I’m looking at Vic Michaelis sideways…Literally.
It’s Friday afternoon, two days after Dropout held its first-ever Emmys FYC event at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, and Michaelis’s Zoom feed has rotated 90 degrees. In traditional Michaelis fashion, they are apologizing for it. “I’m sorry, I look insane,” they say, four clips in their hair, wearing the brown suit familiar to anyone who’s watched an episode of “Very Important People,” the prosthetics-driven talk show they host that’s wrapping its third season on the indie streaming platform. And they’re filming a new fourth season, shooting all the episodes in eight days. They’re currently on day three.
Two nights earlier, Michaelis competed in a live miniature version of the game show, “Game Changer,” alongside longtime cast members Brennan Lee Mulligan and Lou Wilson, with Dropout CEO Sam Reich steering the group through the kind of absurd mini-games that have built the niche platform’s devoted following.
Michaelis has been part of the Dropout fold since the company was still known as CollegeHumor, playing small roles while performing with the Upright Citizens Brigade in L.A., and is now a fixture across the company’s signature platforms, including “Make Some Noise” and “Smartypants.” But the comedian’s mark is increasingly being made outside the sketch comedy space. After a recurring run as Mildred in Season 2 of “Upload,” they landed a series regular role this past year as Cheryl Szymanski in the Peacock spy thriller “Ponies,” opposite Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson.
