Smosh After Dark: Answering YOUR Questions
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Tommy created two unique cocktails for the Q&A: 'The Landing' (floral gin-based) and 'The Henry' (rye whiskey-based).
- ❖The new Smosh studio features dedicated talent rooms, improved wardrobe/makeup areas, and plans for a collaborative mural.
- ❖Amanda notes that motherhood amplified her unfiltered comedic style and confidence, leading to a 'leveling up' in her performance.
- ❖Tommy's 'Prom Line' song was written quickly under specific creative constraints, drawing structural inspiration from *NSYNC's 'Tearing Up My Heart'.
- ❖Anthony's favorite moments since returning involve cast dinners and the vulnerable clowning workshop, which helped him shed insecurities.
- ❖The 'Charty Party' video was universally deemed the most stressful to shoot due to confusion over graph mechanics.
- ❖Many cast members expressed that their childhood selves would be proud and surprised by their current careers, which align with their early dreams of creative expression and managing a business.
Insights
1New Studio Design Fosters Collaboration and Comfort
The Smosh team's new studio prioritizes dedicated spaces for talent, including individual desks and significantly upgraded wardrobe and makeup areas. Anthony, who helped design the space, aims to foster a sense of collective ownership and team spirit, planning a mural where everyone contributes a piece.
Manda praises the design, highlighting the talent room and individual desks. Corgi appreciates the new wardrobe/makeup area with multiple stalls and adjustable lighting. Anthony mentions approving plants and planning a mural where 'everyone gets to contribute a little piece to' ().
2Motherhood as a Catalyst for Unfiltered Comedic Expression
Amanda reflects that her experience with motherhood significantly enhanced her confidence and removed her 'filter,' allowing her to express herself more freely and unhinged in her comedy. This transformation was noticeable to her colleagues.
Amanda states, 'motherhood is the coolest part because you really do not give an f what anyone thinks.' Tommy observes, 'your energy when you came back though was at 11... you transformed.' ().
3Creative Process: From Constraint to Flow
Tommy details the rapid creation of his song 'Prom Line,' which emerged from a 'small box' of creative constraints (2005 hacker, prom proposal). He emphasizes that working within limits can be highly productive and that creative flow often feels like a 'goddess of comedy' touching his forehead.
Tommy describes writing 'Prom Line' lyrics 'zooted in bed' in a few hours, then refining it over days, inspired by *NSYNC's 'Tearing Up My Heart' (). He compares writing to a 'goddess of comedy' moment ().
4Comedy and Music Share Rhythmic and Flow Principles
Tommy and Anthony discuss the fundamental similarities between writing comedy and music, particularly in terms of flow, rhythm, and pacing. Both disciplines require an understanding of how to space out or deliver jokes/beats for maximum impact.
Tommy states, 'The only similarity that I can pinpoint to is like flow and rhythm because comedy and music both share what I'm thinking.' Anthony adds, 'I feel like every comedian wants to be a musician and every musician wants to be a comedian cuz we both get rhythm and time.' ().
5The Vulnerability and Growth in Clowning Workshops
Anthony highlights the profound impact of a clowning workshop on the cast, describing it as a 'brutal' but life-changing experience. It forced participants to shed insecurities and find their authentic comedic selves by failing 'upward' and making deep eye contact with the audience.
Anthony states the workshop 'changed my life' and made him 'realize so many things about myself.' He describes being 'beaten down to nothing' to find 'the real you' ().
6Childhood Dreams Manifesting in Unexpected Ways
Anthony shares a surreal experience of his childhood dreams of managing a cool building with a logo, initially abandoned for a career in acting and comedy, now manifesting in his current role at Smosh. This highlights how career paths can loop back to early aspirations.
Anthony recounts having 'dreams of like having this really cool building with like some logo on the front for a place where I was managing a bunch of people and designing the place' (), which now aligns with his role at Smosh.
Bottom Line
The 'Perfectionist's Curse' in creative leadership: Anthony, as a designer and leader, constantly identifies areas for improvement in the new studio, preventing him from fully enjoying the accomplishment.
Leaders involved in creation may struggle to disengage from a critical mindset, impacting their ability to experience satisfaction and potentially creating a culture of perpetual change rather than acceptance.
Implement structured feedback cycles and designated 'completion' points for projects to allow leaders to shift from critical analysis to appreciation and celebrate achievements before moving to the next iteration.
The 'magic' of unscripted moments in content creation: Smosh's success often hinges on capturing spontaneous, 'lightning in a bottle' events that resonate globally.
While planning is essential, over-scripting or rigid adherence to plans can stifle the organic, magical moments that truly engage an audience and create viral content. The value lies in creating environments where these moments can occur.
Prioritize fostering a culture of spontaneity and improvisation within content teams. Invest in robust, always-on recording infrastructure to maximize the capture of unexpected, high-value moments.
The counterintuitive nature of self-criticism: Being excessively hard on oneself, while perceived as a driver, can actually limit or slow down progress.
Many individuals mistakenly believe self-criticism is necessary for achievement, but it can lead to burnout, insecurity, and creative blocks. A more compassionate approach can be more effective for sustained growth.
Promote self-compassion and positive self-talk in creative and professional development. Integrate coaching that helps individuals identify and dismantle patterns of self-sabotage stemming from harsh self-judgment.
Key Concepts
Creative Cup
The concept that creative output depletes an internal 'cup' of inspiration and energy, requiring replenishment through experiences and rest to maintain comedic or artistic flow. An empty cup leads to feeling 'unfunny' or uninspired.
The Perfectionist's Curse
The phenomenon where individuals involved in design or creation constantly identify flaws or areas for improvement, even in their own successful work, making it difficult to fully appreciate the finished product. This can lead to perpetual 'tinkering' and a feeling of never being truly done.
Upward Failure
A learning philosophy, particularly in performance or creative fields, where initial failures or stripping away of defenses are necessary steps to discover one's authentic self and true potential, leading to growth and eventual success.
Lessons
- Cultivate a workplace environment where employees feel a sense of ownership and contribution, making them want to be present and engaged.
- Embrace creative constraints as potential catalysts for innovation, as working within a 'small box' can sometimes lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
- Prioritize self-compassion and challenge the belief that harsh self-criticism is necessary for success; instead, trust your intuition and allow for organic growth.
Notable Moments
Tommy describes his first cocktail, 'The Landing,' a floral gin drink, and its origin story as a 'ripoff' of the Aviation cocktail.
This moment showcases the hosts' personal creativity and sets a relaxed, conversational tone for the Q&A, highlighting Tommy's mixology skills.
Amanda explains how motherhood removed her 'filter' and boosted her confidence in her comedic performances.
This provides a personal and transformative insight into how life experiences can profoundly impact professional identity and creative expression.
Anthony reveals his childhood dream of managing a cool building with a logo, which eerily aligns with his current role at Smosh.
This moment offers a powerful reflection on destiny, career paths, and the unexpected ways early aspirations can manifest later in life, resonating with anyone on a career journey.
Quotes
"Motherhood is the coolest part because you really do not give an f what anyone thinks. You're like I don't care. I have to say this."
"I feel like every comedian wants to be a musician and every musician wants to be a comedian cuz we both get rhythm and time."
"You don't have to be hard on yourself for the things to work out. But when it becomes a pattern, you think that the reason it worked out is because I was hard on myself. And that's not true. The opposite. You don't have to be hard on yourself. In fact, being hard on yourself sometimes prevents you from getting there or slows it down."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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