Box Peek October Update
Added 2018-11-01 02:40:28 +0000 UTCI guess it seems a bit silly to write one of these right in the middle of season one, but I promised monthly updates and I intend to deliver monthly updates!
Firstly, as always, thank you for your patience. It meant a lot to me to finally announce a release date and make a trailer for that release date and hit that release date with almost everything going okay.
Production Stuff
I had forgotten this, but the final edit of Episode 5 wasn't even finished at the beginning of this month. As I assumed in last month's post, I finished the edit by the end of the week without any big snags. Episode 5 is pretty cool.
Then, the Season 1 Trailer took a little while. Since I was pretty sure I'd only be using shots and dialogue from the first two episodes, the absolute hardest part was finding a song. (Really a lot of Box Peek post-production is spent looking for the perfect music) Eventually I abandoned the cool tracks I was checking out to go with a dramatic, explosive track that contrasted well with the silly paper puppets. It feels huge and momentous but from what you're seeing and hearing it isn't too serious. From there everything fell into place pretty swiftly. I sent it to the group (ending on the Box Peek logo reveal was Jones's idea) and was able to premiere it during a group stream. If you want to watch the trailer, it's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEl41cRo9To
Meanwhile, I was also working with my friend Noah, of Fangamer, to make a new shirt. After our first two designs sold well on their site, Noah was like, "We gotta do that Box Peek shirt next" and obviously I was down in a heartbeat. That process is so cool--sending art to Fangamer, seeing what their in-house artists have done with it, making sure the colors on the actual printed shirt are perfect. There were a couple of guys at their office who have zero familiarity with Box Peek but wanted some dino shirts just because they like the design, which warmed my heart (and my ego). So far Jordy's shirt has sold pretty well, and that's exciting not for monetary reasons but because it means we might get to make more stuff. The shirts come with a bonus sticker that was also fun to produce but we can't talk about it too much since it's an Episode 3 reference. If you haven't seen the shirt, you can check it out here: https://www.fangamer.com/products/easy-allies-jordy-s-dino-shirt
Finally, Episodes 1 and 2 premiered on time on the 26th and 29th. Re-premiering Episode 1 was frankly not thrilling for me since it was mostly unchanged and I think it's generally pretty ugly, but doing the live Q&A on Twitch turned out to be a blast. (The YouTube Premiere system was fun to experiment with but ultimately it seems like Easy Allies isn't ready to commit to it yet) I expected the Q&As to go 20 minutes, basically a few "How did you do the part where they peek out of the boxes?" and wrap it up, but both have stretched to over an hour without at least yours truly getting bored. It's also great to see people react to new episodes in real time. I imagine it's not ideal to ingest narrative media while listening and watching and typing your comments and reading other comments all at the same time, but I think that's what humanity is about at this point. If you missed them, Episode 1 is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQz6WYtkMSs and Episode 2 is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvNGi1m0wNo
I spend the night or two before a premiere tinkering with the episodes, changing shots and dialogue in ways that probably aren't necessary. In both Episodes 1 and 2 this has led to grave typographical errors that I will regret forever, so next time I'm going to get Bloodworth to do a sneak peek at a nearly-final export.
Production on Episode 6 has not yet begun. I thought about doing the audio edit during this time tonight but honestly I'm pretty sick and feel like trash, so I figured I could write this now at least. Because of the inevitable busy business of November and December, Realistic Producer Kyle believes that I will be lucky to get just Episode 6 done before the end of 2018. That gives us four episodes to produce in 2019. I'd love to say it'll just take four months, but realistically (or pessimistically at least) I'm assuming six to eight. Each of the next five episodes will be uniquely challenging, and I still look forward to making each of them.
Lastly, Episode 3 premieres this Monday! (remember to check easyallies.com for local listings) If you find the time to join us live on twitch.tv/easyallies , please do. If not, each episode is of course on youtube.com/easyallies
Behind-the-Scenes Thoughts
Now is probably a good time to acknowledge a clear fact that I haven't seen a lot of discussion about but is probably running through a lot of minds: Box Peek's YouTube views are dumpy.
The very thought that something that takes this much time and effort would be viewed by fewer people than our weekly podcast should be frustrating, and I think months ago it surely would have driven me nuts.
To be open and honest with you, I believe our YouTube channel is badly designed. We put a lot of stuff on there that gets wildly different views. If the channel was optimized, it would have fewer shows that are all more or less exclusively focused on video games. To my understanding, our 190,000 subscribers mean nothing if YouTube doesn't believe they'll be interested in what we're uploading. You'll see things like Ian's No Redemption musical and Don's Broken Trifecta get relatively low views when I'm certain there is a much larger audience for them out there. And also you'll see "Kyle Reviews Every Spider-Man Costume" get 250k views, where half of the audience absolutely hates everything I'm saying.
With all this said, Easy Allies isn't just a YouTube channel. We're a highly successful Patreon channel, a decent Twitch channel, and a pretty OK YouTube channel. (Abysmal Twitter account) Whether it was Damiani's pep talk or months of isolated self-reflection, I'm in an unusually contented state of mind about Box Peek. It truly does not bother me that neither episode has broken 15k views yet. I'll admit that ten times those views would be cool, but the response in the comments and live reactions and twitter and everything has been more rewarding than anything I've felt with Easy Allies or maybe GameTrailers or maybe any project? Top Five for sure. I'm good with Box Peek simply being Box Peek.
I also realize the low views could be disappointing to a lot of the people reading this, who are concerned about Easy Allies' growth and popularity. From pitch to publishing, I've tried to make it clear that the purpose of Box Peek was not to make Easy Allies more money. Memes are clearly where we make our dough. In seriousness, since its beginning Easy Allies has always been about managing the weird balance between What We Want to Do and What Will Make Us Money. I admit the Box Peek is as far as it goes on the Want to Do scale. If you were holding onto big expectations for the show despite my low estimates, we can either accept this one as a high-profile loss-leader like Starz executives, or hope still that Box Peek will explode when PewDiePie makes fun of Episode 4. Either way, you feel assured that I'm feeling surprisingly good.
That's it for now! I'll be back at the end of November to update you on Episode 6's progress. I mean this sincerely--thank you for your patience and support.
Love & Respect,
Kyle
Comments
I was wondering if anyone knows if Kyle has posted any artwork online. I was hoping to use Jordy's Dino shirt as my phone's lock screen.
2018-11-06 06:34:05 +0000 UTCLittle late to this one Kyle, but your contentment gives me contentment. I'll admit that I daydreamed of this blowing up and you becoming something of a star, and it still might, but you being at piece is all we can ask for. In the meantime, Box Peek is sick as hell yo.
Jon
2018-11-06 00:25:01 +0000 UTCJust wanted to throw this out: I haven't watched it yet because of Red Dead. Seriously, Red Dead. My every free moment is going to it. That said, I've added both the episodes and the Q&As to my Watch Later playlist *and* ordered the shirt because I loved the concept, the premiere, and the shirt design. Revel in the niche audience. This is a project with legs. Someone can find this in 10 years and it'll be just as relevant. I'm looking forward to spending some serious time enjoying it once my Red Dead obsession lets up a bit. L&R!
Max Jahner
2018-11-01 23:13:06 +0000 UTCWatching on Twitch is better, cause of the Q&A that follows.
Star Tsurugi
2018-11-01 20:38:09 +0000 UTCWell done, Kyle! I absolutely loved episode 2 (I loved 1 as well, but 2 surpassed it). There seems to be this weird two-speed nature to EZA's fanbase - only about 20k people out of all those subs seem to engage with the more creative/weird/fun stuff. I do think you could perhaps work on some 'little things' like tags, descriptions etc. to ensure more people have a chance to see it. And maybe try to reach outside the EZA audience - the people like me who just love everything you do have already seen it, and the people who only watch reviews, like a blood-stained Mario, just 'can't be reached'. Where's that blasted 'social media manager' when you need them?
Samuel Cardwell
2018-11-01 20:05:07 +0000 UTCI was wondering about that - to be fair, though, I think there were only 800 people on twitch for ep 1 and fewer than that for ep 2. And I imagine most of the people who are hardcore enough to watch the Q&A are quite likely to go and watch it again on youtube later (I know I did)
Samuel Cardwell
2018-11-01 19:56:30 +0000 UTCI'm glad that Patreon allows all of you to do passion projects without hurting the channel. I, like most of the people here, love Box Peek and I only wish it were easier to do so you would keep doing them hahaha. I'm patiently awaiting the rest of the episodes! L&R!
2018-11-01 19:44:33 +0000 UTCI love the show Kyle. But here's a thought (concerning YouTube views): Are you pulling some of the views away from YouTube by premiering the show on twitch along with the Live Q&A? Does that hurt initial views? What if the Q&A happened later that night or something so that people will just watch / visit the YouTube page to watch the episodes? -Alex
Alex Castellanos
2018-11-01 17:03:55 +0000 UTCGot and wore my Jordy-dino shirt yesterday! Love it and I love the show. Absolutely worth waiting for
Michael Brigham
2018-11-01 13:43:39 +0000 UTCBox Peek is such a specific and unique show, it'd be borderline miraculous if it didn't find an audience. I think this show is one Reddit post or e-celeb tweet from getting a huge following. Great work Kyle!
2018-11-01 10:07:36 +0000 UTCTo be honest, Box Peek is that good, it would deserve a huger audience, and I'm pretty sure if it had that audience, it would become a huge hit. That being said, I'm also sure that EZA will keep growing and eventually one day will reach a million subs, just by continuing what you guys are delivering right now. Because people are loving it. And you Kyle, are a big part of it, if not the biggest (you are clearly my favorite Ally for sure, but don't tell the others). Maybe Box Peek is actually happening too early in the channels life, since the audience isn't big enough yet. If you see it that way, it's actually kinda good that the production takes that long. Just keep doing what you're doing and the amount of fans will grow.
RedVIII
2018-11-01 08:39:10 +0000 UTCBeen a fan of yours since your first GT show, Box Peak really is an amazing show and you should be proud! It does deserve more views, but it is what it is. The quality will make it timeless and whenever someone decides to check out Easy Allies, they'll be amazed by BP. Remember, Breaking Bad nearly got cancelled due to low viewership! Be proud of yourself- I'm so happy to have been able to give money to this
See You When I Get There
2018-11-01 08:32:32 +0000 UTCWell my big ass comment got deleted lol. Anyway, Kyle keep up the good work, its really a cool show. If you are happy for the views as it is now, dont worry about it. If you feel like it should be viewed by more people, please add way more descriptive stuff in the descriptions and tweets etc. Words like animation, series, kids, comedy, paper, craft, etc are important to google. Also send the link to stuff related to animation: festivals/contests/... maybe to IGN, game informer etc aswell. Also add the link of the 1st ep in the description of ep2. These are all small things and i can give you 50 more if you'd like. But the satisfaction from your patreons will always be way cooler than more views with snarky comments like the spiderman one lol
Sven Van Lathem
2018-11-01 08:18:59 +0000 UTCHi Kyle, I really enjoyed the episodes and have watched several times. The views are a bummer, I don't know if you use it for ep. 2, but just to let you know several content creators are warning against using YouTube premiers right now, something is wrong with it and kills your organic views. You can see some insightful comments here about it <a href="https://youtu.be/Gz8UpKEhMQo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Gz8UpKEhMQo</a>
2018-11-01 07:41:36 +0000 UTCThanks for this passionate update Kyle !! It was a blast to check the premiere again on Twitch with the community, Ep2 was amazing obvisouly and can't wait for the rest !!! Dino TShirt has been shipped !!! Not too worried about the sticker spoiler since it's gonna take a little time for this DIno to cross the Atlantic !!! Love & Respect Mr Bosman !!!
tahitianwarrior
2018-11-01 07:36:00 +0000 UTCI've rewatched episode 1 no less than 4 times prior to the release of episode 2, and not because I want to artificially inflate the views by the tiniest margin and help in my small way to embolden the viewership of the content, but because I genuinely think that it's funny, charming, emotionally investing, and well-considered from every aspect as a whole. Views can be nice, all the more do I enjoy being a part of the pool of support flooding in to tell Kyle, "you done good, kid". Box Peak is fantastic and I say this not only as an art-educated person who loves the craft, but as a regular consumer of media around impassioned things, and you can really feel that Kyle has poured his heart and soul into this weird little thing with popsicle stick puppets.
Eric Jackson
2018-11-01 06:48:08 +0000 UTCLove and Respect!
ZatVunDoot
2018-11-01 06:27:12 +0000 UTCI think if everyone talk and share this thing when the first season is out, I believe there’s a lot of views to be had. PLUS, if you look at bad children’s programs, for the littlest, they have millions of views regardless of quality, so this should in theory appeal to millions. 15K is not the end for this in terms of views.
Sonny Laguna
2018-11-01 06:19:24 +0000 UTCI love Box Peek very much and recommend it to my friends to watch! If only I had more friends to make watch it. (P.S. They too think it is amazing.) Thank you for all your hard work Kyle. Box Peek brings me such joy when many other things lately make me feel crappy. Love & Respect!
2018-11-01 05:45:27 +0000 UTCOn a personal note, been enjoying Box Peek. Now even IF the show is never successful outside our community in a way that makes EZA money equal to the time investment and (Gundam) sacrifices made to produce, Box Peek will always be that thing that finally got you to make and sell a real shirt design, something I feel like we've poked you to do for ages with no real progress before. That aspect of this whole project I'd list as a massive success, so if nothing else hopefully you've learned your "doodles" make great shirts that people want to buy, and down the road maybe that can lead to some serious traction for EZA either financially as new revenue source or from an exposure standpoint even? Maybe that's not what you wanted out of this project, but things like that, all the camera and audio skills you've learned along the way, plus EZA as a whole dabbling in voice acting could have many more unforeseen payoffs down the road.
MBUN
2018-11-01 05:33:03 +0000 UTCI’m truly loving the series so far and it’s great to hear you’re happy too! The more weird stuff you guys make because you’re passionate about it, the better.
DancingElk
2018-11-01 05:22:16 +0000 UTCThe 2 episodes of Box Peek so far have helped me recapture the nostalgic feelings I had watching Saturday morning cartoons growing up. Tons of views or not, that feeling meant the world to me at least. Thank you Kyle. My family and I are looking so very forward to episode 3.
Brandon Patton
2018-11-01 04:24:16 +0000 UTCYoutube's algorithms are butt. Also, what the hell is a "box peek," if you don't know what that is, right? :D I have a feeling this one will be a slow burner, it's unrealistic to expect massive views all at once, but I bet it will get more and more over time as people tell their friends about it. Don't get discouraged, it's fun as hell.
Oni
2018-11-01 04:08:28 +0000 UTCWow that was really insightful and honest. I dig it. What is it they say, 100 hardcore fans are more important then 10,000 casual ones? Everything's niche now and you've hit a wonderful wubulous niche of delight with this how :)
Paul Meekin
2018-11-01 04:05:42 +0000 UTCEverything's a learning experience, and whatever comes of Box Peak, it was valuable for what you learned from the creative process and it will strengthen your next project all the more. And I just bought a Dino shirt!
Cash
2018-11-01 03:44:04 +0000 UTCThanks for talking about your thoughts on the views. I was one of those people that saw the view count and did feel bummed out that it wasn’t getting the views it deserved, whoever, it makes me feel a lot better knowing your content with it. Keep up the amazing work!
Airhandy
2018-11-01 03:42:36 +0000 UTCHey Kyle, I love Box Peek and can't wait to watch every episode, but maybe it would be a good idea to take a few weeks off to give your body some well deserved rest. While I don't think you would listen to my advise and you obviously don't have to (who am I to tell you what to do with your own body) I do think it can help you recharge for the second batch of episodes. You are basically doing crunch for over year now. It's a win-win either way for me as I can't wait for all episodes to release, but I don't mind waiting a bit longer if it means that your body was less drained with all possible health concerns that come with it. But not to end as a downer. I loved both episodes and bought the shirt immediately when I saw it was available after the first episode. As far as the views go, I don't think it's something you should be worried about (even though I do understand it). Something like Box Peek is evergreen content, it will keep getting views over the years. It's honestly not something I had noticed. Thank you for making this wonderful series. You can for sure be proud on what you created.
MrMette
2018-11-01 03:38:44 +0000 UTCRegardless of view count, it's something that you made with your own two hands and I think definitely something to be proud of. Plus with any luck it'll live on YT forever and people will be able to enjoy it for a long time to come
VGJunky
2018-11-01 03:31:04 +0000 UTCHey Kyle, I mean this with complete love and respect, but the majority of the money you're making is from us patrons, not from the views on youtube. I understand where you're coming from, but videos like this is why I'm here. I give my money blindly to EZA every month so that you all can make your weird little things that I get a massive amount of enjoyment from. Do I enjoy all of the podcasts and many streams? Of course, but I am paying so you 9 can be you! If you're only getting 15k reviews, those could be people like me that paid to see something like this produced and watched it four times. I'd literally double my pledge if there was simply a tier for "get weird" that funded this beauty. In short, keep what you're doing, and remember that views no longer equal money when you have "investors" :) L&R
Tyler Travis
2018-11-01 03:10:00 +0000 UTCI'm upset that there's no ending theme music, onlt an opening
Ibrahim Sozer
2018-11-01 03:04:20 +0000 UTCYou've done such an amazing job Kyle, I think I a lot of people will agree with me when I say we know you're going to continue to do an amazing job. Doesn't matter how many views the episodes get or who makes fun of them or doesn't. You've worked hard and it has all come out so well done and looking incredible and we can all see how much Box Peek means to you. We're proud of you Kyle, thank YOU for making such an extraordinary show, we'll all enjoy <3 L&R
navyblueprince
2018-11-01 03:01:43 +0000 UTCLuckily, shows like Box Peek can have legs, so you never know if/when it'll take off. I love it. My wife likes the shirt I got, even if she doesn't know what it's for. :P
Scott Dancer (Zdman)
2018-11-01 03:01:18 +0000 UTCMan, I hadn't even noticed that the views were low. EZA seems to fit into weird categories like "not-the-highest-Patreon-but-the-highest-per-Patron," and I wouldn't be surprised if that extended to Box Peek: "not-highest-views-but-highest-repeat-views-per-person." It's clear that people's love for Box Peek is explosive, so it's a real bummer that it hasn't caught up to the view count yet. I'm really, really happy you seem to be genuinely in a healthy and happy place with all of this. Bought my shirt, can't wait for episode 3!
2018-11-01 02:57:48 +0000 UTCI really feel like that will happen, too!
2018-11-01 02:57:31 +0000 UTCThanks for these updates Kyle, your positive and realistic outlook on Box Peek is really inspiring. I can totally see a future where some influential non-EZA fan writes an article or makes a video about Box Peek and the views blow up. P.S. This is probably a dumb idea, but would uploading the trailer on your Kyle Bosman youtube channel be a good idea? there might be some people that aren't subscribed to EZA and have no idea of Box Peeks existence that are still subbed to your channel L&R
Jesse Nye
2018-11-01 02:55:49 +0000 UTCSo, we're supposed to tweet that PewPie guy by episode 4? Got it. Just FYI, Box Peek has been amazing to have been following since 2017. I've watched episode 2 about ten times already and catch myself singing the intro song all the time. You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar
2018-11-01 02:55:18 +0000 UTCSo what you're saying is... we should all tweet PewDiePie to watch episode 4?
Alec Church
2018-11-01 02:53:16 +0000 UTCKyle, I watched episodes 1 & 2 for the first time yesterday and loved them, that hard work paid off. The Allies talk a lot about vibes and Box Peek is sporting some J O L L Y ones. Aside from the fact that I know how much effort and care you put in, I think that from an outside perspective it is clear too. To reinforce your thoughts, don’t worry about view count, it’s more about what those who watch it think. And in the Easy Allies Fan Group on Facebook, I can tell you that people enjoy it too. Good stuff Kyle, keep on doing what makes you happy 👍
2018-11-01 02:51:49 +0000 UTCKyle, you’re a treasure & Box Peek is high-quality content. The amount of love and care put into each episode seriously reverberates out of the screen. Say what you will about the views, I’m confident that at some point in the future BP will have legitimate notoriety. L&R
2018-11-01 02:51:29 +0000 UTCThanks so much Kyle! it truly is such a special show and for you to be brave and release something that is yours is a huge achievement and its something I will never be brave enough to do, I applaud your courage and honesty. You have been put here like everyone else but you made something on your own for the whole world to see and be remembered and that is something that should be celebrated. Please keep making what you love because i'll be there with you very step of the way, and i'll try to share as much as I can with as many as I can.
Megan Linart
2018-11-01 02:51:21 +0000 UTC
