A custom-built studio in Los Angeles is giving Mitch Jones a new platform to carry out a concept he has been working on throughout his entire career: live entertainment where the audience is not just watching, but actively influencing the experience. Fixed with lighting, LED displays, broadcast-quality infrastructure, and space for live audiences, the studio is a testing ground for large-scale internet productions – and Jones sees it as more than just a place to film shows. “This studio is becoming a place where we can experiment with bigger ideas, collaborate, and elevate the quality of live content across all of social media, while bringing unexpected people together,” he said.
The project is a new form of evolution for Jones, whose career has followed the growth of livestreaming itself. He began broadcasting on Twitch in 2011, initially attracting an audience through World of Warcraft. As online audiences and creator platforms changed, so did his content. Jones eventually expanded into reactions, music, travel, IRL experiences, and more. His experiential personality became particularly significant during the early development of IRL streaming, when Jones looked into ways to take livestreaming outside of conventional gaming broadcasts with his late friend Byron “Reckful” Bernstein. This gave their audiences access to conversations, adventures, and everyday experiences in real time. Years later, that same goal of expanding the boundaries of livestreaming is an important part of Jones’ newest venture.
Jones recently brought his gameshow vision to Twitch with his first major production. Featuring the energy of a classic television competition, the production had a distinctly internet-native feel that let the live audience participate throughout the broadcast.
“Our first high production gameshow, which we just streamed on Twitch, was able to blend the world of film and livestreaming in a unique way,” Jones said.
More specifically, Jones wants viewers to have an active role in what happens on screen. This idea builds on one of the characteristics that has defined his career from the beginning – a direct relationship with his community and fans. To Jones, interaction is part of the entertainment itself. His first production also brought familiar internet personalities together in formats audiences would not normally see them in. Longtime creators including Sodapoppin, Nmpol, and Bean were contestants, an opportunity for established online personalities to reconnect while introducing them to a new kind of production. The goal, however, is more than bringing together people from the streaming world. Jones imagines productions that can connect creators with musicians, entertainers and other public figures, combinations that would be unlikely to happen within traditional media or standard livestreams.
The format itself is also expected to change over time. “We’re developing fresh new twists on classic game shows that combine collaborations, big prizes, and more ways to involve the fans,” Jones said. “Viewers can expect something a little different every time.”
His background in music also has an impact on his current ventures. Over the years, Jones has explored songwriting and released original music and EPs, another discipline in his career that is not confined to one category. And after more than a decade online, Jones is now seeing livestreaming in a new light. Instead of adapting to formats established by platforms, he is developing original formats that take advantage of what the internet can offer. Through combining professional production with real-time audience participation, Jones is proving that creators can build entertainment that feels thought-out without losing livestreaming’s immediacy.
For more information, visit https://www.mitchjones.vip/.