Introducing @theothercola - A Rebranding

DIstant signal is dead! Long live Distant Signal!

It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally willing to move on from what is now my old moniker @distantsignal. Introducing @theothercola, essentially Distant Signal but more informal and with a focus on video essays, commentary, behind the scenes or teasers of what I'm making. I'm going to take more of my life online. Have more fun with it. Like the name implies, I hope to bring a perspective that is different, slightly off from the norm. Maybe even heterodox. I plan on tackling some sensitive subjects and hope to do that in a thoughtful and entertaining manner, but with my personality intact and no corporate veil.

This decision has actually been a real struggle for me. Distant Signal was created to make films, but mostly to take advantage of certain tax laws. My efforts at Distant Signal didn't produce a lot of income and when the tax laws changed the company itself ceased to be relevant or sustainable.

But I was stuck with the name.

WHY CHANGE IT AFTER ALL THIS TIME?

Sometimes the path of least resistance is the wrong path.

Because I created all this infrastructure to release my independent content, but couldn't make films at the pace I wanted, Distant Signal quickly became a catch all for what I did both professionally and personally. I fooled myself into thinking that I was being efficient or being varied in my content, but really it was because it was easier to use what I had already built rather than start again.

DS has films, Vlogs, opinion pieces, sketches and half baked ideas and cryptocurrency. There wasn't any coherent direction. The company was rudderless. This lack of focus became paralyzing. It became difficult to communicate. DS was a company that claimed to do one thing but did a bunch of other things, while kind of just being a mouthpiece for my opinions on social media. I told you, it's a mess!

To cut this knot, I've decided to marry Distant Signal and my own persona more closely, into the account that was born here last night, @theothercola. I will then parse out any project I have as a separate entity like @thetearsees.

ILL DEFINED

Distant signal was never even defined! It's mission statement sucked. It was generic. That's just the worst. What did I mean when I said it? I had to fucking explain it. It wasn't fun. Worst of all, it didn't roll off the tongue... at all. I think @theothercola is the precise opposite of all those terrible things.

BUT DISTANT SIGNAL STILL HAS HP!

I'm going to use @distantsignal for managing any Hive endeavors - like my communities - and delegate through there. It's perfect. It has a futuristic air to it and Hive has been Distant Signal's most successful endeavor to date! All of my Hive Power is locked in that account, so I think I'll take advantage of that while I build @theothercola and @thetearsees. Maybe delegate some more.

@theothercola will adopt my DS aesthetic and eventually DS will also change and be more Hive centric. Until then, my DS account will read as "DEFUNCT".

WHY SO MANY WORDS FOR A SIMPLE CHANGE?

It's a truly modern concept, but changing your online handle can be a big deal. It is for me. An avatar can embody an owner's personality and intention. Also, being in media and having a confusing brand is probably the greatest sin you could commit. Clarity of thought and intention are the difference between a sharp or dull mind when cutting through life's obstacles.

Finally, I thought it was important to justify this to myself and the people who have followed me here and supported me. I'm not going to stop. I just need a lot more clarity in my creative life. I'm still making @thetearsees, but things have stalled a bit. I think this mental and structural problem of mine has been one of the reasons.

This isn't a death. This is an online life rebranding! A transformation!

Distant Signal was a legal fiction that I confused with myself, and @theothercola is going to be me - or at least much more me - so I'll feel free to explore without worrying about the company brand - which if we recall was a dumpster fire - and I can focus on pursuing what interests me and break out any project that needs it, like @thetearsees or @plcsounds.

I think this will allow me to have greater clarity of intentions and treat each idea like a piece of property here on the Hive blockchain!

NOW WHAT?

If you want to keep seeing @distantsignal's content, plus the more focused, personal content, follow me over @theothercola. If you want a delegation for a time, let me know. I've got a few thousand HP to spare. Maybe I'll just give it all to @peakd and @ecency. :)

For the first time in a while, I'm excited about my online life. A chance to start over and focus on the path ahead.