Rooster Teeth Podcast

Last updated
Rooster Teeth Podcast
Rooster Teeth Podcast logo.png
Logo used since September 2016
Presentation
Starring
GenreComedy
FormatVideo and audio
Directed byPatrick Salazar
LanguageEnglish
Length45–105 minutes
Production
Production Rooster Teeth
No. of episodes798
Publication
Original releaseDecember 9, 2008 (2008-12-09) –
April 22, 2024 (2024-04-22)
Related
Website roosterteeth.com/series/rt-podcast

The Rooster Teeth Podcast, formerly known as the Drunk Tank, [1] was a podcast produced by Rooster Teeth that aired weekly from December 9, 2008 to April 22, 2024 and featured various members of Rooster Teeth's staff discussing different topics each week. Throughout its run, main hosts included Rooster Teeth founders Gus Sorola, Burnie Burns, Geoff Ramsey and Joel Heyman as well as Gavin Free, Jack Pattillo and Barbara Dunkelman while Armando Torres, Griff Milton and Andrew Rosas acted as its final hosts. It is sometimes advertised as simply The RT Podcast. It was named Best Gaming Podcast by the Podcast Awards in 2012 and 2013. [2]

Contents

History

A live presentation of the podcast at RTX 2013, featuring Gavin Free, Gus Sorola, Burnie Burns, and Joel Heyman. RT Podcast Live pointing right (cropped).jpg
A live presentation of the podcast at RTX 2013, featuring Gavin Free, Gus Sorola, Burnie Burns, and Joel Heyman.

On December 9, 2008, [3] after temporarily reviving a feature on their website from their previous website, 'drunkgamers.com,' Rooster Teeth released their first audio podcast, The Drunk Tank, available for download through iTunes, Zune Marketplace, and their website. [4] It soon became one of the most popular features of the site, at one point becoming the #1 most downloaded podcast on iTunes, as well as a featured podcast in the iTunes Store.[ citation needed ] New episodes have regularly been released every Wednesday since April 10, 2009, with occasional special episodes or multiple releases in one week. In 2009 they began uploading podcast themed "let's play" style videos on Rooster Teeth's YouTube channel. They later moved these videos to their own Let's Play channel in 2013. On June 23, 2010, the podcast changed to a .m4a "enhanced" format which allows listeners to use an interactive "link dump" to be able to view more information on the topics of the week's podcast.

On September 28, 2011, co-host and Rooster Teeth founder Gus Sorola announced The Drunk Tank was to be re-christened The Rooster Teeth Podcast to create a more unified public image for the company. [5] On August 18, 2010, the podcast was officially implemented into the Rooster Teeth website. To celebrate their 100th episode on February 9, 2011, they released their first-ever video podcast which featured Sorola, Geoff Ramsey and Burnie Burns with Griffon Ramsey as a guest. [6] On January 18, 2012, the podcast gained its first sponsor, Audible.com. [7]

Pizza Hut sold an official Rooster Teeth Podcast pizza in 2014 as part of a brand campaign with Fullscreen, which was nominated for a Streamy Award the following year. [8] [9] In 2016 Pizza Hut sponsored multiple episodes of the podcast as part of a partnership with Rooster Teeth, which received multiple nominations at the 9th Annual Shorty Awards. [10]

A weekly series called Rooster Teeth Animated Adventures features short stories told from the podcast in the form of animation. [11] On September 26, 2016, Sorola unveiled the new set along with the new logo, replacing the one that had been in use since 2011. [12] A live ticketed event was held for the 500th episode. [13] In July 2020 the podcast was part of Spotify’s Vodcast launch lineup. [14]

A 2014 conversation on the podcast about a hypothetical scenario involving an immortal snail became the source of a recurring meme on social media. [15] Videos discussing the snail on TikTok had amassed over 230 million views by November 2021. [16]

Rooster Teeth founders Geoff Ramsey and Joel Heyman as well as Jack Pattillo have all previously served as main hosts of the podcast until individually stepping down, with Heyman having since left the company. Founder Burnie Burns was a regular host until September 2019, but briefly returned in 2020 before leaving the company that June. [17]

In May 2023, Sorola announced he would step down as the podcast's host in June, having worked on the show for 15 years since its inception. [18] In June 2023, the remaining main hosts Barbara Dunkelman and Gavin Free were also announced as leaving the podcast alongside Sorola with Armando Torres, Griff Milton and Andrew Rosas taking over as permanent hosts. [19]

In April 2024, following the announcement of Rooster Teeth's shutdown the previous month, [20] it was announced that the podcast would end while various former hosts returned to guest star in several of the remaining episodes. The final episode was released on April 22, 2024.

Format

The second podcast set on display at RTX 2015. RTX 2015 - RT Podcast set (20436983732).jpg
The second podcast set on display at RTX 2015.

Since its inception, the podcast has usually featured three or four Rooster Teeth staff members as the main hosts as well as the occasional guests such as other Rooster Teeth employees, their families and friends or celebrity guests such as Zachary Levi. [21]

The podcast is largely a comedic commentary on the popular culture of the week, including video games, recent news, website features, sports, movies, and television shows. It is also used to announce the company’s upcoming projects, live events such as RTX, as well as occasionally highlighting fan-made projects. [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>Red vs. Blue</i> American science fiction comedy web series

Red vs. Blue, often abbreviated as RvB, is an American web series created by Burnie Burns with his production company Rooster Teeth. The show is based on the setting of the military science fiction first-person shooter series and media franchise Halo. It is distributed through Rooster Teeth's website, as well as on DVD, Blu-ray, and formerly on the El Rey Network and Netflix. The series initially centers on two opposite teams fighting in an ostensible civil war—shown to actually be a live fire exercise for elite soldiers—in the middle of Blood Gulch, a desolate box canyon, in a parody of first-person shooter video games, military life, and science fiction films.

Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC was an American entertainment company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth was a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment, which is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnie Burns</span> American actor (born 1973)

Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, host, and director previously based in Austin, Texas. He was a co-founder, former chief executive officer, and former chief creative officer of Rooster Teeth. He is noted for his contributions in machinima, a form of film-making that uses video game technology in its production, and also works with animation and live action. Burns is also known for his work in the hosting and podcasting field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Heyman</span> American actor (born 1971)

Joel Pearce Heyman is an American actor, best known for voicing Michael J. Caboose in the Rooster Teeth web series Red vs. Blue from 2003 until 2020. He co-founded Rooster Teeth with Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola and has appeared in their other projects, including The Strangerhood, The Gauntlet (2012) and RWBY (2013–2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Hullum</span> American film director

Matthew Jay Hullum is an American film director, producer, writer, actor and visual effects supervisor living in Austin, Texas. He was one of five co-founders and former CEO of production company Rooster Teeth, which specializes in online content, including live-action series, podcasts, animation and machinima, an art using game engines to create films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Ramsey</span> American internet personality

Geoffrey Lazer Ramsey is an American voice actor, film producer and internet personality. He co-founded the production company Rooster Teeth and is known for voicing Dexter Grif in the web series Red vs. Blue. He also co-founded Achievement Hunter, a now defunct gaming division of Rooster Teeth.

The following is a list of notable machinima-related events in the year 2006. These include several new machinima productions, season finales, and the 2006 Machinima Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Free</span> English actor, director, cinematographer and internet personality

Gavin David Free is an English actor, director, cinematographer and internet personality. He is best known for his work at Rooster Teeth—where he formerly served as creative director—featuring in many of their projects, including the Achievement Hunter gaming division. He directed season 7 of Red vs. Blue, as well as its miniseries Relocated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RTX (event)</span> Video game convention

RTX was a series of annual gaming and Internet conventions created by Rooster Teeth held primarily in Austin, Texas and for a period of time also Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and London, England, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Dunkelman</span> Canadian actress

Barbara Julie Dunkelman (born July 2, 1989) is a Canadian actress and internet personality. She is known for her work with the former production company Rooster Teeth, where she served as a Creative Director and was formerly the Director of Social and Community Marketing and a Program Director for RTX. She also provides the voice of Yang Xiao Long in the web series RWBY and Nerris in Camp Camp, and is a partial owner of the FCF Wild Aces Indoor Football Team.

<i>Lazer Team</i> 2015 comedy science fiction film directed by Matt Hullum

Lazer Team is a 2015 American science fiction action comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by Matt Hullum. The first feature film produced by Rooster Teeth, it stars Burnie Burns, Gavin Free, Michael Jones, Colton Dunn, Allie DeBerry, and Alan Ritchson. The film follows the Lazer Team, a group of four who find themselves responsible for the fate of the planet upon discovering an alien crash site containing a battle suit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Achievement Hunter</span> Entertainment company (2008–2023)

Achievement Hunter was an American video gaming division of Rooster Teeth Productions. Founded by Geoff Ramsey and Jack Pattillo on July 6, 2008, the website was originally based on the achievement mechanic in video games but grew to become a core component of Rooster Teeth, hosting a wide variety of videos related to video games. Achievement Hunter dissolved after publishing its final video on October 1, 2023, with all members having moved elsewhere within Rooster Teeth, which itself closed in May 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Jones (actor)</span> American actor (born 1987)

Michael Vincent Jones is an American actor, podcast host and internet personality who is known for his work with Rooster Teeth's gameplay division Achievement Hunter. He also co-hosted three-time Podcast Award winner Internet Box.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus Sorola</span> American actor

Gustavo Raul "Gus" Sorola III is an American actor and podcast host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Jones (actor)</span> American actor

Lindsay Elise Jones is an American actress, director, gamer and host. They are known for their work with Rooster Teeth, and have provided the voices of Ruby Rose in RWBY and Kimball in Red vs. Blue from 2013–2024.

Ten Little Roosters is an American comedy mystery web series created, directed and written by Josh Flanagan. It premiered on Rooster Teeth's website on November 4, 2014, with a total of 8 episodes. Each episode is uploaded to Rooster Teeth's YouTube channel a day after its release on the Rooster Teeth website. The show featured an interactive murder mystery component and is inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. A semi-sequel series, The Eleven Little Roosters, debuted on January 16, 2017.

The Eleven Little Roosters is an American spy comedy web series created by Josh Flanagan and co-directed and co-written by Blaine Gibson and Flanagan. It stars Zach Anner, Burnie Burns, Barbara Dunkelman, Gavin Free, Ashley Jenkins, Geoff Ramsey and Gus Sorola. It is the successor to the 2014 series Ten Little Roosters, acting as an spy thriller that pits international assassins against each other. It premiered on Rooster Teeth's website on January 16, 2017.

Let's Play Live, named Achievement Hunter Live during its last two tours, was a touring Let's Play show that featured video games and internet personalities. Let's Play Live grew out of Rooster Teeth's gaming division, Achievement Hunter, and became a collaboration with multiple channels including members of the Let's Play family: Funhaus, ScrewAttack, Kinda Funny, Cow Chop, and The Creatures.

<i>Day 5</i> 2016 American TV series or program

Day 5 is an American post-apocalyptic drama web series created by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Josh Flanagan, and Chris Demarais. It premiered on Rooster Teeth's website on June 19, 2016. New episodes premiered exclusively on Rooster Teeth site via their paid sponsorship program, FIRST. Announced March 11, 2016, it was noted for being a dramatic departure from Rooster Teeth's typically comedic productions.

References

  1. ↑ Dominguez, Noah (2020-06-11). "Rooster Teeth Co-Founder Burnie Burns Departs Company". CBR. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  2. ↑ "Podcast Award Winners 2005-2014". PodCastAwards.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Landry, Katelyn (July 5, 2019). "Rooster Teeth Pumps up the Volume With New Podcasts at RTX Austin". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2021-09-28. According to Sorola, the RT Podcast started back in 2008…
  4. ↑ Whittaker, Richard (May 11, 2018). "A Brief History of Rooster Teeth". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  5. ↑ "Rooster Teeth Podcast 133 Post". Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Big Thanks, Drunk Tank 100th Episode Blog Post". Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  7. ↑ "Surprise Podcast!". Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  8. ↑ Brouwer, Bree (2014-11-21). "Pizza Hut Partners With Fullscreen Creators To Develop New Menu Items". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  9. ↑ Blake, Emily; Clark, Noelene (September 17, 2015). "Streamy Awards 2015: The full winners list". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  10. ↑ "Pizza Hut & Rooster Teeth Live Events Program - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  11. ↑ Rigney, Ryan (May 25, 2012). "How Rooster Teeth Won The Internet With Red vs. Blue". Wired . Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Gusless - #395 - Rooster Teeth Podcast - S9E395 - Rooster Teeth".
  13. ↑ Andrew McMahon (2018-06-28). "Rooster Teeth Announces RT Podcast 500 Will Get a Live Event in Austin, TX". The Nerd Stash. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  14. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2020-07-21). "Spotify Debuts 'Vodcasts': Launches First Set of Video Podcasts". Variety. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  15. ↑ Schroeder, Audra (2021-10-22). "The 'immortal snail' finally makes it to TikTok". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  16. ↑ Cavender, Elena (2021-11-06). "Remember the immortal snail meme? It's on TikTok now". Mashable. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  17. ↑ Whittaker, Richard (June 11, 2020). "Burnie Burns Leaves Rooster Teeth". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  18. ↑ Rooster Teeth [@RoosterTeeth] (May 22, 2023). "It's the end of an era! After 15 years, @sorola is handing over the reins of the RT Podcast" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023– via Twitter.
  19. ↑ Barbara Dunkelman [@bdunkelman] (June 6, 2023). "I cannot be more excited for the new iteration of the RT Podcast that @MandoDoesStuff, @the_indoorkid and @MrAndrewRosas will be bringing you guys ever week. We've been doing this show a LONG time, and we are all ready for this change" (Tweet). Retrieved June 6, 2023– via Twitter.
  20. ↑ >Andreeva, Nellie (2024-03-06). "Rooster Teeth Shut Down By Warner Bros. Discovery, The Roost Podcast Network To Continue". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  21. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (2017-01-18). "Rooster Teeth Unveils Slate Of 12 Talk Shows And Podcasts For 2017 (Exclusive)". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2021-09-28. A rotating cast of Rooster Teeth influencers and celebrity friends join Burns, Sorola and podcast regulars Gavin Free and Barbara Dunkelman on the living room-like set.
  22. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (2019-01-09). "Rooster Teeth Announces First Original IP Video Game, 'Vicious Circle'". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2021-09-28. Rooster Teeth founders Gus Sorola and Burnie Burns announced the new game yesterday on The Rooster Teeth Podcast…
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