Gotta give it to Ian. That man was given one of the biggest responsibilities ever in RU-vid history. He was having to insure that everyone had a job still when Anthony left. It wasn’t just about him. He saw the potential and he took it and ran with it. I feel like now he can breath again a little now that Anthony is back and they own Smosh again. Ian was given a hell of a job, and he did it beautifully. I’ve been riding with Ian since way back then, and I’ve backed him since. I’m 32 and I remember Smosh being the first channel that I was loyal to. I’m damn proud of him.
ian did a great job keeping things afloat while anthony was gone, but the cast deserves a lot of credit too. shayne and courtney in particular seemed to play a big part in driving those channels.
I agree, Ian kept things afloat and gave everyone the opportunity to shine and Courtney and Shayne really did shine. Their contributions especially in transforming the Smosh pit channel content was massive. Love how Courtney recently started to direct stuff too, like the funeral teaser and stuff, excited to see what she does next.
I always say, the cast members are unsung heroes of Smosh. I hate that, when Anthony came back, everyone acted as if only now Smosh is worth watching again, as if these people didn't carry Smosh through the toughest periods.
@@bratprica6383 For me it's all the awesome little hints in their videos to this that I love. Things like Tommy mentioning he writes a lot of jokes for the funerals, I believe he mentioned it's sometimes for others to say. Or seeing/hearing how much Courtney is involved in the shoot as crew when they're not in that particular video. Or Shayne just being such a personality and coming up with things like letting people slap him while he's blindfolded and then guess who it is. I could go on, there's so many people and unique things they bring. The whole team, cast and crew, really rise to the challenge and make great content.
@@bratprica6383its better to just ignore the mainly nostalgia people cause theres two sides of the audience. i for one am a "new old audience" where smosh was a childhood memory and just came back and i fell in love with smosh as a whole again. theres the nostalgia-only peeps and theres another side where they said that "anthony is being shoved down our throats" 🤣 people just find things to hate tbh
Big papa Ian kept the channel and family alive and Anthony's creative bleeding heart is what made that family thrive in the first place. I genuinely believe Smosh would not be as long lasting and engaging had it not been for their differing personas and approaches to the channel. A creative duo for the ages. Also I'm just a sucker for smosh pit content, Ian really allowed the cast to shine in Anthony's absence. I think it can't go understated how Anthony got Smosh started but Ian kept it alive working with the cast and respecting the audiences expectations of smosh over the years. I too hope to someday be funny enough to join the best Version of SNL.
@@kylelawless9734 I usually watch a few snippets and if it seems interesting I watch the entire thing. I don't sit down and watch it from start to finish right away
Smosh is as strong as ever rn. All of their channels have been must watch to me, Smosh Cast, Smosh Games, Reddit stories, and all the other wonderful Pit series
The expanded Smosh cast keep the soul of Smosh alive with the friendship powered comedy (Shayne, Courtney, Noah, Keith, Damien, Tommy plus the New New cast Angela, Amanda, Chance, and Arasha). These guys are amazing
I love the credit that Ian is getting for stepping up when anthony left. I do also want to give credit to anthony for leaving, though. For a person with parentification trauma to make a decision for them, even if it upsets other people, is massively brave and hugely important. Cptsd is a nightmare to break free from and huge kudos to him for all the work he's done
Ian became a total Reba, a single mom that kept the family afloat while dad was off working on himself. But Anthony deserved the break, he did pour his heart and soul into Smosh for so many years.
Great episode, would love to see Sam Reich on here. The college humor to dropout transition was an insane feat. They are producing some of the best content on the internet with an amazing cast of improvisers.
The part about humour being cyclical and TikTok showing us that skits/sketches are still in is SO TRUE! When TikTok went from dancing videos to skits like Vine (but twice as long) to allowing 1 minute to 3 minute to 10 minute video's I just continuously got reminded of early RU-vid skits/sketches. It was so nostalgic. Then people went and reposted actual 2007-2016 video's on there. People didn't believe that kind of media would get popular again, but it did. TikTok gets a lot of hate, but it opened doors and brought back extinct concepts.
I am a big fan of these two as creators and as people. 💜 Anthony created his own success, he came from a broken home and despite the family issues and money problems he found a way to make it out of the situation instead of letting those conditions dictate his future. And the way you can only sort of get a tiny glimpse of how tough it was and how his past relationship with his mother impacted him from a couple of vague sentences here and there instead of having him whine and or parade it around like many creators do to gain sympathy really shows how strong of a person is. Ian is hard to read, but the more you know him the more you appreciate him. Unlike Anthony it's not in his nature to be as proactive, he is however reactive, and the way he reacted to all that happened from 2017 onwards showed his true character in a lot of ways. Having to become the supportive and emotionally stable pillar of lost cast members and a girlfriend struggling with cancer while trying to keep a buisness afloat, must have been so tough, and yet he made himself manage that. Also the way he never said anything against Anthony on camera ever, or even insinuated anything, and just showed respect for Anthony and his past role and their legacy, and how gracefully he handled all of the jokes and everything.... is so rare. I don't know if 'class' is the right word but that's what immediately comes to mind when I think of him. Even in this video when he kept saying ''we'' instead of 'Anthony' not put him in a corner or reveal anything when talking about the recent personal issues they have discussed together shows a lot of unspoken respect. Sorry for the long post but, they are my dads, they basically raised me 🙏🙏
Smosh has done something rarely any channel pulls off and that’s create two different content outlets that are both equally good. The Smosh Pit channel now stands on its own and has built up many fans (including myself). I absolutely love Shayne and the crew’s variety shows. Then OG Smosh is back better than ever. Ian and Anthony could have just bought Smosh back and closed down all their content to the one videos a week. But they realized that the company had built up a legitimate roster of content over the last decade. So I’m glad they managed to pull off the best of both worlds by separating the main and side channels.
It’s so cool to see how much the network of creators has grown on this channel in the last year. It’s always super insightful to see conversations from people who have impacted this platform, I’m excited for this one!
Giving themselves an opportunity to get bored so they can get creative is honestly a brilliant observation at how capitalism inherently pushes back against the creative process in order to generate the most “content.” This was great to listen to. Awesome job!
As an OG Smosh fan it's still so surreal to see Ian and Anthony working together again. I'm not sure when the feeling will wear off but it's truly just so amazing.
Colin and Samir didn't know who dropout are??!?! I'm shocked by that honestly, one of the biggest youtube failure to success arcs I can think of. Extremely similar to what Smosh went through.
Ian and Anthony are one of the few original legends of RU-vid - maybe only Rhett and Link have the same deep well of experience on this platform. Creators like them have helped RU-vid keep its soul as a creative space
I love these two so much, they were such a big part of my childhood, and that might be a bit concerning, but I ended up fine lol. They really cheered me up after school. I would beg my parents to use the family computer to watch their videos and go on the website. They inspired me and my (now former) best friend how to have fun. We never took our cringe videos further, but it was all about hanging out and having a great time. I also took up coding and design, so the inspiration didn't end at the childhood fun stuff. Oh, and they talked about *Editing* and *Production* and that is also something I brought with me, cause besides coding and making shitty posters I studied and worked in content creation and learned animation (very badly) So I experienced the whole process of scripts, shot listing, storyboarding, interviewing, filming, editing and posting PLUS some graphic designing and let me just tell you that having to do ALL THAT yourself or with just a team of 2-3 is quite a challenge. It's fun and doable with smaller projects, but the amount of content these two pumped out was and is insane, literally CRAZY, so PROPS TO THEM AND THE WHOLE TEAM. They're not like fathers to me, they're like two guys or boys next door (even though we live in completely different parts of the world) I looked up to my whole life. Like in cringe anime terms "senpai" or something. They brought me so much joy and I am SO happy they are back.
The mention of ebaumsworld is such a throwback 😅 Love that we're getting to sit down with the epic duo, Anthony and Ian! Thank you for bringing them to the table!
Ian is a fuckin genius,bro kept everything afloat through-out everything 🙏 (+ the expanded cast especially Courtney,Shayne,Tommy & Noah were the heart of Smosh during that...time) The two greatest to ever do it by a mile
Actually, I am here because of SMOSH. I've been a huge fan of them for years and have always believed in their creativity! Thank you Colin and Samir for having them on because you guys seem cool too! 1:06:13
1:47:08 another bummer, another bummer by ian hecox (to himself) lmao but seriously tho, this was such a fun interview that it just felt like a conversation between people who work in the same space. thankk you so much!
I like how people are finally moving on from the whole “Smosh is cringe, because it’s not the old Smosh” mentality. Because it really was just a matter of how old we were at the time, because the content quality is still there, and kinda has been at least since 2020-2021. So it’s cool to see people finally just start to appreciate it now
It is funny hearing how Ian describes "selling out". What audiences were afraid of was youtube getting as many ads as t.v has commercials. At some point the huge influx of watchers were just used to constant advertisments and did not complain. Some of us just new every video was going to have 20% of it's run time being dedicated to raid shadow legends, which is lame. Not saying anyone should work for free, viewers just did not view being a "creator" as work/job
The buzzfeed convo was really interesting. I think it’s the same thing that happened to Bon appetite. They had such amazing talent and they just threw it away by treating them so badly
Yes and No. I think people oversimplify things and always side with the 'talent' but forget that upper management has a lot more to worry about than the talent. The talent doesn't have to concern themselves with budgets, employees, and outside obligations. Their focus is on themselves and their situation. So, while I agree that Buzzfeed and Bon Apetit management messed up in a lot of areas, the way people demonise them (it is easy for people to do this because the higher ups are not as front facing) and afford the talent every courtesy strikes me as immature and an oversimplification.
90% of what i watch is smosh now. i knew smosh from back in the day, but i finally watched them during the pandemic and it helped me so much to laugh a bit every day. i am so proud of how far they have come. ♥️ it's great to see the both of them here again.
I'm one of those people who knew Anthony's day in a life videos before smosh. When they bought back Smosh I got wind of it being a huge deal and that's when I started watching smosh. I watch one of their channels daily. Such a great story!
First time I ever hear about Ian and Anthony talking about the positives of defy. I always thought it was an important part of the early smosh. This new perspective was pretty interesting. (Defy still totally screwed smosh over at the end tho lol)
A fascinating conversation. The elder millennial in me also really appreciated the discussion around early RU-vid/internet. It truly was so different back then.
00:02 Smosh transitioned into a career and experienced ups and downs 02:07 Dynamic of creativity and collaboration 06:24 Challenges in doing brand deals 08:39 Selling Smosh was a great decision 12:46 Smosh's journey pre-RU-vid and the discovery of RU-vid 14:46 RU-vid's seamless and unobtrusive video player 18:24 Creation of joyful absurdity comedy style 20:25 Absurd internet comedy 24:06 Referencing Britney Spears video was an accident 25:48 The influence of early animation and TV show humor on Smosh's style 29:36 Balancing content for existing and new audience 31:33 Collaboration with other channels enables experimental freedom 35:11 Balancing stress and comedy in a growing business 36:54 Challenges of structured video production 40:39 Division of roles in video production 42:23 Evolution of creative process over two decades. 46:04 Learning from the creator economy landscape. 47:55 Learning to focus on what we do best and finding others to handle other tasks. 51:34 Recognizing RU-vid as a path to Hollywood 53:29 Scaling creative voice in the Creator economy 56:59 Workload and decision-making differences led to burnout. 58:48 Deciding between radical simplification and expanding into multiple properties. 1:02:35 Trying new things and being okay with failure 1:04:24 Developing long-lasting formats and refining them over time 1:07:57 Smosh's strategy for longevity and talent curation 1:09:52 Gradual introduction of new cast members to the audience. 1:13:30 Challenges with brand restrictions at Defy 1:15:29 Creating a mutually beneficial structure for talent success. 1:19:17 Efficiency vs. creativity in video making 1:21:06 Managing a partnership 1:24:50 Struggling with loss and identity after leaving Smosh 1:26:46 Overcoming personal struggles and reconnecting with Ian 1:30:31 Struggle to balance positivity and standing up for oneself 1:32:13 Financial challenges of leaving Smosh 1:35:59 Smosh discussing their work and recent developments with acquisitions. 1:38:08 Transition to new ownership and leadership role 1:42:30 Smosh being a nostalgic brand 1:44:23 Content not just for nostalgic audience 1:48:12 Adapting to new formats and broadening audience appeal. 1:50:09 Discussion on memberships and platforms 1:53:54 Monetization model favoring fame over pay 1:55:46 Shifting focus from creative passion to numbers 1:59:55 Early retirement expectations and financial aspirations 2:01:44 Financial security and communication are key in creative partnerships. 2:05:14 Balancing personal issues and work 2:06:55 Creating a creative and fun work environment 2:10:34 Creators' resentment over brand deals
as someone whos grown up watching smosh, and likes to create as well, its really cool to know all this behind the scenes on info on smosh and on smosh as a company, it's pivotal stuff to know.
I really want to appreciate the fact that they already did an interview with Jon Youshaei, which I had listened to in its entirety, and yet not even one moment of this 2 hour interview felt repetitive or redundant!! Incredible interview questions, incredible conversation. Loved every second of it!
I started watching Smosh a few days ago after only ever hearing about it for years. It is so interesting to see the different avenues fans have taken when it comes to Smosh and how differently it appears to everyone. For me, I got curious about Smosh through these kinds of interviews (I am always fascinated by inside baseball discussions like these), but I find myself most enjoying the Smosh Pit and Smosh Games content (pretty much anything with Shayne who I expected to be a douche based on his name and look but was very pleasantly surprised that he isn't 😂)
This is exactly how I got in to it a few months ago. The reunion interviews, podcast, then pit and games is what stuck the most for me. I enjoy the interpersonal and improvisational more, personally. Glad they have found a way to be creative and produce the sketches though! I think smosh strength is that it has a width of personalities and content so the different channels will go in waves with what the algorithm pushes at the time. They have so many different things that can hook a new fan or that can fill a different niche of content. All based in joy, friendship and comedy
Truly loved watching this interview! I feel like you guys asked some really interesting questions that led to a lot of insightful conversation about the “creator economy,” and I really liked hearing about how much thought and research went into a lot of decisions that Ian and Anthony made, both separately and together. I also just really like hearing the opinions they have on how they view other creators or creator platforms, esp as people who’ve been there since the beginning. Like you guys discussed, it’s very interesting to see their perspective on the parallels between Smosh and SNL. I don’t often hear about the business side of being a creator, especially for such a large brand, so this was such a fun interview to listen to! PS Get into the Collegehumor/Dropout tv lore! Their storyline is also very interesting and I’d love to see an interview from Sam Reich someday
I will admit when Ian was talking about who are all these new people being introduced to the old audience it made me leave I started watching again a year before Anthony came back mostly try not to laugh and eat it or yeet it but seeing smosh together again has been amazing he fits so well with the new cast members well old cast members at this point
So I’m a YOUNG fan of smosh from the point that they landed on RU-vid. I wasn’t privy to the pre-RU-vid stuff, but I basically watched from middle school onward through about 2011. Then I’d just check in once in a while. The return of the OG daddy’s to own the property again???? A dream come true. It’s like when FallOutBoy put out new content again or when MyChem went on tour for the first time in so many years ❤😭
I think thats a great idea of Anthony's of interviews without the interviewer, it's like the actors round tables, you get something really natural and expert from an inside perspective
Hey Colin and Samir obsessed with your content truly! As a new content creator your channel’s story is truly inspiring. I started my channel just last month and have been honestly been doing relatively well! I would love to have a conversation with you guys sometime in the future! Keep doing what you guys are doing! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Speaking about the early days, don't get me wrong, Ian is so gosh darn talented, there will be pokemon still kills me, but the whole good looking one/funny one thing is total bs. Anthony has this way of approaching comedy that is so unique to him. No one can replicate it. He's so freaking funny.
It feels a bit over exposed or maybe just too bright imo. Not something I would necessarily bring up on my own, but wanted to let you know someone else does get that feeling too lol
omg absolutely loved this !! I’m loving this long form content you guys are putting out atm! (Also please get Sam Reich on here and/or the whole dropout crew, that would be insane)
