The Temp Life began as a "cost-effective" way to boost brand recognition and became a bona fide phenomenon. At the start of its most charming season, the charming weekly comedy series  had notched roughly 18 million views.

Ms. Douglas, who views Web video as a new outlet for artists like herself, said Ikea gave her great autonomy, asking her only to keep the content family-friendly. This summer, she is recruiting a second sponsor, shooting a third season of the show and planning a tour. She would still like to see “Easy to Assemble” end up on television, but she is satisfied that she has built a franchise on her own, online.

The success hasn’t gone unnoticed by the show’s main sponsor IKEA, which opted to fund an additional four episodes, extending the season beyond its initial ten. The new episodes, which they are calling a miniseries in its own right dubbed “Flying Solo” premieres Jan. 20 on MyDamnChannel.com, and the trailer was just released online (above). In the episodes, viewers will finally find out who won the season’s Co-Worker of the Year contest between Douglas and Justine Bateman.

UNboxd promoted the show by doing marketing outreach to key Ikea fan sites, syndicating clips for fans to share with their friends or comment on Ikea message boards. Within two weeks, Ikea fans racked up 500,000 views alone for the show's second season.