A Tale of Two Bergs — Thought for Your Penny

Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Clubhouse twice so far that I’m aware of since joining in early February. Every time he speaks on the app, it makes headlines while packing the original room to capacity and creating an overflow room.

It’s no surprise he’s the talk of the house — Andreessen Horowitz (the VC firm backing Clubhouse since its Series A investment in May 2020) was also an early investor in Facebook, among other highly valued, blue-chip tech stocks.

Rumors echoed through the hallways throughout March that Facebook could even buy Clubhouse. This is despite widespread reports of the company (and everyone else, for that matter) building a Clubhouse clone to destroy the growing platform as it preps for an April Android release.

People pile into the Facebook co-founder’s room hoping to hear something juicy.

But like Bill Gates, Zuck’s conversations are always prepared, planned, and make little use of the actual platform. And like Gates, appearing on an iOS-only platform is the only real headline of note.

I’d say Zuck sucks at Clubhouse, but that would be a crime to one of the platform’s most innovative content creators. Randi Zuckerberg is easily the most underrated follow, and I’m officially coming out as her secret Clubhouse admirer.

Here’s why…

Do I Make You Randi?

Before Clubhouse, I never really gave Randi much thought. I’m a long-time Facebook user, but I wasn’t a fan of diving into Mark’s family. It turns out I missed out on a very interesting person.

Mark never graduated from Harvard, but Randi did. After doing so, she followed her passion by working in marketing and media before being drawn into the family business. She spent a decade fully immersed in Silicon Valley tech culture as the company became arguably more powerful than the government.

She started writing and self-published her first book while at Facebook, called Spark Your Career in Advertising. This earned her a deal with HarperCollins by 2013, after resigning from the company.

Aside from being an author, Randi worked on a variety of projects through her social media firm, Zuckerberg Media. She has experience in voice-over acting, Broadway production, and is deeply knowledgeable about social media.

This is what laid the foundation for the person who would soon become one of my favorite Clubhouse creators.

Bringing Culture to Clubhouse

There’s more than conversations that happen on Clubhouse. Hallways are filled with talented performers from all walks of life. Talented comedians, actors, musicians, and even visual artists are all over the platform.

Unfortunately, many starving artists are finding that Clubhouse fame doesn’t necessarily translate to financial gain. Icons Bomani X and Axel Mansoor both expressed in tweets that they’re having trouble building a business.

Clubhouse stages favor those with both time and money to spare, and you’ll notice it takes resources to keep up a successful show. The Lullaby Club is a group effort, and even the icons used to promote the app are struggling to keep it up much longer without any financial runway.

It’s only because it has a successful VC at the helm that News News News survives its grueling daily pace. This isn’t an environment for the weak, and it can create a lot of toxic vibes in the back channels. But Clubhouse wants shows for its “Creator First” accelerator program.

Shows are what will ultimately gain on-platform search visibility while aimless discussions will be relegated to social rooms. It’s the polished shows that will ultimately avoid shadowbanning as the platform grows. Creators who don’t get in the creator program and can’t finance themselves for the next year or so while monetization kinks are worked out won’t survive.

Thankfully, Randi has the connections and resources to pull off a great show while still bringing nothing but positive energy to the rooms she joins. Like Andrew Lee at News News News, she doesn’t need the money. This means Randi is doing it purely for the love of the culture and platform, and she can consistently deliver quality.

Performative Audio Art

Although she’s a very intelligent and well-spoken woman, I’m more impressed with Randi’s Clubhouse performances. I did, however, sit in on an AMA she held (something her brother would never do) and spent some time getting to know her better by listening to her speak.

Of course, being a valuable source of reliable information is just one way to add value to the community. Randi is much less socially awkward than her brother and enjoys producing entertaining performances.

And unlike Mark, Randi Zuckerberg truly gets Clubhouse. She understands the culture and subcultures. She gets the etiquette and doesn’t need to have her hand held through the process of a PTR, muting, nor using an iRigHD2 for a professional audio setup.

My most recent room with Randi was at Leah Lamarr’s Jewish Passover Seder comedy show. This collaborative effort from a ton of Jewish comedians made for one of the most hilarious shows of the spring. Comedy Clubhouse has legs and involves a lot of industry professionals.

She’s also involved in audio stage productions. Most recently, I sat in on her Freestyle Love Supreme live performance. Randi dug deep into Lin-Manuel Miranda’s archives to pull out the original improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group. And Randi brought a live version of the Broadway musical to Clubhouse.

The off-Broadway productions are among the best entertainment Clubhouse has to offer. You’ll find productions of Dream Girls, The Lion King, and even originals throughout the hallway, and Randi’s productions are the best IMHO.

Continue the Clubhouse Conversation

As always, the best part about Clubhouse is the conversation doesn’t stop on platform — everyone supports audio creators. Every day, more talented producers, writers, directors, and other performers team up to provide a unique live audio experience that can be found all over social audio platforms.

I only highlighted a small sample of the wide range of talent performing on one app. Everyone’s trying to find their voice, and a new generation of creators is rising from the noise to reach audiences who never would’ve given them a chance otherwise.

That’s what happened with me and Randi Zuckerberg. I had no idea how fascinating of a person she was until Clubhouse, instead assuming she was as much like Sheldon Cooper as her brother. Now I’m glad I can find all her work outside the cult that is Clubhouse.

Whether you agree with me or not, feel free to continue the conversation or create your own on any platform.

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Originally published at http://thoughtforyourpenny.com on May 30, 2021.