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    Brad Shoemaker

    Person » credited in 3 games

    Brad Shoemaker was a senior editor of Giant Bomb from 2008 to 2021, and a former editor for GameSpot. He was the third host of the Giant Bombcast. Voice of an angel.

    Short summary describing this person.

    Brad Shoemaker last edited by TurtleFish on 05/15/21 05:30PM View full history

    Biography

    He's a real soulful dude, man.
    He's a real soulful dude, man.

    Brad Shoemaker was born in North Carolina on July 20th, 1979. He began college at North Carolina State University in 1997, where he started out in Computer Science but later on switched to English. In 1999, he wrote several articles for Hotgames.com that he never got paid for. In the summer of 2000, he began as an intern at GameSpot. In 2003, he began working as feature editor for GameSpot, subsequently becoming an associate editor. He appeared frequently on the weekly video feature, On The Spot, and podcast, The HotSpot. In 2008, after the infamous "Gerstmanngate" scandal, he left GameSpot and freelanced for a while until he became an editor on Giant Bomb with his ex-GameSpot colleagues Ryan Davis, Jeff Gerstmann , and Vinny Caravella.

    "Pulling a Brad"

    "Pulling a Brad" occurs when someone dies or loses in a video game while appearing live or while recording raw footage to be broadcast later. The phrase "Pull a Brad" was first started by Justin Calvert - an editor at GameSpot. Justin coined the phrase on an episode of GameSpot's live show, On the Spot, after witnessing Brad die a number of times in the PSP game Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins. The phrase has stuck as Brad has a tendency to die more often than any other member of the Bomb Squad during Quick Looks. Even the Bomb Squad makes reference to the phrase; for example, after falling into hot lava immediately after beginning the Quick Look for Darksiders, Vinny Caravella jokes about Jeff Gerstmann taking over for Brad, who wasn't even present.

    For more insight into "Pulling a Brad" during Quick Looks, Brad: Quick Look Start to Death Time is a comprehensive list of Brad's first deaths during Quick Looks, including when and how it happened. This list was retired after Brad's 100th Quick Look death.

    Brad has since admitted on a thread discussing his ability to die quickly when playing games on NeoGAF that the meme has taken its toll on him and the people who constantly berate him for "Pulling a Brad" hurt his feelings.

    On September 14th, 2012, "Pulling a Brad" is now the new meaning for perseverance in the face of an impossible task, after finally obtaining the "Mile High Club" achievement in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. "Pulling a Brad" means being a true champion.

    Facts & Trivia

    Brad sporting a moustache.
    Brad sporting a moustache.
    • Brad's true full name is Bradley H. Shoemaker III.
      • The H stands for Handsome.
    • Known as "Mouth of the South".
    • He's been the host of the Giant Bombcast since the 07/15/2014 episode.
    • The phrase "pulling a Brad" was coined on Brad's birthday.
    • Loves Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, and Conor Oberst in all of his forms.
    • If Brad had to pick one game to play on a deserted island, it would be Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.
    • Brad's gaming snack of choice is figs.
    • Brad, seemingly tired at all times of the day, is most energetic at 3:30 A.M.
    • Brad wants to see Jeff Gerstmann in the "jiggy rain".
    • At least once, Brad was infected with "banana mouth" on a Bombcast.
    • Knows exactly the right angle and posture to successfully "photobomb" around a camera.
    • He occasionally shills for Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits.
    • He often says in podcast and videos: "Tell me how you really feel".
    • Once, while visiting Bojangles', they accidentally gave him an extra biscuit. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. Ever.
    • Brad likes the Harry Potter books but not the films.
    • Brad appreciates a good flashlight.
    • Brad wants Jeff to stop murdering dinosaurs.
    • Thinks comic books are "dumb".
    • Is adept at Quake.
    • Used to play Doom on a Gravis Gamepad.
    • Enjoys cooking a meal on a rainy day.
    • Has admitted to being an "id Software Fanboy" as he has bought each and every game they have developed.
    • His favorite console is the SNES.
    • Would rather be a hippo for a day than a polar bear, a blue whale, or a giraffe.
    • Loves bandages.
    • While Brad has a very deep voice, he can achieve a surprisingly high falsetto.
    • At one point during the Dante's Inferno Quick Look, a large wooden cross fell on the platform that Brad was standing, forming a bridge. The platform itself began to crumble apart. In response to the dire situation, Brad attempted to hand the controller to Vinny or Ryan, not wanting to deal with the pressure. However, Vinny and Ryan both yelled at him to go, and Brad made it to safety on the other side in the nick of time just as the cross collapsed under him. Ryan responded with "Goddammit!"
    • Brad and Ryan Davis once bought Taiwanese iPod knock-offs when attempting to purchase real iPods. Ryan called the device "terrible". Brad claims to have never physically looked at his.
    • Brad wants to take a bath in Pac-Man Championship Edition DX.
    • There's not a lot of room in his pants. Reference in video at 2:14.
    • Brad says he has never loved a game more than Mortal Kombat 2.
    • Brad hasn't liked anything Radiohead has done since OK Computer.
    • While playing dungeon crawlers, Brad has a compulsion to explore every inch of the map for loot. Ryan Davis calls him a "goddamn lunatic" for doing this.
    • He does not like popcorn. Everyone else thinks that's insane. He likes the Christmas Tricorn, though.
    • Brad hates ketchup but loves HP sauce.
    • He has never read any of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. According to Jeff, Vinny, and Ryan, by not reading any of the books, he has most likely missed out on 10-15 years of pop culture references.
    • Has eaten raw horse. It was good.
    • Has eaten ostrich. It, too, was good.
    • Brad has never hosted an entire Quick Look without exclaiming "Oh God!" at least once.
    • Brad reluctantly admits to building and painting a model of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). The model was not to scale, and there was no weathering.
    • Brad has actually never watched Rambo.
    • Let the record show that he never let go of the hold button.
    • Brad eats Altoids compulsively. Something about the crunch really draws him into eating up to 3 at a time.
    • Brad can do an impression of a Murloc.
    • Once said "There's a lot of pixels in that nipple" in reference to Leisure Suit Larry on the 8-16-2011 Bombcast.
    • He has met Gene Simmons.
    • While perusing a copy of the Doom shareware at Babbage's, young Bradley Shoemaker was heard to remark, "So, it's like Duck Hunt?"
    • Loves Ritz Cracker's buttery taste and depression-era sensibility.
    • Brad has a bottle of Crystal Skull Vodka that was signed by Dan Aykroyd.
    • Brad smokes (but only in Japan).
    • Brad thinks reading is "for suckers."
    • It was revealed on the Super Monday Night Combat TNT that Brad has no family.
    • Had his own "exzecutable" moment on the Tested podcast where he couldn't pronounce "ambient" correctly.
    • Brad once spent many hours trying to get the Mile High Club achievement on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The achievement required Brad to "Sky dive to safety on Veteran difficulty" which he eventually accomplished during Giant Bomb's Big Live Live Show Live.
    • Is highly regarded expert on the technical details of murder.
    • His go-to seed in games that randomly generate content is "Poopy Pants".
    • Has been killed in God mode
    • He has been playing so much Dota 2 that the rest of the Bomb Squad fear for his health.
    • +mlook in Quake 1 changed his life.
    • In almost every video to feature him, Brad says, "come here, you" at least once.
    • Brad claims to be related to someone who played for the Green Bay Packers in 1967 when they won Super Bowl I. He claims to have seen the Super Bowl ring in person.
    • Resident Science Expert.
    • Goes by the rap name "Pistol Shrimp"
    • Brad claims to have perfect pitch in the Rocksmith 2014 Quick Look (@8:52).
    • Brad seems to have an affinity for the noble rodent, given that his first pet was a hamster named Muffin.
    • Brad is the father of Quick Looks; initiating the idea of uploading unedited videos of newly released games with commentary so that they could more efficiently produce content for games on/closer to launch day.
    • Brad was the last wrestler to defeat Hulk Hogan during his reign at WCW. However, the match was not televised so only those present witnessed his glorious victory. There is a video saved on a Nokia phone that can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York City if one donates $50k USD
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