Inside the Casting on Streaming Comedy’s Most Chaotic Improv Show, ‘Very Important People’

Given Sam Reich’s love of spoofing reality series as extremely intricate “Game Changer” episodes, it was perhaps inevitable that the worlds of the comedy streaming service Dropout and unscripted television would start to merge a little. Even behind the scenes, CEO Reich’s streamer has pulled in a veteran from the world of unscripted TV to help expand the Dropout Universe ever closer to “Avengers: Endgame” scale and beyond. 

Casting director Jazzy Collins came from a reality TV background on “The Traitors” and “The Circle.” Her first job for Dropout was casting “Monét’s Slumber Party,” and she has since cast the streamer’s flagship series, including “Make Some Noise” and “Very Important People.”

An improvised interview show that might be taking place on a public access channel inside Double Hell, “Very Important People” presents an especially interesting casting challenge: It offers neither straightforward improv games nor a straightforwardly scripted character to play.

“It was one of my favorite Dropout shows, and when they asked me to work on it, I was just so stoked. This is so many people I get to play with and finally see in this crazy world that they’ve built, and they’re just constantly adding more lore to it. It just makes it so much more interesting and much more fun to watch,” Collins told IndieWire. 

‘Very Important People’ Dropout/Screenshot

There are whole wikis devoted to the world of “Very Important People” at this point, detailing the improvised characters that guests come up with each episode based on the surprise makeup transformations they receive — including zombies (Kate Berlant and John Early), haunted dolls (Corin Wells), sentient hot dogs (Rekha Shankar), and extremely horny wrestlers (Brennan Lee Mulligan and Isabella Roland).

Fans are also tracking the comedic lore behind host Vic Michaelis‘ (Vic Michaelis) spiraling personal life. As of the start of Season 3, they have adopted one-time guest/baby demon from hell Spencer (Lisa Gilroy) after interviewing them on the show, did not get the NBC job they quit “VIP” for at the end of Season 2, and are going through a divorce.

Part of what has made the show so much fun is the variety of performers bringing different energies to their “Very Important People” interviews. Collins works closely with director Tamar Levine and lead actor Vic Michaelis to balance performers who are also Dropout regulars, exciting new performers coming up in improv comedy, and bigger names who might otherwise never have the opportunity to appear on Dropout.   

‘Very Important People’ Dropout/Screenshot

That last category is often the trickiest for Collins and her team, but not necessarily for the reasons you’d think. “It’s actually a big challenge. It’s a heavy lift. I’ve spoken to some really large names and a lot of them have said they were scared of doing the show because they’re afraid of whether or not they can actually step into a character and produce the content we’re looking for,” Collins said. “Some improv comics that have been doing this forever are afraid of it, or they just don’t want to sit in a makeup chair for too long. That’s another reason why someone might say no. So it’s not for everyone.” 

It’s on Collins and her team to figure out who the show is for, who is going to mesh well with Michaelis’ improv style, and who will just bring instincts that are as surprising and delightful as the transformations the “VIP” team picks out each season. That said, they do have a wishlist. 

“I will continue to pursue Kristen Wiig no matter what, every season,” Collins said. “Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph will always be on the top of my list. I love them both so much. I would also love to work with Jinx Monsoon. I saw her in ‘O Mary!’ and she was absolutely incredible. Those are my top three picks, off the top of my head, who I would love to see on ‘Very Important People.’” 

No matter where Collins is looking for performers, though, casting “Very Important People” is about cultivating talented improvisers and seeing who will find the show as an exciting challenge, instead of an intimidating one.  A perfect example is Danielle Pinnock, who played fairy/dominatrix Ta’Tania Jackson in Episode 6 of Season 2.

‘Very Important People’ Dropout/Screenshot

“Funnily enough, when I was casting ‘The Circle’ years ago, I reached out to [Pinnock] because I saw her do a video of her pretending to be on ‘The Circle,’ and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. So I reached out to her — this was so long ago, I think she’d just gotten a rep — and it didn’t end up working out, but it was a ‘full-circle’ moment that I was able to then cast her for this,” Collins said. “Just knowing that she does characters and she would do really well with it, and I think she did such a fantastic job.” 

Be it TikToks or Los Angele’s Dynasty Typewriter theater, wherever Collins is catching performers, Collins has both a finger on the pulse of what’s current and a very long memory. “You have to be on the pulse and know exactly who would be good for a future season or a project,” Collins said. “It’s just really knowing everything. You have to be an expert in all things that specific niche, and for this specifically improv comedy and character work.” 

Collins’ specific niche has now, excitingly for Dropout and “Very Important People,” been nominated for an Artios award, given out every year by the Casting Society in recognition of great film, TV, and theater casting.

“This is the first time the Artios [awards] has recognized Dropout, for ‘Very Important People’ Season 2, which is really, really exciting,” Collins said. “Having the casting community be so open to our work here has just been a dream come true for me. You know, we’re a small but mighty team, and it makes me excited to see what we can do next.” 

Your move, Kristen Wiig. 

Season 3 of “Very Important People” is now streaming on Dropout.