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Why Andrew Callaghan Is No Longer Part of “All Gas No Brakes”

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2 years ago

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  • Andrew Callaghan, the host of the “All Gas No Brakes” YouTube series, announced in early March that he was no longer a part of the show.
  • At the time, Callaghan noted that he did not read his full contract with the show’s owner, Doing Things Media, when he first signed on, calling it a “lesson learned.”
  • This week, The New York Times revealed that Callaghan and members of his team were fired from the company, which fully owns the IP, brand, and name of the show. 
  • Tensions between Callaghan and Doing Things Media allegedly grew because Callaghan was interested in tackling current events and politics, but the company wanted him to focus on “party content” instead.

Callaghan No Longer Part of “All Gas No Brakes”

Andrew Callaghan will no longer be a part of his popular “All Gas No Brakes” YouTube series after signing a contract that handed the name and intellectual property of the show to a production company he no longer works for. 

Callaghan first announced he would no longer be a part of the show on March 9. 

“I am no longer associated with All Gas No Brakes,” he wrote on Instagram. “I no longer receive any of the Patreon crowdfunding, YouTube monetization, or any other income. My team, Nic and Evan, who lived in the R.V. and created the original material with me, are also no longer involved. We have no control over any AGNB pages or future of the show.”

“I signed an employment contract without reading it,” the post continued. “Lesson learned.”

“All Gas No Brakes” followed Callaghan as he traveled across the country in an RV exploring the weird and sometimes upsetting aspects of American life and culture. He did man-on-street style interviews at Proud Boys rallies, furry conventions, Black Lives Matter protests, and numerous other events. Those interviews often elicited humorous soundbites, and sometimes insightful glimpses into humanity. 

New York Times Details Creative Conflict

In the weeks following Callaghan’s post, fans wondered exactly what happened to the series, which had amassed 1.7 million YouTube subscribers since it started in 2019. They finally found answers on Wednesday when New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz published a piece detailing what happened to Callaghan and the show. 

Callaghan first had the idea for a series like this after writing about his experience hitchhiking across the U.S. When he was just a 21-year-old recent college graduate, he pitched that idea to Doing Things Media, a new production company that was hoping to expand its original content. Its founders, Derek Lucas and Reid Hailey, saw the man-on-the-street videos Callaghan made in college and brought him, along with his two friends, Nic Mosher and Evan Gilbert-Katz, on board. 

Callaghan signed a contract with the company which gave him an RV, an annual salary of $45,000 and production costs for the show. When the show started a Patreon, Callaghan received 20% of the profits. Another 20% was split between other crew members and the remaining 60% was pocketed by Do Things Media. 

The first episode of “All Gas No Brakes” was at the Burning Man Festival in 2019, showcasing the eccentric people who attended the event. Putting odd people attending bizarre events in front of a camera was a staple for the series before it took a political turn in 2020. 

Callaghan and his crew went to Minneapolis to cover the protests following the murder of Geroge Floyd. In January, he told Vice that this changed his perspective on what he could do with the show. 

“Minneapolis was the first time I was like, let me actually use this platform that I have to cover some shit that I care about,” he said. 

“It wasn’t so much of me being like, ‘Let me get political because I want to get more of a liberal audience,” he continued. “It was like, ‘Media is not covering this. The media is not talking to the people causing destruction in Minneapolis and figuring out why.’” 

However, according to the Times, Doing Things Media wanted Callaghan to stick to “party content” instead of current events. Eventually, “All Gas No Brakes” entered a deal with comedians Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s production company to turn the show into a long form project. While doing so, Callaghan was still required to make his regular content on the side, but was told to stay out of politics. Still, he continued to cover protests and rallies. 

“Andrew wanted to prioritize the things he cared about and was inspired by — the conditions of the pandemic, the end of the election cycle — rather than just crank out content for the purpose of being monetized by Doing Things Media,” Lance Bangs, a filmmaker who worked on the show, told the Times. 

Callaghan and Crew Fired from Doing Things Media

This is when tensions started to rise. A source described the contract Callaghan was under as “a 360 deal where Doing Things owned everything Andrew did.” The company offered him a promotion at one point, but it required him to extend the deal another six months. He had already signed over the rights to intellectual property and the name “All Gas No Brakes.”

According to the New York Times, eventually, Callaghan and his crew felt like they could no longer make content they felt excited about. In December 2020, he asked for more Patreon earnings and to get out of his contract, which was not set to expire until 2022. After this, he, Mosher, and Gilbert-Katz got locked out of the show’s social media log-ins. 

The Times reports that in February, Doing Things told Callaghan he would be fired if he did not make two pieces of Patreon content by March. The company then fired Mosher and Gilbert-Katz and asked Callaghan to hand the show over to a new host. He was fired after refusing to do so.

“We’re really bummed it didn’t work out with Andrew,”  Hailey said in a statement to the New York Times. “He was the heart and soul of the show. It was a special moment in time and we’re excited we got to be a part of it. We wish him the absolute best and we’ll be watching along with everyone else for where he goes next.”

What’s Next for Callaghan

Callaghan has made no announcements about what he has planned next, but according to his March 9 statement, he has something up his sleeve. 

“This is not the end,” he wrote. “It’s only the beginning to a bright, independent future for the team.”

Online, people have lamented the fact that the series will not continue with Callagan and praised his unique boots-on-the-ground interviewing. 

“He’s done a fantastic job of capturing a lot of the darker, more unique corners of the US and providing an unfiltered lens into protests and political opinions around the country,” one person wrote. “I can’t wait to see what he does in the future.”

See what others are saying: (New York Times) (BroBible)

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Schools Across the U.S. Cancel Classes Friday Over Unverified TikTok Threat

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1 year ago

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December 17, 2021

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Officials in multiple states said they haven’t found any credible threats but are taking additional precautions out of an abundance of safety.

School Cancelled

Schools in no fewer than 10 states either canceled classes or increased their police presence on Friday after a series of TikToks warned of imminent shooting and bombs threats.

Despite that, officials said they found little evidence to suggest the threats are credible. It’s possible no real threat was actually ever made as it’s unclear if the supposed threats originated on TikTok, another social media platform, or elsewhere. 

“We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we’re working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok,” TikTok’s Communications team tweeted Thursday afternoon. 

Still, given the uptick of school shootings in the U.S. in recent years, many school districts across the country decided to respond to the rumors. According to The Verge, some districts in California, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas shut down Friday. 

“Based on law enforcement interviews, Little Falls Community Schools was specifically identified in a TikTok post related to this threat,” one school district in Minnesota said in a letter Thursday. “In conversations with local law enforcement, the origins of this threat remain unknown. Therefore, school throughout the district is canceled tomorrow, Friday, December 17.”

In Gilroy, California, one high school that closed its doors Friday said it would reschedule final exams that were expected to take place the same day to January.

According to the Associated Press, several other districts in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania stationed more police officers at their schools Friday.

Viral Misinformation or Legitimate Warnings?

As The Verge notes, “The reports of threats on TikTok may be self-perpetuating.”

For example, many of the videos online may have been created in response to initial warnings as more people hopped onto the trend. Amid school cancellations, videos have continued to sprout up — many awash with both rumors and factual information.

 “I’m scared off my ass, what do I do???”  one TikTok user said in a now-deleted video, according to People. 

“The post is vague and not directed at a specific school, and is circulating around school districts across the country,” Chicago Public Schools said in a letter, though it did not identify any specific post. “Please do not re-share any suspicious or concerning posts on social media.”

According to Dr. Amy Klinger, the director of programs for the nonprofit Educator’s School Safety Network, “This is not 2021 phenomenon.”

Instead, she told The Today Show that her network has been tracking school shooting threats since 2013, and she noted that in recent years, they’ve become more prominent on social media. 

“It’s not just somebody in a classroom of 15 people hearing someone make a threat,” she said. “It’s 15,000 people on social media, because it gets passed around and it becomes larger and larger and larger.”

See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Associated Press) (People)

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Jake Paul Says He “Can’t Get Cancelled” as a Boxer

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2 years ago

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November 1, 2021

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The controversial YouTuber opened up about what it has been like to go from online fame to professional boxing.

The New Yorker Profiles Jake Paul

YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul talked about his career switch, reputation, and cancel culture in a profile published Monday in The New Yorker. 

While Paul rose to fame as the Internet’s troublemaker, he now spends most of his time in the ring. He told the outlet that one difference between YouTube and boxing is that his often controversial reputation lends better to his new career. 

“One thing that is great about being a fighter is, like, you can’t get cancelled,” Paul said. The profile noted that the sport often rewards and even encourages some degree of bad behavior.

“I’m not a saint,” Paul later continued. “I’m also not a bad guy, but I can very easily play the role.”

Paul also said the other difference between his time online and his time in boxing is the level of work. While he says he trains hard, he confessed that there was something more challenging about making regular YouTube content. 

“Being an influencer was almost harder than being a boxer,” he told The New Yorker. “You wake up in the morning and you’re, like, Damn, I have to create fifteen minutes of amazing content, and I have twelve hours of sunlight.”

Jake Paul Vs. Tommy Fury

The New Yorker profile came just after it was announced over the weekend Paul will be fighting boxer Tommy Fury in an 8-round cruiserweight fight on Showtime in December. 

“It’s time to kiss ur last name and ur family’s boxing legacy goodbye,” Paul tweeted. “DEC 18th I’m changing this wankers name to Tommy Fumbles and celebrating with Tom Brady.”

Both Paul and Fury are undefeated, according to ESPN. Like Paul, Fury has found fame outside of the sport. He has become a reality TV star in the U.K. after appearing on the hit show “Love Island.”

See what others are saying: (The New Yorker) (Dexerto) (ESPN)

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Hackers Hit Twitch Again, This Time Replacing Backgrounds With Image of Jeff Bezos

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2 years ago

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October 8, 2021

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The hack appears to be a form of trolling, though it’s possible that the infiltrators were able to uncover a security flaw while reviewing Twitch’s newly-leaked source code.

Bezos Prank

Hackers targeted Twitch for a second time this week, but rather than leaking sensitive information, the infiltrators chose to deface the platform on Friday by swapping multiple background images with a photo of former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. 

According to those who saw the replaced images firsthand, the hack appears to have mostly — and possibly only — affected game directory headers. Though the incident appears to be nothing more than a surface-level prank, as Amazon owns Twitch, it could potentially signal greater security flaws. 

For example, it’s possible the hackers could have used leaked internal security data from earlier this week to discover a network vulnerability and sneak into the platform. 

The latest jab at the platforms came after Twitch assured its users it has seen “no indication” that their login credentials were stolen during the first hack. Still, concerns have remained regarding the potential for others to now spot cracks in Twitch’s security systems.

It’s also possible the Bezos hack resulted from what’s known as “cache poisoning,” which, in this case, would refer to a more limited form of hacking that allowed the infiltrators to manipulate similar images all at once. If true, the hackers likely would not have been able to access Twitch’s back end. 

The photo changes only lasted several hours before being returned to their previous conditions. 

First Twitch Hack 

Despite suspicions and concerns, it’s unclear whether the Bezos hack is related to the major leak of Twitch’s internal data that was posted to 4chan on Wednesday.

That leak exposed Twitch’s full source code — including its security tools — as well as data on how much Twitch has individually paid every single streamer on the platform since August 2019. 

It also revealed Amazon’s at least partially developed plans for a cloud-based gaming library, codenamed Vapor, which would directly compete with the massively popular library known as Steam.

Even though Twitch has said its login credentials appear to be secure, it announced Thursday that it has reset all stream keys “out of an abundance of caution.” Users are still being urged to change their passwords and update or implement two-factor authentication if they haven’t already. 

See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Forbes) (CNET)

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