:Mikey Neumann
{{short description|American YouTuber}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox YouTube personality
| name = Mikey Neumann
| logo =
| logo_caption =
| image = Kris Straub and Mikey Neumann (9743870628) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Neumann in 2013
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|04|16}}{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/mikeyface/status/853483260713873408|title=Mikey Neumann on Twitter |date= April 16, 2017 |access-date= October 9, 2019}}
| birth_place =
| nationality = American
| channel_handle = FilmJoy
| years_active = 2013–present
| genre = Film criticism
| subscribers = 303 thousand
| views = 23.19 million
| silver_button = yes
| stats_update = 14 July 2022
}}
Mikey Neumann (born April 16, 1982) is an American YouTuber and video game writer. He is known for the channel FilmJoy, which hosts film criticism series Movies with Mikey. The series celebrates the positive elements of movies, and was nominated for the Outstanding Informational Series or Special Emmy in 2017.
Before his work on YouTube, Neumann worked in the video game industry as a creative director and on games including Brothers in Arms, Borderlands, and Borderlands 2. He worked at Gearbox Software for 16 years, ultimately earning the title "chief creative champion" before departing the company because of health problems.
Career
= Video games =
Neumann began working in the video game industry at the age of 19. He left college after one year to do quality assurance on Gearbox Software's PlayStation 2 port of Half-Life, becoming a full-time texture artist in 2001, a year later.{{Cite news|url=https://kotaku.com/5853740/at-age-29-a-game-developer-now-battles-back-from-a-stroke|title=At Age 29, a Game Developer Must Battle Back from a Stroke|last=Good|first=Owen|date=October 26, 2011|work=Kotaku|access-date=July 28, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/01/mikey-neumann-is-the-future-of-youtube-film-critic.html|title=Mikey Neumann Is the Future of YouTube Film Critics|last=Wilbur|first=Brock|date=January 11, 2018|work=Paste Magazine|access-date=July 28, 2018}} He went on to write, voice act, and serve as creative director or associate creative director for games including the Brothers in Arms series, Aliens: Colonial Marines, and Borderlands.{{Cite news|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-writer-mikey-neumann-giving-keynote-at-pax-prime/1100-6420720/|title=Borderlands Writer Mikey Neumann Giving Keynote at PAX Prime|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|date=August 21, 2014|work=Gamespot|access-date=July 28, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/6/25/5840638/Gearbox-creative-director-Mikey-Neumann-to-open-pax-prime|title=Borderlands writer to open PAX Prime, band lineup live|last=Pitcher|first=Jenna|date=June 25, 2014|work=Polygon|access-date=July 28, 2018}} For Borderlands, Neumann provided motion capture and voiced the character Scooter.{{Cite news|url=https://www.destructoid.com/mikey-neumann-provided-mo-cap-for-lilith-in-borderlands-156772.phtml|title=Mikey Neumann provided mo-cap for Lilith in Borderlands|last=Devore|first=Jordan|date=December 3, 2009|work=Destructoid|access-date=July 28, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-06-06-gearbox-chief-creative-mikey-neumann-departs-due-to-ill-health|title=Gearbox chief creative Mikey Neumann departs due to ill health|last=Handrahan|first=Matthew|date=June 6, 2017|work=gamesindustry.biz|access-date=July 28, 2018}} He also wrote comics for the series, including the prequel Borderlands: Origins.{{Cite news|url=https://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/07/10/borderlands-fall-of-fyrestone-1-preview|title=Borderlands: Fall of Fyrestone #1 Preview|last=Nix|first=Marc|date=July 10, 2014|work=IGN|access-date=October 9, 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbr.com/gearboxs-mikey-neumann-talks-borderlands-origins-comics/|title=Gearbox's Mikey Neumann Talks "Borderlands: Origins" Comics|last=Workman|first=Robert|date=September 20, 2012|work=CBR|access-date=July 28, 2018}}
When pre-orders for Borderlands became available, Neumann tweeted "Twitter me a screen of you buying the game and I'll play BLs with you and give you loot." When the tweet was picked up by gaming news website Kotaku,{{Cite news|url=https://kotaku.com/5368941/borderlands-unique-and-semiofficial-preorder-bonus-updated|title=Borderlands' Unique, and Semiofficial, Preorder Bonus [Updated]|last=Good|first=Owen|date=September 27, 2009|work=Kotaku|access-date=July 28, 2018}} the popularity of the tweet exploded, with more than 200 players tweeting their game receipts. As a result, Neumann spent more than 3 days playing the game, grouping up with each player and giving them in-game weapons.{{Cite news|url=https://kotaku.com/5388050/borderlands-creative-boss-lives-up-to-his-loot-promises?tag=mikeyneumann|title=Borderlands' Creative Boss Lives Up to His Loot Promises|last=Good|first=Owen|date=October 22, 2009|work=Kotaku|access-date=July 28, 2018}} In 2014, Neumann gave the keynote talk at PAX Prime. Alongside developers from other game studios, he created a card for Magic 2015, titled Chasm Skulker.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/23/magic-2015-meet-the-monster-designed-by-borderlands-writer|title=Magic 2015: Meet the Monster Designed by Borderlands' Writer|last=Dyer|first=Mitch|date=June 23, 2014|work=IGN|access-date=July 28, 2018}}
In 2016 Neumann, then in the position of 'chief creative champion', was announced as the lead writer on the upcoming Borderlands 3.{{Cite news|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-04-22-gearbox-confirms-that-borderlands-3-will-be-its-next-game|title=Gearbox confirms that Borderlands 3 will be its next game|last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|date=April 22, 2016|work=Eurogamer|access-date=July 28, 2018}} He left Gearbox Software in June 2017, before the game's release, as a result of ongoing health problems, saying that "Everything is 1,000,000% amicable with Gearbox. I physically just can't do the work anymore", and opened a Patreon account to crowdfund his YouTube videos.{{Cite news|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/6/5/15743140/mikey-neumann-leaves-gearbox-movies-with-mikey|title=Gearbox writer Mikey Neumann, facing health issues, leaves studio|last=Frank|first=Allegra|date=June 5, 2017|work=Polygon|access-date=July 28, 2018}} Neumann later assisted with the Borderlands 3 trailer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-2-was-ahead-of-its-time/|title=Borderlands 2 was ahead of its time|last=Macgregor|first=Jody|date=March 30, 2019|work=PC Gamer|access-date=April 12, 2019}}
= YouTube =
In 2010, Neumann created a web series alongside Anthony Burch called Anthony Saves The World.{{Cite news|url=https://kotaku.com/borderlands-writers-play-a-bloody-game-of-catan-5698813|title=Borderlands Writers Play A Bloody Game Of Catan|last=Good|first=Owen|date=November 24, 2010|work=Kotaku|access-date=October 10, 2019}} He started a film criticism series titled Movies with Mikey in 2014 on the Chainsawsuit Original YouTube channel (now titled FilmJoy) in collaboration with Kris Straub.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/creator-of-youtube-show-movies-with-mikey-talks-career-changes-and-whats-next-9908911|title=Illness Motivated Plano YouTuber Mikey Neumann to Ask: Could This Be a Full-Time Job?|last=Carter|first=Chase|date=September 26, 2017|work=Dallas Observer|access-date=July 28, 2018}} The videos focus on the positive elements of movies, celebrating and highlighting aspects of those movies Neumann enjoyed. He described the impetus for the series as a desire for people "to feel good about the things they like, as opposed to feeling attacked all the time" and he aims to bring something new to viewers' opinion of the film, such as framing John Wick in a mythological context.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2016/12/9/13893628/movies-with-mikey-neumann-youtube-optimism-analysis|title=Movies with Mikey is a video celebration of what makes movies great|last=Gartenberg|first=Chaim|date=December 9, 2016|work=The Verge|access-date=July 28, 2018}} After leaving Gearbox Software in 2017, Neumann began funding the series via Patreon as he worked to become a full-time YouTuber.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/12/13/facing-a-rebellion-of-furious-creators-patreon-backs-away-from-a-new-fee/|title=Facing a rebellion of furious creators, Patreon backs away from a new fee|last=Ohlheiser|first=Abby|date=December 13, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=July 28, 2018}} 5 days after his Patreon opened, more than 1,300 fans were pledging money each month to fund his videos.
Neumann envisioned Movies with Mikey as being focused on films that were reviewed negatively in the 1990s and 2000s, providing viewers with a deeper appreciation for them. When the first videos received few views, he refocused the series. His video on The World's End received considerably more attention, including being shared and commented on by the film's director and cast. Movies with Mikey has since covered movies and television shows, including 10 Cloverfield Lane,{{Cite news|url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/11/how-10-cloverfield-lane-was-a-gamble-that-paid-off-big-time/|title=How '10 Cloverfield Lane' Was A Gamble That Paid Off, Big Time|last=Johnston|first=Rae|date=November 24, 2017|work=Gizmodo Australia|access-date=July 28, 2018}} Princess Mononoke,{{Cite news|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/3/6/14834526/princess-mononoke-movies-with-mikey-studio-ghibli|title=Princess Mononoke gets the Movies with Mikey treatment in latest episode|last=Alexander|first=Julia|date=March 6, 2017|work=Polygon|access-date=July 28, 2018}} and Stranger Things. The series was nominated for an Emmy in 2017, in the Outstanding Informational Series or Special category.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/13/15793980/movies-with-mikey-emmy-nomination|title=Movies with Mikey gets its first Emmy nomination|last=Plaugic|first=Lizzie|date=June 13, 2017|work=The Verge|access-date=July 28, 2018}}
Personal life
Neumann had a stroke while playing games at the Gearbox Software office in October 2011, resulting in him being hospitalized for nine days. Doctors diagnosed Neumann with multiple sclerosis.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/pop-culture/2017/08/14/after-re-learning-how-to-walk-and-talk-gaming-personality-mikey-neumann-finds-new-life-on-youtube/|title=After re-learning how to walk and talk, gaming personality Mikey Neumann finds new life on YouTube|last=Peele|first=Britton|date=August 14, 2017|work=The Dallas Morning News|access-date=October 10, 2019}} Following auto-immune failure as a result of his condition, Neumann was hospitalized again in 2017.
Neumann has identified as asexual.{{Cite book|title=Ain't No Place for a Hero: Borderlands|last=Tremblay|first=Kaitlin|publisher=ECW Press|year=2017|isbn=978-1773050775}}
Works
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Twitter|mikeyface}}
- {{YouTube|u=chainsawsuitoriginal|{{PAGENAMEBASE}}}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Neumann, Mikey}}
Category:21st-century American male writers
Category:People from Plano, Texas
Category:People with multiple sclerosis
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:American video game writers
Category:LGBTQ people from Texas