Do not launch a new short-form unscripted vertical video show

i say this from a place of love because i want you to win

Four years ago, when I started Keep The Meter Running, Vanity Fair called it one of TikTok’s best new shows.

This was awesome news, but the truth was that there were no other shows on TikTok. I knew this at the time, but no one else did.

It still felt good, though, because I knew that even if there had been other shows on TikTok, it still would have been the best. The quality of the production and storytelling was unmatched. With my producer Adam Faze, we set out to make “TV for the internet,” and we succeeded.

A year later, I went on to launch SubwayTakes (alongside Andrew Kuo), and we all know how that turned out. It changed my life. It opened new doors. It made me more confident in my ideas. And it became a global phenomenon.

Both shows spontaneous feel, matched with a higher than necessary production value, and an emphasis on booking the right guests as well as a seasoned host (ME!!) with years of formal improv and comedy experience created bona fide global hits. And it’s funny to say this now, but I was quite sure they were both going to fail.

Two-for-two is a hard thing to pull off and three-for-three is even harder (which is why I haven’t gone all-in on something new yet.)

I genuinely thought that both shows were a waste of time, and the only reason I wanted to make them was that I thought they were good ideas and I needed to get them out of my body. I put zero thought into what makes for a good short-form show for the algorithm and only focused on what it means to make great entertainment. Something to entertain myself, something to entertain the tiny few people who would give a shit.

The global success of SubwayTakes inspired thousands of others to launch similar shows. And why wouldn’t they? They should! It worked for me; it should work for them.

What I don’t understand or appreciate, though, is why all of these shows are almost exactly the same? A man or woman stands in Washington Square Park (why is it always that park?!!!??? THERE ARE SO MANY PARKS IN NYC!!!) with a microphone and asks people vapid, depressing questions. It’s not “lo-fi.” It’s just... lazy. And it makes me sad because the internet should be a place where we innovate, challenge, and create things more interesting than the slop currently programmed on TV and in movie theaters.

It would be more permissible if it were just a person and their friend doing it to have a good time and just make something for fun, but much of this feed-slop is funded by new “media companies” trying to go viral. The intention is off, which is why the vibes are off. With the exception of a few short-form unscripted shows like Errands or Revival Of The Fittest, which are made by cool independent creators trying to do something different, who likely did not think about virality or engagement before making their shows. They thought about creating the most entertaining thing they could make and, more importantly, something personal.

The problem is the string of short-form shows being created in an assembly line by new “media companies” with the sole purpose of going viral in order to monetize. These shows that do not have a point of view are produced by a new crop of “media companies” that give content creation a bad name and also seek to take advantage of young people through bad contracts. The audience has spoken, and the audience is sick of these shows. Stop making them. It’s time for a new thing.

I would like to acknowledge that, for some reason, when legacy media participates, I don’t mind it as much because, as much as I hate gatekeepers, I do want publications like New York Magazine (shout out Zach Schiffman) and The New Yorker to thrive and survive. It’s also not their main business so it feels less offensive and more participatory. And to be quite frank, most of them actually have a POV.

I think the difference between a good show and a bad show is intention.

The intention should not be to make a viral thing. The intention should be to make the highest-quality, most entertaining work with the resources you have. The outcome is virality! That is the reward, but it is not the intention.

The thought never once crossed my mind when producing or developing either show. When the intention is virality, the show sucks.

The issue is threefold:

1. Oversaturation: Audiences want something new.

2. Quality Control: Things should be great.

3. A Race to the Bottom: Because of oversaturation and lack of quality control, brands expect to pay less for more, essentially turning something special into what the industry did with “listicle” style content and “readable” video. And now TV/film.

If I were just starting my career now, I would likely do something different. The space peaked last year.

I’m excited to see a new crop of short-form scripted shows pop and become hits (The Ick and Brooklyn Coffee Shop are standouts). I think we will see many more of these types of shows this year, which is a move in the right direction.

I’m not totally sure what the next thing is yet, but I’m sure some enterprising young man or woman is out there right now, inventing something totally new and inspiring. And for that, we are fortunate!

Anyways, this is not meant to be a take-down. Just some musings on some things. I hope it does not discourage you. I hope it does the opposite. Go make your thing. But make it good!

*written from my iPhone in the Delta Sky Lounge, a park bench in Sarasota Florida, and finished up on my couch