1 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to another episode of Strictly Business, the podcast in 2 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: which we speak with some of the brightest minds working 3 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: in the media business today. I'm Andrew Wallenstein with Variety. 4 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:21,240 Speaker 1: Have you heard of skibbety toilet? If you're a card 5 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 1: carrying member of Generation Alpha, of course you have. But 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: to anyone older, that absurd sounding phrase may mean absolutely nothing. Well, 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: get ready for that to change. This strange internet phenomenon 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: is about to go mainstream if everything goes according to 9 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,160 Speaker 1: the best laid plans of my next guest, who knows 10 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: a thing or two about building big franchises. He's Adam Goodman, 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: a film industry veteran who has shepherded intellectual property like 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: The Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to global success. 13 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: Skibbety toilet presents him a whole different challenge, which we'll 14 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: talk to him about right after this, and we're back 15 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:16,680 Speaker 1: with Adam Goodman, co founder of Invisible Narratives, a company 16 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: that melds the best practices of the creator economy with 17 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: traditional entertainment, which he knows well from his days at 18 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: Top Jobs, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. SKG. Thanks for coming in, Adam. 19 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for having me. So, you know, 20 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: because the median age of Mike podcast is probably slightly 21 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: higher than fourteen years old, we got to do some 22 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: level setting on Skimbity Toilet. We got to explain this 23 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: phenomenon before we get into your best laid plans. As 24 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: I said, what is this ip? 25 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 2: Skimmity Toilet is IP, and that's the best way to 26 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 2: describe it. It started as a meme. Our creator. We 27 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 2: have a visionary creator, a filmmaker named Boom, and Boom 28 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 2: was making for many years Transformers pre Viz videos that 29 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: he was posting to his YouTube account and he was 30 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: encouraged to start posting something original of his own, and 31 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 2: he started with this crazy, wild, very random meme that 32 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 2: really started with a viral song and a guy whose 33 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 2: head popped out of a toilet. This was February of 34 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 2: twenty twenty three. Boom had about a million subscribers on 35 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 2: his channel. Cut to June of twenty twenty four, and 36 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 2: we're looking at almost forty three million subscribers on this 37 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 2: franchise right now. So it started as a really wacky, crazy, 38 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: fun inspired thing and is now turned into something that 39 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 2: has episodes and lore and Cliffhangers and about twenty other 40 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 2: channels that are making daily content in the skibbity toilet multiverse. 41 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: Now that's a great here, but we've got to unpack 42 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: this on a number of fronts. First of all, when 43 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 1: you're talking about forty three million subscribers, you know, at 44 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: our Variety Intelligence Platform unit, we did some number crunching. 45 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: We looked at the data. I mean, first of all, 46 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: forty three million subscribers, we're talking about seventeen billion views. 47 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:24,839 Speaker 1: That's like second only to mister Beast. I think it's 48 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: like quadruple what Marvel is doing. I mean from a 49 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: data perspective, we're talking about elite at least on YouTube, 50 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: and we're also talking about this is something that's a 51 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,839 Speaker 1: gaming phenomenon. This is top of the level. 52 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,839 Speaker 2: Of what you can expect from a digital creator, right, 53 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 2: So this is unprecedented. I mean, you can't plan for this. 54 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: The fact of the matter is years ago I worked 55 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 2: on a cartoon about a sponge named Bob, and if 56 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 2: somebody had pitched me that idea, I obviously didn't create SpongeBob, 57 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 2: but I was lucky enough to work on it. I 58 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 2: would have thought that was a crazy sill the idea 59 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 2: or turtles that were mutants and ninjas and teenagers. So 60 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 2: these things when you see them, they don't make sense 61 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 2: until you do see them, and then when you squint, 62 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 2: the whole world sort of opens. 63 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: Up to you. Also, what's remarkable is, you know you 64 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: referred to this as a meme and in the beginning 65 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: at least, and you know, memes come and go, and 66 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: at first, this thing, you know, I'm gonna actually have 67 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: our podcast listeners take a listen to this audio. And 68 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:36,480 Speaker 1: I do this with some hesitation, because, dear listeners, once 69 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: I play this, this may this may destroy your brain 70 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: and never leave your head ever again. But with that warning, 71 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:44,279 Speaker 1: take a listen. 72 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 3: What is going on on stimyt, what is going on on. 73 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: St okay For those with functioning brains, Welcome back to 74 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: the podcast. You know memes Hawk to a Girl is 75 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: a meme, right, but this is like this meme became 76 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: a dense, mythologically driven series. This is like Hawk to 77 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,840 Speaker 1: a Girl turned into like a six season HBO series. 78 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: How on Earth did what was once a silly song 79 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 1: becomes something that is so much richer and taken very 80 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: very seriously among its fan base. Well, it starts with 81 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: our creator. 82 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 2: Boom is someone who is a massive student of cinema 83 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 2: and television and animation and franchise, and we encouraged him, 84 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 2: and the encouragement comes from his, you know, massive, massive 85 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 2: audience to tell stories and to look at this as 86 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 2: though he's building something that could be the next Transformers 87 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 2: or could be a Marvel's universe. There are so many 88 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 2: channels that started doing this, and initially it was referred 89 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 2: to as brain rot and a lot of kids kind 90 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 2: of looked at this, and there's a real kind of 91 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 2: separation in dichotomy between those who get it and those 92 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 2: who have turned off on it. And our mission has 93 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 2: been to convert the unconverted, to really kind of surprise 94 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 2: them and to defy and to subvert their expectations that 95 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 2: they're storytelling. And there's characters and there's myth, and there's law, 96 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 2: and there's a building blocks to a massive business that's 97 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 2: being put in place here, all laid on the foundation 98 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 2: of storytelling, and we really have just started to scratch 99 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 2: the surface of it. Where this franchise goes is nobody's 100 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,359 Speaker 2: this guy's the limit for it at this point, but 101 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 2: we believe it could be something that's generational and that's 102 00:06:58,080 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 2: what's so excited amount it. 103 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: And yet at the same time that I'm trying to 104 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: convey that people take this, the fans, young fans take 105 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: this deeply seriously, Like I still have to convey how 106 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: deeply absurd the animation is. I mean, on the one hand, 107 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: you have like a alien race with toilets for bodies 108 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: with heads coming out of them, fighting a race with 109 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: you know, TVs and cameras and speakers for heads, these 110 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: you know, dueling sets of appliances, and a violent war 111 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: for I don't know, shelf space at cost go. I 112 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: don't know what they're fighting about. It's completely absurd. So 113 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: you know you have been around IP of all kinds. 114 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: What is it about this that is resonating because I 115 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: have no idea. 116 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 2: Well, I think it's hard to know exactly. And I'm 117 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 2: not going to sit here and tell you that I 118 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 2: am the key demo for this, or or or I 119 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 2: built this by design. My business partner in this venture 120 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 2: is Boom, the creator and the filmmaker Michael Bay. We've 121 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 2: heard of him, and years ago, when I was at DreamWorks, 122 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 2: we bought the rights to Transformers, and everybody thought that 123 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 2: that was a really silly idea to make a movie 124 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 2: about a toy from the eighties. In fact, I think 125 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 2: there were articles that came out that said, what's next 126 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 2: a movie about Legos, which turned out Okay. I think 127 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 2: this is the same kind of thing. I think if 128 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 2: you look at this and you try to and you 129 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 2: try to assess this through our point of view, it 130 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 2: doesn't make any sense when you look at it through 131 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 2: the lens of something that's fresh, that resonates with an 132 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 2: audience that's not built on your parents or your grandparents' ip. 133 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 2: This is something that Jen Alfa feels like they found. 134 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 2: They discovered, it's something that they take a lot. 135 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: Of ownership in. 136 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 2: And for us, we look at this and we say, okay, 137 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 2: if you squint, yes, there's a toilet in it. But 138 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 2: the reality is is that what do we spend more 139 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 2: time looking at television's cameras? Toilets we don't look at, 140 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 2: but we obviously have our interaction with them. So these 141 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 2: are things that we are interacting with on an every 142 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 2: single day basis. The fact that the creator has turned 143 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 2: these into kind of mechanized warriors is something that is 144 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 2: just awesome and you've never seen it before, and that's 145 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 2: what makes it so great. And it's weird and peculiar 146 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 2: and it's fresh, and they get it and we don't, 147 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 2: and that's what makes it super cool. 148 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: So you keep mentioning Boom, we should mention Boom's real 149 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: name is Alexi Jersimov. He is from Georgia, that is 150 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: the from overseas, Georgia, not Atlanta, Georgia. Twenty six years old. 151 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,079 Speaker 1: How did you get to him? 152 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 3: What? 153 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: You know? 154 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 4: Who is? 155 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: He had talk to me about the process of, you know, 156 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: hooking up with this guy. 157 00:09:55,040 --> 00:10:00,199 Speaker 2: He's an animator. He works on an animation platform that 158 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 2: is very primitive actually compared to unreal owned some of 159 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 2: the engines that other animators are working on. 160 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: But he's a beast. 161 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 2: This kid can imagine things and execute on things on 162 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:17,959 Speaker 2: a level that is unheard of before. He is doing 163 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 2: shots that make Michael's headspin. Michael and he have a 164 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 2: terrific collaboration and work very closely with each other, talking 165 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 2: about episodes, talking about art, talking about action, talking about 166 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 2: sound design, talking about where this franchise goes. Wow, He's 167 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 2: very capable to hold his own in conversation with Michael, 168 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 2: and then some and Michael and I are students to him. 169 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 2: I mean, we're not trying to go in and teach 170 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 2: him what the movie business is. This is a whole 171 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 2: new medium for us as well, and we're really trying 172 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:53,239 Speaker 2: to define what I always refer to as our tradigital strategy, 173 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 2: which is taking the best of traditional in terms of 174 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 2: the business practices which have all been but perfected over 175 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,960 Speaker 2: one hundred and some years of filmmaking, but the nimbleness 176 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 2: of UGC and the opportunity for a filmmaker or a 177 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 2: designer or an animator like him to make something, to 178 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 2: post it to an audience, to get an immediate feedback 179 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 2: loop from that audience to know what's working, and even 180 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 2: more interesting, allowing that IP to be shared and so 181 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,960 Speaker 2: that other creators can take advantage of it. And that's 182 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 2: one of the things that is really different than anything 183 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 2: that we've worked with before. Typically, we issue takedowns and 184 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 2: we're ready to, you know, kind of make sure that 185 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 2: nobody is messing with something that we know that we 186 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 2: want to control. In this case, we've taken a very 187 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 2: different approach to this. We want creators to play with 188 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 2: our IP. We want to make sure that people are 189 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,439 Speaker 2: doing things obviously within reason, so long as it kind 190 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 2: of follows a certain guideline for us. But it is 191 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 2: something that we believe is kind of the internets, and 192 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 2: we want to make sure that people have the ability 193 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 2: to play with that and to enjoy it, which is 194 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:58,080 Speaker 2: what it's really exciting. 195 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:03,040 Speaker 1: So talk about that change in approach, because I mean, 196 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: that is very counter to the way it used to be, 197 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: and there does seem to be a lot of copycatting 198 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 1: out there. Aren't you afraid to let this lose complete control, 199 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: especially in the age of AI where this could really 200 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 1: get out of control. 201 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I mean, look, there's thankfully we have great 202 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 2: protections in terms of copyrights and trademarks, which gives us 203 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 2: a lot of you know, a lot of leverage in 204 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 2: terms of who we allow to work on this property 205 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 2: and who we don't. There are probably about twenty channels 206 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:37,439 Speaker 2: that are doing really quality episodes of skivity toilet channels 207 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:41,199 Speaker 2: on YouTube, channels on YouTube, and of those, there may 208 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 2: be even like sixty or seventy that are doing less 209 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,679 Speaker 2: frequent updates and content. The less frequent we're fine with. 210 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 2: We don't, you know, we don't really pay attention to 211 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 2: we celebrate them. But the twenty that are doing really 212 00:12:55,360 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 2: credible content, we consider them part of our alliance. It's 213 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 2: the toilets versus the alliance. The alliance are the good guys, 214 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 2: and the alliance is what we're building into this network 215 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 2: of other channels that are making content for us. Boom 216 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 2: is able to look at those scripts beforehand. Boom is 217 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:16,719 Speaker 2: able to address any creative concerns to make sure it's 218 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 2: following the same kind of narrative that we're looking after. 219 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:21,959 Speaker 2: But we want to help those channels. We want to 220 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 2: help those channels build, and we want to help those 221 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 2: channels be able to continue doing what we're doing because 222 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 2: he can't post every single day and YouTube. The algorithm posts, 223 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 2: you know, and the more people that are posting, the 224 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 2: more that it helps, the discovery for it, the more 225 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 2: people that are introduced to it, and so that alliance 226 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 2: is something that we've been building. Again, it's super counterintuitive 227 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 2: to anything I've been involved with before, but it's been 228 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 2: working because we're living in a world where the content 229 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 2: is now free, So it's all the other businesses that 230 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 2: we're able to monetize around it. So knowing that the 231 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 2: content is free, the business is around it for whether 232 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 2: it's roadblocks or consumer products or life lissing. Those are 233 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 2: businesses that we're really trying to encourage to, you know, 234 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:06,319 Speaker 2: to make sure that that content is serving up those 235 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:07,079 Speaker 2: other businesses. 236 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: Well, now let's talk about those other businesses, because I 237 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:14,760 Speaker 1: think what got a lot of people's eyebrows up was 238 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: you know, obviously, people see that main YouTube business, They 239 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 1: see this tremendous traffic, and people wonder like, okay, maybe 240 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: he's just you know, building a business entirely on YouTube, 241 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: and he's you know, keeping the control there. Maybe he's 242 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: going to move off platform at some point, who knows. 243 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: Then the deal with Bonkers gets announced, the deal with 244 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: your company and Michael Bay. Okay, the merchandise piece of 245 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:48,720 Speaker 1: this comes into view. But then we see Michael Bay 246 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:52,640 Speaker 1: and your name, and we're starting to think, okay, movies, TV, 247 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: other things got to be coming. So what business is 248 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: starting with merchandise? Starting with you know, Comic CON's coming, 249 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: Halloween is coming. We feel like there's movement towards the 250 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:10,640 Speaker 1: mainstream here, So explain the other businesses and what we 251 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: could see coming down the pipe. 252 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 2: Well, to be clear, this is the mainstream. True YouTube 253 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,239 Speaker 2: is about his mainstream as it gets. 254 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 1: The conventional old school. 255 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, well so traditional, we'll call it. Sure, this lends 256 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 2: itself very well. I will say that Michael and Jeffrey Becroft, 257 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 2: who's his longtime production designer and a colleague of his 258 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 2: that's worked with him on all of his movies, have 259 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 2: been working very closely with Alexi to design art, to 260 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 2: start to really professionalize the kind of back engine of this, 261 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 2: to make sure that if we ever decide to go 262 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 2: film or television, that this is kind of lifted beyond 263 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 2: just the resources that creators have on the Internet. We 264 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 2: are absolutely in talks right now both on the television 265 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 2: side and the earliest comer stations right now on the 266 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 2: film side. But it's not a be all, end all 267 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 2: for us, you know. We want to make sure that 268 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 2: we are able to support all the other businesses that 269 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 2: have been built in this fly flywheel that Invisible Narratives 270 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 2: has helped to create for Boom and the other ip 271 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 2: that we work with. But film and television is a flex. 272 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 2: It looks cool. It helps to kind of fuel the 273 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 2: consumer product business, which is obviously a really important thing. 274 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,680 Speaker 2: It helps buyers at Walmart or Target to know that 275 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 2: there's going to be media and ads spent against this thing. 276 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 2: But we're pretty successful just on YouTube as it is 277 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 2: right now. So if we stay in this world, we're okay. 278 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 2: And if we move into more traditional then that would 279 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 2: just be for Michael and I pretty awesome and for Boom, 280 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 2: our creator kind of a lifelong dream of his. 281 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: Okay. Before we revisit that, though, how important is this 282 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: merchandise piece, because that feels like the first piece of 283 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: these business this is and it feels like that's what's 284 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: coming this fall. 285 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, there's two thesiss that my company has. 286 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 2: One is that we believe that IP is not going 287 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 2: to come from rebooting The Fall Guy or looking at 288 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,199 Speaker 2: television shows that were frankly old when I was a kid, right. 289 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,159 Speaker 2: IP is going to come from TikTok and YouTube for 290 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 2: where the audience is actually at right now. So our 291 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 2: business is solely focused on trying to find those things, 292 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 2: discover those things, nurture those things, and bring traditional resources, 293 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 2: creative resources, or business resources to those creators so that 294 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 2: we can essentially build out the next generation of blockbusters 295 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 2: that are organic to young people in their lives. The 296 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 2: second is that kids don't want to pay for content. 297 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 2: They want to pay for stuff, and stuff is something 298 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 2: that is really important for them and Bonkers what we've 299 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 2: seen and we looked at all the traditional toy companies 300 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 2: and new toy companies, Bonkers gets it. They understand that 301 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 2: when kids are walking through the aisles of or target 302 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 2: right now, the toys that stick out to them are 303 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 2: not things that were their parents or their grandparents' favorites. 304 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 2: They're things that they actually recognize. So YouTube, whether it's 305 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 2: Lanky Box or af Mau or Ryan's World or whatever 306 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 2: it is, these are the things that kids are really 307 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,959 Speaker 2: leaning into. And so the toy program that launches this 308 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:24,480 Speaker 2: fall with Bonkers is going to be sick and what 309 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 2: comes over the next twelve months, even after this, the 310 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 2: design of where this is going is something that we 311 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 2: believe can be as robust as some of the toy 312 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 2: businesses that Michael was involved with prior to Skivity Toilet 313 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 2: and could be something years from now. That's pretty significant. 314 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:40,480 Speaker 1: So could you tell us what kind of toys we 315 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 1: could expect? 316 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 2: Well, everything now from mystery packs to role play to 317 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:47,400 Speaker 2: vehicles to. 318 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: You know, you name it. 319 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 2: There's really not a category anything that you would expect 320 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,600 Speaker 2: to see for Transformers or a Marvel toy or anything 321 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 2: like that. Obviously, not everything comes online in the fall, 322 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 2: but all the designs at this point because the franchise 323 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,800 Speaker 2: has everything. It has weapons, it has role play, it 324 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:06,719 Speaker 2: has characters, it has action figures, it has puzzles, it 325 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:08,920 Speaker 2: has games, it has publishing. 326 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:10,399 Speaker 1: It really has all the. 327 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 2: Things that you're looking for in a mega hit so far. 328 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:15,639 Speaker 2: And that's a testament to the imagination of our creator. 329 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: Yes, however, then I wonder whether, especially given the title, 330 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:27,080 Speaker 1: given the I don't know if you call it the protagonist, 331 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:31,719 Speaker 1: but the toilet main character, is that all that going 332 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: to fly at Walmart? Is the violence gonna fly? I 333 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 1: just wonder, especially when you're you know, you're looking at 334 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: some of the press this has gotten, especially globally when 335 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: there's talk about, you know, the moral panic, and you know, 336 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: there's been headlines about like where they've actually talked about 337 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: a skibbity toilet syndrome where kids, I mean, it's hard 338 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: to take this stuff, si, I know where you know, 339 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:05,800 Speaker 1: kids have trouble potty training because of skibbity toilet and 340 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: they're afraid, you know, heads are going to pop out 341 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 1: of toilets, Like, could this stuff actually create a problem 342 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: for introducing this to a mass market? It's beloved so clearly. 343 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 2: I you know, I am not a retail expert that 344 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 2: you know, we'll see the proof when you know, it 345 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 2: starts rolling out at this point. But what I what 346 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 2: I believe is we are seeing a very significant audience 347 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,879 Speaker 2: from episode to episode that's not growing significantly at this 348 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 2: point just simply because it's so significant, But it's not dipping. 349 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,920 Speaker 2: We are seeing like real consistency in terms of who 350 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 2: this audience is. And I think again, part of the 351 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 2: you know, part of the thing that you and I 352 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:51,640 Speaker 2: or all of my friends or any of my kids, 353 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 2: even in my own house look at sometimes and think 354 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 2: this is weird and obscure is exactly the thing that 355 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 2: makes it awesome. It's the thing that makes it unique 356 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 2: and interesting and cool. And yeah, there's a toilet, but 357 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 2: the toilet is the toilets are a small part of 358 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 2: this franchise. And if you, as I said earlier, if 359 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 2: you take the toilets out of it and you look 360 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 2: at it, it's no different than Optimists and Bumblebee and Megatron. 361 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:21,919 Speaker 2: These are giant mechanized warriors that are having gigantic, dynamic 362 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,160 Speaker 2: battles and you know, terrific action. 363 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with Adam Goodman and more on 364 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 1: skibbity toilet, and we are back with Adam Goodman. Stephen 365 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 1: Colbert had a little fun with Joe Biden and imagining 366 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,879 Speaker 1: what it might be like to well have a listen 367 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: to what he did with this internet craze and the 368 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: current president. 369 00:21:55,560 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 4: And of course for the very online skibbity Biden Biden. 370 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,800 Speaker 5: Give me, give me evined, guit evided, give me these, 371 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 5: give me evin that hiders like what tron. 372 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 3: Trump Trump is, use Hitler's Likewhitler's like what Trump is? 373 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,359 Speaker 1: Useless language, giv d give. 374 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:28,439 Speaker 4: Me Now, if you don't understand that video, your grandchildren 375 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 4: will explain it and you still won't understand. 376 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: So, Adam, when you hear something like that, does that 377 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: sort of uh give you a sense that it's kind 378 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: of like priming the older audience for accepting what could 379 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: be a household name for even people who are not 380 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,359 Speaker 1: in the target audience, that will give them a sense 381 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: of what could be something that their kids or grandkids 382 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:58,880 Speaker 1: are soon going to be asking for. 383 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 2: Or does that No, we have such a long way 384 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 2: to get from where we are right now with our 385 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 2: audience to Stephen Colbert's audience at this point. 386 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: But that's okay. 387 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,679 Speaker 2: There's a lot of audience that there's younger audience that 388 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,960 Speaker 2: we need to accept in, and there's slightly older audience 389 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,239 Speaker 2: that we need to convert to being less wary of 390 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:23,159 Speaker 2: the brain rot and more aware of the episodes, the 391 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 2: storytelling and the narrative that's being leaned into this at 392 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:26,280 Speaker 2: this point. 393 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 1: So you said that, you know, there's sort of the 394 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: earliest conversations going on about taking this property to film 395 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: or TV. Why isn't it essential? I mean, can you 396 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: really make the same amount of money on digital platforms 397 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: on just YouTube? What about also the other digital platforms. 398 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: I mean, it's certainly got a presence on TikTok. What 399 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: is your general approach here in terms of monetization, because 400 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,320 Speaker 1: I would have, oh no, you gotta have the you know, 401 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 1: a cinematic universe for this. 402 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 6: Yeah. 403 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:05,199 Speaker 7: No. 404 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 2: I mean, look, there have been very successful businesses that 405 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,919 Speaker 2: have been wholly organic to the digital space. If you 406 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,719 Speaker 2: look at what Ryan did with his toy business, this 407 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,120 Speaker 2: is a business that has done solidly nine figures worth 408 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 2: of toy sales alone over the last number. 409 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:21,880 Speaker 1: Of years Ryan meaning Ryan's World. 410 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, and eventually Ryan switched over to Nickelodeon, but its 411 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 2: main driver was his YouTube channel. So going traditional is fantastic, 412 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 2: and our design for it is something that we aspire 413 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 2: to make something that is really awesome. I look at 414 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 2: what fortiesh and Netflix did with our Cane and that 415 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 2: was a terrific series in something that you look at 416 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 2: and again as a video game person, it seems obvious now, 417 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 2: but at the time, none of these things are obvious, 418 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:53,159 Speaker 2: and we do believe that we can do something that 419 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:57,640 Speaker 2: is really like, really cool and more anime and more 420 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 2: sophisticated than what the YouTube channels do every single day, 421 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,120 Speaker 2: just because of resources that are there. But the business 422 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:10,480 Speaker 2: is so beyond YouTube. Roadblocks is something that our licensee, 423 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:14,360 Speaker 2: our license partners who are using Skibty and Roadblocks are 424 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:20,680 Speaker 2: doing such a phenomenal amount of hours spent with our IP. 425 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,560 Speaker 2: And so what's incredible about this IP is that some 426 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,040 Speaker 2: kids are finding it through YouTube, and some kids are 427 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,919 Speaker 2: finding it through Roadblocks and don't even really know all 428 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 2: that much about the YouTube channel of its own. They're 429 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 2: learning the characters and they're modeling it, they're twinning with 430 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 2: their characters, they're talking to their friends about it. 431 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 1: So there's a whole other. 432 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 2: World that Michael and I have learned about over the 433 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,000 Speaker 2: last few years of being in this business that is 434 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 2: as significant as anything that we've ever been involved with 435 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,840 Speaker 2: in our entire careers. And film and television will only 436 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:58,359 Speaker 2: give us escape velocity and allow us to do amazing 437 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:01,120 Speaker 2: things and to develop this out that years from now 438 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 2: it be still has real relevance. But if we don't 439 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 2: do film and television, it's still something that has, you know, 440 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 2: incredible business opportunities. For The key is right now is 441 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 2: that when you're working with traditional partners, which is fantastic, 442 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:20,280 Speaker 2: but number one, you're always subject to mother may I, Mother, 443 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 2: may I do another season? Mother may I, you know, 444 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 2: do a new toy line? 445 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:25,439 Speaker 1: Mother may I? 446 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:25,879 Speaker 6: You know? 447 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,159 Speaker 2: And and so right now we have a lot of 448 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:32,239 Speaker 2: control over this ip and in giving our creator the 449 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:35,359 Speaker 2: ability to do things that typically once they go into 450 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 2: a partnership with a film or TV studio, they may 451 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 2: be firewalled. 452 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: From some of their imagination at that point. Okay, it's 453 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: just in terms of I kind of liken it to 454 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: an organ transplant. I just wonder whether once you take 455 00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: this property out of YouTube, whether that's sort of underground 456 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:02,719 Speaker 1: appeal that I feel like it has could somehow be lost. 457 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: He himself, Alexi Boom has talked about not wanting for 458 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 1: it to feel corporate, and with all due respect to 459 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:18,000 Speaker 1: yourself to Michael Bay, does the association you guys bring, 460 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 1: does that risk it turning corporate? 461 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 2: I mean, I don't think that any of the properties 462 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,800 Speaker 2: that Michael and I have been involved with are necessarily 463 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:34,399 Speaker 2: thought of as being corporate. They're commercial, they're blockbusters. There 464 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 2: are things that you know, again Michael, not me. I 465 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 2: was only lucky enough to be the executive on those things. 466 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 2: But I think with vision, this becomes something you know, imagine. Again, 467 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 2: this is kind of crazy to think about because we're 468 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 2: thinking through the lens of everything that we've seen. But 469 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,359 Speaker 2: if you thought about this more of a John Wick 470 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 2: District nine version, where it's a hybrid of live action 471 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 2: and you know, incredible you know, visual effects and animation, 472 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:05,639 Speaker 2: something like this and some of the art that we 473 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 2: are developing and seeing right now can be so badass 474 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 2: and so spectacular and so different than what anything that 475 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 2: you've looked at and yes, you may look at this 476 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 2: thing at first and kind of blink your eyes at 477 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 2: this and say it's not for me, but our hope 478 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:21,399 Speaker 2: and the challenge is this is to make sure. 479 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: That it's awesome. 480 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,360 Speaker 2: What we won't do is make something just to make 481 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 2: it that would be a money grab and that we're 482 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,040 Speaker 2: not interested in doing because the business is doing so 483 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 2: well for us right now. But if we find a 484 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 2: partner in this that really believes that there is opportunity 485 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 2: for this to grow and to really see the storytelling 486 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:41,160 Speaker 2: grow and for this to be what we hope this 487 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 2: can be, then film and TV seems like a natural 488 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:44,239 Speaker 2: extension for us. 489 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: I mean, you say live action, and we should note 490 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 1: this thing barely has dialogue. I mean, there's been over 491 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: seventy episodes. I guess you know there are multiple minutes. 492 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: It's hard for me to even imagine like actors in it, 493 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: Like is Glenn Powell going to show up and you know, 494 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 1: audition with a toilet over his head? 495 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 7: I just like it. 496 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,920 Speaker 1: Boggles the mind here. I mean, I actually wonder whether 497 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: it's international appeal is the fact that there is no dialogue. 498 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: It's just sort of translatable. Do you feel like that's 499 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:19,240 Speaker 1: part of the appeal. 500 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 2: It's it's it absolutely. I mean, our international numbers are 501 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 2: staggering for this. I would age we have a massive 502 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 2: US audience to it, but it peals in comparison to 503 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 2: the rest of the globe. At this point, I'm certain 504 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 2: that it feels localized in every region it plays simply 505 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 2: because there is a little dialogue in this. But the 506 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 2: great thing about where we're going with this is we've 507 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 2: been slowly putting dialogue into the episodes and the audience 508 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 2: is reacting great to it. 509 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 1: Well. I can't wait for the theme park rydes that 510 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: I think will be the cherry on top. Thank you 511 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:55,760 Speaker 1: so much for coming in, Adam. This has been a 512 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 1: really interesting conversation. I can't wait to see what you 513 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: do with this next. Thank you for having me. I 514 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 1: appreciate it. And now for a bonus segment. You may 515 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 1: not have heard of skibbety toilet before, but you may 516 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: have heard the word skibbety or riz phantom tax yeah sigma. 517 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 1: Now to the untrained ear, these words may sound like 518 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: total gibberish, but when I heard them come out of 519 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 1: the mouths of my next guess, I learned there something 520 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:29,280 Speaker 1: of a second language among Generation Z and Alpha, and 521 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:33,240 Speaker 1: they're known as brain rot. Think of it as online 522 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 1: subculture where skibbety toilet is just one of many, many, 523 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 1: really really stupid memes. And because my Generation X mind 524 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,880 Speaker 1: is too old and feeble to comprehend any of this, 525 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,960 Speaker 1: I am joined by my own sixteen year old son 526 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 1: Max and his best pal Eli to help me make 527 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 1: sense of it all. Thanks for joining me in studio, gentlemen. 528 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:55,520 Speaker 8: Thanks for having me. 529 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:56,479 Speaker 7: Yeah, thank you. 530 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:00,320 Speaker 1: Let's just start real simple here and no pressure. But 531 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,719 Speaker 1: you're here basically as representatives of everyone on earth, like 532 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 1: eighteen and under. What does skibbity mean? 533 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 7: It really has no meaning at all, but really, yeah, 534 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 7: there's no meaning behind skibvity. Well, it comes from a 535 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 7: meme before the skibbity toilet meme, so like the skivvity 536 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:23,720 Speaker 7: toilet is like an animated show. And then it comes 537 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 7: from a previous meme in which it's like some a 538 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:31,480 Speaker 7: Bulgarian song and like a fat guy like a belly dance, 539 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 7: like a song, fat guy dancing like shaking his belly, 540 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 7: and it's like a Bulgarian song, and it's like it 541 00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 7: sounds like the song is saying skibbty, like it's completely gibberish, like, 542 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:44,040 Speaker 7: but that's where the word is taken from, and then 543 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 7: they made the serious off of that. 544 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 5: So but but what are we what are we old 545 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,880 Speaker 5: people supposed to take to the fact that the language 546 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:56,960 Speaker 5: is gibberish and means nothing, like, what's the point of 547 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 5: saying it? 548 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 7: Then there are brain rot terms that have meaning, but 549 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 7: the term skibbety has no true definition and is more 550 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,120 Speaker 7: of just like a filler word to throw in when 551 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 7: you're talking about brain rot. 552 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:09,920 Speaker 1: Right, So then let's get to a word that you mentioned, 553 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 1: phantom tax, Like, right, what does that mean? 554 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 7: So this comes from the popular streamer Kaisinat and he 555 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 7: has a friend named Phantom who likes to take his 556 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:23,560 Speaker 7: food while he's streaming and take a few bites of 557 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 7: his food. And people kind of took that and started 558 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 7: calling it the phantom tax. 559 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 8: Uh huh, Yeah, that makes sense. But like skibbity is, 560 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,479 Speaker 8: there's no like etymological meaning or anything. It's it's just 561 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:40,000 Speaker 8: complete gibberish and it's completely meaningless. 562 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:44,160 Speaker 1: Okay, I'm starting to understand why this is called brain 563 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 1: rot because these words really I mean, well, first of all, like, 564 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:52,560 Speaker 1: should we actually be concerned for the state of your brains, 565 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:54,320 Speaker 1: Like is this a medical condition? 566 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 7: No, not our brains, but the young generations. 567 00:32:57,840 --> 00:32:58,560 Speaker 8: Yeah, the young one. 568 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 1: Oh so you as like we should at at sixteen, 569 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 1: you're sort of like the bottom end of generation ZE, 570 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: but you're worried about the alphas. 571 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 8: Well, we're fine, Like we think like this stuff is 572 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:11,320 Speaker 8: funny because they think it's funny and they take it 573 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:11,920 Speaker 8: like seriously. 574 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:17,040 Speaker 7: But brain rot and just like like TikTok in general, 575 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:21,040 Speaker 7: has a lot of like negative side effects. For example, 576 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:26,000 Speaker 7: it messes with attention spans and also memory consuming like 577 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 7: hours of just short form videos with no meaning behind 578 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,480 Speaker 7: them does negatively impact a memory, especially in younger kids 579 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 7: who are consuming it like all day long. 580 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: Okay, so there is actual reason for concern here. Is 581 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 1: there any part of brain rot that is like redeemable, 582 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 1: Like like what about Riz? I mean, you know, riz 583 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:51,280 Speaker 1: seems to be something that's like that seems to be something. 584 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,760 Speaker 8: Cool, like yeah, I mean that that has a meaning. 585 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:56,920 Speaker 8: It comes from charisma. It's just it's short for that, right, 586 00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 8: It's just like your play like how much he can 587 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 8: you attract women? 588 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, which begs the question, I mean, do you guys 589 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 1: have riz? 590 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 7: Oh yeah, a lot of riz. 591 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:09,480 Speaker 1: Is that measurable? 592 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 7: It's hard to measure, but it can be done. 593 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:14,360 Speaker 1: Do I have riz? 594 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:18,160 Speaker 8: I mean you have a wife and kids, so I guess. 595 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:20,359 Speaker 1: So if I have a wife and kid, that meets 596 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,719 Speaker 1: you had to wife? Is a verb too? 597 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:26,920 Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah, it's it's actually multiple parts of speech. 598 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:27,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, a lot. 599 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 8: Like a lot of these brain rot terms. 600 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:35,040 Speaker 1: Are it can be noun verb interesting? Yeah, okay, Well 601 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:37,960 Speaker 1: what about brain rot in general? Do you think it's 602 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:42,720 Speaker 1: going to be like a lasting media phenomenon that will 603 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:46,759 Speaker 1: grow as the generation that made it popular grows with it, 604 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: Like it'll soon be like a television aesthetic. 605 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 7: I think brain rot will definitely evolve into like other things, 606 00:34:56,680 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 7: not just like skibbity toilet like on TikTok. At least 607 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,359 Speaker 7: there's definitely like trends that appear every now and then 608 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:07,120 Speaker 7: of like different types of brain rot like subgroups. Right, 609 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:09,560 Speaker 7: Like RIZ was probably one of the first ones to 610 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:12,000 Speaker 7: come up, and that was like many years ago, like 611 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,880 Speaker 7: twenty twenty two, maybe twenty twenty three. Skibbity toylets more recent, 612 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:18,840 Speaker 7: you know, phantom text too, Like it kind of like 613 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:23,799 Speaker 7: it grows over time. But I think it'll probably just 614 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,760 Speaker 7: stay as like a TikTok joke brain rock terms. 615 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 8: Yes, I would also say it's worth noting that I 616 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:34,680 Speaker 8: think the word brain rot has sort of migrated as 617 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:38,400 Speaker 8: a definition, Like I think I think it originally meant 618 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:42,200 Speaker 8: like just that specific set of stupid, weird memes that 619 00:35:42,239 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 8: were created by Jen Alfha, like skimby toilet and stuff 620 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 8: like that. I think, like, like, do you agree, do 621 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:50,759 Speaker 8: you think people use it as just meme culture in 622 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,400 Speaker 8: general now as like anything stupid on TikTok? 623 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:59,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, why don't you think adults get brain rot? Like 624 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:03,520 Speaker 1: why don't they understand it and kind of freaked out 625 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:03,840 Speaker 1: by it? 626 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 8: They didn't make it? Yeah, I can't blame them. It's 627 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:07,640 Speaker 8: really weird. 628 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:09,880 Speaker 7: Even us as gen z don't really get it because 629 00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:11,359 Speaker 7: we didn't really come up with it. 630 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:13,759 Speaker 8: The younger generation did, so we don't. We don't think 631 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 8: it's like funny. We just think it's funny that they 632 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 8: think it's funny. So I mean we're laughing at them. Yeah, 633 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:21,720 Speaker 8: they're laughing at the brain rot like they think it's funny. 634 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 8: We're laughing at them, like we're making a joke. 635 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 7: Like I've tried to talk to my little sister about 636 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:29,400 Speaker 7: brain rot, right, I asked her if she if she 637 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:32,279 Speaker 7: knew about skibbity toilet, and she told me that she 638 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:36,000 Speaker 7: dabbles in skibbity toilet from time to time, and she 639 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:37,920 Speaker 7: was pretty serious about it. It didn't seem like a 640 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,480 Speaker 7: joke to her, and she couldn't really tell that I 641 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,080 Speaker 7: was joking, which is a little it's a little scary, 642 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:43,759 Speaker 7: I think. 643 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:46,600 Speaker 8: But yeah, I mean, like I guess that sort of 644 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,080 Speaker 8: talks to the point of like just the scope of it. 645 00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:52,000 Speaker 8: Because like if you I don't know about you, but 646 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:54,279 Speaker 8: you can tell me your experience. But if you ask 647 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,520 Speaker 8: like any nine or ten year old or like somebody 648 00:36:57,560 --> 00:37:02,239 Speaker 8: around that age range, like chances are they know what 649 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,640 Speaker 8: skimmity toy it is. I'd say like seventy percent of 650 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:08,399 Speaker 8: children that age know what you're talking about. 651 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,959 Speaker 1: It's not as if like other forms of entertainment, they're gone, 652 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 1: right usual TV shows, movies, whatnot. It's not like we 653 00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:20,160 Speaker 1: could waive all that goodbye and brain row takes over 654 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:21,160 Speaker 1: everything exactly. 655 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean, I think it's it will be hard 656 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,520 Speaker 8: for brain rot, for the entertainment industry to sort of 657 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:31,560 Speaker 8: market brain rot to the general public if they want to. 658 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:35,160 Speaker 8: But I mean they've made a ton of stupid things, 659 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,280 Speaker 8: like they made Five Nights at freddy That's a movie 660 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 8: now like that started out? 661 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 7: Is like that comes from a video game with like 662 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,000 Speaker 7: an actual storyline like that. There's substance to that. 663 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 8: No, but it's it's it's a younger like gen X 664 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:50,960 Speaker 8: isn't playing five Nuts at Freddy's And they made it 665 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:51,640 Speaker 8: into a movie. 666 00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:53,880 Speaker 7: But what can you really like mark it off of 667 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,080 Speaker 7: brain ro I mean there's no meaning, there's no story behind. 668 00:37:57,280 --> 00:37:59,840 Speaker 8: Yeah, it will be hard to market that. 669 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:04,000 Speaker 1: But you realize that, you know, not too long ago 670 00:38:04,239 --> 00:38:07,319 Speaker 1: they had these kinds of conversations about like how are 671 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 1: they going to turn the Transformers or Lego into a movie? 672 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:16,479 Speaker 1: And look at it now, so you never know. While 673 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:18,799 Speaker 1: we're on this subject, Max, we should point out this 674 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:22,359 Speaker 1: is not your first time on this podcast. Five years ago, 675 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: at the tender age of eleven, you came on to 676 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:30,240 Speaker 1: discuss your impressions of virtual reality technology and you express 677 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:33,759 Speaker 1: some optimism for the development of this market. Let's take 678 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:34,240 Speaker 1: a listen. 679 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:37,320 Speaker 6: I think I'll probably do more because it's going to 680 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,400 Speaker 6: be more updated and more improved, and you can do 681 00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:43,920 Speaker 6: more things, and it's probably going to be like, you know, 682 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:45,960 Speaker 6: like everyone's going to be into it. It's going to 683 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:49,359 Speaker 6: be like right now, VR is like the biggest thing, 684 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,239 Speaker 6: and it has used to grow and more people use it. 685 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:56,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, first of all, ain't puberty a kick? Second, 686 00:38:57,200 --> 00:38:59,920 Speaker 1: it's awesome that Eli is here too, because you guys 687 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:04,920 Speaker 1: often played VR games together remotely over the years. So 688 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:06,920 Speaker 1: I want to hear you both comments on how you 689 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:10,759 Speaker 1: feel today about the state of VR as an entertainment 690 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:14,239 Speaker 1: device versus when you first started years ago. Do you 691 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:16,800 Speaker 1: feel that sense of optimism still. 692 00:39:17,239 --> 00:39:23,640 Speaker 8: I feel optimistic still, but I don't think it exactly 693 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:27,000 Speaker 8: met my expectations that I set when I was eleven. 694 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:33,000 Speaker 8: I don't think VR has gotten substantially bigger as I 695 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:38,239 Speaker 8: as I said five years ago, but I still play 696 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:40,000 Speaker 8: it from time to time. I often I've had, like, 697 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:45,960 Speaker 8: you know, several two week three week phases, Yeah, phases 698 00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:48,040 Speaker 8: where I play like super diligently. 699 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:51,359 Speaker 7: I'd have to agree with Max. I think, like at 700 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:53,799 Speaker 7: the age that he spoke on that podcast, like, I 701 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:56,920 Speaker 7: definitely had much higher hopes for VR. I thought it 702 00:39:56,960 --> 00:40:00,840 Speaker 7: was going to get a lot bigger, like technologically, but 703 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,000 Speaker 7: it hasn't. I haven't seen a lot of change and 704 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:06,080 Speaker 7: it definitely hasn't gone that much bigger. The Apple Vision 705 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:09,000 Speaker 7: Pro did have some pretty cool like features and stuff, 706 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 7: and it's definitely an interesting piece of technology, but I 707 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:14,400 Speaker 7: think VR has a long way to go before it 708 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:15,280 Speaker 7: gets a lot bigger. 709 00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:19,080 Speaker 1: Well, we'll just have to check in again in another 710 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:23,200 Speaker 1: five years, and then another five years till eventually you 711 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:27,880 Speaker 1: inherit the Strictly Business podcast from me and are asking 712 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:30,600 Speaker 1: your own child about what he thinks of the next 713 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:33,719 Speaker 1: generation of devices. Sorry, like you're gonna have to get 714 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:37,160 Speaker 1: your own podcast, but I'm confident that you will. Yeah, 715 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:39,160 Speaker 1: and I thank you both for joining me today. 716 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:40,440 Speaker 7: Thank you, Thank you. 717 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:45,120 Speaker 8: Thanks for listening. 718 00:40:45,560 --> 00:40:48,520 Speaker 3: Be sure to leave us a review at Apple Podcasts 719 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 3: or Amazon Music. We love to hear from listeners. Please 720 00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:54,600 Speaker 3: go to Variety dot com and sign up for the 721 00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:59,040 Speaker 3: free weekly Strictly Business newsletter, and don't forget to tune 722 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 3: in next week for another episode of Strictly Business.