On Tuesday, Dropout celebrated its fifth anniversary with a video from CEO Sam Reich about some significant changes coming to the company. New seasons of fan-favorite shows like “Game Changer,” “Um, Actually” and “Dimension 20” were confirmed as well as some new titles, but the discontinuation of the CollegeHumor name was the most shocking (yet well-warranted) announcement.
Dropout was originally created as the streaming service for popular internet comedy group CollegeHumor, which put out notable series like “Adam Ruins Everything,”“A Message From the CEO,”“Hot Date” and “Full Benefits.” The platform was launched on Sept. 26, 2018, along with the first two episodes of “Dimension 20: Fantasy High.”
Dropout’s shift toward the production of unscripted content was a surprising turn from CollegeHumor’s focus on sketch comedy, but it was by no means unwelcome. It quickly gained a loyal following which continues to grow with each passing day. In January 2020, CollegeHumor’s parent company IAC made the decision to stop funding them, resulting in the loss of over 100 jobs. However, Reich — who, at the time, was the chief creative officer — bought the company with his own money.
The circumstances surrounding Reich’s acquisition of Dropout and the ensuing chaos brought about by the pandemic were — to say the least — unfortunate, but the company has gotten stronger since, and its content has flourished.
As a small streamer, Dropout has been awarded something not many major media companies today can boast about — freedom to create new, original content which does not sacrifice quality for quantity (despite the fact that they are constantly producing).
“Dimension 20” — an actual play TTRPG (tabletop role-playing game) show frequently hosted by game master (GM) Brennan Lee Mulligan — is a shining example of this. In just this past year alone, “Dimension 20” has put out four seasons with a fifth premiering on Oct. 4. Among many highly talented regulars, these seasons featured big-name talents like Matthew Mercer (“Critical Role”) as a guest GM for “The Ravening War” as well as Bob the Drag Queen, Alaska Thunderf*ck, Jujubee and Monét X Change as players in “Dungeons and Drag Queens” and Hank Green in “Mentopolis.” Several new seasons are currently planned or in production, including the upcoming “Burrow’s End” with seasoned “Dimension 20” GM Aabria Iyengar, season two of “Dungeons and Drag Queens”, “Never Stop Blowing Up” and “Fantasy High: Junior Year.”
Each season has been phenomenal — the cast, the production, the art and everything in between are always evolving and always have new surprises for audience members. However, it’s a highly creative endeavor requiring a lot of time, energy and people to make everything happen how it's supposed to. It’s not easy, but it is worth it.
Polygon’s recent interview with Reich and Mulligan details this struggle well. “[E]very time that I go, ‘Woof, we make a lot of this show,’ I turn around and see the ghost of my absolutely starving 25-year-old self being like, ‘[sarcastically] Oh, you got big problems, huh?’” Mulligan said. “‘Ohhh, big guy got big problems! Wow! [villainously] I’ll kill you.’ And then I go, ‘Ah, yes, back to it.’”
The cycle of constant production for any company is consuming, but Dropout’s model has proven to all those familiar with it how good content, good business practices and good people can make the world of a difference. They’ve garnered an incredibly devoted audience, featured a number of gifted actors in their content and, in general, succeeded in keeping their subscribers happy and their cast and crew employed and well-payed.
Dropout has grown into something entirely new and beautiful and, despite the fond memories, the CollegeHumor name will not be missed.
CollegeHumor is gone, Dropout will be OK without it
Maria Tobias | The Observer
