along when great opportunities come knocking.

With those thoughts in mind we want to get as much feedback as possible about the branding change, so please keep sending us emails, Twitters, Facebook messages, Myspace messages, SMS's, everything!