Do you guys have any advice for aspiring filmmakers? I’ve been looking around and all I’ve heard/read is that the most important thing is to simply make things, which is obviously very important, but is there anything to know before you actually start making things, you know, for people who are starting from nothing? Are there any resources you could recommend?
I’m very excited for Lazer Team and will be backing as soon as I have some spare money!
The "just get started" war cry can be a little frustrating when someone feels paralyzed by the fear of taking that first step. I think Robert Rodriguez said it best in his Rebel Without A Crew biography. (Paraphrasing here): "I think that everyone has at least a dozen or so bad movies in them; the sooner you get them out the better"
Time spent making content is never wasted, even if no one ever sees it. By the time you finish one project, you have learned so much that you can apply to your next work. My first movie The Schedule would embarass me to watch today but without it, Red vs Blue would have never happened which means Rooster Teeth would not exist.
I am certainly that person paralyzed by fear. I guess I'm just going to have to push myself to do it. I'll just start making things for me and share when I've finally made something I think is good. Thanks for responding to my question. Means a lot.
Make something and don't show it to anyone. Displaying your early work is not a requirement even though it seems weird to make something you don't intend to show.
Hi Burnie! I got to meet you at VidCon, which was by the way one of the most awesome things I did there. I was the guy who gave you the MC poster and asked you to say fuck you to my friend. Do you plan on streaming the movie on your site and/or at the next RTX?
We don't make content for any specific format. It's hard to predict what will even be a dominant method of distribution in 12-18 months. We just make the best content we can and figure out how to let people see it when it's done.
Hi Burnie, massive fan of your work at Roosterteeth, massive respect for you as a businessman and entrepreneur and also seem like a top guy. You've probably answered this question a million times, but what is your favourite type of work within Roosterteeth, the live action filming such as Shorts and Immersion or do you prefer working on projects such as RvB and RWBY? P.s Thanks for many years of entertainment, hope it continues for a while to come.
I look at RT as two major forms of productions: personality driven content and narrative content. While I love the personality content I have made at RT like the Podcast and Immersion, my personal passion is the narrative side. Even when playing myself in a video, I still try to play a character (like the RT Office Tour). It's great to be able to do it for a living.
Hi Burnie!
How much has the story for Lazer Team changed since you first came up with the idea?
Really not all that much. It's one of those stories that has a clear concept and we have lots of experience with the theme of idiots in extraordinary circumstances. It's been a process of steady refinement rather than massive overhauls.
Have you ever met someone who was famous that was more excited to meet you than you were to meet them?
Also, give Barbara high five for us, she deserves it for putting together RTX.
To answer this question, I would have to name a famous person I wasn't excited to meet. That might not be the nicest thing to say. It is odd to meet people whose work I admire and to find out they already know mine as well. The first few years of Rooster Teeth, it took about twenty minutes just to explain what the hell I do for a living. My parents never understood.
I will tell Babs when I see her later. She might be too tired to lift her arms to high five though.
Just spill the birds, you were flattered some famous person was excited to meet you weren't you.
I am more excited by the expression "spilling the birds"
For LazerTeam, how much of the cast will be current RoosterTeeth employees as opposed to outside actors?
That depends on where we end with the final budget. We recognize that we aren't household names but also that if you went to a Rooster Teeth movie and didn't see any RT cast, that would be weird. When the finance dust begins to settle, we will make the best decisions then.
For full disclosure: one of the reasons for this AMA is to raise awareness of our campaign outside the existing RT audience. The success of the campaign has already generated so much press thanks to you guys. If we hit #1, it will only generate that much more. That lets other talented artists hear about the project and allows them to express interest in participating. That's huge for guys like us who don't already have those established relationships.
Lootcrate is handling the shipping for international.
This is true.
Will you guys be doing any auditions for Lazer Team's casting? If so, do you have any idea when that might be taking place?
Also, congrats on the success of the IndieGoGo campaign! You guys deserve it.
There is an open casting call at RTX
Hey Burnie! I'm a long time fan of Rooster Teeth!
How highly do you recommend going to the University of Texas? It's one of my top schools to go to for a film/production major. I'm from PA which is far from UT so maybe you can convince me to come down to Texas! Thanks!
I am a UT alum and happy with my life so I don't have much perspective other than that to give. UT is great for teaching you at a young age that no one is watching out for you. You are on your own. With 50,000 students there's no illusion that you are a special snowflake.
What's your favorite kind of sandwich?
Jimmy John's #5 no tomato
Why Jimmy John's when Thunder Cloud is so much better!
Thundercloud Club.
Hey, Burnie. I'm approaching my 8th anniversary as a member of the RT site in a few weeks. Thanks for all the laughs and talks about dicks and science. Looking forward to Lazer Team.
As someone who has been a fan for a while, it's been great seeing you guys grow both as a company and in popularity. However, one drawback to that, for me at least, is that we haven't seen the founders (you, Gus, Geoff, Joel, Matt) collaborate together as much as before. I know you're all busy with your individual responsibilities, but are the original members of Rooster Teeth going to do something together in the foreseeable future (shorts, podcast, etc.)?
Thanks for eight years of support. I think the company is so big now, the groups move in waves. For years it was just me, Matt, Geoff, Gus, Jason and Nathan in the office. When Joel came on I worked mostly with Geoff and Gus for a few years then mainly Gus and newer employees. Now looking at the next few years it will probably be back to Matt I work with most. It's been years since that was the case.
With a bigger "cast" everyone in the audience has their favorites and their favorite groupings. I don't think about it like that. I think everyone is much more focused on projects than who is working on that project.
Personally, I tend to move wherever I can offer the most help and that usually means the new projects that are starting up.
We just want to believe that the original crew are still best friends. It's sad for everyone else, except for you, Geoff, Gus and Matt.
Reblogging on Tumblr.
Hi Burnie! I've always wondered why Dan Godwin and Jason Saldana didn't get more involved in the company. Did they just want to do their own thing, or were they already involved in something that prevented them from getting more involved in Roosterteeth? Hopefully this isn't too personal of a question for you to answer.
Dan had a job he liked, Jason was in-office for a few years and then did other things. I can't speak for anyone else's choices, but I cal tell you that production jobs aren't as exciting as they appear from the outside.
Hey Burnie.
Lately there's been a growing interest among big names in the movie world to move towards making more television and online content.
Do you think this potential influx of established big name talent into the online world is going to seriously damage the chances for more independent online content producers to really get their work out there?
Yes. Sorry. I don't want that to be the case because I came up in a world where that wasn't true, but it absolutely is now. You also have to look at the incredible noise floor being generated by all the so called "non-famous" content creators as well. Every minute on YouTube, 100 hours of footage are uploaded. Not watched. Uploaded. If you want to watch every thing on YouTube you would fall four days behind every minute you tried to do that.
It makes discovery of new content a very challenging process. However, the only alternatives are establishing barriers to entry. That's not good either. You just have to hope that the best content rises to the top, regardless if famous people or not famous people are making it.
Has the company ever considered expanding outside the city of Austin, whether in state or out?
Yes. We have a distribution center for merchandise in Australia and we are working on the UK as well.
As far as production offices, LA would be our next bet. I would have loved if the online entertainment world had stayed decentralized but that ship sailed a few years ago.
It's obvious that as soon as youtubers get semi-big they flock to LA. Why exactly is that?
It's opportunity. If you look at my social media profiles, they say I live in LA but I am really only there about a third of my time at most. Entertainment opportunities are so fleeting. If you give people ANY reason to let them evaporate, that tends to happen. You have to think around corners and eliminate the bullshit roadblocks other people put up. So when someone says "can you meet today", I tell them I am busy, schedule something for tomorrow and hop on a plane. I never have the "I don't live in LA" discussion because that always leads to the "we should catch up next time you are in town" reply.
Why anyone pays California state income tax by choice is beyond me.
Because the higher income tax is proportionate to how awesome our weather is.
Btw, thanks for years of wonderful content.
I can't argue with that. It's a thousand degrees right now in Austin.
How involved are you in RvB now? With all the other stuff you do, do you still have time to write/direct episodes?
Miles and I discuss script/story milestones and that's about it. Miles is at the helm. I don't believe in turning something over and then trying run it through them. We hired Miles because he gets the voice of RvB, but it's not a ventriloquist act. He's doing a kick ass job.
Hey Burnie,
Are there any practices or ideologies concerning Roosterteeth that you've changed? Or, rather, how much have you changed since the beginning? Five years ago? Last year?
After listening to some older podcasts and listening to the most recent one, it seems like one thing that has stayed consistent is your focus on the community rather than purely the numbers, which I find amazing. Especially so since the community is so huge now and you still try your best to be actively involved in it.
Best wishes!
We try to stay adaptive without abandoning our core ideals. For instance, when YouTube started we initially identified them as a competitor. Why would we put our videos on another site for "exposure" which was all they offered at the time? When they became the default platform for online video and started a partner program, then we adapted that outlook and started our channel. But we never made it RT's primary destination. We have always understood the power of having our own home on the web.
And now everyone is finally starting to understand this as well. Most of the discussions this year at VidCon were about other groups starting their off-YouTube strategies. We don't need to talk about starting it. We have it. And we don't feel the need to be a dick by calling out YouTube at their own convention. We are very happily doing both.
It's also wonderful how the whole crew can remain interesting and entertaining without banking on pop culture
We stopped Shorts for a while because we were drifting into current event pop culture mode. It's draining and unrewarding for me to work on that stuff.
Thanks for doing this AMA.
How do you deal with criticism ?
I have built up a thick skin. A lot of people don't read the comments, but I have been on the internet a very long time. I read them and just apply a very experienced filter. For years, people in entertainment spent millions of dollars trying to figure out what audiences wanted. Now the viewers tell you for free. It's foolish to throw that away because it might hurt your feelings.
And so much of our business has been built on feedback from the community. I can't decide to ignore that because people aren't kissing my ass all day and I feel like they should.
I bet building that thick skin is a difficult character building process that takes a while, or breaks you like the creator of Fez. I honestly have no idea how you did it, but I'm sure it made everything following possible. Kudos to you.
I actually don't think Phil Fish is broken. Maybe he just thinks we're all a bunch of assholes and we can't handle someone telling us that.
Can there be a special Burnie's BBQ Thyme podcast? Much like the Shrove Tuesday casts, except you guys have a nice little BBQ! (Probably outside so you don't burn down the new office...)
We tested a cooking show on RT Life... I don't know how much interest there actually is in that.
People are interested in about anything you guys do on film
If only this were true.
With all the experience of RvB, would it be possible for RoosterTeeth to start another machinima series with the same ambition as RvB today?
Nope. The machinima movement morphed into the Let's Play movement. Some machinima makers have not taken it well, but you can't tell art which way to go.
EDIT: It's pretty telling that I have had this computer over a year and I just now had to add the word machinima to my spell check. It shows how little I type the word.
I'm curious about this. How did machinima morph into Let's Play? Did the same people who did machinima switch over to Let's Play, or do you mean that Let's Play became the dominant fan-made video game-related movement
Let's Play (the format as a whole, not just our show) is now the dominant form of machinima. There is nothing in the machinima definition that says it has to tell a fictional story. It is the use of videogames to make linear videos. Everyone thought machinima would be used to revolutionize story telling but it organically changed direction and became the basis for some of the best personality driven content on the internet.
Hi Burnie! I am a huge fan of Rooster Teeth and I wanted to ask some questions about Lazer Team:
1.) How big of a theatrical release will there be? Will it be shown in most theaters, like a blockbuster, or only show in a small amount of theaters?
2.) You have said there will be employees of Rooster Teeth in the movie, but how big will their parts be?
3.) Where will the majority of the filming be taking place? Will you have a full studio or will you be out and around looking for places to film?
We have already had offers to theatrically distribute but we can't say anything yet.
Yes, we will have to see when we get closer.
We just moved into a huge soundstage at the Austin Film Studios. That move has jumped our all production up dramatically. There's tons of resources here.
Is there anyone who does a lot for the company but isn't recognized by the fans?
Thanks for doing the AMA.
Yes and thanks for asking. This is by no means a complete list:
Yvonne -- she runs all our books and operations. She helps us plan what we can do next.
Alan -- finds new business opportunities for RT and RTX
Doreen -- a producer we have worked with for the past few years that is now full time. She kills it.
Patrick S -- runs the broadcast (podcast, livestream) division
Adam Baird -- tech dude who keeps us up and running
And about 50 other people who don't appear on camera on a regular basis that make all of this possible.
http://www.tubefilter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/rooster-teeth-staff-600x369.jpg
Do people still enjoy Alan more than you?
Unfortunately
I'm curious how often Rooster Teeth hires people that aren't in production, and more in the marketing and business departments.
I never see anything about it on your careers page and more about production roles instead.
Historically, not often. We went nine years before we hired a non-production person. It's more common now.
Burnie will you guys be coming back to London anytime soon to promote Lazer Team?
Possibly. I like London even though it's expensive as balls.
Come up north. Much better. A pint of lager is £3 at my local.
That's $1000 US.
Oh god oh god oh god I hope I'm early enough to ask!
Burnie I've loved Red vs Blue since it debuted, but I've really enjoyed the Achievement Hunter stuff, how come we don't ever (or rarely ever) see you show up? I'd love a Burnie Heist in GTA!
I did some early AH stuff and I do occasional one-off stuff still. When something at RT is working well, it's easy for me to move on to new things. And AH is working really well.
Hi Burnie! If Strangerhood season 2 gets funded, how much of it will you force Ray to make?
100%
Assuming you hit the stretch goal. How excited are you to make The Strangerhood season 2?
yay I think Matt wants to kill me
Do you envision Lazer Team being the first of multiple feature length films produced by Rooster Teeth? Or a one-off masterpiece?
This a move to open up a whole new branch of production.
Do you consider Laser Team to be the most important production to come from Rooster Teeth? Do you consider it to be Rooster Teeth's masterpiece?
No. But it's going to be great.
Hey Burnie! Feel free to only answer one or two or none of my question! :D
What advice can you give for starting community meet ups for a place/country that RT is not really that well known in?
Will Ray be directing the Strangerhood season 2 if the campaign reaches that stretch goal?
Also, are there any plans to open up more spots for the loot crate perk?
Love you guys btw! :D
Just added new Loot Crates today.
There are communities everywhere. Try searching by country on the RT site.
Would you rather have fingers as long as legs or legs as long as fingers?
finger as long as legs without a doubt
When did you discover your love for filmmaking?
I don't have a love for filmmaking. I have a love for story telling and film is the best way to achieve that. That might sound like a dopey artistic answer, but I feel it's an important distinction. That's why it's easier for me to hire talented people as Directors and DPs.
Since you have a love for storytelling, If you were offered the opportunity to write for a game, such as how Anthony Burch went from writing HAWP and for Destructoid to writing Borderlands 2 for Gearbox, would you?
Writing interactive and writing linear are two totally different worlds. It would be interesting to try but I doubt I would start at the BL level.
how often are you refreshing the indigogo page right now? because it is about to hit $2,000,000
$1,999,239
Hey Burnie! I saw an interview you did with Adam Sandler for Happy Gilmore a while back and I'm wondering... How well known were you before Rooster Teeth? With Joel acting in criminal minds and friends and Matt being involved in some big productions, I get the impression you guys were pretty popular before RT.
We talked about the motivation for RT doing news in an earlier discussion. For sake of time, I will link that:
Hey Burnie! I saw an interview you did with Adam Sandler for Happy Gilmore a while back and I'm wondering... How well known were you before Rooster Teeth? With Joel acting in criminal minds and friends and Matt being involved in some big productions, I get the impression you guys were pretty popular before RT.
Oops. I mixed a reply here. I was not well known before RT. And internet well known is not the same as actually famous.
I do have to crazy longevity milestones. I have both the longest running web series and the longest running student tv show under my belt. That show Sneak Peek is still running today.
What's been your favourite moment working with RT?
PS, I love everything you guys do.
The feeling that I am going to laugh my ass off at some point during my work day. And it happens every day.
Hey Burnie, I've been a fan of Rooster Teeth for quite a while now. But what I really wanna know is, what's your favourite cereal?
Fruity Pebbles.
Burnie, I have been with you for as long as I can remember. I remember watching the second season of RvB when I was young as hell, and I had rented it from a video store. Not until years later did I realise that I had already loved you. I remember buying a black Grifball hoodie from Supanova about four years ago, I don't remember who was there for that at that time. But what I do remember was back then, you were a normal stall like everyone else but this year Michael and Lindsay had had massed hundreds of people just for a photo/signature. Anyway, my question is how is the retrospect for you? How do you feel when you look back on your career and remember all of this started with a couple of drunk college friends?
It's been an amazing ride. I am going to V2V next week to talk about Net Neutrality to help protect the environment of online media so other people have a shot to do what we have.
Thanks for the years of support.
Hey Burnie, I have been watching Rossterteeth for what feels like 5 years now, One big question is with the success of RvB do you guys think that one day you will turn into a even bigger company than what your are now? And would you like this change?
The online media environment is changing so quickly right now. It seems like all the established media players have just now realized this is an actual industry.
My goal is to always make the best choices that help us make new and better content and that give our employees the best possible opportunities.
Plans for SDCC this year? I'm going this year for the first time and I'd like to meet some RT peeps.
RT will be there. I won't.
Hello Burnie. I have been a diehard RT fan ever since the first episodes of RvB. My question is, how many senses does a human have?
Well, we know five is wrong. The 100% accurate number is "somewhere between 19-30", which is a totally scientific answer. bitter
If you could get one actor to play in Lazer Team, who would it be?
Dwayne Johnson.
How do you feel about the community raising almost 2 million dollars for the Lazer Team movie?
I don't what this "almost" bullshit is. You just did it! :)
It's crazy. Absolutely amazing.
Will RTX be the only place you hold casting sessions and/or crew call, or will you be spreading out to bring in talent across the country?
We have casting directors. RTX is our only opening casting call.
Hey Burnie, with the IndieGoGo campaign nearing its two million dollar mark what excites you the most going foward with LazerTeam?
A feature was always our next project. I mean always next. As in, we will do the feature after this next thing. After five years of that, it's great to know we begin production on it next month.
Burnie with the kickstarter movie nearly at $2 million will you add many more stretch goals or will Strangerhood Season 2 be your last?
IndieGoGo. We are loading up the $2.25 stretch goal with everything at this point. We have four days to get to #1. That's our goal.
Burnie, do you see Rooster Teeth diversifying in the coming years? If so, how?
Games. That's probably our biggest stretch on the roadmap.
RvB- the video game.
I think that already exists.
If we reach the stretch goal for Strangerhood Season 2. Will Ray get a speaking role?
All the speaking roles.
Burnie: when you started making videos, did you feel at the time that you'd ever end up in an "alternative career" and was that something you always wanted, or did you fall into it as a result of RvB's success?
I had a great job in telecom working for a great man that taught me everything I know about business. I would have done that happily for many years if RvB had not exploded.
Are you a fan of Video Game High School and/or other video game related shows?
I am a huge fan of everything Freddie does.
What was the hardest decision you've made in an attempt to grow your company?
Huge fan of Roosterteeth, RvB and AH, seriously enjoy all the content, thankyou for your part in making it all happen Burnie!
Quitting my very good day job and going all in. It was hard but I never looked back.
What are your favorite books?
Ender's Game series through Xenocide, World War Z, The Stand and the Xanth series.
The most influential book in my recent life was the first 140 pages of Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing. The last chapter of The Road ain't bad either. Pretty much everything Cormac McCarthy is great. I feel that every man should read McCarthy.
If we bought a lootcrate (or roostcrate) I assume there might be t-shirts In it, so how do we select our sizes?
We avoided shirts for that very reason.
Hey Burnie! Whats the craziest idea you've ever had?
There's a new RT short that ranks pretty high.
Burnie, Will you be playing a character in Lazer Team? or making a cameo?
Yes
Yes
This is true.
What can you tell me about Volume 2 of RWBY?
Production value has stepped up quite a bit. Can't wait for you guys to see it. Animation projects really gather momentum as you gather a library of assets. RWBY is no exception.
How did Red vs. Blue get on Netflix? Did they contact you about putting it up?
Years ago. We actually avoided Netflix because we thought it would cannibalize RvB physical sales. After a few years, we asked ourselves why we thought that about Netflix and nothing else. So we decided to go ahead and sign the deal.
It's crazy how many people watch long form ONLY on Netflix. There are people tweeting to me "finally I can watch Red vs Blue" even though the show is available in almost every format imaginable.
Hey Guys! Everybody knows that you have this rule that "If it's on camera it's okay." type thing but was there ever anything that was recorded or done for the camera that was so mean or awkward that it wasn't released?
Yes. Everyone has the right to veto anything they are in. It's what gives us the confidence to go in crazy places while the cameras are rolling.
Occasionally people pull that trigger.
What's the craziest thing a fan has done when they met you?
Tried to hug Gus.
Hey Burnie!
Are there any plans to involve Gavin in any of the cinematography of Lazer Team?
Absolutely. He worked on Sherlock Holmes and Dredd. I would be an idiot not to use that experience. For free. This is a binding contract if you are reading this, Gav.
Hi Burnie! Quick question from an avid film lover,
When writing a screenplay for something like Lazer Team, how hard is it to avoid classic sci-fi cliches? What I mean is, with the hundreds of sci-fi movies that have been made, it must be extremely challenging to start from scratch and create something fresh and different. How do you approach writing a new original story? Will there be any homages to classic sci-fi flicks?
We wanted to be clear that Lazer Team is not a parody. It's not a send up. It's not inspired by. It's a funny sci-fi movie made by guys that love sci-fi movies.
Who from RT will be directing Lazerteam?
Matt
I've been a big fan since day one and I'm wondering if you had complete freedom artistically and budget wise what is one video/show/movie you would love to make?
The Doormen
The Doormen? Please, enlighten us about this project.
Only now do you realize you asked the wrong question.
I'm very interested in business management in the internet entertainment industry, so I have three questions for you:
When you were the CEO of RoosterTeeth, the internet was just starting out and you had to figure out a lot as you went along. What was one thing you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you started?
What was one thing when it came to running your business that you had to specifically go against what other CEOs of traditional entertainment would view as "common sense"?
Lastly, what's one peice of advice or practice you would give specifically to someone that deals with the business side of things if they wanted to start an internet entertainment studio in this day and age?
Thanks for your time, and I'm a very big fan of all the work you guys do.
Don't be too cautious to take investment money. Other people will and they'll just use it to fuck up your art. There's a smart way to do everything.
Views aren't the only metric. They are a big thing, but if all you can talk about is views, you aren't telling a full story.
Make people back up their promises. If an MCN is trying to court you because of promotion and collaboration why not ask them "I can collaborate and cross promote with your established talent? Cool. Then can I get their email address and ask about their experiences with your network?" Their response to that question should tell you a lot about their initial pitch.
Whats the funniest/weirdest criticism you've gotten about one of your productions?
It always makes me laugh when someone's favorite line from a show is something they misunderstood. Caboose's "Hey Chicka Bump Bump" is a reference to that phenomenon.
Hey Burnie, thank so much for doing this. I've been a huge fan of Rooster Teeth since a buddy of mine introduced me to RvB in 2008, and it's been amazing to see how much things have changed since then (I can't even begin to imagine what the growth was like before then).
You mentioned on a recent podcast how the focus nowadays seems to be on the number of views a video gets or the number of subscribers a channel has, and it's actually a shame because part of what makes social media great is the interaction you can have with fans and viewers. As a company, Rooster Teeth has always been incredibly connected with the community to the point where it is actually a part of the community, rather than existing outside of it like other types of communities centered around a person/organization/youtube channel (if that makes sense?).
My question to you is with the constant pressure from external sources to increase viewership, increase subscribers, get more likes, etc. how do you as a company maintain the level of commitment to the community that you do? In other words, what conscious efforts do you take to ensure that you are a connected part of the RT community, rather than existing outside of it?
Regardless of whether you answer this question or not, thank you so much for everything you guys do!
This IndieGoGo campaign is a big talking point in that regard. We're breaking all kinds of records, but we aren't doing it with our 15 million YouTube subs or the 3 billion views on the RT channel. It's all happening thanks to (as of right now) 30,000 engaged fans. Thirty thousand is not a number you hear very often in online media. Everybody likes those millions and billions -- they sound great in press releases. But it's the 30,000 that are driving the content for those tens of millions.
Scale is important, don't get me wrong. Rooster Teeth is in a rare position in online media and I have a full appreciation for that. So far, .25% of our YouTube audience has contributed to the campaign. If we got all the way up to 1% that would be insane.
But we got here by understanding the power of dedicated, engaged audiences because we are those people ourselves. We're the guys who camped out for Star Wars Episode 1 (don't judge). We go to midnight releases. We support the things we love.
I'm at RTX setting stuff up. Will you come bring me a peanut?
RTX is a peanut free zone.*
*This is not true.
What inspired you to change Red vs. Blue from a goofy and satirical look at Halo multiplayer to a more dramatic sci-fi story in the Halo universe?
What made you decide you wanted to have CGI animations in Red vs. Blue?
What's the Red vs. Blue episode you're most proud of?
And, lastly, how did Monty approach you when he came up with the idea of RWBY?
Everything has to evolve or it gets stale. I would rather take a risk and have something pay off than guarantee that something just eventually fades into the same old, same old.
Years of writing scripts where the only verbs I could use were the names of buttons on a controller. Grif jumps, Simmons turns, Sarge crouches.
Last episode of Season 6. SPOILER Making the very last word of a script the twist for the story took a ton of crafting.
We approached him for ideas. He has lots.
Hey Burnie, what's your favorite cereal and what was your source of income in the early days of RvB?
Through seven years of RT, 95% of our revenue came from RvB merch and DVDs. That was something we had to change and did.
Hey Burnie,
If you could kill off any of the RvB characters with no community backlash, which would it be and why?
Also, did you know that honey never... Just kidding. ;)
I've recorded all their deaths already, just in case the actors decide to fuck with me. Young Directors take note.
Hey, I've been a fan since my immature middle school days and I still am. My question is, how did you get Gavin? It's like one day he just showed up.
Wat. I've known Gavin since he was 15. He's been a fixture of the community for ten years and he directed Season 7 of RvB.
Hey Burnie, I've been a long time supporter and lover of roosterteeth's content especially the podcast and achievement hunter. It is what led me to my field of work in audio engineering and sound design. I have a few questions, the first being do you intend to take technical crew for your productions from your audience like what has happened in the past with on camera personalities similar to Barbara or Gavin? (I know they both do more than just on camera work, but the question stands)
Secondly, does the roosterteeth staff receive any kind of LGBT sensitivity training or care? Some of the podcast material in particular has been somewhat homophobic and occasionally very transphobic. I would understand if you don't answer the question but I would like to ask because it is something that I am personally affected by.
Thank you so much for your time Burnie, I look forward to lazerteam and everything you and RT does in the future!
About a third of our hires have come from the community.
EDIT: Missed the phobic bit on the first pass. I think ignorance can come off as phobia because phobia often stems from ignorance. When we talk about trans issues on the podcast we openly admit our ignorance and actively try to find an answer. I feel we should be able to discuss a topic we don't know about and not be labelled phobic. If we openly say we don't know what the gender pronoun from a trans person is, we're discussing that on the same level that we discuss fork etiquette or meteorites. It's just another topic. We don't treat it like a weird, bizarre thing which I think shows that it's part of our everyday life and we are trying to figure it out. To me, that's inclusive.
After you make the movie for $300, what are you going to buy with all the money?
brb mexico
Is Rooster Teeth considering making a 3rd season of Immersion? The last season with Michael and Gavin was fantastic!
I think we're done.
The reason Season 2 was made is because the TV deal fell through. They were initially supposed to be doing one for TV with Meg Turney hosting (that's how RT knew her) but the network were pissing them around so Burnie was like "fuck this, we're making season 2 right now for the internet." And I guess the TV deal fell through.
EDIT: Apparently I got some details muddled up, Going from multiple podcasts and stuff. Thanks /u/roosterteeth for clearing it up.
You went from stating something was the reason to guessing that something was the reason.
For clarity: The Immersion TV show is still in development. It may stay in development forever or it may not. The bit about Meg was correct though.
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About 80. Head count changes based on production cycles.
Any advice for a 16 year old?
Start making stuff. If you have 4 years experience at ANYTHING by 20 years of age you are ahead of 99.9% of the population. Even if you decide you hate the thing you spent four years doing, that's still better than most people.
What's your favorite videogame from your childhood?
Ultima IV
Thoughts on Spill/Korey Coleman/ Double Toasted?
I went to UT with Korey. He's a great guy. Hope Double Toasted takes off for him.
Hey Burnie, I've been a huge fan of everything RoosterTeeth for a long time now and I wanted to ask that since Miles is now doing RvB how many decisisions are there that you two have different outlooks on? Do his ideas overpower yours or vice-versa or do you leave everything up to him?
P.S. Could you tell Miles how much of an amazing job he did on the recent RvB episode, I can't wait to see what happens next!
Differences are rare. There was one moment he wanted to do with one of the main characters out of the armor. It was hilarious, I just couldn't break that wall. He was very cool about it.
Will there be any future episodes of Achievement Hunter Kids?
The Joel one? Good lord
What was the first game you ever played?
Pong.
Jesus your old
Yep. It's why I can spell all the big words like "you're"
Can we have a bit of background on Lazer Team?
You can watch the Lazer Team backer call and get all the info we have released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiMp7deGkrY
I first heard of Red vs Blue when I went to a Barenaked Ladies concert at The Backyard (2004?). No question, just wanted to say THANK YOU for the awesome RvB series.
I love learning how people first heard about Rooster Teeth. It's always different.
How did you lose so much weight so quickly?
I put a treadmill facing a wall, hung a TV on the wall and walked (slowly) while playing games.
Longest so far was ACIV, I walked 232 miles.
During my 60lb weight loss, my longest was when I walked 137 miles playing Fallout 3.
Isn't it hard playing games while walking? Or do you just get used to that?
Don't play FPS games. I almost crippled myself playing Halo once. I instinctively walked left when turning left and stepped off a moving treadmill.
Burnie. Why aren't you guys using proper cameras for GO! ?
AH loves run & gun and so does the audience. Those guys are masters of spontaneity -- setting up lights and mics would not work for them. At least not right now. They are also great at changing things up.
Hey Burnie, I hope I'm not too late to the party, but I was wondering do you plan on more collaboration with other parties like yourself (inside gaming comes to mind), and who was your favorite to work with?
Love IG. Adam was on Gauntlet Season 2. We are not the easiest group with which to collaborate because of our location.
Burnie, Inevitably the day will come when you and Matt will have to hand Rooster Teeth over to someone else to take the helm and guide it forward. Are you worried that they could take Rooster Teeth in a direction you may not like?
I've already made that turn. It has challenges but I am now to the point where I get to work on whatever I want. It may surprise you to hear that the owner/CEO didn't always get to pick what he worked on, but the interests of the company always took precedence.
So far RT has retained all of the recognisable on screen talent (I think) Has anyone come close to pursuing other things and do you consider this a significant risk to the dynamic? i.e if Gavin or Michael left RT and achievement hunter..
Lots of very valuable people have already left RT and I was sorry to see them go.
It's part of the business. It is both a blessing and a curse that the internet has such a goddamn short memory and the current group seems like the main group. Time moves on and people along with it. This got emo.
What ever happened to that Red vs Blue animated series?
A TV network wanted to buy the show but they were offering less than we were making online. To this day, they don't believe us when we tell them that.
Traditional animation is also intensely labor-and-cost intensive, especially in terms of cost/benefit ratio. It's the right choice for some productions, but for RvB the benefits are less apparent. Especially when you've got someone like Monty at your side.
It was tons of fun to do, though. Still looks great on the reel.
This is the dude who made that animated show. He also drew the RT logo back in 2003. What's up Inkthinker?
I'll be honest I kind of stopped following you guys a few years ago, what do you do with 80 employees at Rooster Teeth?
We hunt down former audience members and extort them for money using their personal data. Takes a big staff.
What is the most normal thing you have ever done?
I just drank a glass of water. Don't call me a hero.
It's been so freakin' long since you put this up, but your Real Life vs Internet is something I go back to at least twice a year when I need something that is guaranteed to make me laugh. Thank you for that.
My question - has the incredible plethora of tech and software that has just exploded since your inception made your jobs easier, or has it made it harder to keep your head and shoulders above an ever-growing competition?
Real Life vs The Internet was one of the few pop culture pieces we made so it became really dated. Probably could stand a refresh.
Yes. We used to have to pay to serve video from servers we had to install on our own and maintain. Now YouTube gives us an Upload button and pays us. I would call that an improvement. We still kept our own servers though.
What is the best thing you can get for like 10 bucks?
BTS Backer level on a certain IGG campaign. Just saying.
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Fuck this. If you look in any thread entitled "how did you discover RT" you will see two main answers: RvB and Rage Quit.
Discovery is a huge problem in today's online video culture and Michael is a big, big driver of that.
But I will be sure to let him know you think he sucks.
What're they doing?
Who knows. Fucking dickheads always doing something.
Can we see some of the concept art for the movie!?
I will put a link to the Backer Call in the description.
Burnie, what's one good thing you can say about Gavin?
Gav's a legend. I have nothing but good things to say about him.
Hey Burnie, love your work.. Just want to say i'm a massive fan of the podcast, even though I aspire to be nothing even close to making online content working for RT seems like a dream job.
Any hints as to what the top donation non-US country is so for? (UK??)
It's Australia by about 10%
How often do ideas get scrapped? As some whose brain floods with plans, designs and ideas, how often do those just not work out?
No idea gets scrapped. They get tabled until they get better. We just wrapped a show called Day 5 that spent two years in and out of production. That's an extreme example.
A really shitty idea can get tabled indefinitely but we never trash it.
When cgi became a part of red vs blue it ruined the show for me, but most people seem okay with it. Am I crazy?
No. You have an opinion. A super shitty opinion. You might be an asshole, but you're not crazy. ;)
Thanks for being a fan while you were. Hopefully those good experiences will entice you to give our stuff a shot again in the future.
Is it true that the character Caboose has had multiple actors portraying him?
Joel will hate you if he reads this. I am replying to increase the chances that he will.
What should we major in to have the best chance to work at RT?
College does not matter to us. Some of our guys didn't graduate high school.
Were there any projects that you wish you could have done but couldn't?
I remember on the Drunk Tank either Geoff or Burnie saying something about you guys wanting to do your own version of Wreck-It Ralph's story before it came out.
You are talking about Break Room. It was a show about where game characters go when the games are turned off.
We show the test piece we made at about the 3 minute mark of this PAX panel video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9xd_i8YYc0
It's very early/rough but you get the concept. We first started that back in 2009.
Got any advice for aspiring directors/writers?
Stop aspiring. You could get started today.
Watching you, Gus, and Gavin on @midnight was one of the funniest things I have seen on TV in a while, how did that whole arrangement go about? Was there anything memorable you're disappointed got cut?
Hardwick asked me to come on and then we started talking about making the whole panel a RT panel.
What got cut -- Gav talked about his penis for five minutes straight at one point. He even came up with a sound effect for puberty. Sad to see that go.
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There's an RTAA about it.
Hey, Burnie! When you guys decided to create Acheievement Hunter, did you know it would be one of the, if not the biggest, parts of RoosterTeeth?
Actually, yes. Geoff and I openly talked about how big that show could be. Planning and execution are two different things though. They have killed on execution.
Do you guys need a 14 year old to work for less than minimum wage, you know, on the down low?
Nice try, federal employee.
What was the one thing you knew for a fact was true and argued about it on the podcast that you later learned was wrong?
Everything?
Hey Burnie! I've been a fan for a while now. My question is, how does RT feel about it's tumblr fanbase now?
I got the impression that some people thought that because most of tumblr's users are teenage girls it was somehow not as good as other fans, but that's definitely not true. The majority of the fans on tumblr are just regular old fans, they just express it through a blogging platform.
We appreciate all our fans.
Hey, Burnie! With RTX coming up, what's an 'appropriate' way to come up and say hi if someone sees you walking the floor or somewhere? Is there an appropriate way? Also, on the off chance you see this, you guys are amazing. Listening and watching your content made me feel like I had friends during the brief time I felt pretty lonely, now I have people I can joke, and hang around with, I just wanted to say thanks for being a pretty big part of my life, even if you didn't know it.
You won't worry about that if you see us at RTX. We will be saying hi to everyone. Please don't hesitate to join in.
Burnie have you ever thought of having special guests on the RT podcast? For example video game producers?
Our audience has been pretty brutal about guests. They last guest went well though -- Kumail Nanjiani. Gives me hope.
Do you think Rooster Teeth will ever transition from an internet content based company?
The whole world is running this direction. Heading to TV or Film and abandoning the web in order to do that would be folly.
Hey Burnie, big fan here, question time: Will it be possible you can bundle "The Schedule" (Your first movie) as a special feature with Lazer Team? Would be interesting to see what Roosterteeth did then, and what they do now movie wise.
Never. I would rather remake it.
Pixar has a public online library that provides a more tecnical discussion of the processes they use in production. Would RoosterTeeth ever consider doing something like that?
That sounds like a lot of work. I am not against it on a philosophical basis but there's just no one here that could have the resources to build and maintain that. I need some of that Ratatouille money.
Could you tell me how wonderful Meg Turney is?
We love her a whole bunch.
Hey Burnie, long time fan! Love everything you guys/gals do! Hope i'm not too late for this ama like always. Really like the new stuff you've been doing with your kids J.D and Teddy. And seeing geoff's daughter in a couple of AH videos. Are you guys branching out to a younger audience in the future? And do you think that's a good idea, considering some of the hilarious, but rather "graphic" content to some people. Ps has geoff still never watched the dead island trailer?
We have been testing it. Hopefully Game Kids will become more of an established thing.
Do you like working with Gavin?
I plan to work for him some day.
Your question reminded me of something. Check this out. Seven years ago Gavin put up this journal entry on RT: http://roosterteeth.com/members/journal/entry.php?id=1615923
Read the comment I wrote about 2/3 of the way down the page. I have always believed in that kid.
Will you ever consider making roosterteeth a publicly traded company?
We have considered it.
Hey Burnie would you ever consider making season 2 of P.A.N.I.C.S or making it a stretch goal for the Lazer team indigogo?
We are looking ahead.
Burnie, I hope I'm not too late, but how would you react if Gus stole your cloud song?
YOUSHUTYOURMOUTH
I'll ask this one time you. What have you done with Monty Oum, and when can i expect more dead fantasy? You guys seriously got some talent in there working away.
Really, Have you all ever thought of moving into other parodies beside Halo?
If I was Monty (and I'm not) I would have a hard time going back to using ripped models to make a fan series once I have my own internationally successful show based on my own characters. Maybe that's just me...
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Don't move to Austin for Voice Acting. Probably not the advice you wanted to hear, but it's good advice.
How big is your dick?
IU USESD ITY TO TYPOE THUS REPLIUY
Who at Rt is musically inclined?
Nico and Jeff Williams ain't too shabby
Hey Burnie, I've been watching for a couple years. How do you guys deal with the constant hate, especially AH in the last year?
I would not in a million years describe the response that way.
Tall trees catch much wind.
My favorite Rooster Teeth series has got to be Rage Quit. When did you guys think about doing that, and why did you choose Michael to be the one to do that?
I saw one of his videos linked on Reddit and he was working for us a week later.
Hi Burnie, do you have an tips/advice on people who want to make there own lets plays/collabs?
It's harder than you think.
Are there any difficulties with running a more "laid back" company like yours?
Tons, but they are all worth it.
Where do you see Rooster Teeth in the next 5 years?
Undersea fortress.
Hey Burnie, I don't know if you see this or not but about 90% of this AMA looks like Lazer Team so i'll ask about something else.
What has been your favourite bit in podcast over those years?
gavin or google
But I also like the new competition when Gus and I keep score figuring out what Gavin's brain is thinking.
Also, getting Gus mad enough to storm off the set was a personal high.
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That's not it. It happened in the last few months of old studio. I was beating on him about something and he snapped. Sweet victory.
Hey i'm wondering if you guys would maybe have something going on in the Midwest in the near future? Like maybe moving RTX because here in Michigan a lot of people are fans and but we can't travel across the country for it and I just want to know if that's an option.
We attend cons all over the nation.
Hi Burnie! Hope I'm not too late! Are there going to be any open casting opportunities outside of RTX, for those of us fans who think they've got acting chops but just can't make it to the convention?
Probably not. We are moving ahead quickly on production.
What made you give up the position of CEO?
I was CEO for nine years and it was the best job I ever had before this one.
The business answer is that the guy who takes you from one person working in a spare bedroom to fifty full time staffers is not the same guy who takes you from fifty people to five hundred. It's just a totally different bootstrap mindset. I was in Matt's office just yesterday, arguing about spending $500 on iPads... for a convention with 30,000 paying attendees. He rightfully told me to fuck off.
The personal answer was that I needed to step down because I was going through some things in my private life and you have to be aware when personal issues start to overshadow your professional ones. I couldn't step back from my personal life so I had to do that in my profession. Glad I made that decision and more importantly that I made it on my own.
How often do you get recognized in public?
Depends on where I am. Airports are oddly active. I would say on average about once a week.
Why don't you make porn, you dick?
Check your inbox.
Hey Burnie! Does RT have any plans to expand its market and presence in the Eastern side of the world besides Australia?
That's a primary (business) goal of RWBY. It's working very well.
When did you know that your business made it ?
It's easier to tell when looking back than it is in the moment. I kept telling everyone in the early days that it might not last. We had to stay on top of things while we had some momentum. Looking back, I would say it was the day we launched our subscription (sponsors) service.
How long have you been working on Lazer Team?
About 3.5 years
Please guys, can we focus on Lazer team?
I'm here to talk about Rampart.
Is rooster teeth actually a euphemism for cockbite?
Sort of. It was a nod to our very first video.
Question about your post side of things. What setup to you guys use for editing? I'm an Avid tech and I have all reality TV show clients. Was wondering if Avid, or something else is used on the YouTube side of things. Thanks!
We use Final Cut 7 and Premiere. Everyone here has an aversion to Final Cut X but we are making them get over it.
Can't imagine you're still answering...
... but would you ever be opposed to the community providing some music to help score some of your productions, seeing as you've already got Jeff and Trocadero?
Thanks again!
Not at all. Music is handled by Matt and Brandon mostly. You should try to contact them on the site.
Pretty much every youtuber is a big supporter of comments despite how much obvious pain it brings them, and I never really understood why. What do you think about turning comments off on youtube and other channels that do that?
I think the comments are a valuable resource. How do you build a community without interaction? If you have a problem with the comments, get in there and moderate. Be the change you want to see in the comments.
Of original cast of RvB did any of your members have a wide who was an art teacher? My compsci teacher back in 07 claims he played cards with donut. He was really good at the rubiks cube and I want to know if he was speaking the truth.
This sounds like it could be true.
Yo- is Christa still taking care of the rooster teeth cat? The name slips my mind, but that cat was cool as shit.
Joe The Cat lives with me again. He is a happily retired cat.
Hey Burnie! I love you guys at Rooster Teeth. But I've always had this question that's really not important, but I'm curious. Be honest, how truthful are the animated adventures? At least on your end. Are they actual experiences for the most part, or are alot kinda faked or at least exaggerated to seem interesting?
They are just like stories you would tell your friends. Would I have actually let Monty cut Lindsay and Michael's cake at their wedding? Absolutely not but it was funny to see if I could get him to do it.
Is Joel Heyman even more beautiful in real life?
He's like an angel.
Hey Burnie. I'm in high school and I'm beat up a lot at school, my parents are getting divorced, and it seems like every day I am followed by all this hateful energy everywhere I go. I wanted to thank you and everyone at RT for consistently providing laughs and smiles and making my days better. These last few years would have been a lot harder for me without the content you create and the community around it, so thank you. My question is did you ever have a moment where you just figured out that what you do is you want to do with the rest of your life, and if so when?
When you are young, the whole world can seem as small as your town or your community. It gets better.
Also, no one ever knows what they want to do with their life. I always second guess my choices and worry about the future. I just try to make an active effort to improve my life.
Can you tell me the address to the achievement Hunter office of I can come meet the six let's players?
Nice try, Caleb.
Hey Burnie I know I'm really late to the AMA but I was wondering if Rooster Teeth could look into coming to a conventionmore near the south east area of the US? It seems like our area of the country gets ignored and we have some big conventions over here coughMegaconcough
We've been to DragonCon before. Maybe it's time to head back.
Hey Burnie, my name is Sam, I've been consuming y'alls media ever since season 2 of RvB. I have one question since a lot of mine have already been answered. What is your favorite Halo level across all the Master Chief series?
Silent Cartographer
This might get buried in the comments; hi Burnie big fan! How does the company make money besides selling merch? Does YouTube pay you an amount of money based on your number of views and subscribers?
Yes YouTube pays based on ad revenue. We also sell DVDs in the digital and physical retail space, we have business contracts (like making TV commercials) and we sell merchandise.
Can you tell pink haired Austin that his sister says hi?
It's not pink right now, fake sister.
Hey Burnie,
Are you guys coming to PAX AUS this year? I'd love to see you guys there!
Also, will there ever be Gauntlet season 3, or is it over?
Gauntlet might return. We all loved Season 3.
This is the most thorough and informative AMA I've ever seen. It makes me proud to be a Roosterteeth fan. That being said,
I've noticed that sometimes the community has a raging, completely irrational hatred of guests and newcomers in any RT production. Why do you think that is?
I love it when interesting people are on the podcast that aren't just the normal crew, I can't wrap my head around why people get so upset.
People are protective over what they like. If historians looked back at this era and only had forum comments to judge media, they would assume that Star Wars was the most hated franchise in history. People have opinions when they are passionate about something.
What's the best joke you ever wrote?
The pacifier/pedophile joke still makes me beam with pride.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401747/quotes
What's one more thing you hope roosterteeth can achieve in your lifetime?
Autonomous Sentience.
Is Tucker black?
Does it matter?
Can you ignore my question?
OK
Do you ever envisage RT getting so big to the point where you guys have different offices around America, like the main HQ in Austin but offices in LA/NYC etc. Maybe even overseas like London or Australia?
We are already planning to open a new office.
What is game night?
Btw honey doesn't spoil, Burnie, just trying to uphold the good name of all RT fans.
You can't make the joke and make fun of the joke. That was the whole point of the "honey doesn't spoil" discussion, man.
Burnie do your kids watch Achievement Hunter? Have you banned them from PewDePew or whatever his name is?
No. My youngest watches BereghostGames and my oldest reads mostly. We made a deal where he could consume more mature content as long as it's a book, so he's taking full advantage of that.
was their ever a worry of members of the RT crew getting into relationships what would happen if they broke up.??
you and ashley
micheal lidnsey
gavin and meg
did you ever worry what would happen if any of these relationships including yours broke down and did you ever have to talk to gavin or micheal about this possibility??
We actually have a plan in place for if/when that happens. It would be naive to think it's not possible.
Hey Burnie! I just wanted to thank you for all the years of videos that have entertained and helped me in my video game playthroughs. Any suggestion for someone interested in making videos similar to Achievement Hunters? Is the market saturated or do you think there is still a demand for such videos?
There seems to be an unending appetite for gameplay videos on YouTube. It's insane.
When is the RT porno happening??
Your mom just needs to sign a couple more release forms and we'll be good to go.
Hey, Burnie. Hope I'm not too late. Anyway, I'll donate a $100 if you answer me one question:
To honor Rooster Teeth for making laugh my ass off for many years, what should I get a tattoo off?
Nothing.
Burnie, my friends and I are massive fans, and have been for about 6 years now. We had initially planned to attend RTX this year, but a high school band trip pretty much thrashed those plans financially. I hope that the occasional sponsorship and item we buy will suffice until we can make the trip next year (keep your fingers crossed!). I really regret not being able to see someone that I greatly admire, and the people who have given me literally countless hours of entertainment. Between RvB, RT Shorts, and everything Achievement Hunter, I don't know what I would do with about half my spare time, haha.
So my question is this: As RT has progressed we've seen some major changes, especially the loss/creation of shows. I feel that as a new show is made, we're seeing less of the OG RT crew. Is this because you feel that new people are more qualified, or would you personally prefer to be in the director chair rather than in front of the camera? I'm sort of 50/50 on the situation though, as I love your comedy as a writer, producer, or actor. I know I'm kind of late, but I thought I'd drop a comment to my favorite member of RT (sorry Geoff) and hope beyond hope for a reply. You're the best Burnie, and please keep doing what you do.
-Bryce
Shows run their course. I love Immersion but we need really good concepts to make it worth producing. The old needs to make way for the new.
As far as the cast, if we didn't get new blood at RT eventually it would be forty year olds playing video games. Not a great business strategy. I don't think anyone online has done a better job than us at layering in new generations of talent. I'm really proud of it.
Can you update the Indiegogo page more often for these last few days?
I know you guys have NOTHING big going on this weekend, but recently the Reading Rainbow kickstarter ended and they were updating the page almost every few hours towards the end. I think it helps people to see that a goal is close to being hit and pushes them to donate a little more. The $2,250,000 stretch goal isn't even listed and i just want you guys to hit that #1 funded film project goal!
Be careful what you wish for.
Hey Burnie,
I've always been fascinated how this company can employ 80+ people, put out so much context every day and still all you ask from fans is to watch it. I've been a sponsor for years and It seems like too good of a deal for 10 bucks every 6 months. Is this the main source of revenue or do you guys get more from youtube partnerships, store sales and advertisements?
Basically I'm curious to what the best way is to support you guys monetarily and how you guys can do so much from an optional sponsorship fee?
Thanks!
It's a healthy mix. We try to keep our non-RT (i.e. YouTube) revenue as low a percentage as possible. It's only about a third of our overall revenue.
What are your feelings regarding the growth from a small group of guys to building up a 70 plus person production studio? Do you think any of the organic enjoyment is gone for content when you have a bunch of people working on producing content?
We all produced tons of content for RTX. All day long I heard people showing each other their pieces and laughing their asses off.
When you were 17 or just finished high school, what were your goals? Did you imagine any of this? What did you think you would be doing 20 years in the future?
None of this stuff existed when I went to college. I started doing it as soon as it was technologically possible.
Hi Burnie, with hiring Gavin and going through all that trouble with visa's would you still hire other people from the UK or other countries?
We would have to prove there's no one in the US capable of doing that job. My inbox would make that difficult.
Why is Geoff no longer on the podcast?
Sorry, I can't speak for other people.
This is not a call for you to bug him about it.
How does it feel to be so close to raising $2 million for Lazer Team?
Fuzzy.
I was looking at Roosterteeth's subreddit and there was a lot of controversy about "The Know" and reason why it exists, and many people seem to dislike it due to the recent change in bad titles and clickbait, now me myself have no problem with this but it would be great if you could tell us the reason behind The know?
I replied to this on the wrong thread. It's in here somewhere. I don't worry about those long analysis threads. It's usually one dude with an axe to grind responding to every single comment, making the issue seem more relevant than it is.
The Know did 5.5MM views last month. On it's own channel. It might not be posting RT level views yet but that's amazing for their third month on a channel with no back catalog.
Is Jeff Williams going to have a hand in the soundtrack/score for Lazer Team? I love his work on Red vs. Blue and RWBY and I'd love to hear what he can put together for a feature!
That decision has not yet been made.
Hi Burnie, huge fan of all your work. Do you ever see yourself returning as head writer of RvB?
Yes.
Hey Burnie, you have said on podcasts before that when you go back and watch old seasons of RvB you end up laughing at your own jokes after forgetting them, do you think that will happen with season 11 as you were less involved in the writing process for it?
The comparison doesn't hold up. That story was funny to me because I wrote the seasons and the jokes were written by my brain so my brain finds them funny. That wouldn't be the case with any material written buy anyone else.
So when does production start for strangerhood season 2?
If/when we hit 2.25MM on IGG. This year is the 10th anniversary of SH.
As well as current RT employees, can we expect appearances from previous employees who have moved on, such as Nathan and Marshall?
You don't need to "miss" any of the people who used to work at RT. You can go support and enjoy their work right now. And you should do that because they are all awesome.
ANGELINA JO-LEE HAS ENORMOUS LIPS!
one of my favorite moments of all of your work.
What was it like filming that particular video?
I have absolutely no specific memory of making that particular video. Thankfully I have the finished product.
Congrats on 2M guys. Proud to be a sponsor. Where and when do you plan to post the first true (non-teaser) trailer for Lazer Team?
No hard dates for that until we shoot.
Hey Burnie! I was reading through and saw you guys were doing Lootcrates and I managed to snatch one up! So excited to get it, I'm a huge fan of you guys and love watching everything you put out!
Question: What was your favorite episode of Immersion to film?
Favorite Immersion concept was split screen from this season. Favorite one to shoot was Simulation Racer because it changed so much about the way we produce content at RT.
What's the most dangerous thing that you've done through RT?
Play Tony Hawk Ride.
You mentioned in a earlier answer that RoosterTeeth was looking into making games in the future. Are you planning to make games based on your companies IP's (Rwby, rvb) or totally new game ideas. Also do you have a time frame in mind for when production on this side of the company may start?
If it does end up happening, I hope you guys hit it big like minecraft. Good Luck.
RvB would be a licensing nightmare for a game. RWBY is a logical step.
I hope I'm not too late but, what would it take to for Gavin to get fired?
It does not matter who they are, we would fire someone for most of the reasons people get fired at other jobs.
Hi Burnie. Huge fan of the work you put out, absolutely top notch for internet videos. What's something that you have to put up with everyday at the office that's just complete BS? There's gotta be some shenanigans at the office that drive you crazy that you haven't mentioned in a RTAA skit.
Constant yelling from every direction. Everyone please just shut up.
Whenever you let someone else direct rvb for a season, do you ever get nervous?
Hi. Welcome to the AMA.
Hey Burnie!
How did you and the other founders navigate the transition from entertainers / content generators to business owners at RT? Did you have any mentors to help you become entrepreneurs, or did you just wing it one challenge at a time?
Thanks for all the laughs!
I was already pulling double duty as were most of the other guys. Some of us focused more on business, the others on creative.
Hey Burnie! Big fan of all RT and AH stuff and I was just wondering, if you had to choose any current RoosterTeeth employee to be the new CEO, besides the current one obviously, who would it be and why? Thanks!!
Nice try, Matt. You're not allowed to fire your successors.
has something ever happened at the office that has almost given you a heart attack?
There have been times of enormous stress but no heart attacks yet.
I just realized Geoff's middle name is also Lazer. Coincidence?
Yep.
What happened to nathan? I miss him.
Stop missing him and go watch his movie Kumiko The Treasure Hunter.
Why you never add captions? I'm deaf and I would enjoy watching your videos but lacking of captions makes it un-enjoyable :/
YouTube is rolling out a feature to crowd source captioning. It will be a huge help.
How do you feel knowing that Red vs Blue is on Hulu, Youtube, Zune Marketplace, DVD, Blu-ray and this place called Roosterteeth.com. It's just another platform to watch it on.
This dude got downvoted for snark but it's a pretty accurate point. I am surprised and happy that Netflix is enabling new people to discover RvB. It's been far bigger than I expected.
Hello Burnie!
Why did you start just wearing amazingly colorful socks on the Podcast?What does your favorite pair of socks look like?
Gavin made fun of me for me shitty sucks and hurt my feelings. I wish this answer wasn't the truth but it is.
Why didnt you come to the K1 Speed Burnie?
There was lots of stuff going on tonight and I can't do them all.
What are your thoughts on Digit4lPh33r's work?
He was in a couple of our RT Shorts.
Hey Burnie, long time fan here, are you amazed at how far you have come? Like, a little over 10 years ago, did you ever imagine that you would be making a FREAKING MOVIE?!
I know that you started Roosterteeth with the intent to make movie like content, which you succeeded in (which, may I add, is some of the FUNNIEST stuff on the internet!). But did you think you would actually make it to the point where people would be throwing 10k at a project of yours? (Good luck on the movie, I'm hoping the extra million will help make this an amazing film!)
Keep doing what you're doing -Long time fan.
Thanks
Thanks!
Huge fan of everything you do, keep making quality material! What is your favorite part about recording the podcast?
I freely admit that I like arguing about dumb shit. It's like therapy about nothing.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to work for RT or AH someday?
If your inspiration from Rooster Teeth is simply to get a job at Rooster Teeth then we have failed to inspire you.
Has Matt gone crazy with power yet?
Undoubtedly.
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Good! We're up to 4100 comments. Pretty nuts.
As for the respect -- thanks for the content creator part, but save your personal respect for the real people in your life. Social media presents only the best aspects of our lives and I'm no exception.
Burnie, If the international movie premiere happens to be in Australia, Which city is it going to be?
Don't make us choose until we have to.
What was your favorite season of RvB to direct?
Season 6.
No problem! just trying to be helpful :)
Jeez it's like you guys don't even need me.
Hey Burnie,
My son and I are going to be at RTX on Sunday. If there was one booth or attraction we could see, what should be the top of our list in your opinion?
Man... the museum might be a cool bet. AH on the center stage never disappoints. If he's old enough to play, TitanFall and Halo have big booths.
What is the RT project you are most proud of?
Impossible to say. I was credited as Story By... in a recent project. They took my initial script, loved the world/premise and wrote a new story based on it. I found that awesome. Most people get pissy if you change anything they write. I can't wait to see it.
Where did you get the idea for red vs blue in the first place? Love the series btw.
I was making gameplay videos and just wanted to make something funny. For me, that meant writing stories.
What's your favourite part of the job? Or who's your favourite person to bother while working?
Also thanks for the AMA, you guys rock. :D
I bother Matt the most so I guess that means him. I also stop in Gus and Barb's office a lot.
Hey Burnie who was your favorite actor/comedian while you were growing up?
Growing Up? Eddie Murphy. All time it's either Mitch Hedberg or Louis CK.
