(DISCLAIMER: This editorial may have some jokes for comedic purposes because the author doesn’t believe in writing stuff as a scientific article. And the views expressed here do not represent the views of other people on the Let’s Get Ready Network. Bummer. They should always agree with me.)
Hello, it’s me, Daney – the most beloved international Schmoedown fan. And the most handsome too, according to the Weekly Schmoedown Magazine (sixty times in a row!). In today’s session, let’s get ready to talk about my favorite word according to Mr. Muthana: engagement. If you have ever watched our Friday podcast, you may have seen me and the others throw this word around a lot recently – sometimes referring to the attitude of certain a competitor in a match (i.e King Kan vs John Flickinger) or Mr. Hot Takes Goldstein questioning the position of a certain Mr. Levine as a manager. Engagement is the most conceptually precise word to describe this intense relationship of a person – regardless of their position in the ecology of the Schmoedown – with the product that is the Schmedown. But, now I think it’s time to talk about something that we can’t always bring up on the shows: the engagement of the fans. Yes, let’s talk about me and you.
Casuals, Hardcores, and Soon-To-Be
I think it’s safe to assume that, if you are reading this article, you are a part of one of the current 3,638 patrons of the Schmoedown (by the time I am writing this article, of course). If you are not – well, a global pandemic happened – at least you are what I am going to refer to as the hardcore fan of the Schmoedown. The hardcore fans not only consume the standard Schmoedown content on a regular basis, but are also active with its ancillary content: officially supported after shows (i.e Rundown or Backstage), the Facebook group and social media posts on Twitter, or even some of the fans’ own after-shows (LGR included). Of course, the entire fanbase is not composed of just hardcore fans: a quick look at the public data of the total views in a single random Schmoedown match in the YouTube channel shows views more than the double or triple of this number (and some more important events reaching the hundreds of thousands of views). Most of these people are what we are gonna call the casual fans: they are what you and I were in the past. People that don’t comment on Facebook posts, or don’t care what a person says on Twitter, nor they prefer to pay for early access content and are well comfortable waiting for the public free release of important Schmoedown PPV’s matches. They still watch and like the content, but are not as engaged with the product as the hardcore people.
It’s also safe to assume the Schmoedown management – although very aware and communicative with its fanbase – needs to put as a high priority not casual or hardcore fans, but the potential fan – you know, that girl Mary that lives in that middle chunk of the U.S who loves movies and loves to recite quotes; or Steban, that guy from Spain who knows the English language and keeps ranting on how much Jar-Jar Binks ruined his life and is eager to see a person like Thomas Harper perform in a Star Wars trivia match. Those people: fans-to-be but who haven’t discovered the Schmoedown yet, no matter how much the YouTube algorithm helps or not. Mr. Harloff and Mr. Ellis rightfully make their moves to reach those people, and the more “recent” moves like the Skybound partnership or Kevin Smith on the league are clear signs of the attempt on this expansion. An expansion which – don’t get me wrong – needs to happen. I firmly believe any hardcore Schmoedown fan shares the common dream that Schmoedown is so special that has the potential of becoming a huge, global, captivating phenomenon to any movie watchers out there. It is this dream, hope, and love for what the Schmoedown is and for what it can be that makes us hardcore fans in the first place.
Nonetheless, this type of expansion is hard work that takes a lot of time, sometimes luck, and an incredible amount of patience. You could argue that Schmoedown is closer than ever to double digits on its number of seasons but the league itself is very young and still is forming its structure with these new factions dynamics. And as we journey on the peaks and valleys of this expansion, my concern is how the engagement of the already converted to the Schmoedown church can be kept with the new formats and structures.
Product Engagement
I have always made very clear in my appearances on LGR that I love the Schmoedown because I love the product. Yes, it’s a game with its rules and nuances. Yes, there is the storyline aspect influenced by professional wrestling. Yes, the competitors are mental athletes. But it’s the combination of these elements, plus the visual presentation with the graphics, the incredible editing work of NerdChronic and crew, and the fact it’s a show in itself that classifies the Schmoedown as a type of commercial art – not that different from commercial-oriented movies, video games or internet-based content in general. So, as this product is offered (and sold), how can we keep these consumers engaged?
It’s not that I think hardcore fans are not engaged with the product anymore. We are hardcore fans, after all. But the transition from casual to hardcore seems to have hit a stale: as a part of the Schmoedown aftershow channel, it’s easy to see the hardcore fans in the chat tab of a PPV event or people that talk to us in our shows are the same familiar names that we all know and love. But where are the others? I may not have the entire solution, but I see a path that can be improved. Or, at least, I see what is not the reason for the stale engagement.
It’s not the lack of content. In truth, Schmoedown is delivering the most content it has ever delivered in years. Almost five matches a week, two of them as exclusive PPV events. Do you love the Schmoedown people? Watch the other SEN videos. Love to talk about the Schmoedown even more? There are tons and tons of fans after shows out there. Want to be in the Schmoedown? Now there’s the FCL league. Do you love a specific competitor from the Schmoedown? There’s a high probability this person is a content creator and has his/her own channel, even with Schmoedown-related content. The market has never been so abundant with content, especially when talking about the number of matches and the size of the league. But has the content been delivered in its best shape? Well, let’s take a look.
Not so long ago, there was a limited Patreon exclusive tier that allowed you to personally ask a question live on camera after a PPV. This offer has been dropped since Schmoedown stopped actually streaming live events. The PPV became more like an early access unedited taping than an actual live event (which, as a filmmaker and content creator myself, I can totally see the reasons why that happened with the digital format). I was never part of that particular tier (I have to pay almost six times more than the actual value! I’m Brazilian for God’s sake!), but I have heard from more than one person (and on more than one occasion) the frustration with this sudden format shift. It’s safe to assume the actual live streams will be back with the post-COVID openings, either live on studio or actual open theaters events, but until then the frustration remains. What has been done to offer something to replace that?
Another good route for us to look at is the intrinsic relation between official Schmoedown content and the cameos and appearances of the after-shows/reaction people. Mr. Chronic has done a very good job at including clips from fans after shows in the matches’ promos, but a highlight was when I saw Miss Danielle Ramirez from the Call to Action channel being one of the commentators in a match. That type of bridge and cross-promotion is good for this league. It’s not a matter of including fans in the storylines or inside the inner works of the Schmoedown (which I advocate fans and actual cast/crew need to have a line of separation and know their respective places) but was a good sign of rewarding fan’s engagement with the product. The sponsor slice/wheel tiers of the Patreon have always been there, but there must be other types of engagement-pushing methods that vary in both cost and benefits that promote active engagement with the show. What makes the community is special is the fact that we are not just passive viewers that like and comment an YouTube video, but that we are people that promote conversation, interaction and a sense of family that is captivating to people outside the hardcore sphere. Making and promoting this behavior actually encourages casuals to be more active and makes the fans-to-be become fans. It creates the feeling of being part of something (once again, in our respective places). The Schmoedown needs more of this type of offerings.
It’s not a matter of creating more and more content, but delivering them in a more interesting way than just “hey, watch this!”. There’s this wealth of opportunities that can be explored and I feel these little experiments need to be continued because they are way more interesting than just more videos to watch. They are the special sauce that makes the Schmoedown product and its relation with its own community special.
A Promising Future
If you reach this far, I thank you for your time (unless you are a buffoon like me that likes to go to the final paragraphs for no reason). The whole goal of this editorial was not to focus on the negative sides of the Schmoedown product, but rather to construct a draft of analysis of what can be improved for all of us. As a live, constant commercial art, the Schmoedown is in a permanent state of polishing – and it is our job as hardcore fans to give constructive feedback that can, if not help, at least give us the creators to think. It’s better than just yelling “this is wrong!!!” in all caps on the YouTube comment section or on a Facebook post.
I wanna see not only more people watching the Schmoedown, I wanna see more people active with the Schmoedown. It took me four years to reach that, being from overseas, but it doesn’t need to for everyone. And I can confirm, from the bottom of my heart, that the Schmoedown is way more fun when you are engaged with it.