IamA wannabe comedian who brought a case of Pepsi to the Berkeley protests. You may have seen a stolen copy of my video on the front page this morning. AMA!

What is your day job?

I am a (very) minority owner of a small tabletop game publisher named White Wizard Games, and the lead graphic designer of our flagship game: Star Realms. The game is actually pretty fun. We've won a ton of awards (SXSW Table Top Game of the Year for one), and it's only like $10-$15 on Amazon. There's also a digital version for phones if you want to try it out, play some test games against the computer.

I also do freelance video work for small video game publishers, mostly making trailers and promotional videos. I try to make stuff that is a bit weird / funny, which appeals to people who are trying to make their game stand out in a super crowded marketplace. Here's one of my favorites (starring me!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp-3ddmMv_Y

Are you ready for all the sales this will generate? I go to several game nights a month and I picked it up because it seemed like a quick learn.

Star Realms? Yeah it basically funded our company for the past two years.

Nah, I meant all the sales this little post will generate. I mean, I almost never buy the games people plug because they are full scale board games ($40+) and I'm cheap. $13 was a good impulse buy price though.

If anything, I hope people give the mobile version a try. Easy way to figure out if you like the game (it's very addictive)

Holy shit you did graphic design for Star Realms? Blob Carrier is one of the most beautiful designs I've seen in any card game, including MTG. Pure imagination.

I highly encourage anyone who enjoys card games or board games or sci-fi stuff to try this game. It's nothing like Magic the Gathering, it really has its own style. It's super fun.

Someday society will understand the difference between "illustrator" and "graphic designer" but thank you. I hope you like the frame on Blob Carrier.

My bad.

I'm always wishing people knew the difference between "composer" "arranger" and "producer", so I know how you feel.

Haha, it's no problem. I just always feel like I have to introduce myself with: "I am the graphic designer, I did not draw anything"

Is that why you're trying to get out of the design business? :p

I'm trying to become a designer so I'm always curious about what turns people away from the career

It was always a hobby to begin with, just a hobby I happened to be pretty good at.

How did you get the idea for this? Did you wake up this morning,"I think I'll give diabetes in a can to a police officer with an M4 or some shit like that to break a riot"?

I think I had the same thought a lot of people had after seeing that Pepsi ad. I was like "yeah, I doubt bringing a bunch of Pepsi to a protest is what's gonna convince cops to stop shooting black people."

Then a week or so later I found out a big protest was happening. Originally I was just going to go for the hell of it but then remembered the Pepsi ad, and though "hell, let's give it a try." Quickly bought a GoPro and... well I guess it ended up being much funnier than anyone expected.

What were people protesting over?

It was a mix, but it basically breaks down into two camps:

The right: angry dudes who like to yell about freedom while trying to beat people up

The left: milquetoast college kids in skinny jeans there to play anarchist for a day

Thats what it devolved into but it didn't start that way no? It started out as a free speech event and then the antifa showed up and the people retaliating/Fucking shit up was the right. But the people who started/attended the event weren't just right wing.

Or maybe that was another one of your 100 riots over there in America. I confuse them.

Hard to tell. Yes Antifa stormed the event but many of the guys on the right were eagerly anticipating the provocation.

My takeaway is that after you argue on the internet long enough, the opportunity to punch your ideological opponents is very appealing. People on both sides showed up looking for a fight.

I wish you all the best in pursuing a career in comedy! Do you ever get worried though, when we see how many famous comedians are struggling with depression and other personal problems? I love comedy but always wonder how much suffering could be going on inside the person making me laugh.

I can report that I, like most comedians I know, suffer from intense depression and anxiety. Comedians are typically very intelligent people, and that intelligence mixed with the ability to astutely recognize the absurdities of life (necessary for comedy!) can sometimes be overbearing.

Not sure if that makes sense.

Did pepsi pay you to make an ad for them or did you make an ad for them of your own volition?

hides the millions of Pepsi dollars

My own volition

What is your favorite kind of sandwich?

Man that's hard. Lately I've been obsessed with the brie and butter sandwich from Twin Peaks for no good reason. I just keep buying nice french bread and brie and eating it.

Was the Pepsi cold?

Nope! That being said, it was kind of hot out, so even warm Pepsi tasted okay.

How do you afford to live in Northern California?

I live in a town that has gone bankrupt 5 times in an apartment that is much too small for me, my girlfriend, and our five cats.

Why 5 cats, when one is enough?

I had one cat. It got pregnant and made four cats.

Why were people mad at Bagels?

One of the antifa kids had tipped over a garbage can full of leftover baked goods, I assume from a nearby cafe or something. So yeah, they were having a good time lobbing bagels at the side of the street I was on.

And you put one in your mouth?

That was a trash bagel, yes.

Editing magic: I took a bite but cut away before I spit it out

How does it feel to get your reddit karma stolen?

I don't care about the karma honestly! Lots of other people posted my video and I was super thankful they were spreading it around. What bummed me out was that he had not only altered the video, but didn't include a link to the original in his post. That's bad form man.

As a comedian and a small creator, I make sure to link anybody whose stuff I might borrow, and try to use as little of it as possible unless I have explicit permission.

Your favorite candy bar?

I'm not much for sweets. American chocolate tastes like a sickness to me. I like a good dark chocolate though.

How tall are you?

5'11

Do you ever ask questions on other people's AMA's?

I'm more of a lurker to be honest. Whenever I do post something, it's usually too late for anyone to notice.

How often do you eat food left on the street?

Street food is the good food

Are you in relatively good health?

Hell no! I'm on Obamacare and probably dying

I hope this is half satire or full satire.

I uh... I have some serious medical issues which I need to have diagnosed. Hopefully not dying but something is wrong.

Did you you expect your video to get so popular?

My plan for my YouTube channel was to get 1,000 subscribers by the end of the year. My previous video I got 35 subscribers and was super excited about it.

So no. I thought if I was lucky, maybe 20k views.

Your favorite fast food burger?

Shit, I eat a lot of McDoubles. There's just something wonderful about how simplistic they are.

Quarter pounder with cheese and fries, a Mc flurry, a mcmuffin, a big breakfast, so many delicious and kinda cheap. Ever notice how people never admit to eating at McDonald's as if it were going into a porno store?

I am often ridiculed by friends who are "too good" for McDonalds. And then we all go eat at Taco Bell...

How often do you go back to visit Massachusetts?

At least once a year. The flight is a pain in the ass.

What topics are you tired of hearing comedians talk about?

[deleted]

I'm confused how that answers the question.

Oops, I replied to the wrong thing.

I don't like gross out humor. Farts, dicks, vaginas, semen, vomit, poop... ew.

Who is your celebrity crush?

Christina Hendricks is the hottest woman on this planet.

If were a DJ, what would your DJ name be?

MC Jizzdaddy

Do you have any art skills?

Yeah, kind of! Graphic design is my day job but I'm okay at doodling. Sadly, the stuff I draw is usually NSFW.

So are people in Berkeley usually uptight and angry?

Berkeley is a wretched hive of scum and hippies. I do not fit in there.

Did the Pepsi people contact you yet?

No, and I can't imagine they will. I do like to imagine that some marketing executive somewhere is super pissed off at me.

How many Pepsi' did you end up giving away to police?

Zero, except for the guy who confiscated one

What do you think of the Impractical Jokers guys?

Never seen 'em

Will you make more videos of making fun of fake outrage stories?

That's the plan. Just gotta figure out where to go and what to film.

Did you ever think your video would get so many up votes and comments?

No. This has been a very weird experience. Rewarding since I've been chasing after comedy success my whole life, but also super scary since now I don't know what to do with all these eyeballs on me.

Did you try to get on America's got talent and Last Comic standing?

No. Sadly I've been out of the stand-up comedy game for awhile (took some years off to finish a still unpublished novel) but I'm looking to jump back in.

What is the novel about? How many pages about? Why can't you find a publisher? Do you think fame from YouTube and Reddit can you in touch with right people to get it published?

It is a very weird book about two teenagers in the year 2050 who have to become domestic terrorists in order to prevent a psychopathic celebrity from becoming president, a man who is preparing to start World War III to fulfill an ancient space prophecy.

It took me ten years to write it. I am personally very proud of it, but I think it is too weird for regular publishers to touch. Maybe if I keep getting popular I can find an editor to help me touch it up and release it digitally.

Do you draw any inspiration from Robert Smigel and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, Jay Leno, Conan O' Brien/ for your on the street funny interaction videos?

I never watched a lot of late night talk shows growing up, but I love Conan, and definitely have some influence from him in my work.

Honestly, I think it just sort of evolved out of the work I was doing. I was writing for a site called GameZone.com, doing really boring interviews with developers, and figured "man I should just joke around with these people and get some good footage."

What other events do you plan to invade with Pepsi?

I don't think the Pepsi joke has much legs left after this

How often are you on reddit and what are your favorite subreddits?

I'm on reddit daily. I don't post a lot but mostly scope r/games and r/mtg for news, then swing by r/publicfreakout to see if anybody lost their mind and beat somebody up in a Wendy's yesterday.

A few other subreddits I like but not ones that I think should be mentioned here...

How much did you spend at Target on all that Pepsi?

3 for $12 so... $24. But! It rang up at the register at full price. I had to fight for that discount!

Where do you usually do your comedy routines in the bay area?

Sadly I've been so busy with work (and battling my crippling anxiety) that I really only get out for stand-up when a fellow comedian is kind enough to drag me out of my house and get me on stage.

Once I get my car fixed, I'm going to refill my prescription and figure out a regular open mic venue.

Which comedians do you draw inspiration from and model your act/routine on?

Interestingly, I think the greatest influence on my work has been growing up in the wild frontier of internet comedy, back before YouTube was even a thing. I was watching Lonely Island videos back before they ever appeared on YouTube (look up the Nintendo Cartoon Hour), and was obsessed with Channel101.com in middle school (a video portal / film festival of sorts run by Dan Harmon, who would go on to make Community and Rick & Morty). Oh and Newgrounds, how many hours I wasted on Newgrounds...

For current comedians, there's just no one above Louis C.K.. No one even comes close.

What are your favorite comedy TV shows?

Rick & Morty is number one.

And uh... man comedy on television has been really bad lately! Nothing comes close to the glory days of The Office and 30 Rock. I kind of just watch reruns of those.

I guess Kimmy Schmidt is an okay 30 Rock followup.

I don't have cable.

Check out Aqua Teen Hunger Force, King of the Hill, Nathan for you, drunk history, Portlandia, Seinfeld, Angie Tribeca, Impractical, Jokers, and 1990s episodes of the Simpsons.

AQTH, KOTH, Nathan, Seinfeld and Simpsons are all in my tops list.

I keep forgetting Nathan For You exists. That guy is a genius. Oh and Eric Andre.

What are your favorite comedy movies?

My favorite comedy movies from when I was a kid were BASEketball and Mallrats, and I still love them!

I haven't been a huge fan of most recent comedy movies. The stuff doesn't feel as down to earth as it used to, and the high-budgets aren't helping. I'll give a nod to the classic Sandler duo of Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, and some respect to Judd Apatow for 40 Year Old Virgin and Superbad, but both of those guys have kind of been disappointing me lately.

Do like Farrelly Brothers movies?

Farrelly Brothers

I like Kingpin and I respect Dumb & Dumber. That's about it.

Do you think you might get media interviews over the video from Jimmy kimmel or radio stations or something if this blows up bigger than it is at this very minute?

I don't know! People have told me to send it in but I really couldn't figure out how to get in touch with those sorts of people.

What is the funniest TV commercial airing right now?

I don't have cable, so all of them (or none of them?)

Why weren't you a world beater at magic cards?

A World Beater?

What are your favorite video games to play?

I am a huge video game collector, I have literally thousands of games (and a place far too small to hold them, so they are mostly sitting in storage). Lately I've been trying to complete my Neo Geo Pocket collection, if anybody knows what that is.

I play anything, but tend to gravitate towards Japanese games, since those are the ones I grew up with. Currently playing Breath of the Wild and hoping to make time for Persona 5.

I'm also a big card game fanatic. I used to run a website (DraftMagic.com) for people who play Magic: the Gathering online, and I've lately been playing some Hearthstone and the Pokemon TCG Online.

I was actually hard at work finishing up the design on my own card game when this success hit, but I'm hoping I can get back to it and see about doing a Kickstarter.

Have you played games from across the last 30 years from Snes to Sega to Dreamcast to ps1 to Xbox and so on?

I own all of the consoles you have mentioned, yes. Checking my database I currently own 333 original NES games (including duplicates).

Did you ever play a Sega game gear? Those seem rare now. Nintendo 64 has an awkward controller.

The Game Gear sucks. Terrible battery life, feels bad in your hands. And yeah, I still hate the N64 controller. So easily breakable.

What did you major in in college?

I have a two year associates degree in English from a community college, and it was a complete waste of my time. My advice to people interested in purely creative fields like video, art, comedy/acting, writing, really sit down and consider whether you need classical training in such a thing, or whether you'd be better off just creating as much as you can and letting your skills naturally evolve.

That being said, I think many people need the structured college experience to get shit done, and I get that. Personally I hate school more than anything in the world and spent all of High School playing gameboy, in class, every period (hidden behind my backpack of course).

Your favorite delivery pizza?

My father owns a Domino's Pizza franchise, so I would be written out of the will if I didn't say: Domino's.

Their deep dish crust is actually pretty good.

Can you do any good voice impersonations?

It is well known among my friends that my impersonations are absolutely horrid and usually just sound racist.

Have you ever recorded yourself playing videogames and trolling people playing online saying funny stuff to the other online players like motor oil makes a good hair tonic and your farts are canned in mason jars??

I have made Let's Plays, yes.

What is your favorite food to make in the microwave?

I have not owned a microwave for over a year and it's a surprisingly weird experience.

Is San Francisco the weirdest city in the USA?

I wouldn't know. I don't have any desire to spend an hour in traffic so I can eat a $14 street taco.

What type of music do you listen to?

Guided by Voices is my favorite band of all time. Their music has had a profound impact on my life. Here's the first song of theirs that pops to mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BndAytmV9_g

Other than that, I don't tend to fall in love with particular artists. I just tend to find one song I like and listen to it over and over and over.

Do you have any cool tattoos?

No.

Have you ever noticed how crazy and obsessed with cats Reddit is?

As someone who is also just normally obsessed with cats, I don't notice

Have you thought about making a funny video with cats?

I have five cats, so yes.

If you were you in a food eating contest of winner that eats the most in 10 minutes, what food would you want it to be?

I think sushi could be good. At least there'd be some variety.

Did you actually support the protets, or did you go to make a funny video?

Sidebar: What do you think the protests were about?

I am avoiding taking sides. I think the protests were about people who really wanted to have a good time trying to beat each other up.

did anyone claim their items at the lost and found?

Sadly, no

Hilarious video. Do you think Bernie can still win? Have the superdelegates voted yet? Did you attempt to get Kendall Jenner to make an appearance in your video?

Here's how Bernie can still win

Hey Vito, how do lightsabers work?

SHUT UP

How did that bagel taste?

Like victory.