As many people have said, the decision on what to do next is in your hands.
Fact of the matter is, it's very clear that what you're trying to do is something that you enjoy as well as something that other people can enjoy, too.
After things like Brawl Taunts and the dozens of other things you've done, like the AJ/PW radio plays, you have no reason not to do something like a podcast series if it's something you enjoy.
However, I think the problem lies in the fact that you didn't take one thing into consideration, and that's what I've been talking about in my podcast contribution: things like Brawl Taunts and your radio plays appeal to completely different people as opposed to your podcast segments, but it sounds like you were trying to make these things for the same people.
On the one hand, your radio plays and Brawl Taunts are fast, quirky, satirical takes on popular material that is specifically meant for laughs.
However, Behind the Flash is something completely different. It's a podcast meant for people that want to get to know certain Flash artists better. It very rarely leads into something like Brawl Taunts that is meant for humor.
And I think that's what went wrong. You essentially jumped from one train heading in one direction and onto another leading somewhere completely different, hoping that it will take you to the same location.
There's no doubt that there are people that enjoy Behind The Flash. I know I did. But that's because I'm someone that, occasionally, is willing to try out something different.
However, going from things like Brawl Taunts and your radio plays to something more subtle won't attract the same audience as it did before. That has the exact same chances as, say, Egoraptor making the first MGA, but then going into something a lot more art-driven and story-based.
I mean, maybe I'm just rambling here. Perhaps you weren't trying to appeal to the exact same group of people with Behind The Flash. I don't know that for sure. If I'm wrong, please correct me.
But assuming that I am right, it should be known by now that you would've gotten a ton of flack regardless of what you've done. People like Egoraptor, Tomamoto, and yourself are very well recognized here on this site. The only problem with this factor is that you're bound to have a bunch of cliques that have nothing better to do with their time between days at middle school than to hate on people they don't even know.
And that's the final key factor, if my previous rambling is correct, as to why there appears to be a huge gap between people who liked BTF and those who didn't. Just like Ego and Toma, you're bound to get flack no matter what you do, and that's why you should do what Ross said and develop a hard shell.
It happens everywhere, and that's why I'm telling you to do so as well. Just to use an example perhaps everyone here can understand, this kind of gap can happen even in the videogame world. Do you think that, for example, every single Nintendo fan was happy when the company announced a new IP called Pikmen, a game about a fat space midget that goes around picking little plant people? I bet Sony and Microsoft fanboys had a field day on that one, as well. That could be directly applied to Behind The Flash, right?
...
I know I'm throwing a lot at you, but let me illustrate it like this: there's nothing wrong with doing something different, and that's exactly what Behind The Flash is. However, you should have anticipated that the results for something different would be different as well. It's natural, and should be treated as such.
Remember when the two of us used to talk about stepping away from Gamer Kids and trying to do something a lot more story-based and serious? There was no way in hell that I'd think that doing so would appeal to the same group of people that liked Gamer Kids.
All in all, again, perhaps I'm just rambling, but you should have expected a different result for a project as different as Behind The Flash. There were bound to be people that would like it, but they weren't going to be the same people who enjoyed things like Brawl Taunts.
But whatever it is that you choose to do, I'll support it.
jay-kellom
aww man this really bums me out. you shouldnt listen to the 13 year olds that have no lifes except the ones they make up in their computer chair. (not all 13 year olds are bad mind you.) you have created something great. amazing even. there will always be bad feedback.
and even though theres more "haters" you gotta think about the people who listen and love what you do, they will stick by you no matter what. i think that BTF has a cult following already. and that is way better than being mainstream. i mean think about all the shows that have aired, got canceled and are now the most popular underground sensation.
family guy, invader zim, futurama.. hell even simpsons had it rough in the begining.
and then theres the cult movies... and books. (where the wild things are...ROCK)
even if the audience who listens to your podcats doesnt have a bigger voice than the ones who bash it, its growing.
i stumbled opon BTF a few days ago, and listen to every single one of your podcast that night. i thought it was a fantastic idea.
ive already told a dozen buddies who do flash and watch flash on newgrounds about it. and im sure the people who have listen before me has done the same. so your audience is growing.
and plus... its your thing! ask what you want, interview who you want. for the people who say "you only interview the well known animators..." fuck em. they need to get off their asses, animate and get known, pay there dues! you dont see fucking rolling stones interviewing some damn garage band from bumble fuck nowhere.
god people suck. haha
atleast youre doing something for the community, unlike these fucking shitheads who sit at theyre computer all day in the forums bashing and talking shit about people who could probably kick theyre ass if they ever met them.
most of the people who diss you are the people who dont do anything for newgrounds. dont contribute anything but stupidity.
but the lot of us who do support you, and look foward to your return, will miss BTF. and its the same people who will be there when it comes back.
BTF 4EVER BABY! WOOOOOOOOOO