Very few companies have the privilege to say they've changed their names three times before they launched.
When I first started building this company, we were Candivan. The idea was simple: lure adults into irresistible television. We even launched our first crowdfunding campaign with this name.
But as the cough Weinsteins, Epsteins, and other uncomfortable associations with Hollywood rolled in like a van of free candy, we realized that perhaps a name change miiiiight be wise.
So we became Cideshow. It still had the appropriate feel. Weird. Unexpected. Slightly dangerous. Hell, it even let us keep our trademark. We soft launched with the name in early 2020, testing concepts and building shows.
And then some sort of global pandemic happened.
Cut to a few years later. I liked the Cideshow name and kept it around within our production world. But it wasn't quite right. We have weird shows. Freaky shows. Experimental shows. But weird isn't the mission.
There was something about that original candy idea that kept pulling me back. The feeling of discovering something irresistible. Finding worlds you couldn't stop thinking about. Wandering through television the way a kid wanders through a candy shop. But more like a slightly demented candy shop.
So we became Candie. Which was closer, but still not quite right. Too kiddie.
And as luck would have it, after we made the change, a few other streamers/entertainment companies also seemed to pop up with similar branding and candy in the name.
So, um, ok... What now?
We aim to create imaginative, ambitious television. A test lab for all the great show ideas by all the great creators, treating each show like entertaining art with endless possibilities.
Fourth time's the charm, and we're announcing the name we're actually sticking and going to launch with:
Confection.
Still candy, but also with the meaning of something artistic, crafted, and immensely enjoyable.
But it was when I learned that Walt Disney, who's a pretty ginormous influence on me, would call the projects designed to both wildly entertain audiences and push the art of moving pictures forward “confections,” that I knew we'd found the right name.
An adult in a slightly demented candy shop. Or maybe a Willy Wonka-ish chocolate factory, complete with trippy boat ride.
A platform creating ambitious television. A place to discover great shows before everyone else finds them. Creative swings. Entertaining art. Worlds worth getting lost in.
We can't wait for you to indulge.