Viva La Dirt League's Honest Story: The Night They Nearly Walked Away

This is a first for the Dom Harvey Podcast- a 4-way! I’m joined by Rowan, Alan and Adam from Viva La Dirt League- one of the biggest New Zealand success stories most Kiwis have never heard of. (Subscribe to their channel here:    / @vivaladirtleague   Full disclosure: a week before this conversation, I didn’t know much about them either. Then I saw the buzz in the office, did a deep dive, and realised these three unassuming Kiwi lads have built something absolutely massive. We’re talking 7.3 million YouTube subscribers, around 5 billion views, a global fanbase, a custom-built studio with a giant green screen, a medieval tavern, a fake tech store, and a full-noise business that began with a few mates making nerdy videos for fun. Rowan, Alan and Adam are the brains behind VLDL. What started in 2011 with parody songs and rough-as-guts sketches has become an international comedy machine for gamers and fantasy fans. We talk about the early days when every video seemed to lose them subscribers. The moment they quit safe jobs to go all-in. Raising more than $4 million on Kickstarter. The pressure of employing people. And the strange reality of being famous to millions online while still walking around New Zealand mostly unnoticed. This is a funny, honest chat about creativity, business, resilience, friendship and building something huge from the bottom of the world. If you love VLDL you’ll naturally love this. You’ll also get a lot from it if you are interested in becoming a content creator. But its just great story for anyone who is interested in New Zealanders doing epic stuff. I loved this one. Hope you do too. *** Massive thanks to my long‑term podcast sponsor, Generate. Like a lot of Kiwis, I spent years saying, “I’ll look at my KiwiSaver account later.” Turns out later comes around faster than you think, and the decisions you make now could be the difference between counting every dollar in retirement or having the freedom to take that trip you've always talked about. I switched my KiwiSaver account to Generate after they came on board, and honestly, I should’ve done it sooner. They’re an award-winning KiwiSaver provider with strong long‑term performance. You can check out their latest returns online, or book a no‑obligation chat with one of their friendly advisers at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom. No pressure, no judgement — they’re just there to help wherever you’re at in your investing journey. The issuer of the scheme is Generate Investment Management Limited. You can view their Product Disclosure Statement and Financial Advice Provider information at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/disclosures. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. And just a reminder — I’m a podcast host, not a financial adviser. This is general information only, and I recommend getting expert advice before making any financial decisions. *** 0:00 Introduction to the podcast 1:50 What they are most proud of 2:30 Introducing the Viva La Dirt League crew 5:15 The early days: Origins in 2011 10:31 Balancing full-time jobs with creativity 13:41 Rowan's cameo in Avatar 18:54 Reflecting on early content and lessons 20:10 Meeting Adam and the evolution of the team 24:21 Growing the team and production scale 38:45 The Kickstarter success story 39:33 Designing the studio, green screen, and tavern 41:10 Creative decision-making and team dynamics 44:00 The VLDL creative process: From writer's room to edit 45:55 The challenges of editing while working day jobs 48:16 Managing feedback and the editor experience 50:01 Expanding the team and business management 56:02 Balancing creative freedom and professional standards 57:01 Challenges with platform algorithms 1:02:19 Celebrity fan encounters and inspiration 1:04:16 The VLDL creative ethos 1:06:14 Structuring the writer's room 1:07:07 The transition to filming blocks 1:08:43 The 'Follow the Poop' philosophy 1:13:09 Looking ahead: Video games and future feature films 1:14:45 Hypotheticals: What happens to the channel? 1:24:28 The reality of running a studio business 1:26:30 Switching off and the struggle of work-life balance 1:31:27 Reflections on luck and growth 1:32:15 The 'Beyonce' of the group 1:33:07 What they are most proud of (Part 2) 1:38:15 The power of independence in modern content creation