I am Drew Scanlon, former Giant Bomb video producer, current purveyor of Cloth Map, and Blinking White Guy. AMA!

Will you be attending Eurovision? Seems like you should document Eurovision.

I WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT

Hi Drew!

Similar to this question that Austin was asked (in fact, exactly the same), what have been the most valuable lessons you've learned whilst working at Giant Bomb?

Great question! My time at Giant Bomb defined a lot about my career, and my life (eight years at a place will do that do you!). Here goes!

Alex: I hope to one day be as sharp and quick-witted as Alex. Dude's jokes are always on point and his lightning-fast comments often have a poignancy I couldn't achieve with hours of soul-searching. He's also one of the genuinely nicest people I've ever met.

Brad: Brad is supremely eloquent. He has this uncanny ability to distill and convey exactly what he's thinking, using the perfect words to do so. He's also down to chat about space or physics or pretty much anything cool at a near-university level. He's a fountain of information.

Dan: Dan will constantly surprise you. His view of the world is often direct and simple, but this can cause you to challenge things you'd previously considered set in stone. I can't thank him enough for introducing me to mindfulness meditation, something that has vastly improved my life.

Jason: Coming into a new environment and gelling with a team that has been together for as long as we had is an extremely difficult task, but not only did Jason pull it off, he did so with his characteristic unwavering positivity. Jason injected new, outside-the-box ideas while also taking to heart the lessons the rest of us had learned over the years, and has grown immeasurably since he arrived, both behind the camera and in front of it.

Jeff: Jeff is a walking encyclopedia of video games, a trait that never ceased to amaze me. But what’s most amazing about Jeff is how much he respects games and the industry. You can’t build what Giant Bomb is without people that care--that have a reverence for the material--the way Jeff does. It’s inspiring.

Rorie: There are tasks involved with operating a website that are tedious, unglamorous, largely invisible to the audience, and vastly important. Rorie does most of these things, and does so tirelessly. Personally, Rorie is extraordinarily genuine, and probably smarter than all of us combined.

David: You guys may not know Dave Nillasca, but he keeps the lights on. Knowing that someone is looking out for you while you make dumb Internet videos is extremely comforting, especially when it’s someone as smart and capable as Dave.

Austin: I hardly spent any time with Austin during his brief tenure at Giant Bomb, but whenever I did, it felt like we had known each other for years. Austin can talk about the things you think you know well, but in a way that makes them seem brand new and makes you appreciate them even more. The fact that he was able to create a website and community with that ability in Waypoint has been amazing to watch.

Patrick: If you need proof that Patrick is always up for anything, look no further than the end of this video (where Patrick eats a boiled sheep’s head). Professional, personable, and just fun to be around, I would travel anywhere in the world with Patrick again in a heartbeat.

Ryan: Man, I miss Ryan. If you want to know what Ryan was like in person, just watch this video. Imagine working with a guy like that every day, how that would give you energy, lift your mood, and make you want to make great things.

Vinny: What do you say about the person who shaped your career? Who taught you almost everything you know about video production, from the technical to the interpersonal? Who stayed just as late (and usually later) than you when you were both working on edits? Who taught you, through his own actions, to care about the craft of the work in addition to its content? And who did all of that while making you laugh every single day? You say thank you. Thank you, Vinny.

When Mario Party Switch comes out would you like to join in the new Mario Party Party back at Giant Bomb?

would you like to

Hmm.

Drew,

Huge fan, duder. Super excited for your new project, can't wait to see what you come up with!

I have 2 questions: Firstly, over the years you've gotten tons of rad stuff from the Giant Bomb community through mailbags. What were some of your personal favorites?

Secondly, what does Matt Rorie smell like? Does he smell like puppy breath?

Oh man, there's so much! I love historical artifacts, like the Russian naval hat and the Olympic pins, but I think my favorites are ones that people actually made, like the Puyo Puyo Tetris-themed baseball cards, the MGS-themed alpaca Amiibo, drawings, knitting projects, the list goes on!

Good luck on your ventures Drew. Any place you would never consider going?

Never say never!

Countries with poor human rights records can be tricky, both from a production and moral standpoint, but I think there can be incredible value in actually hearing from the people who live in those places. See: The White Helmets on Netflix.

I think my mom might be pretty upset if I went to an active war zone, but there are ways to minimize risks there too ;)

Drew, thank you for all the memories at Giant Bomb! Why did you decide to make this a venture outside of Giant Bomb? Were they just not interested in this type of content, or would it have been too resource-intensive or another reason entirely?

Also, I would love to hear a Ryan Davis story if you have got one!

Purely a personal decision. Absolutely nothing against Giant Bomb or CBSi, I just wanted to try doing something on my own, to challenge myself.

Most of my best memories of Ryan are thankfully on camera, like the video where he hears Buckner & Garcia's Found Me the Bomb for the first time. I do remember, though, when I was tasked with doing my first teleprompter shoot (I think for GOTY 2009), I was really nervous, so I watched a whole bunch of Ryan's stuff. Dude was really good at speaking written words like was just thinking of them.

What is the status of Formula 1 coverage?

It will continue!! Danny and I still want to do an F1 podcast, but we haven't decided on a name yet. Sorry, I've been pretty bad at messaging that, but our goal is to have at least one episode before the start of the season!

Heya, Drew!

So I'm curious about your tastes in tabletop gaming. Over the years I don't recall you talking much about it since, well, you were busy talking about video games.

Any games really stick out to you? Are you into pen&paper RPGs? Do dice have the same sultry appeal to you as a new HOTAS?

Board games are DEEPLY ingrained in my family. We play them almost every time we get together.

Family favorites: Catan, 7 Wonders, Ticket to Ride, Camel Cup, Colt Express, Hanabi, The Resistance/Avalon

Personal additions to that list: Carcassonne, Ascension

One of the most difficult parts of travel for me (especially when it's w/a baby and a dog) is the luggage. How much gear do you think you'll be taking on your trips and do you use any special packing techniques to keep your equipment from being damaged during transport?

I haven't ordered all my video gear yet, so it's tough to say how big THAT suitcase is going to be, but I want to stay as light as possible. That means taking minimal personal items, to maximize for equipment, which I think will be a fun challenge! When I was in Japan for New Year's this year, I tried an experiment: two sets of underwear, two pairs of socks. Wear one, wash one. Every day for two weeks. Seemed like it worked (nobody told me I smelled)!

Hello Drew, big fan. BIG. FAN. In all of the years at Giant Bomb, what were the top 3 most hilarious jokes / events that occurred that you just couldn't stop laughing at behind the scenes?

Hmm... off the top of my head:

• Jon Frakes playing poker

• Skyrim giant vs. bear

• Let's watch a pro

• Vinny and the knife in this year's Hitman GOTY video

• Vinny and Ryan crashing the car in Sleeping Dogs

• and whenever we skewed Jeff or Ryan's head with the TriCaster to make it huge at the top but small on the bottom

One that got me recently was Jeff playing Buckner & Garcia's Goin' Berzerk during the Berserk Quick Look.

Vinny and Ryan crashing the car in Sleeping Dogs

I'm guessing it's this.

THAT'S THE ONE

This moment from the Ride to Hell: Retribution QL where you're VERY audibly laughing in the background is one of my favorites: https://youtu.be/kdAW5FVj5n0?t=4327

YES, THIS ONE TOO

Is Cloth Map a one-man operation? Also, what equipment do you plan on carrying with you in the field?

It is, currently! I haven't bought most of the gear yet, but I want to stay pretty light and mobile. I was thinking of the Sony a7s II, a boom mic, maybe lavs and an audio recorder, that kind of setup.

What was it like to work with Jeff, let alone be your boss?

Jeff's great! In all honesty, everyone at Giant Bomb was awesome. (See above.) There's no way any of us would have been there that long if that wasn't the case. I would work with any of those dudes again!

PS: Jeff technically wasn't my boss, Vinny was.

Hey Drew! Any places you're dead-set on visiting?

Don't want to give anything AWAY now, do I?? ;)

Did you still do Crossfit? Will there be a miniseries called Clothfit covering the Crossfit Games?

Hahaha, I appreciate the pun! With work and flying and stuff, CrossFit has taken a back seat for the past few months, but I'd love to see if I could reintegrate it into my schedule. I really enjoyed feeling like a superhero.

OH MY GOD IT'S DREW!!!

First, I just want to thank you for all the laughs and great memories at Giant Bomb. I've been a fan since the beginning and I'm super excited for Cloth Map! Congratulations! :D

My question for you is, will there ever be another series like Metal Gear Scanlon? Moments like the "H button" had me in tears haha

Thanks again for everything and best of luck, Drew! o7

Thanks so much! Who knows what the future holds? I really loved doing Metal Gear Scanlon. Those games are bonkers and Dan was the perfect "guide" for them. I still have no idea what my brain was doing with the H button.

Any views from the inside on how video game websites have evolved over the years to compete with new platforms of game coverage, like Twitch and Youtube?

Also please keep showing up for Bombcasts, you're the best dude.

Thanks duder!! The game-coverage landscape is constantly evolving, and I think the reason Giant Bomb has been around as long as it has is because it is also good at evolving and being flexible. As difficult as it is to have such a small team, we were able to adjust to things like moving from Sausalito to San Francisco, starting a premium service, moving to CBS, the loss of Ryan, starting Giant Bomb East, and the throes of the Internet. It's a remarkable organization, and I can't wait to see what they do next! It's going to be fun being a fan this time ;D

Hi Drew! How long had you been planning/thinking about this move? It seems you had an idea of it already when you went to Japan with the footage you shot for the trailer.

Bonus question: Who is the new meme king of GB now that you're gone?

I've always wanted to travel more, but couldn't really see a way to do it to the degree I wanted while still working a full-time job. I decided I would try to combine the two, but didn't really know what that actually looked like for a long time. I just knew I wanted to do something! I take a camera with me on all my trips (see also the teaser video, which has clips from a half-dozen of my personal trips). The Japan footage in the trailer is from that, and was included just to hint at what it might look like.

I think Jeff has the Meme Belt for now. Ain't no BBC ever interview Drew ;D

Hey Drew, Brewmaster Andy here! Do you anticipate this project leading you mostly into international waters, or are you planning some stateside travel as well?

Hey Andy! Not ruling anything out, but probably focusing on international stuff at the outset. I really want to get outside my own comfort zone!

Hey Drew. Did you happen to see the redbull.com article (yes, they make articles) about video gaming in Brazil in the 90's? It goes deep into how games were consumed in here back then and why and how that reflects on today's gaming costumes.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around your project. Would it be something like that, but less detailed about the history of it and more focused on how things are in these countries now?

It's tough to know exactly what the fruits of the project will actually look like when it's still so new, but in broad terms: I think learning about the world is an extremely important pursuit, and having some kind of through-line subject to anchor your interest in a place (like games or history or biking or whatever else you like) goes a long way to really understanding it.

It's something I learned years ago on a family trip. For context, my family has the (somewhat odd) tradition of watching the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers every year over winter break. In 2010, we decided to create an entire trip around retracing the steps of the 101st Airborne Division in WWII (the subject of the series), from France, across Europe, to Austria. It's one of the best experiences of my life, made all the more impactful by the context we all had.

My love of games is another subject that provides context for me, and is something that is near universal in human nature. My goal is to use that through-line as a vehicle to guide my own exploration of the world and its cultures, and to harness the professional skills I've developed to bring the things I learn to a wider audience. Because if I don't share what I learn, then what's the point?

How is your Final Fantasy VI play through coming along? I really love that game and I think you chose the perfect one to play through as your first.

Congrats on the Patreon. How many trips do you think you'll pull off with that large of a backing in the first 6 months? I can't wait to see where you go and what stories you tell. Good luck with Cloth Map!

I just recently got back to it! Which is not an easy thing to do, by the way. I spent about an hour wandering around trying to remember what I was doing and where to go before I gave up and visited GameFAQs. Turns out Terra is missing and I have to find her!

The exact number of trips is tough to say at such an early stage, but I'd love to do at least three in the first six months, with lots of video to go along with each one. I think I'll learn a LOT with the first one, and fully expect the project to evolve over time as I get better at doing it!

Hi Drew! Big fan of your work on Giantbomb. I was very sad to see you go (Got a little misty eyed during that last UPF..) but I'm super excited for what's on the horizon! Never backed a Patreon quicker in my life.

I have a quick question, settle a bet for me, is this Matt Rorie walking to work? http://i.imgur.com/Mwfutl6.jpg

Makes me think of the games people play when they travel... wonder what game HE'S playing :P !!

Much appreciated, my friend!!

Rorie plays his own game.

You're going to live on a submarine to document what types of games the crew play to keep themselves entertained for weeks without communication with the outside world, right?

Are you offering?

What's your process going to be for reaching out to people who are in more remote regions and might not speak English?

Copious amounts of research, helpful people on the Internet, guides, and patience!

Sup duder! Thanks for all the amazing memories with Giant Bomb and I can't wait to see what you do with Cloth Map! Just wondering, what was your favorite moment from the entire Metal Gear Scanlon run? And what are the odds of you and /u/DanRyckert prowling the Russian wilderness, MGS3 style?

Also, did you ever get around to watching The Patriot?

Thank you!! Haha, no, still have never seen The Patriot, but I want to! It's probably terrible!

So many good moments in Metal Gear Scanlon, but I think the one I'm most proud of is my fight with The End. For that brief frame of time, MGS clicked with me, and it felt amazing. The rest of the time, it was, well...

Hey Drew!
What kind of videos did you make before you grew into the "Video Producer Intern" position at Giant Bomb?

I hadn't really made many videos since high school when I got to Whiskey Media. Most of my work in college was non-video (graphic design, sound design, web programming, some 3D), but in high school I mostly made music videos, either for classes (my Spanish 3 music video was particularly formative--I had a shot list and everything!), or for myself. I don't know how I found the Warthog Jump, Maptacular, or Status: Owned in the days before YouTube, but I was pretty much just trying to make those over and over.

Drew, I've been a fan of GB for a while now, was sad to see you go, but am happy to see you pursuing your own project. I have 2 questions :

1. Is there any particular reason you refrain from cursing on air? All the other duders curse regularly but you never did once.

2. For someone who has never left the states, traveling outside the country is intimidating. What are some tips you have for international travel?

1. I don't have any moral stance against cursing or anything, it's just a self-imposed rule to force me to be more eloquent!
2. Totally understand. In fact, one of my goals with Cloth Map is to show the nuts and bolts of international travel. Traveling shouldn't be reserved for the very rich or very retired. It should be for everyone, and I hope that this project inspires people to get out there and make trips of their own! But real quick:

• Take your time. Cramming too much to do into one day and rushing through it will only make you stressed out.

• Go with the flow. Things won't go 100% right. You'll miss trains, places will be closed, etc. Just say "huh, okay" and move on. Invariably, the most memorable experiences come between the "big sights," so don't be afraid to let them happen.

• Get a money belt and put money and your passport in it. Cash gets you out of jams, and it's much easier to stop worrying about your bag getting stolen when your passport isn't in it.

Do you anticipate buying a lot of games for Switch going forward since you're going to be traveling a lot and Switch seems really good for that?

I'm loving the Switch so far! Seems like it'd be a good travel device. I'm not one to play games for hours-long stretches, so the battery life doesn't really bother me. It'd probably become my "get back to the hotel and chill" device. Just wish there were more games for it!

Hi there Drew, first time caller long time listener. Few questions here for you.

1) When did you get the idea for Cloth Map and for how long did you consider leaving GB to start it before you actually went ahead with it?

2) What is your plan for if you go to a country to do a video, get there, record it all, and then decide the content you got was bad? For example, any interview or tour you go on to get content just isn't very forthcoming and informative as you had hoped. You are investing a lot into each individual trip, so quality control has to be a concern for you.

3) Obviously on the go you will be doing a bit of a point and shoot setup with you handling the camera. However for anything like interview shots or shots with you speaking into the camera, will you have a dedicated cameraman/woman?

4) What was your favourite thing about each of your previous coworkers at GB? It can be a moment, a personal quality, anything really. (e: I see you since answered something similar to this so skip it if you want because the answer up there works.)

5) Did you see yourself working at GB for as long as you did when you first started working for the site full time?

6) How do you explain your new career to friends and family? I am sure when you proposed it to them some of them gave you weird looks and threw questions about it at you, especially if they already didn't understand the idea of "dude who works for videogame site." I am sure "dude who goes globetrekking to look at game related stuff to make a travel diary about it on his own" is an even more puzzling thing for them to comprehend.

Hey there! Most of these have been answered, but I'll bat cleanup as best I can.

The actual ins-and-outs of production are something I can only really speculate on until I actually get OUT there, but in regards to quality control my goal is to create pieces of value, not a stream of throwaway video selfies. People have enough stuff like that in their lives, and more to the point it's not really how I work. If I'm going to invest time and energy in something, I want it to be something I and my Patrons are proud of!

Much like working at Giant Bomb, the way I characterize my job differs depending on who I'm talking to. For example, if I say I work at a "video game website" to the wrong person, they'll think I make FarmVille. The best I came up with while working at Giant Bomb was "I work at a website that covers the video game industry." If they wanted more information, I'd say "I do video work for them, video reviews, that sort of thing." (GB hasn't done video reviews in years, but it's a good shorthand.) I'm sure the way I say it for Cloth Map will change over time, but for now, if I'm talking to someone I just met, I'll probably say "I make travel documentaries," which is frustratingly reductive but gets the point across.

Hey Drew! Congrats on the new project! What are your big challenges transitioning from the Giant Bomb team to working for yourself? Do you have people that will be helping you out regularly?

Thank you!!

Right away the biggest challenge was working from home, not because I get distracted, but because, when there's no separation from the place you work and the place you sleep, you can work all the time. As such, I use timers to force me to stop working. Good work doesn't come without good rest, and vice versa.

Right now Cloth Map is just me, though I occasionally go to members of my family for financial/business advice.

I would be absolutely stoked if you did a trip to Japan to highlight some of the indie games that aren't released in the US.

What's your most ridiculous Dan story?

How does one grow luscious golden locks like that?

Did you ever beat FFVI?

What is the most memorable trip you have made?

I'm sad to see you leave GB West, but I'm glad you are still going to be active. It's always a treat listening to your adventures.

Japan is definitely on the "want to go" list! I've been there twice and haven't even scratched the surface.

I saw Dan dance once.

There's a really awkward period between "I have short hair" and "I have long hair." Try not to go outside during this period.

Not yet!

Retracing the 101st Airborne Division's path across Europe in WWII (see above)!

Hi drew, 2 questions!

1) will you keep living in SF? As you're travelling a lot and SF is so crazy expensive, wouldn't it be easyier to live somewhere else?

2) How will you deel with people calling this kind of travel funding wrong? Specifically for people looking to fund their travelling. Do you think sharing the costs/salary of your expenses would help for transperancy?

Good questions!

1. Yep, still living in SF! Thankfully, I'm fortunate and pay less than average rent around here. Plus, pretty much my entire network of business and personal contacts is here, which I guess is unquantifiable, but it certainly helps.

2. I think if I were just taking the money and going to Hawaii, drinking mojitos all day and filming a single one-minute video saying "sup," that would probably be uncool. I also totally understand if people are skeptical at this super early stage.

But there are also people that simply will never understand how production works, and that's fine! Most of the videos will be available for free on the Cloth Map YouTube channel. But for the people that like what I do and want to see more of it, there's Patreon.

As an alpaca, what are your thoughts on llamas?

I'm nicer and fuzzier.

Hey Drew!

I am massively terrified for my future. I am nineteen and do not have a clue what I want to do with my life. I did well in school, went to university for two years and decided to drop out for a multitude of reasons.

How did you figure out what you wanted to do at my age? What led you to where you are today?

P.S If you ever visit Scotland for whatever reason, I'd love to take you to some of our finest drinking establishments.

"Figuring out what you want to do" often implicitly comes with "for the rest of your life" at the end. This I reject. It's such a huge, difficult question. It's like a snake trying to swallow a Volkswagen Beetle. Instead, do what interests you right now. If you're always doing something you like, you'll always be doing something you like!

Something else I reject: the notion of "finding your passion." Passion isn't something that hits you like a bolt of lightning, after which you say "I know what I want to do with my life!" Instead, passion comes from feeling good about what you're doing and reaching a certain level of mastery with it. It comes AFTER you've been doing something for a while that you think is cool.

Hope that helps!

What's your opinion on Force India's pink livery?

Yes, I am asking the big questions.

Approve, especially since McLaren is going in the orange direction.

Drew, Iove you on Giant Bomb you were consistently one of my favorites because of your eclectic taste in games and hobbies.

Not a real question but ever since you said you were flying I've been eager to hear you on the radio. I'm a controller at SJC and a visit from you one day would be awesome. When are you going to come?

I wish you the best of luck with Cloth Map and hopefully I hear you some day.

Thank you, fellow airplane enthusiast!!

I wouldn't doubt eventually making it down to SJC as I start to do more cross-country stuff ;D

Hey Drew, big fan of your work. Got two questions.

First: are you going to cover a sort of contiguous path across the globe, to maximize area and coverage? Or will it be based at will?

Second: Do you need a video assistant? ;)

Going to start off with a home-base approach, venturing out and coming back. It may so happen that this is the best approach, or it may make more sense to spend a few months on the road at a time. We shall see!!

Drew! Thanks for everything you did at GB, been a huge fan of yours since the beginning. It broke my heart when you left, but I am super excited for (and am a patron of!) your new venture, and wish you all the luck on it.

Your behind the scenes videos really solidified my interest in doing video production work, with The Longest Day holding a special place in my heart. I would love to do things like what you and the other video guys do/did, but I have no idea how to approach it. I am getting close to 30, and am already in pretty rough student loan debt. Is schooling the best option? Are there other ways to really pick up on all the ins and outs of the physical side of making video?

Thank you so much!! Kind words, my friend.

I'm no doctor, but here's what I would recommend: just start, and immediately start taking notes about what you want to improve. Imagine showing your work to someone famous, or someone you really admire. What sticks out to you that needs improvement? Then go and improve it. If you don't know how, find out. That's where the learning comes from. Problem solving is learning. And once you solve a problem once, you know how to do it forever.

As someone who likes to travel, can you speak any languages other than english/do you plan to learn any?

I can do the most basic of high school Spanish and a little bit of German. Given infinite time, I would love to learn Japanese, Russian, Arabic... man, everything?

Hi Drew, thanks for doing this AMA and I'm gonna support Cloth Map through Patreon later today.
Actually I'm gonna sign up for Patreon just so I can support this awesome thing. Best of luck and I'm looking forward to all the content. Being an starting editor myself, here's my question:

What is the most important thing about editing you've learned in the past 8 years?

Thanks so much! I'd be grateful to have you!!

Editing tip: Let the shots linger as long as they need to. Don't try to cram them in so that you can't tell what's happening. I tend to trim clips with that in mind, add them all to the timeline, pick a song that encapsulates the tone I'm going for, and then massage it all into a piece.

Hey Drew, long time fan wish you all the best. My question Is you getting your pilot's license part of your plan/dream for Cloth map?

They're pretty separate in my mind currently. But if I get my seaplane certification, THEN let's talk ;D

Hi Drew, can we get a patreon stretch goal to get you a flying boat, in which you travel the world? Some advantages of a flying boat: 1. Flying Boats > Seaplanes > all other planes > helicopters 2. Think of the money you'll save on renting in SF 3. They're the ideal world travelling vehicle, the space of an RV combined with the portability of a plane AND a boat!

I am all for being a real-life Baloo from TaleSpin.