Daily Inspiration: Meet Vincent DeSantis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vincent DeSantis.

Hi Vincent, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hey! I’m Vincent DeSantis, co-founder of Strictly Casual. Strictly Casual is a community that fosters stimulating conversations about cherished video games and movies, from the narratives that shape us to the latest releases. Our goal is simple, to connect enthusiasts and celebrate the significance of interactive and cinematic storytelling.

Strictly Casual was created as a way to learn skills I would need later on in the professional workspace. I wanted to get better at live production management, production coordination, hosting, interviewing, editing, scripting, and specific technical programs I know my future employers would require. It began as a way to test my skills but quickly grew over the years into a full content team dedicated to productions of all sizes. Strictly Casual is not only a creative outlet but something I am proud to present work from.

James and I started it in our college dorm room with a shared love of video games and movies. There were so many inspirations for us in the games media world and we thought we had a good way to include others in our conversations through a podcast format. Admittedly the first 25 or so podcasts were not great. It took us a long time to get a flow down and a refined run of the show. We had to ask ourselves what sets us apart from other brands that have similar content. The goal at the beginning was never to “blow up”. It was really just something we enjoyed doing. It was something that pushed us out of our comfort zones.

Annnnnnd of course, the pandemic hit after episode 10 or so. A blessing and a curse. We had just started getting a groove together in person and now we had to create a whole new workflow to figure out a remote podcast. We were bummed but still committed to trying this out. This ended up being a major win for us. It allowed us to spend more time building the show and upping our production value to create a better product instead of squeezing in recording before college classes. The transition was rough but it ended up being a great thing. We also had more time to collaborate with other creators. Which lead us to joining forces with Ryder!

After weeks of talking about wanting to create with Ryder, the direction seemed to be to bring Ryder into Strictly Casual and rebuild it from the ground up with a more focused vision. Ryder expanded our content from being primarily video game news coverage to the world of TV and Film as well!

With Ryder coming into the picture, we really call the three of us the founders of Strictly Casual. It would not be what it is today without all three of us.

Around that time, we split our weekly podcast into two different podcasts. Freeze Frame for all your TV Movie and streaming news. And Checkpoint for all of your video game news. The direction also changed to push more toward interviewing influential people in each industry. We have interviewed video game developers, actors, composers, voice actors, and much more. With the new direction also came more live event coverage, both on location and reacting to the biggest game conferences or movie premieres.

We now have over 500 podcasts in both the audio and video form from the last three years, hundreds of scripted/discussion videos, and a large presence of “quick hits” on short-form content platforms such as TikTok and Instagram reels.

And to tie some of this together. Years after we started this, I presented work from Strictly Casual as part of a resume for a few jobs. I ended up getting both of them because of the work we put in for Strictly Casual. I view Strictly Casual as a success because it was able to teach me so many things that I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to learn.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. With three people often comes three different opinions and three ways to look at things. Sometimes we all have to get on the same page on things we may disagree upon. If I have any advice, it is to plan regular meetings on topics that can be hard to talk about. If you carve out time and chat about touchy subjects right when they come up, it will ALWAYS go better than when hide your thoughts and wait to express them.

We have also pivoted directions many times. We have to balance all of the things we want to cover and also respect the audience that we have built on previous content. It’s a hard rope to walk. We are currently in the middle of shifting some ideas. It will be the biggest change in our 3+ years together, so it’s taking some time to iron out. But sometimes, our dissenting opinions can create something that none of us had considered previously. It’s a great collaboration.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in podcasts and short-form content. We have our biggest following on TikTok and podcast audio platforms. We use YouTube to give substance for people that may want more information than what we can fit into a 30-section short.

I am most proud of our productions around live events such as Summer Games Fest, Film Premieres, and other watch-along types of content. It gives us a chance to connect live with the people that watch our prerecorded content. I love bringing people together who all have similar interests to enjoy big events in the games industry and movies.

I think what can also set us apart is our backgrounds. Strictly Casual is a hobby. We all work outside of doing content. But we work in the games and film industry. We understand the ins and outs of what is happening and are able to talk about it from a different lens than just reporting off an article we read on Twitter.

We also have a huge push for staying approachable and personable. That is a core pillar of what we want to cultivate in a community.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Do not be afraid to work with people with different opinions on small things. As long as you share a larger goal, disagreements on small issues often lead to better outcomes when you put your heads together.

Contact Info:

• Website: StrictlyCasual.co
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/strictlycasualofficial
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StrictlyCasuaI
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/StrictlyCasual
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@strictlycasualofficial