My Interview with Vinny Caravella on Giant Bomb's Future, the Community, and Bringing on New People

Hello again, duders!

I've posted my interviews with Alex Navarro, Adam Boyes, Patrick Klepek, and Will Smith on these forums in the past, and you guys have been amazing. Some of my most popular podcasts are with GB crew/GB favorites, and I can't thank everyone enough for the support.

Here's an episode I've been giddy to record ever since it was confirmed: I talked to Vinny Caravella for around 80 minutes about anything and everything Giant Bomb. I've been a massive fan of Vinny's since the GameSpot days, so we had a lot to talk about.

Again, thanks so, so much for all the support. Hope you guys enjoy the episode! If you have any notes/things I could do better/people you'd want me to talk to next, please let me know.

Vinny Caravella Podcast

nice one- i've listened to a few of your interviews, and they're always informative and well done.

a peek behind the curtain is always fascinating- thanks for the heads up!

@mellotronrules: Thanks so much, dude! It's helpful that people like Vinny are super open and willing to talk behind-the-scenes stuff.

Good interview! There were a ton of topics to talk about, so I'll just mention the audience bit since that's about me in a sense.

I don't think Giant Bomb has ever appealed that much to "the kids"(Says I, 26, soon to turn 27). There's a different audience for people like Markiplier, jacksepticeye and Pewdipie(Loud, shrill, handsome young guys who jumpcut the video after every sentence) that Giant Bomb is probably never gonna attract. I discovered the site when I was 19 or 20, and what has kept me here and kept me away from those kinds of videos is that I like GB's style of videos and can't freaking stand the Pewdipie type of video. As a guy who watched stuff like the P4 Endurance Run when I was 19, the appeal isn't that you're my age. The appeal is that you're funny, nice, largely middle-aged Americans who love video games. Until Dan, Patrick and Austin were hired and Drew came into prominence, you guys were slightly younger versions of Jeff Green. That's only an issue when you start talking about things from your childhoods, like Transformers and Atari and seeking shelter in caves from the sabertooth tigers.

Thanks for making a cool website that entertains me on a daily basis, you guys are the best.

@redhotchilimist: I can't fucking STAND jump cuts. It's why I don't watch so many YouTube videos. I don't care if they're talking about a topic I love and have an opinion that I 100% agree with. Jump cuts are the fucking worst.

@nate_is_my_fake_name: Yeah - whenever I see a video with them they make me feel how I imagine snorting Adderall feels like.

Absolutely on the jump cuts debate. They suck, it's people taking themselves too seriously as "entertainers" honestly. People who don't realise a lot of us are just looking for people having regular conversations lol.

Also good job with the interview Lionheart337, was a really interesting listen. The appeal of GB and it's target audience I think says as much about the site and it's content as the people running it. I honestly think the fact that age of the GB crew skews a bit older is a big factor to it's enjoyment.

@devise22: Thanks, dude! And I agree. As Vinny says, "Giant Bomb isn't a site about games. It's a site about people."

Excellent interview! I've always appreciated Vinny's more diplomatic, even-handed approach to dealing with conflict; he is one of the most grounded people I've ever encountered on the internet.

@dr_monocle: Thanks! And same here. He's also one of the nicest people I've podcasted with. Like, he spent 10 minutes of his time before we started to make sure his side of the recording would be perfect (he was Skyping out of the GBeast studio). He's a gem.

Your podcast has been on my "to listen" list for a while but I didn't get around to listening to it so far (sorry about that). I now have time for another podcast so I'm going to fit yours in. Plus, a long-form audio interview series is something I'm looking for, and what a better than to start than with the episode with Vinny!

@dixavd: Hey, no worries at all! I appreciate being on your shortlist, haha. I'm a podcast junkie, so I do the same thing--file a new podcast away in my head for later, but often never get to it.

Would love to hear your thoughts! My goal with The 1099 is to talk to the most interesting people in games. These are the people who I've always looked up to (well before I wrote for GameSpot or IGN). I think there are plenty of people, like me, who want to hear more from the people who make games, cover them on big sites or YouTube, or are just involved with the industry.

@redhotchilimist: Yeah, I'm still pretty young (24) and I also can't stand all the jump cuts. The world of YouTube is a crazy place, man.

This was great, nice work!

Just listened, brilliant, fucking love Vinny, great podcast!.

@twiggy199: Thanks so, so much! Vinny remains the best.

Enjoyed the podcast very much. As someone one the other side of the age spectrum (57 years old, I remember my stand alone pong machine along with sabertooth tigers) I find the talk about generational differences to be interesting (sorry Austin, perhaps compelling would be a better word?) and hearing how Vinny isn't up with Youtube was a nice story.

One thing I took away from your fine interview is that Vinny reads almost all the comments. I knew the GB folks read some of them but I believe now that they read far more than I thought. Plus Vinny having phone conversations with users is fun to hear about, I don't think I ever will be in a place where I'd need to have a sit down with him to iron out differences but I imagine it would be delightful. Vinny really is S Rank.

I'll look into more of your podcasts Lionheart377 but I can't help this time of year upon seeing 1099 to think taxes!

That was a good listen! Can't believe Vinny confirmed a new Endurance Run.

Definitely listening when I get home.

@otterchaos: The generational differences was one of my favorite parts of that talk. Vinny's around 10 years older than me, so it's interesting to talk about how we like to consume media compared to all other age groups. And the name of the podcast is actually based on that tax form, Otter! It's usually a freelance-centric show, so The 1099 seemed to fit. Thanks for listening!

Nice.

@glots: I so, so badly wanted to title this podcast "New Endurance Run Confirmed."

What is Blight Club?

I listened to the one you did with Adam Boyes, your really good at this man, dunno if you applied for the spots at GB, but if you did, hope you get a serious consideration, as you legit seem to have a natural talent for this stuff :)

Great interview with Vinny! Always appreciate hearing the behind the scenes info to Giant Bomb.

Thats was a great podcast/interview, I need to watch your other stuff as well at some point.

@redhotchilimist: This sort of hyperactive appoach to content creation is why we cannot have nice things anymore. I believe being more faster and more powerful in the stuff you present in digestable form is a slippery slope sort of deal, in which things have to be "more X" all the time or else it gets stale fast, which is why people always look out for ideas to increase the market value and viewership of their brand. I think the way Giant Bomb presents its content, with a focus on both the game and the personalities is way more contructive than being entirely focused on the personality and your own brand, with the game played as a backdrop. People primarily don't watch YouTube commedians for the stuff they present but rather they do watch it because of the character/brand they want to see.

I believe that those people with a large audience have a responsibility to actually care on how they should cultivate such audiences. If I would be a YouTuber with a large following I would at least try to imply the good things in life, sometimes even directly so. I think the podcasts do this greatly, often without people even realizing this. It does feel fluent in a way that doesn't get annoying. People dislike negativity as much as fake positivity, at least afaik.

I remember back when YouTube was just cute animals, AMVs and silly failblog stuff. Those were the good times.

@mrfluke: Thanks so much, dude! Adam was amazing to have on. And I really, really appreciate you saying that. I might have said it on the podcast, but yeah, working at Giant Bomb has always been this pipe dream for me. Right now, I'm really happy with my role with Tangentlemen/Sony Santa Monica. But to even be considered for a Giant Bomb spot would mean the world.

I became a fan of Markiplier when he was a nervous, shy, and not a particularly talkative or popular YouTuber yet. His playthrough of Cry of Fear hooked me, and his personality got me through some pretty unbearable moments of my life. He was very quiet and sweet and nothing like the loud clumsy clown (though still clearly a lovely guy) he is now. Happiness can change you for the worst in some cases, but not as a human being necessarily, just as an entertainer, and only in the eyes of those who saw the change. GB has retained a lot of the trappings of its lawless past, even after being bought, and that is the difference I think. When you do something for a long time, there's a risk that you will polish off the "rough edges" that made you unique in the first place, sometimes from becoming more confident, or just by improving the camera quality, applying more elaborate editing, etc, and it starts to feel more like a controlled work-horse that bangs episodes out like a pez dispenser. Giant Bomb still feels off-the-cuff and spontaneous with tonnes of opportunities to peek behind the curtain, and that is why we love it, and that is why YouTubers lose their original charm sometimes. They became zippy and disposable, like shots of caffeine, to be consumed and thrown away, then onto the next one. The audiences were similar once, but they are night and day now.

Anyway, great interview!

@lionheart377: aaand just got done listening to the one you did with Vinny, you were able to bring out the most serious/passionate side of Vinny better than pretty much anyone else, terrific job with his interview also!

@mrfluke: Thanks so much! My hope was that letting him reflect on Giant Bomb and go in-depth about where it's going would bring out a unique perspective, and I really love how it turned out.

@brunothethird: Totally agree. And thanks!

Just more confirmation that Vinny has his head on right.

@csl316: Totally. Vinny is the best.

I don't think I ever posted this one (don't want to flood the forums), but I also did a podcast with Justin McElroy. Toward the end, we talked about how crazy it was being on Giant Bomb livestreams/podcasts at E3 and how amazing Ryan was.

Full Podcast

@redhotchilimist: I got into giantbomb when I first started high school, though admittedly that was before YouTube gaming and twitch really blew up. Dunno how typical/atypical I am though.

This is cool! Gonna go through a bunch of the older episodes after this. Good job!

@rht992: Thanks so much! Really appreciate that. There are quite a few in there with Giant Bomb regulars (Adam Boyes, Will Smith, etc.)

@redhotchilimist: Read that as "large" instead of "largely"

Really liked the podcast. I've listened to a few of the 1099 episodes and none have disappointed me so far.

First time hearing your podcast, and it was great. Thanks for doing these. I'll have to go check out some of your other ones.

@hassun: Awesome! That means the world, dude.

@millaj: Thanks, dude! I love doing them, so as long as people keep listening, I'll keep recording.