I feel like its poor form to have business model to keep a podcast behind a paywall. As someone just hearing about this show, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, as I’ve never heard of effectively having to pay to access a podcast. I don’t know, maybe I’m out of the loop.
I agree that it is weird to hide a podcast version, which is just the audio of this video, behind a Patreon paywall (and not even behind the lowest one). Especially since there are free tools available (Podsync) which turn a YT video into an audio podcast.
Honestly, the fact that Brian doesn't really have an established 'brand' is part of the appeal. Every time he posts a video to his channel, you have no clue what you're going to be watching, other than the fact that it'll be entertaining.
@@cassidy5408 also when he said that, when he posted that surreal horror video, he thought people wouldn't like it that much because it was ou of his personal brand, i got so many building your online brand flashbacks, especially the "say you mentioned one day that you enjoyed ice cream sandwiches on a hot cruise / expect some tweets about ice cream sandies everytime they're in the news" and the "your brand is your soul's own work of art / you can never go wrong if you follow your heart / assuming your heart's obsessed / with what is best / and what's best is anything that can give you a following" parts.
now that he's gone independent, BDG can finally earn up to $20k a month while working from home, making his own hours, and being his own boss... and you can, too!
Jorts is the closest thing to theme Brian has. And I won’t be mad if he goes hard on jorts, or if he moves to a kilt. BDG himself IS the content. We watch because we like HIM. I don’t care what the content is.
that also reminds me that every time i've heard that it was weird he made a surreal horror, all i can think of is that "how to make jorts" was his first non-polygon video i'd ever seen. there has always been room in his brand for surreal horror.
I was wondering when he'd leave. If you look at the views of each video on polygon, Brian's the only one getting a million views consistently. I'd like to buy his mattress still.
Polygon will be fine as a mediocre channel that makes pretty good gaming video essays and board game videos that get 75-250k views. Brian didn’t have a massive future at polygon, I’m glad he left and I’m super excited for whatever he moves onto.
Yeah I'm curious if any others will use polygon as a jumping off point with the McElroys and BDG. Hopefully they'll continue finding such amazing people
Seems like Polygon wasn't really offering him shit. His own channel probably has the same amount of *active* subscribers, and it didn't look like they were really giving him anything budget- or production-wise. Look at the BotW food video. Compare that to other channels which deliver this kind of performance content, like Babish's Stump Sohla series. That's clearly getting about 10x the budget, still for a fraction of the views.
Clicked for BDG but was really impressed with the interviewer too. He asked good questions, was knowledgeable, gave BDG plenty of time to answer/explore, practiced some solid active listening. A really thoughtful interview thanks to both these dudes.
You should check out the interview he did with the heads of visceral games about their cancelled star wars project with Amy Hennig. Lots of inside baseball and behind the scenes stuff
"building a world that someone else could enjoy". oh brian. i didn't know two thirds of the games you spoke about on unraveled but you were so passionate and articulated about them that i couldn't stop listening. they were so funny and serotonin-bearing that although at the time i started watching you videos i couldn't understand one third of what you were saying because english isn't my first language they still brightened up every day i watched and rewatched them. i know what you mean and i wholeheartedly agree with you, you really deserve to be creating your own projects. but let me tell you. for me, you already created a completely alien world that i have got to enjoy and still enjoy everyday.
This is my worry: Brian doesnt understand this yet. He thinks he only got the views by being referential, which is true, but he KEPT the views because of HIM. I hope he realizes that.
I absolutely agree! I am not really a gamer at all, but I fell in love with his energy and personality. I enjoy all of his content even when he’s talking about something I have no interest in.
me neither-- i don't play smash though i have a switch, i know nothing about dark souls or mortal kombat, i have never played crash, etc and eng isnt my first language either !! the dude is just charismatic and like ,, he keeps viewers drawn in by just radiating with personality (? idk how to word it but i hope ppl get me)
I have to admit, I really liked watching Brian interact with Pat and Simone and the rest. I definitely liked Brian by himself also, but there’s a group dynamic that I will miss. Edit: put Brian on Critical Role!
One of my takeaways was that BDG's content really shined when his boss encouraged and supported him in all the crazy ways he needed, and that sort of thing doesn't get enough credit. Bosses/management are often where good work goes to die, but it can also be empowering- huge props to Tara for being a good boss.
Im glad Brian knows his fans are feral cats that will consistently show up at his house screaming. We love Brain and will always support his career decisions. 💕
It's so ironic that the Skyrim Book Report is one of his least favorites because it's one of my absolute favorites, and I've rewatched it several times.
Yeah I like it a lot because, like he said, it's something that everyone wants to know about but no one wants to do. His personality really shines through and elevates what could've been a basic video. Other top episodes: Sonic Bible, Kirby, Pokerap, Master Chief of Loneliness and Breath of the Wild Cooking
@@carsonroach-howell6945 Breath of the Wild Cooking is probably my top fave. I can watch it multiple times in one day and not get tired of it; I love it so much. The Sims/Apartment episode really moved me when it first came out, but since COVID, it genuinely makes me cry every time I watch it now. 😭 I miss get-togethers with friends so badly.
the other thing about vox media only supporting Brian or focusing more on him is that it also comes across to the audience. There's a polygon fandom (fans of the video content on youtube) who like Jenna and Simone and would enjoy if they had a series together beyond regular videos. Clayton and Pat have chaotic energy similar to Unraveled Brian that's untapped and could go towards bigger projects. People can /see/ the investment in Brian and will say "oh I wish we got more Simone content," and I would argue that vox isnt considering what their audience wants.
I think I remember Hank Green talking about quality of viewers rather than quantity. Like, for longevity you want to build a solid, somewhat smaller, returning audience rather than chasing high views - this from someone who has maintained a TH-cam audience since 2007! I wish Vox would let Polygon pursue quality rather than quantity more often.
@@SamDGrover It's like that line from Title of Show: "I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing / Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing." You can go for broad appeal from semi-interested people, or niche appeal for super-invested fans. And I'm still not sure which one Polygon's gunning for.
@@SamDGrover it's not even representative of Polygon's *video* team at all. I know Polygon dot com has a bit of a... reputation, and that's whatever, but the TH-cam channel is barely the same company. It's just some good fun vidja game content, straight up.
I mean, Brian, regarding worrying about not posting enough, there is _nothing_ like when a youtuber who posts once every 8 months posts a video, I'm sure we'll all love you regardless of how regularly things come out
That's nice of you and all, and I think many people would agree but it's less of a core audience issue than absolutely abysmal for the non-regular viewers, the TH-cam algorithm and potential sponsors which will massively impact his income if he doesn't post regularly. Unless he has another large source of regular income this is something to worry about
Some of us would love him regardless, but he'd struggle to make money that way EDIT: Nevermind, I forgot he makes 20K EVERY MONTH by being his own boss, and he even owns his own house... in Nebraska. His financial situation is probably fine.
@@joshuacollins385 You're underestimating the power of parasocial relationships. hbomb didn't post for 10 months and the are hundreds of people still willing to bankroll him. BDG can spend a year writing one mediocre parody song and he'll still get 15k a month on patreon... :P Humanity was a mistake.
@@maxmustsleep possibly, but he has a Patron with over 3,000 supporters. Even if everyone were supporting at the lowest tier, he's making well over $10,000 a month at this point
@@aimelle3 I love the dark souls one ah m as like a leftist intro tickler. It doesn't bother with Jason, doesn't tackle history, just introduced one of the core ideas, and tied it back in the end.
The music from the series randomly showed up in my head ever since I've watched it. I was shocked for like 5 minutes when it showed up in my recommended on spotify lmao, I had never even considered to search for it
@@monadomingo8 I meant the song See The Day, it's by the Altogethers. Hold up I googled it and the Altogethers is BDG's band!? I thought he only used the song but it's actually by him??? Ok wait a second I gotta listen to the other ones
imagine what kind of top tier stuff we could be getting from people like brian and everyone else at polygon if they weren't forced to be nose to the grindstone all the time
This is a fine interview of Brian but you never ask the hard questions. Who are David and Gilbert? Why do you never mention them? Are their restraints loose or tight? Do you force them to write your stuff or do they just love the pain? You're OK at this but this is no Frost/Nixon. Lift your game.
For me, I'm v happy with a "lack of brand" cause it means it'll never be formulaic, predictable, and boring. I like clicking on his videos without knowing what to expect.
Brian: “Yeah my last video was surreal horror” Me: Oh, yeah, sort of. Cutting your hair was pretty surreal. That bowl cut... yeah. Minnmax: “Yeah, how to make $20,000 a month by being your own manager” Me: 🙃🙃🙃🙃
I am really glad Brain understands his core audience really resonates with his videos regardless of the topic or genre, it’s really more about having that novel BDG passion than just video games or just silly songs
If anything, it was probably a hindrance because some people would see the thumbnail and be like "I have little knowledge of that video game so it's probably pointless for me to watch it."
i can't believe our culture now is just a mad idea of burnt-out pushed-down flipped-out twenty-something years old person and how much i love it and how much i relate to it. unraveled was a gift coming out of a trauma, and that's what meme culture is about now, i think.
brian is the type of internet personality simular to Neil Ceciriega, D’angelo Wallance and a few others, you just make the fontent you want, no matter how surreal or random they get we will listen and enjoy it. Brian has the charisma and talent where he can truly put himself out there and be creative, the audience will find it strange or bad, but almost in a good way, that schtick where you have no fucking clue what youre in for when a certain creator uploads is fucking awesome and usually leads to complete and utter chaos but again, thats a good thing
"you are NOT my friend and you have NO say over what i do with my body" was legit a turning point in my life lol. like when he said that i was just immediately thought of a dozen people i should have said the same thing to
re: story editing, imo the best unraveled for having an internal arc was the kirby episode, it's truly inspiring and insane as a piece of media on its own
Im really happy at like 40:00 onwards Brian's talking about workplace conditions and what people have to endure with work. The crunch time for release for videogames sucks. Big respect to brian for talking about it.
I love you as a podcast host, Ben, but your interviews are on yet another level. Your questions seem thought out, but not necessarily planned out in advance, so you seem able to sit back while actively listening and having a conversation with your guests, which is impressive and gives the talks such a genuine quality. Thanks! More interviews please! 🎉😄
Ben is an absolute professional. On the Game Informer youtube channel, he made a video with I believe Joe Juba that goes into depth about how they conduct interviews and what the common pitfalls are. He knows his stuff and is excellent making his guests feel comfortable. I think what makes him so good is that he's a great listener. He's not just reading questions, getting the answer, and moving to the next check on the list. He forms new questions based their answers as well as tying in their answers to questions he already has, all while injecting himself and his own experiences into the conversation. I've personally learned a ton just by watching him host over the years.
I knew literally nothing about this man or this channel before seeing this video but I agree, I was really surprised by how good he was at interviewing.
Oh man, when BDG started talking about the sense of guilt about profiting off the video game industry's exploitative practices... I felt that. I'm excited for whatever he does next! It'll be easy for him to stay "on brand", because his "brand" is just whatever he decides to record & post -- irrespective of genre. We'll be here for it! 💕
Every video Brian puts out makes me think "Now that's some classic BDG", so I guess audience members like me don't strongly desire a particular brand or theme in some channels/content creators.
"It's just me talking for 15 minutes" That's why I clicked on it. I clicked on this video because it's you talking for an hour. I just like you talking.
The first video of Brians I ever saw was the this video got me a job one. I was very surprised to care so much that he got the job at the end. It gave me two different channels to explore tho so that was cool.
I need this bed out here by Tuesday. Because on Tuesday I’m having a potluck. And I can’t have people coming to my potluck... Asking why the hell there’s two beds against the wall!! *Can you imagine the questions?!!*
13:00 Does this imply that all the people who were getting The Picture of Dorian Grey vibes from the Be Your Own Boss vid were in fact picking up on nothing? That's almost more interesting than the video actually referencing Dorian Grey
Really appreciated the conversation about churning out work nonstop without having the space to create something you’re proud of. My last job gave no room to experiment, and it can drain your soul!
I only just discovered Unraveled during quarantine with the release of Brian's Halo novel epic. I've loved watching them and feel lucky to still have a bunch of episodes left. His style is wildly entertaining and I look forward to his future work.
Brian seems to have such a great heart, doing the Robert Downey Jr to bring up the whole MCU. All that worrying about the consequences and his responsability in the team would've driven me nuts, but I'm sure it'll pay off. I'm one of those who followed Polygon's TH-cam because of him but finding out about the other guys was such a blessing. I'm going to miss their interactions a lot more than unraveled videos. Ps. I can't not quote 30 seconds of New Shoes whenever a friend's got *new kicks*
Somehow I had come across Brian's chaos of a personal channel already pre-polygon, it was great to see what he could do with a budget and more assets, but still keep the heart in whatever he touched. Now without Brian I hope Polygon will properly invest in the other great folks there and let them showcase their talents ❤️ Also I need more of those cyberpunk RPG shenanigans, I wish it'll continue in some manner!
Idk if Brian will see this but I want him to know that I'm really thankful he actively avoided spoiling celeste during the gill and Gilbert stream. I played it this year because of the video was recommended, and I am so glad I went in blind about the story--it's,, so good... And I'm so happy I got to experience the magic on my own terms.
I think all this is played right into obs directly (hence the on the fly audio overlay that appears near the start) and is perfect kairotic coincidence.
This is insanely cool to get a bit of insight in the process. I loved all the unravelled stuff, but I'm mega excited to see what Brian creates in the future. He might very well be one of the best creatives on the Internet right now. An inspiration to us all!
From my point of view, the “secret” is being genuine. My all time favorite TH-camr has always been Jenna Marbles. This particular audience genuinely nice people, genuinely funny people and genuinely talented people. Hence. Brian.
Loved this! Been watching Brian since before he joined Polygon and I remember being so sad because I loved everyone of his videos on his own channel that’s he put out and still do to this day, his energy and personality makes whatever content he brings to the table hilarious, I thought that him joining Polygon would contain that raw energy and humour he has into these standard professional boring videos (not knowing what Polygon was at the time) ...and then the first unraveled came out and blew all my worries away as I came to love that series too and will dearly miss it now but am excited to see the return of main channel focus and new content!
I'm so sad :(( Skyrim book report is so silly but it's also one of my favorite ones I miss the vibes the previous videos had and although I'm happy for Brian's growth as a creator, I do kinda miss that crazy simple vibe of the first unraveled Still!! Gonna follow Brian for his content, the horror/suspense video it's so well done I'm excited for more to come!
I made it over to Polygon's channel because of the McElroy brothers, and was lucky enough to see BDG from his video producer pitch video beginning. It was delightful to see him do Gill and Gilbert and all of Unraveled... I'm sure his energy is sorely missed.
As a former game developer, hearing Brian said that one of the reasons he left corporate media was that he didn't want to be tied up to just talking about a game just cause it is the biggest game of the year, and can not talk about how sucks the game company was doing to their employee. He didn't want his livelihood to be tied up with the worst part of capitalism. It makes me feel so warm inside, that's the reason I like you and want to support your work Brian, your personal charm and also because you are such a good person.
Great video! I'm super glad to have heard the full reason for leaving Polygon, I feel like I have a whole new perspective on corporate media content. I also hoped they would touch on Gill and Gilbert, maybe talk about any collaborative or cameo work with Polygon or other content creators in the future.
Brian’s audience will follow his content because they love his personality, not specifically his content. His “brand” could really go anywhere and I would watch the hell out of him
Brian is just one of the dude's who pulled in more of an audience for his personality than he did for the type of content he makes so he'll have a lot of support on anything he does really because no matter what he does it's still him doing it.
As a passionate member of his audience, I'd like to help answer the impossible question: Just. More. Of you. And preferably, your brain. The way you think. When you're losing it, when you're bored, when you're failing to keep a straight face. The more you talk and think at the same time, or present actual thought processes you've had - there is something so powerfully relatable and grounding about how you process. That, personally, is why I would genuinely watch that damn Castlevania video or whatever it was despite not knowing anything about the actual game. Okay anyway. Thank you MinnMax for doing this interview so I had some glimpse into what was going ON!
this is really comforting. as i’m growing on tiktok & twitch it feels a little isolating, but hearing bdg discuss like that anxiety of Being Online and Perceived but also it being ur job and being something u have fun is comforting
Brian is so incredibly talented that i never know what to expect from a new video and I’m excited for them anyway. I’ve never played the games in 90% of his unraveled content.
Something quite impressive with Brian is that every time I see one of his video being released, I have a dopamine rush that makes me instantly ''happy'' and begin to be so eager to watch it. Few TH-cam creator make me feel the same way (I can feel of Summoning Salt, and maybe a few others close to that).
What I love about bdg is that he posts what ever the fuck he feels like there's all ways a creative spin to it and you can tell that he's genuinely enjoying or interested in what he's doing
Unlock the podcast version of this interview, The Deepest Dive, and more by supporting MinnMax on Patreon! www.patreon.com/minnmax
I feel like its poor form to have business model to keep a podcast behind a paywall. As someone just hearing about this show, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, as I’ve never heard of effectively having to pay to access a podcast. I don’t know, maybe I’m out of the loop.
I agree that it is weird to hide a podcast version, which is just the audio of this video, behind a Patreon paywall (and not even behind the lowest one). Especially since there are free tools available (Podsync) which turn a YT video into an audio podcast.
I bet It's because it can be difficult to come up with enough patreon rewards lol
Mwahaha I have yt premium, you can’t stop me
*i have yt premium*
Honestly, the fact that Brian doesn't really have an established 'brand' is part of the appeal. Every time he posts a video to his channel, you have no clue what you're going to be watching, other than the fact that it'll be entertaining.
His brand is not having a brand. Just another successfull work of Hugh Brandity.
He still has his brandtity
His brand is chaos and nothingness
came here to say this! not having a brand is what makes Brian so good to watch
his brand is he kills god
“Why is he leaving Polygon?”
*It’s time to get good at the darts*
he has more important priorities and those priorities are *darts*
The dartening
It has arrived
He has to look at his cat for a while
he wants to find Dorian...
He is his own boss
That video is like unintentional foreshadowing.
@@cassidy5408 also when he said that, when he posted that surreal horror video, he thought people wouldn't like it that much because it was ou of his personal brand, i got so many building your online brand flashbacks, especially the "say you mentioned one day that you enjoyed ice cream sandwiches on a hot cruise / expect some tweets about ice cream sandies everytime they're in the news" and the "your brand is your soul's own work of art / you can never go wrong if you follow your heart / assuming your heart's obsessed / with what is best / and what's best is anything that can give you a following" parts.
@@cassidy5408 Maybe it was intentional foreshadowing? Since Brian talks about trying to wrap things up at Polygon for a while..
@@yurigouveawagner9432 Wait that’s a really good theory, I hadn’t thought about that video.
Why don't you join me?
Raise your hand if you consider all of Brian's videos surreal horror
This is an honorary like because this comment is on 69 likes
Huge Brandity is absolutely surreal horror
Be your own Boss definitely
Dances Moving! wasn't really horror, it just hurt.
Dances moving was surreal crying
People watch Brian's videos for his personality.
I'm in love with him
Also for the surreal horror
People watch polygon because of Brian's personality
@@sasha_chudesnov 45m 27s is the real surreal horror.
And his looks
now that he's gone independent, BDG can finally earn up to $20k a month while working from home, making his own hours, and being his own boss... and you can, too!
Man making 10k - 20k a month, being your own boss, sounds like a dream
which mlm do I have to join?
@@Tika927 try to contact Dorian Smiles
You might have to go into the middle of the Nebraskan woods to find him, though
why dont you join him?
@@derrilazkia1002 you can too.
Jorts is the closest thing to theme Brian has. And I won’t be mad if he goes hard on jorts, or if he moves to a kilt. BDG himself IS the content. We watch because we like HIM. I don’t care what the content is.
for some reason, this comment makes me immensely happy
Nope, if he turns his back on jorts, we'll riot.
I propose Kilts on top of Jorts
that also reminds me that every time i've heard that it was weird he made a surreal horror, all i can think of is that "how to make jorts" was his first non-polygon video i'd ever seen. there has always been room in his brand for surreal horror.
Brian is the perfect union of humanity and branding. I wish there was a word for that.
I was wondering when he'd leave. If you look at the views of each video on polygon, Brian's the only one getting a million views consistently. I'd like to buy his mattress still.
Polygon will be fine as a mediocre channel that makes pretty good gaming video essays and board game videos that get 75-250k views. Brian didn’t have a massive future at polygon, I’m glad he left and I’m super excited for whatever he moves onto.
Yeah I'm curious if any others will use polygon as a jumping off point with the McElroys and BDG. Hopefully they'll continue finding such amazing people
Nothingbadeverhappenedonthisbed
the bed has already been bought.........
Seems like Polygon wasn't really offering him shit. His own channel probably has the same amount of *active* subscribers, and it didn't look like they were really giving him anything budget- or production-wise. Look at the BotW food video. Compare that to other channels which deliver this kind of performance content, like Babish's Stump Sohla series. That's clearly getting about 10x the budget, still for a fraction of the views.
Clicked for BDG but was really impressed with the interviewer too. He asked good questions, was knowledgeable, gave BDG plenty of time to answer/explore, practiced some solid active listening. A really thoughtful interview thanks to both these dudes.
You should check out the interview he did with the heads of visceral games about their cancelled star wars project with Amy Hennig. Lots of inside baseball and behind the scenes stuff
But lemme just lemme just lemme just ask you this
@@timesup4200 lmao was that a Ryan George reference in the wild?
@@slicedegg6992 yeah it was super easy barely an inconvenience
@@timesup4200 Didn't ask about Brian's stance on triangles, 0/10 content
"building a world that someone else could enjoy".
oh brian. i didn't know two thirds of the games you spoke about on unraveled but you were so passionate and articulated about them that i couldn't stop listening. they were so funny and serotonin-bearing that although at the time i started watching you videos i couldn't understand one third of what you were saying because english isn't my first language they still brightened up every day i watched and rewatched them.
i know what you mean and i wholeheartedly agree with you, you really deserve to be creating your own projects.
but let me tell you. for me, you already created a completely alien world that i have got to enjoy and still enjoy everyday.
THIS
brian got me into nintendo stuff lol
I know it's a bit different from a whole LANGUAGE but uh idk still relatable
This is my worry: Brian doesnt understand this yet. He thinks he only got the views by being referential, which is true, but he KEPT the views because of HIM.
I hope he realizes that.
I absolutely agree! I am not really a gamer at all, but I fell in love with his energy and personality. I enjoy all of his content even when he’s talking about something I have no interest in.
me neither-- i don't play smash though i have a switch, i know nothing about dark souls or mortal kombat, i have never played crash, etc and eng isnt my first language either !! the dude is just charismatic and like ,, he keeps viewers drawn in by just radiating with personality (? idk how to word it but i hope ppl get me)
TH-cam needs a heart react!
I have to admit, I really liked watching Brian interact with Pat and Simone and the rest. I definitely liked Brian by himself also, but there’s a group dynamic that I will miss.
Edit: put Brian on Critical Role!
PUT BRIAN ON CRITICAL ROLE.
Put Brian on Critical Role
Oh my gosh. Brian as a guest on CR would be beautiful chaos, and I would love every second of it.
He's on Dimension 20 for a bit.
Put Brian on Critical Role
"6 minute surreal horror"
Thats exactly what I know you for. That how to make jorts video was terrifying.
Watch I am my own boss. You'll love it
@@Yamy-py8su also Tipsy Duck's videos. A Funny and How To Climb A Tree are some of the best videos I have ever seen.
One of my takeaways was that BDG's content really shined when his boss encouraged and supported him in all the crazy ways he needed, and that sort of thing doesn't get enough credit. Bosses/management are often where good work goes to die, but it can also be empowering- huge props to Tara for being a good boss.
Super late to this but Tara is the best Dark Souls boss.
Im glad Brian knows his fans are feral cats that will consistently show up at his house screaming. We love Brain and will always support his career decisions. 💕
i’m glad brian knows that we’re along for the ride! i’m absolutely here for anything he wants to make bc i know it’ll be great
what a beautiful spore creation on the profile pic
@@-piras Jaa'm
Exactly! I trust that whatever he does will be great and make my day slightly better for having seen it.
Backpack for his applesauce
It's so ironic that the Skyrim Book Report is one of his least favorites because it's one of my absolute favorites, and I've rewatched it several times.
My favourite is his megaman robot masters video. When he goes off on how they made a crash test dummy sentient, I've never laughed so hard.
@@quinnsinclair7028 That's one of my favorite scenes from that episode. Other top contenders are Topman and Dustman.
@@LagrimaArdiente I love how he says Snakeman
Yeah I like it a lot because, like he said, it's something that everyone wants to know about but no one wants to do. His personality really shines through and elevates what could've been a basic video. Other top episodes: Sonic Bible, Kirby, Pokerap, Master Chief of Loneliness and Breath of the Wild Cooking
@@carsonroach-howell6945 Breath of the Wild Cooking is probably my top fave. I can watch it multiple times in one day and not get tired of it; I love it so much.
The Sims/Apartment episode really moved me when it first came out, but since COVID, it genuinely makes me cry every time I watch it now. 😭 I miss get-togethers with friends so badly.
the other thing about vox media only supporting Brian or focusing more on him is that it also comes across to the audience. There's a polygon fandom (fans of the video content on youtube) who like Jenna and Simone and would enjoy if they had a series together beyond regular videos. Clayton and Pat have chaotic energy similar to Unraveled Brian that's untapped and could go towards bigger projects. People can /see/ the investment in Brian and will say "oh I wish we got more Simone content," and I would argue that vox isnt considering what their audience wants.
This!!!
I think I remember Hank Green talking about quality of viewers rather than quantity. Like, for longevity you want to build a solid, somewhat smaller, returning audience rather than chasing high views - this from someone who has maintained a TH-cam audience since 2007! I wish Vox would let Polygon pursue quality rather than quantity more often.
Get out of here with that transphobic nonsense, Kelsey. It’s not even on topic, ya goober.
@@SamDGrover It's like that line from Title of Show: "I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
/ Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing." You can go for broad appeal from semi-interested people, or niche appeal for super-invested fans. And I'm still not sure which one Polygon's gunning for.
@@SamDGrover it's not even representative of Polygon's *video* team at all. I know Polygon dot com has a bit of a... reputation, and that's whatever, but the TH-cam channel is barely the same company. It's just some good fun vidja game content, straight up.
I mean, Brian, regarding worrying about not posting enough, there is _nothing_ like when a youtuber who posts once every 8 months posts a video, I'm sure we'll all love you regardless of how regularly things come out
That's nice of you and all, and I think many people would agree but it's less of a core audience issue than absolutely abysmal for the non-regular viewers, the TH-cam algorithm and potential sponsors which will massively impact his income if he doesn't post regularly. Unless he has another large source of regular income this is something to worry about
Some of us would love him regardless, but he'd struggle to make money that way
EDIT: Nevermind, I forgot he makes 20K EVERY MONTH by being his own boss, and he even owns his own house... in Nebraska.
His financial situation is probably fine.
@@joshuacollins385 You're underestimating the power of parasocial relationships. hbomb didn't post for 10 months and the are hundreds of people still willing to bankroll him. BDG can spend a year writing one mediocre parody song and he'll still get 15k a month on patreon... :P
Humanity was a mistake.
Those people have like regular jobs though
@@maxmustsleep possibly, but he has a Patron with over 3,000 supporters. Even if everyone were supporting at the lowest tier, he's making well over $10,000 a month at this point
Of course Pat wrote the Mortal Kombat Unraveled lmao
I'm surprised it wasn't the Dark Souls one.
kmc
Talk about a woke bae ;)
*pat in the background* that's a horrible phrase I'm sorry for writing it
@@aimelle3 I love the dark souls one ah m as like a leftist intro tickler.
It doesn't bother with Jason, doesn't tackle history, just introduced one of the core ideas, and tied it back in the end.
Dances Moving is still one of the best series on youtube
Hell yeah it is, good shit ✊
The music from the series randomly showed up in my head ever since I've watched it. I was shocked for like 5 minutes when it showed up in my recommended on spotify lmao, I had never even considered to search for it
@@justlola417 they're on Spotify?! How can I find them? I tried searching for Dances Moving but nothing showed up:(
@@monadomingo8 I meant the song See The Day, it's by the Altogethers. Hold up I googled it and the Altogethers is BDG's band!? I thought he only used the song but it's actually by him??? Ok wait a second I gotta listen to the other ones
@@justlola417 Aaah I see:) Yeah, it's him! A different Version but it's beautiful nonetheless:)
imagine what kind of top tier stuff we could be getting from people like brian and everyone else at polygon if they weren't forced to be nose to the grindstone all the time
exactly! id love to see more of simone and jenna
Its the same reason RoosterTeeths quality went down the shitter.
@@Zankaru i feel bad about roosterteeth ngl
That's why the McElroy's left too
Brian talks like Your Own Boss was a unique horror short, but some of us remember his Jorts tutorial.
This is a fine interview of Brian but you never ask the hard questions. Who are David and Gilbert? Why do you never mention them? Are their restraints loose or tight? Do you force them to write your stuff or do they just love the pain?
You're OK at this but this is no Frost/Nixon. Lift your game.
I cant tell if this serouris or not
For me, I'm v happy with a "lack of brand" cause it means it'll never be formulaic, predictable, and boring. I like clicking on his videos without knowing what to expect.
Brian is handsome, talented, intelligent, and funny.
Not trying to make a specific point here, just listing a few facts.
I’m not 100% sure Brian isn’t perfect
@@kevinfromwork3785 yea but he is handsome talented intelligent and funny
@@naiknaik8812 I didn’t say he wasn’t, in fact after of some thinking I can’t find any flaws so he is, in fact, the perfect human
It's really cool to see BDG interviewed by someone who knows so much about his work, like a traditional magazine style interview with a household name
Brian: “Yeah my last video was surreal horror”
Me: Oh, yeah, sort of. Cutting your hair was pretty surreal. That bowl cut... yeah.
Minnmax: “Yeah, how to make $20,000 a month by being your own manager”
Me: 🙃🙃🙃🙃
Hahahaha! I had the same thought process.
That video came out at the same-ish time as this interview. I checked.
I am really glad Brain understands his core audience really resonates with his videos regardless of the topic or genre, it’s really more about having that novel BDG passion than just video games or just silly songs
If anything, it was probably a hindrance because some people would see the thumbnail and be like "I have little knowledge of that video game so it's probably pointless for me to watch it."
What’s great about BDG is how rewatchable his videos are, I’ve seen everyone of his songs like four times and I watch Dancing moving far too often
i can't believe our culture now is just a mad idea of burnt-out pushed-down flipped-out twenty-something years old person and how much i love it and how much i relate to it. unraveled was a gift coming out of a trauma, and that's what meme culture is about now, i think.
brian is the type of internet personality simular to Neil Ceciriega, D’angelo Wallance and a few others, you just make the fontent you want, no matter how surreal or random they get we will listen and enjoy it. Brian has the charisma and talent where he can truly put himself out there and be creative, the audience will find it strange or bad, but almost in a good way, that schtick where you have no fucking clue what youre in for when a certain creator uploads is fucking awesome and usually leads to complete and utter chaos but again, thats a good thing
I'd like to add Jenny Nicholson, she is mad and that's a good thing
@@leahfaiafurawa1328 "Two and a half hours about the Vampire Diaries, a show I was never even remotely interested in? Fuck yes I'll watch that!"
@@erraticonteuse I watched it twice. Still so glad they could afford the Raven in the end
"you are NOT my friend and you have NO say over what i do with my body" was legit a turning point in my life lol. like when he said that i was just immediately thought of a dozen people i should have said the same thing to
"As gamers, we care a lot when numbers get high"
What a legend.
re: story editing, imo the best unraveled for having an internal arc was the kirby episode, it's truly inspiring and insane as a piece of media on its own
Waluigi unraveled is a close second
Im really happy at like 40:00 onwards Brian's talking about workplace conditions and what people have to endure with work. The crunch time for release for videogames sucks. Big respect to brian for talking about it.
I love you as a podcast host, Ben, but your interviews are on yet another level. Your questions seem thought out, but not necessarily planned out in advance, so you seem able to sit back while actively listening and having a conversation with your guests, which is impressive and gives the talks such a genuine quality. Thanks! More interviews please! 🎉😄
Ben is an absolute professional. On the Game Informer youtube channel, he made a video with I believe Joe Juba that goes into depth about how they conduct interviews and what the common pitfalls are. He knows his stuff and is excellent making his guests feel comfortable. I think what makes him so good is that he's a great listener. He's not just reading questions, getting the answer, and moving to the next check on the list. He forms new questions based their answers as well as tying in their answers to questions he already has, all while injecting himself and his own experiences into the conversation. I've personally learned a ton just by watching him host over the years.
I knew literally nothing about this man or this channel before seeing this video but I agree, I was really surprised by how good he was at interviewing.
Brian is looking like Edward Snowden but happier.
didn't see it till now but i don mt think ill ever unsee it
He’s leaving Polygon? Feels like just yesterday I heard about him *joining* Polygon.
*left* he announced that he was no longer with Polygon back in December.
He announced that he’s no longer
A polygon
Dot com
Video producer
Oh man, when BDG started talking about the sense of guilt about profiting off the video game industry's exploitative practices... I felt that.
I'm excited for whatever he does next! It'll be easy for him to stay "on brand", because his "brand" is just whatever he decides to record & post -- irrespective of genre. We'll be here for it! 💕
"have you seen my laptop?" is one of the best things on the internet
Every video Brian puts out makes me think "Now that's some classic BDG", so I guess audience members like me don't strongly desire a particular brand or theme in some channels/content creators.
I'm calling it that Brian's getting drafted to write for Halo in the near future
@@nandankulkarni2628 he really knows the canon
"It's just me talking for 15 minutes"
That's why I clicked on it. I clicked on this video because it's you talking for an hour. I just like you talking.
I love that this interview came out at the time when it makes it look like the 10 minute horror is the hair tutorial video
And it isn't?
The first video of Brians I ever saw was the this video got me a job one. I was very surprised to care so much that he got the job at the end. It gave me two different channels to explore tho so that was cool.
Yeah, I've always thought of his stuff as surreal horror! "I like to smoke cigars on beds!" sent chills down my spine.
Hey! Ain't nothin' bad ever happened on this bed!
@@ZijnShayatanica *Furtively looks around the room*
buy my beeeeddddd
I'm talkin no fellonys
I need this bed out here by Tuesday.
Because on Tuesday I’m having a potluck.
And I can’t have people coming to my potluck...
Asking why the hell there’s two beds against the wall!! *Can you imagine the questions?!!*
*Why did he leave polygon?*
*Long answer: this video*
*Short answer: t h e d a r t e n i n g*
13:00 Does this imply that all the people who were getting The Picture of Dorian Grey vibes from the Be Your Own Boss vid were in fact picking up on nothing? That's almost more interesting than the video actually referencing Dorian Grey
Really appreciated the conversation about churning out work nonstop without having the space to create something you’re proud of. My last job gave no room to experiment, and it can drain your soul!
The Jorts video is what got me. After I saw that, I knew I had to follow this man. Much love.
For me, it was the siblings video. So freaking funny, and my siblings and I sing it all the time
I only just discovered Unraveled during quarantine with the release of Brian's Halo novel epic. I've loved watching them and feel lucky to still have a bunch of episodes left. His style is wildly entertaining and I look forward to his future work.
ok but this missed how real question: the anime protagonist vs. rival friendship enemyship relationship between brian and pat
Brian seems to have such a great heart, doing the Robert Downey Jr to bring up the whole MCU. All that worrying about the consequences and his responsability in the team would've driven me nuts, but I'm sure it'll pay off. I'm one of those who followed Polygon's TH-cam because of him but finding out about the other guys was such a blessing. I'm going to miss their interactions a lot more than unraveled videos.
Ps. I can't not quote 30 seconds of New Shoes whenever a friend's got *new kicks*
Those kicks are new?
Oh, you talking about these babies?
@@NathanaelSmithEdi Those babies are new.
Gonna miss Vang0 Bang0
@@sasha_chudesnov He can always guest star, right?
Somehow I had come across Brian's chaos of a personal channel already pre-polygon, it was great to see what he could do with a budget and more assets, but still keep the heart in whatever he touched. Now without Brian I hope Polygon will properly invest in the other great folks there and let them showcase their talents ❤️
Also I need more of those cyberpunk RPG shenanigans, I wish it'll continue in some manner!
Idk if Brian will see this but I want him to know that I'm really thankful he actively avoided spoiling celeste during the gill and Gilbert stream. I played it this year because of the video was recommended, and I am so glad I went in blind about the story--it's,, so good... And I'm so happy I got to experience the magic on my own terms.
23:20 BRIAN David Gilbert says "BEATEN DOWN" while BeatenDownBrian's name is on the screen
Noice !
A history in the making
Yeah I'm sure ben synced that up in post intentionally
@@tyler2010 why are you sure of this
I think all this is played right into obs directly (hence the on the fly audio overlay that appears near the start) and is perfect kairotic coincidence.
I see he's updated his gamer setup
This is insanely cool to get a bit of insight in the process. I loved all the unravelled stuff, but I'm mega excited to see what Brian creates in the future. He might very well be one of the best creatives on the Internet right now. An inspiration to us all!
52:47 oh boy... mourning for the "are video games art?" Unraveled Live that never was ;-;
Just make it a new series called "Exit Survey"
I like how obvious it is that Ben is a fan.
lmao they actually used Brian's "TH-camr face" as the thumbnail
I thought “oh, he’s just taking Brian’s face out of context for the thumbnail”
BUT NO
IT WAS COMPLETELY IN CONTEXT
From my point of view, the “secret” is being genuine. My all time favorite TH-camr has always been Jenna Marbles. This particular audience genuinely nice people, genuinely funny people and genuinely talented people. Hence. Brian.
Just chiming in to say that this was a lovely interview and Ben did a great job of conducting it! I'll definitely check out more MinnMax content :)
Thank you so much!
Loved this! Been watching Brian since before he joined Polygon and I remember being so sad because I loved everyone of his videos on his own channel that’s he put out and still do to this day, his energy and personality makes whatever content he brings to the table hilarious, I thought that him joining Polygon would contain that raw energy and humour he has into these standard professional boring videos (not knowing what Polygon was at the time) ...and then the first unraveled came out and blew all my worries away as I came to love that series too and will dearly miss it now but am excited to see the return of main channel focus and new content!
Polygon haters in the comments? :rollEyes, what year is it?
Brian is incredible, big loss for Polygon, but happy for him.
bdg is a true artist who dedicates himself to his craft
Gill and Gilbert was the BEST part of polygon.
I will continue watching Brian David Gilbert until one of us dies
is this a threat
I'm so sad :((
Skyrim book report is so silly but it's also one of my favorite ones
I miss the vibes the previous videos had and although I'm happy for Brian's growth as a creator, I do kinda miss that crazy simple vibe of the first unraveled
Still!! Gonna follow Brian for his content, the horror/suspense video it's so well done I'm excited for more to come!
I made it over to Polygon's channel because of the McElroy brothers, and was lucky enough to see BDG from his video producer pitch video beginning. It was delightful to see him do Gill and Gilbert and all of Unraveled... I'm sure his energy is sorely missed.
At 13:14 is Brian seriously implying that he didn't have the Picture of Dorian Grey in mind when he created "Dorian Smiles?"
I think so...
As a former game developer, hearing Brian said that one of the reasons he left corporate media was that he didn't want to be tied up to just talking about a game just cause it is the biggest game of the year, and can not talk about how sucks the game company was doing to their employee. He didn't want his livelihood to be tied up with the worst part of capitalism. It makes me feel so warm inside, that's the reason I like you and want to support your work Brian, your personal charm and also because you are such a good person.
Great video! I'm super glad to have heard the full reason for leaving Polygon, I feel like I have a whole new perspective on corporate media content. I also hoped they would touch on Gill and Gilbert, maybe talk about any collaborative or cameo work with Polygon or other content creators in the future.
Brian’s audience will follow his content because they love his personality, not specifically his content. His “brand” could really go anywhere and I would watch the hell out of him
Skyrim Book report was RIVETING. Admit it.
Brian is just one of the dude's who pulled in more of an audience for his personality than he did for the type of content he makes so he'll have a lot of support on anything he does really because no matter what he does it's still him doing it.
I’m honestly glad that Brian left Polygon, I feel like his best work happens when he’s not boxed in by the Polygon brand
honestly i have never played a video game in my life, but i love bdgs writing and content so much i watched every unraveled 5 times over
Brian saying he’s not known for surreal horror like the first video we all saw wasn’t “How to make Jorts”
As a passionate member of his audience, I'd like to help answer the impossible question:
Just.
More.
Of you.
And preferably, your brain. The way you think. When you're losing it, when you're bored, when you're failing to keep a straight face. The more you talk and think at the same time, or present actual thought processes you've had - there is something so powerfully relatable and grounding about how you process. That, personally, is why I would genuinely watch that damn Castlevania video or whatever it was despite not knowing anything about the actual game.
Okay anyway. Thank you MinnMax for doing this interview so I had some glimpse into what was going ON!
Not one I would've expected but hell yes!
Oh man, MM and BDG are some of my favorite things. So glad to see this!
"my most recent content was a surreal horror"
looks at brian's hair tutorial video 👁 👄👁
this is really comforting. as i’m growing on tiktok & twitch it feels a little isolating, but hearing bdg discuss like that anxiety of Being Online and Perceived but also it being ur job and being something u have fun is comforting
gosh it really seems like brian's gotten way more confident over the years, which makes sense and is awesome.
Gill and Gilbert was some of my favorite polygon content because Pat and Brian were just fuckin around. Brian's just a cool dude
“I am not known for surreal horror”
*flashback to the jorts video*
Brian is so incredibly talented that i never know what to expect from a new video and I’m excited for them anyway. I’ve never played the games in 90% of his unraveled content.
MinnMax, the best channel for exit-interviews!
Love this interview! I'm here from Brian's channel but I love how respectful and interesting your questions were!
Man I haven't seen Edward Snowden do anything for a while, good to hear he's getting back out there.
Brian had to go independent, and give his back a chance to heal from carrying Polygon for so long.
I love the idea that the Mario retirement episode kickstarted this
I'm a big fan of any interview style content created by Ben. One of the most consistently good interviewers in games journalism.
I’m still hoping for a Brian David Gilbert and McElroy family crossover of some kind
Brian and Justin hanging out plz
Yes!!!!
i just hope that his videos are going to be more brian david gilbert than we could even imagine
Brian should make whatever content he wants to make and if this means he’ll get to do that then I am all for it
Something quite impressive with Brian is that every time I see one of his video being released, I have a dopamine rush that makes me instantly ''happy'' and begin to be so eager to watch it. Few TH-cam creator make me feel the same way (I can feel of Summoning Salt, and maybe a few others close to that).
What I love about bdg is that he posts what ever the fuck he feels like there's all ways a creative spin to it and you can tell that he's genuinely enjoying or interested in what he's doing