An excerpt from Hutch in OpTic Evolution: Volume 1 from Chapter 65.
CT: Did you ever think OpTic would become what it is today?
Hutch: I was pretty convinced early on that Hector was going to be very successful with the organization. Like Machinima at the time, it had a cool factor that was hard to put into words. It made you want to be a part of that organization. And not every sports organization can do that. Some of them come across as cheesy and inauthentic. I don’t think OpTic is that, so it’s a big strength for them.
SA: Hector’s work ethic, attention to detail, and authenticity- do you think that’s the key to OpTic’s success?
Hutch: I think that’s the glue. That’s the thing that keeps it together. Every creator adds a little pepper to their personality when they’re in front of a cam-era, but Hector is genuinely like that all the time. He’s one of those guys where it’s fun to make them laugh. And when he laughs, you laugh. Those are 30 the best kinds of friends that you can have in your life. I feel like I’m fluffing them up too much!
CT: Cool. What does being Frank mean to you?
Hutch: Authenticity is a big part of what I really strive for. And I think it’s the kind of content that’s going to be the most successful in the long run. If you’re authentic in how you present yourself in front of a camera, the audience connects with that authenticity. So much of the media that’s out there right now is very inauthentic, that’s not really new. But you see more of it because of the Internet. Striving to be your most authentic self and then presenting that matters the most. But you don’t have to be an asshole either. You can say what you mean without saying it in a cruel way. That’s some-thing that, as we get older, we figure out. Hector is still a loose cannon sometimes when we play games. Same with Mike. We’ll scream at each other sometimes. But, yeah. Authenticity is key.
SA: Do you think when OpTic makes content, they focus on being authentic in everything they do?
Hutch: I’m not privy to their stated content goals, but I think it shows. That’s pretty obvious when you watch their stuff. I love the little panels that they do when they get together, because they start laughing with each other and you can tell it’s genuine. And then that makes you want to laugh. If you can tell people don’t really want to do what they are doing, you’re not going to connect with it in the same way.
Read the rest of Hutch’s interview in Chapter 65, available here.