Uploaded and Unfiltered: Conversations about Personal Growth, Mindsets, and Advice with BIPOC Creators for Creators

From Gaming Streams to Comic Dreams [Guest: Big_DogF]

• Jermaine Pulliam • Season 1 • Episode 81

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Ever wondered how a simple nickname can become the cornerstone of a thriving online persona? Join me as I chat with Big_DogF, a variety streamer whose journey from playing Warzone during the COVID-19 lockdowns to building an engaging community around his streams is nothing short of inspiring. As we kick off 2025, Big_DogF shares his ambitious plans for comic creation and his unique perspective on content creation. I also open up about my own aspirations to dive into music production and collaborate with my brother, who's making waves in the nerdcore rap scene. This episode is all about the thrill of creative exploration and the ever-evolving world of content creation.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome. Welcome back to another episode of Uploaded and Unfiltered, the podcast in which I, your host, Jermaine, interviews another content creator in regards to their journey thus far. Welcome to 2025. I hope everybody made it in safely. This is the first episode in like I feel, like 11 or 12 since I've had a guest, so if I'm a little rusty, bear with me. But today is going to be fun because I got one of my favorite content creators that I ran across. Shout out to crew. She made this happen. I'm going to go ahead and read his bio and then we're going to go ahead and get him on the line so we can have an awesome conversation.

Speaker 1:

Big Dog F is a variety streamer that is known under several aliases, such as Quick Draw, McGraw Steel, McNeil and the Villas Pillager. He's here looking to create a space to meet like-minded individuals, play games, talk about different topics and draw. While we have fun, Come hang out with the fam and be merry With that. I'd like to introduce my guest, first guest of 2025, the one, the only Big Dawg F. Welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Speaker 2:

Yo, thank you for having me, cripp, I am doing great. Happy New Year to everyone. Tune in to the Uploaded and Unfiltered Podcast. We made it.

Speaker 1:

Finally, first and foremost, I know where the name is from, I think, but I forgot to say this in the beginning of the podcast, so I'm putting you on the spot. What is the origin story of your name?

Speaker 2:

the origin story of my name is actually kind of simple. Um, a lot of family and friends call me big dog. Uh, originally, when I was thinking of streaming, I was trying to think of a name that's like catchy, something that you can simple. You can see it in chat and you'll know exactly who is, you know who's there and what vibe is about to come through, and the laugh was just uh, part of me so nice, quick, simple and didn't have to think too hard about it.

Speaker 2:

I like it man, I was thinking for so long on a name I I don't know how y'all be coming up with names like that man.

Speaker 1:

I don't even remember. I don't know if I told the origin story of my name, but whatever, I'm not going to today, so let's go ahead and get this started. Besides the name reveal, how did you get started in content creation and, for the people, what exactly would you say you do in content creation? So it's a twofold question.

Speaker 2:

I would say I mostly make videos, I'm mostly a streamer. It actually started maybe during COVID. I've been playing games since I was five, six, whatever and I always, when I was younger, I thought I would be playing games five, six, whatever and I always, when I was younger, I thought I would be playing games professionally. I thought I could make that, which did not happen.

Speaker 1:

Did not happen.

Speaker 2:

It was very realistic earlier in the day. But 2020 came, one of my friends was streaming and I completely forgot about it and even like streaming as a idea I've always seen other people stream, you know forgot about it. Then, after playing with him on his stream and I was talking to other people in his chat, I finally got a headset and just hopped on. I was chilling at my parents' crib with me and my four friends or three friends playing Warzone all the time, so we just thought let's hop on and switch with it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I like it, honestly, that's. All it takes is a couple of friends, an internet connection and just a will to do it, and you're like, you're in there, right, all right. So let's do this, let's go ahead and switch gears. I like we. We are, but I want to know, in regards to the content you're making now, what's your competence? What's your competence of look like? Where's your mindset at in regards to what you're doing now? And I know there's something on the horizon, but where do you see your content? What do you want to do with your content in the future?

Speaker 2:

Honestly, I'm trying to focus on more community-based stuff coming in the future. I've been working on making a comic as well. Okay, hell, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's also been a long time.

Speaker 1:

Ooh, I didn't know that I'm getting some new information, all right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Still working on it. I'd say I have a good amount of the story. It's more so just getting it down and making it all make sense. Gotcha, yeah, a lot of my content is focused on me just editing videos, streams like clips and just working on art stuff. I feel like I've been kind of leaning away from games because it hasn't been hidden from me.

Speaker 1:

I don't know I get that because right now I was telling my wife the 31st, the whole family. We made goals and as I'm sitting here looking at my goals, I'm like I well, for one thing, I'm making music. I'm 2025. I'm starting to make beats like for other people not just for me Like nobody's ever. I don't think I mean I played a few on stream, just playing around, but like I have no music schooling, no theory, it's just I feel this, this sounds good, I want to put this in it.

Speaker 1:

And luckily, my brother is a rapper. He's a nerdcore artist. Well, rel, and he did my. He actually did my uh intro for my ray video. So I told him I was like, listen, I got all this music equipment. I bought a midi keyboard that should be here friday. I was like I'm gonna make a track and I want you to rap over it. He's like, but he didn't even know hesitation. He's like, yep, let me know when it's ready. And I'm like, oh shit, okay, I was going to get some pushback. So, yeah, now one of my goals of this year by May, at least one track done that he can do his thing on. And I'll know it's done because the song will be finished and that's what I'm going for. So I believe I 100% applaud doing stuff outside of gaming because it's necessary sometimes.

Speaker 2:

It really is and it's just everybody I've been seeing a lot of times play the same game or they play a new game. I'm trying to branch out to see you know different types of things Typically black things. But I just want to see different types of things, typically black things. I just want to see different types of content, similar mindset.

Speaker 1:

I think this year is going to be and if not, naturally I'm going to push it the push for people to do things outside of gaming because, don't get me wrong, I love gaming. I almost put up last night on marvel rivals. But like I want sometimes, I just want to be live. Maybe I'm like working on a puzzle or a document and we just in there chatting it up, like talking about life, talking about things that are going on, stuff like that, because I, like I said, I love games, but sometimes I don't want to watch somebody play call of duty or tech it at all.

Speaker 2:

You know what's crazy like. In the end of my streaming last year, I started doing puzzles on stream. Yes, and I was surprised by how many people were like yo yes, I mean, they were backseating. Like yo you. Oh yeah, trashed at this, I was like how can I? Be trashed at a puzzle. But you know, whatever, let me let me show you how it's done and they started. You know jake was in. Uh, jake helped me with a puzzle herself and it was a fun time yeah, man, I'm telling you it's gonna be.

Speaker 1:

This year is like the time to think outside the box, cause I think people are getting bored with the gaming and unless you're like top tier, like you're just the god of that game. I'm not, I don't, I'm. I mean my boy boss boss who, versus I, watch anything he plays because he's just entertaining. And that's what I want to inspire you like. No matter what I'm doing, you're entertaining, you're having a good time. That's my, my future goal.

Speaker 2:

So I mean to me. I feel like you already see that, but I feel like yo I appreciate that.

Speaker 1:

All right, we switching gears again. We're going to slide into lessons learned. This is one of my favorite sections of the podcast, because I think in anything we do, we can always learn a lesson or learn a valuable tip to move forward in the future. So my question to you is what has been something you've learned because you started creating content?

Speaker 2:

Yo, I was actually thinking about this just now. Content, I was actually thinking about this just now. The biggest lesson I've learned, which is something that people say, is use people, and I don't mean use people like, just try to take advantage of it. But you have connections, you have community and they have music or they're trying to do for music or they have. You know they're trying to do, for example, the voice acting. I asked you for help. I know you're trying to get to or you're getting into the voice acting yeah.

Speaker 2:

So who else to use then? Crip exactly people. If they're willing to help you, great. If they're not, it's fine, maybe you can find somebody else, but it it has saved me so much time. Yeah, so much time same.

Speaker 1:

I don't know how to make thumbnails and boss does so. Every once in a while I'm like, hey, man, if you got time, can you whip me up a king and victor thumbnail? And he he's like, yeah, sure, and then like three days later, boom, it's done. I'm like, see, man, and for the longest what you're saying like ask people reach out to your community, that was something I did not do at all and that's so many missed opportunities, like so many networking connections that, like I've garnered and established over the years, I refuse to ask them for anything. And that's changed. I want people to ask me for stuff and I gotta remember there are other people like me who want people to ask them for stuff, so I keep that in mind.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's tough, it's very tough, especially for streamers who do a lot of things themselves. They'll make their you know, their sounds, their alerts, their overlays, the whole stream itself. And it's like you don't want at least for me, I didn't want to burden people because yes, everybody has their own life but if they can, they would exactly if they want.

Speaker 1:

I said. My new saying is let them say no, you don't don't be the one to say no for them. If they want to say no, they'll say no and then don't take that personal. It's not a personal thing like if I asked you, I'm like yo big dog, can you? In two weeks I have a stream coming up. I want to play I don't know mario party or some shit. And if you said, said no, I wouldn't be like man, you don't fuck with me. Man. That's crazy. It could be like I don't have a Switch and I'm like, oh, all right, that makes sense, but you never know. You never know.

Speaker 2:

It could be a very simple. Yeah, I'm just not in town.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you're like, oh okay, instead of me sitting over here. Oh you don't like me.

Speaker 2:

Oh, what did I?

Speaker 1:

do Exactly. I'm telling you that's that's what people do Like. That's what I used to do, I used to like. All right, I'm going to ask boss to be on a podcast, even though I know boss is going to say, yes, well, I know he's got a bunch of stuff he's doing. I know he got the kids this weekend Uh, I don't know. And then two weeks go by and I don't ask nobody shit and I'm sitting there struggling. Don't do that. Don't struggle this year. This year, make sure you ask people for help. It is not a sign of weakness. If anything, it's a sign of strength. So do that shit.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, y'all heard him.

Speaker 1:

Alright, now it's your turn. We about to drop some words of advice for somebody out there, anybody you want. You could be an expiring streamer or somebody who's been doing it for a while and like yo fuck this, I don't want to do it anymore. What type of advice? Or, excuse me, who do you want to give advice to, and what kind of advice you want to give?

Speaker 2:

I'll give this advice to anybody that's in this payment, probably on the newer side. Like we said, don't be afraid to ask for help, close mouth, don't get fed. Minus those you know. Reach out with that. Do a 50. Yeah, I feel like a lot of people have been trying to see what someone else does and just copying them bar for bar. And I understand you know, as you're growing, you're gonna have to, you're gonna change things about your stream, change things about yourself. You're gonna grow as a person but like what's you is, you creativity has been, I feel like not, as it's not happening as often. Yes, I agree, and I just think the world needs more individuals.

Speaker 1:

I was just talking to my wife about this. I was like motherfuckers are scared to be creative, because being creative is doing something nobody else is doing Exactly and like I feel like more of that's just needed Yo.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for saying that, no, it's just crap. Yo, it's been on my mind for such a long time Seeing all these remasters, these remakes live action have been making me tired.

Speaker 2:

Just even gaming too, where I understand there's only so many stories that people can tell. But you can make your own variety. Oh yeah, we don't need six mass prose copies where everyone does the same move pretty much. But you know, not to say people can't. You know, try to get some ideas. Because try to get some ideas, because I've got some ideas from you, for example from chick same. Definitely use like that. But I don't, I don't say don't sample stuff, but yeah, just try to. You know, do with you, people will come yeah, put your spin on it, I think.

Speaker 1:

I think that's for me like I was so scared to, if I do something new, no more that fear of oh, this is new, I don't know what I'm doing, that shit's gone, I'll just do this shit and figure it out later. But I think people look to emulate other people's because it seems easier, because it's a blueprint, and so their brain's like, alright, this is how you do this, they did it, I did it. But I don't think they understand. Like, let's say, like kaisa, not like he's doing shit differently, like he's doing what he wants to do, and that's like don't do what he's doing, but the behavior, what he's doing, that's what you want to emulate.

Speaker 1:

Like, okay, I really want to do puzzles on stream. Yeah, I'm gonna do puzzles on stream, but definitely it's gonna be some kind of weird twist to it, like you can spend channel points and I got to hide half the piece. I don't know, I can't think of anything right now, but trust me, oh, I got to do it in the dark. Whatever, there are things that you just start thinking outside the box and the crazier it is, maybe that shit'll hit. Worst case scenario you try it, it don't hit it flops, you do something else, that's it.

Speaker 2:

That's what this whole game is about trying shit. At the end of the day, the people are gonna rock with who they rock with.

Speaker 1:

You don't want to copy someone else, and then you're gonna have to keep that up yeah for however long your people will find, trust me, faking it like, faking it to the point where you're doing stuff that's not you will cause burnout. You'll start feeling like that imposter syndrome because you're like, oh yeah, this is not me, I'm making this kind and people are here. What happens when I switch content? So start from the beginning with yourself. It's so, so much easier that way.

Speaker 2:

Oh, you'll be able to do so much more Then, when you have your community, your community knows, oh yeah. One quick thing to add is be consistent, yes.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes.

Speaker 2:

Consistent and yourself will definitely set you up for success. It's in the community.

Speaker 1:

In your community. Listen, I definitely am into that woo-woo. If I think of something and I hear it five other times, I'm like, oh no, I need to do this now. I've been thinking about making a video, maybe just a video, or a TikTok on consistency and why. It's like the cheat code to content creation and essentially like boil it down.

Speaker 1:

I won't give all the talking points. I'm gonna have to watch the goddamn YouTube, but I've had a YouTube since like 2008 and I haven't been the consistent that I want to be with it. But, like, I put enough videos up that I can see what consistency does. There's videos from 2010 that still get 100 views. Like end of the month is like, oh, this video got a thousand views. I'm like, fucking what? Why? Oh, because this game just got re-released. Or oh, somebody was looking for this controller. Or oh, whatever, like make the content.

Speaker 1:

My goal this year is to release at least one youtube video a week, which on paper, is light, like anybody can do that, but my brain's like, oh man, you gotta edit it and shoot and pick the pick. All that it's gonna be easy, but that one video at the end of the year it's gonna be 52 videos, 52 chances of somebody to see my content, and then, when they see that one, I have 51 other videos they can jump into and be like, oh, this motherfucker's consistent. And they say so please be consistent this year. Whatever your consistency looks like one day a week, whatever it is make it and then stick to it.

Speaker 2:

I don't remember I'm trying to remember if this was on a previous episode, but I definitely remember you talking about your consistency is, whatever you make it, it could be one day, one month, and I'm like yo, that actually changed things up. Yeah, at least, if you're doing something, every you know, all right, I haven't done it, so and so amount of time, let me just knock it out exactly yeah, definitely, man, this is uh, I, uh, I'm excited for this year.

Speaker 1:

I'm already, I was already excited for this year. But like, just like hearing all my peers mindsets talking to you, talking to the uh like boss and box and jedi, just hearing where everybody is, like I feel like good shit is coming. This year?

Speaker 2:

oh yeah, most definitely. I think this year is definitely going to change some things. I've been talking with people simply like just on my boss and my friends. I feel like a lot of people around my age are just trying to really solidify themselves, and if I can do it, yeah exactly Exactly.

Speaker 1:

That's exciting. Also, I don't know why this just popped in my head, but the mentality that you need to work 9 to 5 and all that fun shit to make a living. I'm glad I'm starting to see that dissolve a little bit, because I, how old am I? 41, shit, yeah, 41. And it took me forever to realize. Like now I'm not gonna say that it's a lie, but I'm saying there's other avenues and when you don't know there's other avenues, you feel like you're stuck in that that corporate grind. And that's where I was for years. And then when I finally was like, oh wait, I can, I can make money doing this or I can make money doing this or I don't have to go to an office 40 hours a week to like shit life changing man. So yeah, y'all keep up Like shit, life changing man. So yeah, y'all keep up that good work. Y'all are making me proud out there, like shaking some of these old thought processes off. That shit is good.

Speaker 2:

It's tough. I definitely learned some of these things from my younger self. It's always learning Right.

Speaker 1:

You're never too old, young to learn. Somebody always can teach you a lesson.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, oh. And then that just reminded me of my last piece of advice is to talk, seamus, talk in people's text. You will never find. I found lots of things from Crip I would have never imagined from his previous days, from people I used to watch and I'm like what?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's just nasty. Just talk, just talk to people. I definitely try to make a point, to jump into people's streams when I can and just like if I'm in there, I'm saying something. Yeah, but yeah, there's a, it's fun out here. Though it is, it is Definitely All right. Well, big dog, we have reached the part of the podcast where I make my guests brag about themselves. So call to action. Where can the people a find your content and, b do you have anything coming up that you want the people to know about?

Speaker 2:

All right Call to action. So first place is going to be even though TikTok may be leaving us is TikTok Big dog F, big underscore dog F. You'll see a dog icon. You'll see a dog icon. You'll see a podcast. I post mainly video games and stuff like that. And then my other Instagram is going to be foley F-O-L-E-Y dot E. I don't really post there as much as I should, but we're working on that. And then the last thing is that I got a game coming up. I'll talk out with the one and only Chris will be. Yeah, I can't wait. Yeah, hopefully it's going to be a good time, for sure, and it's going to be like a family feud style game. I have questions. Gonna have a bonus round? Gonna have I think it's mostly, actually, I think it's all streamers, oh, oh, that's gonna be fun, yeah, so we'll see. That's the people's knowledge. Hopefully we'll be able to make more Hell, yeah. And then art, yes.

Speaker 1:

I can't wait and also I'm excited I'm going to be bothering you randomly throughout the year about this comic. So forget annoying, let me know.

Speaker 2:

Nah, nah. I need as many people to hold me accountable. My wife has been doing that. Yeah, hell, yeah Good, all right, doing that, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Hell, yeah, good, all right, bet. So yes, check out big dog app on those platforms. Links will be in the description of this podcast. If you haven't already subscribed to the podcast, what are you waiting for? Uploaded and unfiltered is on your podcast Catcher of choice. Also, leave me a review. Five stars is preferable, but do what you feel is best, and other than that, I'm gonna let y'all go. Big dog, thank you for doing this episode with me. You have no idea how many things that you just put into my mind as far as things that I want to make, so I appreciate you for that. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2:

I always see the podcast and I'm like I don't know when it's going to be my turn, but when I got the, I got the notice. I'm mama. Y'all ain't never going to believe me. Whatever man yeah.

Speaker 1:

You started this year off great, hey, anything you can do to help man Cause again, like I see the people that I talked to in my content creation life, like I see the things that they could expire to be, and like I feel like it's part of my job as a friend of theirs to push them a little bit. So I will be doing that, especially with this comic book thing, because I've been thinking about, like not I, if somebody could draw it for me and I could just sit there and give them all the ideas, like I would love to do a comic and eventually you know what one day that's gonna happen.

Speaker 1:

But now that you're in that seat, boy, I'm like it was good. It was good what page we have. What was what's concept?

Speaker 2:

I feel like, I feel like I appreciate that, yeah, no problem for problem For sure.

Speaker 1:

Other than that, yo, I appreciate y'all for listening. Thank you again for being a part of this podcast. We are like 77, 78 episodes deep. No weeks missed since we started and that's just not stopping. So other than that, as always, protect your mental, keep creating content, and I'll talk to you on the next one. Peace.