Launched in the summer of 2006 by Shorn Entertainment, a short-form film company that creates “content to help the underemployed escape the cube a few minutes each day,” Cube Fabulous pulled in enough hits for its first handful of episodes that major trade weeklies like Mediaweek began to talk about the site.
That’s quite an accomplishment, which sponsors like Honda, AOL, and Monster.com were quick to notice.
Mocking the format of hit makeover shows like TLC’s What Not To Wear down to the tiniest of details, professional host Jeff Gurtman and actress Megan Gunning are cube fabricators who surprise office dwellers with the chance to completely renovate their beige cubicles into their dream work environments (or at least somewhat less beige cubicles). This is not about making a tasteful office. Instead, it’s about turning offices into adult playpens with themes like ski slopes and horror films.
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The eight-minute episodes are edited with music, graphics, and a sense of humor. That may be because these are not your run-of-the-mill webisodes, seeing as the show has a budget that allows for at least productions assistants. Be advised: it’s actually funny. The show is a fantastic parody of the endless parade of contemporary makeover shows, touching on everything from bad decorating tips to the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy trope of hosts discussing their makeover victim’s foibles while driving in an SUV with a camera lodged on the dashboard. (It’s all about the details.)
Want your cubicle made over? Submit a cubicle overhaul application and see if the cube fabricators can offer you some solace from everyday office life.
It doesn’t get any better than the episode where Jeff and Megan build a cubicle into a shrine dedicated to 90210. As the voiceover helpfully points out, “Caroline wants her cubicle and life scripted and when she reveals her favorite zip code is 90210, it’s Brenda and Dylan all over again, leaving Kelly bitter and confused.”
