How did you come up with the idea for Very Important People?

Very Important People originated from the CollegeHumor web series Hello, My Name Is, with Josh Ruben and Pat Cassels, which featured Josh improvising various characters. Dropout brought me on specifically to direct the rebooted series and help develop its new format and visual style, so my titles are series director and co-EP.

Our host, Vic Michaelis, was already a Dropout regular, and from our first meeting, I knew collaborating with Vic would be amazing. We both shared excitement around introducing narrative elements to the show, turning Vic into a character with a developed backstory and series arc.

As someone who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I thought it would be fun to structure the show as a comedic parody of classic talk shows like Sally Jesse Raphael.

“I thought it would be fun to structure the show as a comedic parody of classic talk shows like Sally Jesse Raphael.”

How did you get into comedy?

Somewhat by accident! I’ve always loved to find humor and absurdity in everyday life and storytelling. As my career evolved from photography, into directing commercials and short films, I looked for a way to incorporate humor into my work. Directing comedy was natural and I found I could combine my passion for visual storytelling with a personal inclination to process life’s complexities through humor.

Who are you working with on this?

Our core “VIP” development team consists of myself, Vic Michaelis, David Kerns, and Paul Robalino, all of whom I’m working with from pre-production through post-production. Alex Perrone (Makeup Department Head) and Vanessa Gonzalez (Wardrobe Department Head) are instrumental in crafting character looks.

Guest selection is collaborative, involving the core team mentioned above, plus CEO Sam Reich, Supervising Producer Ebony Hardin, and Casting Director Jazzy Collins. Dropout is exceptionally collaborative, and we frequently benefit from input from the broader crew. Ariel Zucker (Season 2 Producer) and Audrey Ebbs (Season 2 Production Coordinator) provided valuable creative input during the ideation phase.

How many people are involved in the transformation of the comedian?

The makeup department includes around five artists, with typically one to three people actively working on a guest at once. The full transformation, including applying the prosthetics, wigs, and costume, takes approximately one to three hours, depending on the complexity of the look. All prosthetics and wigs are prepared ahead of filming.

What is the step-by-step process from episode ideation to episode release?

There’s no script, so there are no writers. We select comedians based on their improvisational skills, adaptability, and the vision of our Casting Director Jazzy Collins. Simultaneously, I’m collaborating closely with Alex Perrone, Vanessa Gonzalez, and the creative team to develop character looks. Alex and I often start brainstorming early, and we pitch ideas internally to refine looks based on budget, time constraints, and the range of our guests. Since we can’t predict exactly how guests will choose to portray their characters, our props department gathers an extensive group of items, creating a versatile prop collection on set. They aim to give guests a huge range of options that support their characters.

“There’s no script, so there are no writers. We select comedians based on their improvisational skills, adaptability, and the vision of our Casting Director Jazzy Collins.”

On shoot days, the production team covers all reflective surfaces to keep the transformation a surprise. I brief the guest on our (rather unique) filming process, and then we film an introductory segment. The guest then is whisked away for their transformation by Alex’s makeup team, which can last several hours. Guests remain completely unaware of their appearance until we reveal it on camera.

“Guests remain completely unaware of their appearance until we reveal it on camera.”

After seeing themselves for the first time, the guest spends a few minutes with myself, Paul, and David, developing their character’s basic identity and motivations, leaving most of the character development for the body of the show.

During filming, the transformed comedian joins Vic on set for a fully improvised interview. Paul, David, and I brainstorm narrative directions behind the scenes, occasionally pausing filming to suggest possible story arcs or character motivations.

After filming, we capture additional media with the comedian in character on green screen to integrate into the edit. Filming, (excluding makeup and wardrobe), lasts about two hours. Post-production is led by our editor, Eve Hinz, who compiles and structures the footage. I then work closely with Eve to refine the edit before sharing it with the creative team (David, Vic, Paul) for final notes. After their final notes it goes into VFX and sound mix.

How do you stay composed while filming?

Honestly, everyone involved – myself, Vic, and our guests – frequently break during filming. While we edit out most laughing breaks, leaving some in helps capture the joy and spontaneity of the improv. Vic is so incredibly funny, and some of our guests are people I’ve been following for years. I really can’t help but to laugh.

What’s the most shocking narrative a comedian has created during an interview?

Ha, it’s rare that I am personally shocked, but Lisa Gilroy’s character in Season One – the “Ex Step-Grandmother” – stood out as particularly memorable and seemed to be polarizing to our audience. It was amazing to see how many people absolutely loved it and how many people absolutely hated it. Lisa played Vic’s emotionally abusive ex-step-grandmother. It provided a strong narrative foundation for Season Two, where we expanded further on character development.

What’s your favorite character developed on the show?

Oh gosh, that’s such a tough question to answer, as there are so many funny ones! I do love Lisa’s character from last season. Anna Garcia’s character was SO good this season that we made her the premiere for the second season in a row. We made her up to look like a big pile of rocks. She could have very easily created a superhero or villain, or other obvious ways. But instead, she decided to be a little boy who found a genie lamp, wished to be rocks because he thought it would be funny, and then instantly regretted the decision. It was so smart and so funny, and Anna is just a comedic genius.

What is difficult and rewarding about directing and producing a show?

One of the main challenges is balancing unpredictability with cohesive storytelling in the short amount of time we have to do it! The improvisational nature of the show requires everyone – not just the talent – to be adaptable during filming and editing.

Ensuring we capture sufficient footage for the edit is so important to creating narratives. Our script supervisor, Johnny-Louise Nute, does an exceptional job on set of tracking all the lore and spontaneous character development. Additionally, our amazing fans actively keep track of all the show’s details, enhancing our connection to the audience.

Ultimately, seeing performers create in depth characters spontaneously – and watching which of those characters resonate with our viewers – is super rewarding.

When you’re not producing Very Important People, what are you watching?

Having a toddler makes watching anything challenging, but I’ve gotten really into horror lately – there seems to be so much room for taking creative swings. I love when a movie really goes for it, even if they aren’t 100% successful. Last year some standouts to me were Milk & Serial, which was made off something like $800, and MadS, a one-shot French horror movie. As for TV, I recently rewatched David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, due to his recent passing. I also am (embarrassingly) a sucker for reality dating shows like Love is Blind.