Dropout’s Sam Reich gives advice to new content creators

What does it take to make Mashable 101 a reality? You have to be a content creator at the top of your game. You need to create videos that are not only viral but also important. And who better to give you advice on how to pave your way to becoming a great creator than Dropout’s game masters?

Mashable Entertainment editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Sam Reich, CEO and owner of Dropout and host of Game Changer, Brennan Lee Mulligan, creator of Dimension 20, and Vic Michaelis, host/producer of Very important People, about the rise and unique popularity of comedy streaming platforms.

In separate interviews, Reich, Mulligan, and Michaelis reflected on their journey as creators and comedians. When asked what kind of path they would like to show to those who come next, they answered:

Sam Reich: “You should steal from the dropouts”

No, seriously. “Anyone is welcome to steal Dropout’s very obvious business strategy and run with it,” he told Mashable before clearly explaining the steps to follow.

“We create a subscription platform using Vimeo or one of the many similar platforms that are basically free to get started,” Reich explained.

From there, Reich said, “we create long-form productions and use social media to market them. What we’ve done specifically that might be a little smart is that each show has its own social channels, rather than a network-wide channel. This allows everyone to We’ve been able to scale social media in a way that you can’t find. You can also take advantage of algorithmic consistency, which means the algorithm likes it when you feed it the same kind of thing over and over, rather than when you feed it different things.”

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Reich said he partnered with friend and fellow Mashable 101 award winner Katherine McCafferty on her web series “Pretty Gay.” “We put a little bit of money into it to help Katherine get off the ground,” he explained, “What we actually gave her was like a social strategy, and Katherine is completely crushing it now.

“So those are two things, and number three, don’t be a shitty person,” Reich warned. To be clear, he expands on this advice, saying it can be applied to “anything from profit sharing, paying for auditions, to inclusivity. So basically being a teammate of your employees instead of an adversary.”

Brennan Lee Mulligan and Vic Michaelis give advice to aspiring content creators

Mulligan and Michaelis, both Dropout contributors, have experience in live improvisational comedy and have helped score points and generate laughs on Reich-hosted shows such as Game Changers and Make Some Noise.

However, Mulligan may be best known for his long-running series Dimension 20, which combines improv comedy with a Dungeons & Dragons-like tabletop role-playing game.

Asked what he’d like to pass on to other creators what he’s learned, Mulligan mused, “The world is changing so rapidly that it feels like it’s hard to know how someone can follow someone’s path, right? It feels like every five years, the kaleidoscope shifts and there’s a new reality out there.”

Mulligan says, “You know who gets it right? It’s the people who come from the heart and do the human thing. I can’t say that doing it always guarantees widespread connection with the mass market. But I can say that it creates something meaningful. That meaningfulness. A thing may connect with five people. It may connect with five million people. But I guarantee you that the path to a meaningful life is out there. If you’re interested in a creative field, your chances are highest when you do something that’s meaningful to you.”

Michaelis echoed this in another interview, saying, “If you really follow your voice and put your best into what you do, there will be an opportunity for it to shine and be showcased,” adding, “There will be a space. There will be an audience. Whatever humanity is in what you’re doing, there will be other people who will relate to it.”

How to watch: Game Changer, Make Some Noise, Very important People, and Dimension 20 are all streaming on Dropout.