F Street Productions, a new entertainment company helmed by industry veterans Michael A. Simon and Scott Kushner, has announced its plan to take the popular YouTube music reaction video category to new heights with an exciting new feature: the artists themselves.
Launching April15, Simon and Kushner are adding a groundbreaking twist to the popular format with Rob Squad and The Creators. Building on the traditional first-reaction format, F Street is taking it to the next level by adding a roster of renowned artists-creators who will interact with Rob Squad hosts Jay and Amber Robinson, sharing their own personal reactions and opinions. The original Rob Squad series has already amassed an impressive YouTube following with over 332 million views and more than half a million subscribers.
The eclectic roster of musicians set for Rob Squad and The Creators (RSATC) includes Melissa Etheridge, Robert Fripp & Toyah Willcox, Peter Noone, Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Gos), Lisa Loeb, Taylor Dayne, Earl Young (The Trammps), Stuart Wood (Bay City Rollers), Mick Conroy and Robbie Grey (Modern English), Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s, and Jesse Colin Young (Youngbloods). Set for April 15 launch on YouTube with Etheridge, RSATC will release ten episodes a week, with new segments scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
F Street co-founder Michael Simon, an EMMY Award-winning TV director/producer whose credits include 40 seasons of MTV’s Ridiculousness plus scores of VH1 Storytellers and VH1 Divas, says he came up with the idea during Covid when he went down a YouTube rabbit hole searching the Bob Dylan classic Blowing In The Wind. The algorithm kicked out Rob Squad Reactions reacting to the song and Simon says the feeling he got from watching two young people who had never heard the song listen to it for the first time was both emotional and profound. “I’ve worked with musicians throughout my career, and it dawned on me that artists would also want to see people react to their music for the first time. So, the idea for Rob Squad and the Creators became an opportunity to take this popular reaction format and add a completely new way for artists to collaborate.”
Simon brought in Kushner and together, they reached out to the Rob Squad. They say their aim is “to create a place where all kinds of music from the last five or six decades can be discovered by a whole new group of people and re-discovered by everybody who knew it to begin with.”
Melissa Etheridge commented, “It’s so much fun watching people discover music! I can’t tell you how much fun it’s been to watch it. Of course, I hold my breath and hope they like it!”
F Street co-founder Scott Kushner says, “We knew from the outset that Rob Squad’s Jay and Amber have a uniquely fresh appeal and enough charisma to burn. We envisioned this new concept to enhance and build on their natural talents and to provide a totally new platform where artists could promote their catalogs and new projects while having some fun.”
Rob Squad and the Creators is an outgrowth of The Rob Squad Reactions Show and Channel on YouTube, which, over the past three years, has become a global phenomenon characterized by the hosts’ genuine, heartfelt reactions to a wide range of music from various genres and eras. Rob Squad’s Jay and Amber Robinson are two young former schoolteachers/athletic coaches who met as freshmen at Northeastern Oklahoma State, married, and now have three children. Jay started the reaction channel dedicated to unearthing hidden gems and celebrating timeless classics.
Rob Squad’s Jay Robinson says, “We’ve been fortunate to experience tremendous growth building our audience, but this idea from F Street takes it to the next level. We’re blown away by their backgrounds. These guys have amazing connections in the music business – and they chose to work with us. We’re psyched!”
The F Street Productions founders have each achieved success working with artists and projects in music, television, and film. Scott Kushner and Michael Simon first met as undergraduates at George Washington University and discovered their shared passion for comedy and music (the name F Street comes from the location of the dorm where they met).
Currently shooting his 43rd season of Ridiculousness on MTV, Simon has worked with an impressive collection of artists during his career including David Bowie, Snoop Dogg, Taylor Swift, Aretha Franklin, The Sex Pistols, and Prince, to name a few.
As an independent director, Simon guided numerous specials and series, including Soul Train, 25 live Survivor finales, America’s Best Dance Crew, 22 years of the Emmy-winning A Home For The Holidays, and the memorable Priceline.com commercial series, featuring William Shatner.
Scott Kushner is executive producer of MediaPlace, the NYC-based integrated media, digital experience agency, and creative services company he founded in 1993. As a pioneer of the retail media category, Kushner developed in-store TV networks for brands including Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Harley-Davidson, MetroPCS, and Barnes & Noble.
For the past five years, MediaPlace has produced the annual television special Dear New York for media industry foundation Reisenbach Philanthropies, which airs on all New York City network television affiliates.
He began his professional career at network radio syndicators DIR Broadcasting (King Biscuit Flower Hour), LBS Communications, and ABC Radio Network. During his tenure, he was actively involved in productions with musical artists The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Hall & Oates, and Eric Clapton, among others, and on numerous specials, including Live Aid and The Who’s Farewell Tour.
