I'm going to try to answer everything from this thread as well as the podcast today? thread and the Wish content behind a paywall thread as well in one concise bit.
First, we are not the DIS that we were 10 years ago when you referenced how the coverage of the Dream and Fantasy. I wasn't even around yet for those. I'm not saying this as an insult to our current workflow or coworkers, I'm just stating a fact.
The previous way we worked was completely different. Run and gun was the name of the game. Whatever we were covering meant we got there immediately, started filming and taking photos and videos and the goal was to have photos up in galleries and videos starting to go up before we'd leave port on something like a cruise. That was in the day of 1080p. 4K video just takes longer now and we don't post photos to galleries like we used to because everything happens on social media, which is why if you go to our Instagram you will see tons of photos from the Wish. It should translate to Twitter and Facebook too but those are the gaps that don't always get filled. And in 2016 we introduced vlogging as a full-time factor which was only dabbled in before.
In terms of written content, outside of myself, the video team doesn't write articles, Corey doesn't write articles, and Pete will write an article every now. We had no writers on the Christening cruise so anything that went up had to be 3rd person through Jackie and/or Deni. Deni left quickly after they returned back from the cruise so now Jackie is managing all written content by herself until we have a replacement for Deni, so written content is different.
In terms of the shows, I can't speak to the decisions that were made in the past. I can only speak about how they've been done since I've been around and now. I assumed walking into the first show after the Wish that we'd talk about it and Chapek, but that wasn't Pete's choice due in large part to the fact that everyone there was on the free cruise and couldn't review it according to the policies that he set, which he did consider lifting for this, but decided ultimately not to. He did then promote we'd talk about it on Patreon, which we did, and were allowed to share brief glimpses into reviews without pushing it too far. Should we have waited and held off on this? Arguably yes so it doesn't look like we're hiding content behind Patreon.
That leads to the next problem that I believe I mentioned in the podcast today thread. As I mentioned we are about to record our next batch of
DCL Shows on Monday. Pete wanted to leverage the Wish as a way to boost subscribers on the DCLFan YouTube channel and preferred keeping most of the content over there. 2 Dudes was going to be on DIS Unplugged, because as you mentioned we wanted to make sure we extended reach to those who don't know about other channels or don't pay attention, but everything else has been on DCLFan and that's also where he wants main shows from the Wish. And that ties into your other point about how previous ships were covered. Pre-DCLFan and so it wasn't a concern. It was just one show and one site, so us breaking it all off has arguably made it more complicated. And I did offer to get at least one Wish show prepared for before the Maiden and before I was gone on vacation, but the decision was made to wait until after the Maiden.
As far as who was on the Christening cruise, there was me and Corey representing the DIS for media, and everyone else was invited via Dreams. I don't feel comfortable sharing the details on how/why we get invited, but needless to say it's based on some factors you mentioned, but it goes way beyond the minimum you believed Disney looks at when issuing invitations. At no point in time since I've been working with our partners at Disney have they ever put any expectations on us in terms of content. They don't require reviews. They don't require us to say nice things. In fact, for something like this they know we aren't going to review it and just showcase it as best as we can.
That's a good segue way into coverage like Galactic Starcruiser. I appreciate all of the kind comments about how I chose to cover that experience - then and now. It truly makes me happy to hear that you enjoyed the way it was covered and wish that the Wish followed a similar format. I couldn't have covered Starcruiser without doing 2 Dudes before and figuring out a slightly interesting way to vlog the experience without reviewing.
It was hard for the first 2 Dudes because it was a 3-night cruise we'd done so many times before so we did the montages with music in between explaining what we were about to see or what we saw. It worked well and then I thought it worked even better with the next one where it was very Marvel-centric and there were more things to showcase. Same with the Christmas cruise Kylie and I were able to do. By the time we got to Starcruiser it was kinda second nature and the only problem was finding time to add talking head moments in between the different activities or checking out different parts.
That was the main problem we had with 2 Dudes on this one which is why it will probably never see the light of day. We had to cover different parts of the ship based on how much traffic was around and besides the dining moments it just felt all over the place and like we weren't ever together because we rarely were. I may still try to cut something with it, but it won't be great. What I could use the footage for is an informational video where I explain different parts of the ship and what to see in each which I believe is content you expected to see. I can only use the vacation excuse so many times, but yeah it's something that might happen now that I'm home.
Back with Starcruiser though, I went into that experience with no one else besides my wife and Deni. Deni was focused on social and written with Kylie helping on social. There were no outside thoughts about what shows will be created afterward. We knew the vlog would happen and I would ideally be able to create standalone videos for the DIS. I was able to make that long flipping vlog that was incredibly thorough and also the standalone videos I wanted to. However, while editing the vlog I realized it was going to give away the full experience so Deni and I decided to take a break from work and film the non-spoiler overview because we felt like we needed something for people who wanted a rough idea of what to know/expect going into it without visually seeing anything or spoiling storylines. When we finished that I went right back to the vlog and other videos to finish. That left us with what I believe to be an impressive portfolio of content from Starcruiser. Since Pete and the rest of the team weren't involved in the experience, it turned out that the couple shows after heavily focused on it because they had so many questions and were intrigued - something that I didn't know would actually happen.
The reason I mention that is I think our Wish content would've been different had it only been two of us who went on the Christening cruise. There were a lot more questions and a thirst for info when our other panel members weren't involved and I think that's the same thirst you as the audience felt. Had 2 Dudes been able to come out and we rushed a show that went out on DCLFan the day after the show/Patreon After Show in question I don't think we'd be sitting here talking about this at all. I'm not saying we dropped the ball because I think we delivered a lot of helpful content, but I am admitting there's a lot more that needs to come out.
Ultimately, our coverage can always be better on everything we do. That's why we keep working to try to be the best we can be. This extends beyond the Wish to the Tuesday Show. When Pete is getting openly bored with it, he changes the format. Sometimes we have to revert back, which is something we are currently moving towards by reinstation a bit more structure with the return of Rapidfire so it's not just 2 or 3 big news topics and questions from the audience because a lot of small details helpful to people planning or coming to WDW are being lost. There are certain circumstances that Pete is going to want to talk about certain things on Patreon and we follow his lead. However, all of us including Pete have signed off on Patreon being a place that offers content we aren't making somewhere else and lets you behind-the-scenes of what we do or who we are. That's why the average Patreon After Show is nonsense that just gives us a chance to showcase our personalities behind Disney.
The Tuesday Show will never be a preview as it's our flagship show. What happened with the Wish is not the norm nor will it become that. If it even looks like it's going in that direction I would be speaking up immediately.
The final takeaway is while we have evolved in so many ways in ten years, we didn't always do so in the best direction and I think a situation like this is a good learning experience for us to see where we can tighten up the ship. I know most people didn't have a problem with our coverage and you were definitely more critical of it. I guess the biggest thing I'm saying is you don't need to try and analyze what we did and why we did it. You can just ask and I'm more than happy to share when I can and the thinking behind it. I'll even ignore the fact that this is technically a behind-the-scenes discussion that would be ripe for Patreon
Thanks, Pete, for everything you do!
