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Brennan Lee Mulligan

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Brennan Lee Mulligan
Mulligan in 2021
Born (1988-01-04) January 4, 1988 (age 36)
New York City, U.S.
EducationSUNY Ulster (AA)
School of Visual Arts (BFA)
Occupations
Years active2012–present
Employers
Spouse
Isabella Roland
​
(m. 2023)​
Children1
Parents
AwardsWebby Award (2019)
Websitebrennanleemulligan.com

Brennan Lee Mulligan (born January 4, 1988) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and gamemaster. He often works with Dropout (formerly CollegeHumor) as a writer, performer, and producer, and he is the creator and regular gamemaster for its Dungeons & Dragons-based actual play web series Dimension 20. He also wrote the superhero webcomic Strong Female Protagonist alongside artist Molly Ostertag.

Early life

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Brennan Lee Mulligan was born on January 4, 1988, in New York[1] as the son of Elaine Lee and Joe Mulligan. He is of Irish descent.[1] He was introduced to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons by his mother at age nine,[2] first gamemastering at age ten.[3]

Mulligan was introduced to theatrical gaming while attending the Hudson Valley Beltane Festival at age eleven.[4] He started attending The Wayfinder Experience, a live-action role-playing summer camp,[5] spending much of his teenage years working as a lead story writer, performer, and camp counselor there.[3][6] At age 15, Mulligan and his brother co-founded Bootleg Adventures, organizing one-day live-action role-playing games to introduce children to theatrical gaming.[4] In an interview with the Times-Herald Record, a 16 year-old Mulligan expressed conviction in theatrical gaming's potential to enable "kids [to] come out healthier beings than when they first arrive".[4]

In 2005, at 17 years old, Mulligan graduated from SUNY Ulster with an associate degree,[1] having majored in philosophy and humanities.[3] In 2009, Mulligan graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in screenwriting.[7][8]

Career

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Writing

[edit]
Mulligan with Strong Female Protagonist artist Molly Ostertag

Mulligan and Molly Ostertag co-created the webcomic Strong Female Protagonist, which was named one of io9's Best New and Short Webcomics of 2012.[9] In 2015, Strong Female Protagonist won an Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Award.[10]

In 2017, Mulligan joined CollegeHumor as a writer for Um, Actually: The Web Series.[11] In 2018, CollegeHumor's streaming service Dropout launched Um, Actually as a game show, with Mulligan continuing to write for the show until 2020.[12] Mulligan was also a writer for several scripted shows on Dropout, including the Star Wars parody space saga Troopers,[13] and the mockumentary Gods of Food.[14][15]

In 2023, Mulligan was a writer for Foul Play, an interactive murder mystery series created by Andrew Barth Feldman and Alex Boniello.[16][17]

Performing

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In his twenties, he performed and taught[3] comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB).[6] It was working at the UCB that led Mulligan to working at CollegeHumor,[3] (premiering on December 14, 2017, with Who's the Real Cop?).[18]

Dimension 20 at the Hammersmith Apollo during the 2024 UK and Ireland tour.

Since 2018,[19] Mulligan has been an executive producer, writer, and gamemaster for Dimension 20 on Dropout (which also hosts his video podcast, Adventuring Academy).[2] In his capacity as a professional D&D gamemaster, he has been cited by Bleeding Cool,[20] Comic Book Resources,[21] Wired,[22] and Wizards of the Coast's own Dungeons & Dragons podcast—Dragon Talk.[3] Glen Weldon, in a review of Dimension 20 for NPR, commented that "Mulligan is such a good DM and he's got so many improv skills. He's such a close and responsive listener that no matter what the players throw at him, he can always roll with it, without breaking the game. And that is a very rare skill, so it's terrific stuff".[23] Mulligan was the Dungeon Master for Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, a weekly, four-part actual play web series spin-off of Critical Role that premiered on May 26, 2022.[24][25] In January 2023, it was announced that Mulligan, along with Erika Ishii, Aabria Iyengar, and Lou Wilson, will star in the creator-owned actual play podcast Worlds Beyond Number.[26][27] The show launched on March 1, 2023 and quickly became one of the top 20 Patreon accounts in the world.[28]

Awards

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He has received an "Excellence in Performance Award" from the New York International Fringe Festival,[29] and won a 2019 Webby Award in the "Comedy: Shortform" category for his CollegeHumor skit, Tide CEO: You Gotta Stop Eating Tide Pods.[30]

Personal life

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Mulligan is the godson of comics artist and writer Michael Kaluta.[31] In November 2015, Mulligan was a contestant on the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and won $50,000 after incorrectly answering the $100,000-question.[32]

By 2020, he lived in Los Angeles.[21] On January 21, 2021, Mulligan announced his engagement to his fiancée, Izzy Roland, via Instagram.[33] They married on April 1, 2023.[34][35] On January 23, 2024, Brennan announced the birth of his and Roland's first child, a daughter, on the Patreon for the podcast Worlds Beyond Number.[36]

Politically, Mulligan is a socialist.[37] In August 2023, during the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Mulligan led a Dungeons & Dragons-themed picket day at Universal Studios where the final boss was AMPTiamat.[38][39]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2015 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Himself 2 episodes
2018–2019 Adam Ruins Everything Supporting roles 2 episodes; "Adam Ruins Music", "Adam Ruins Guns"

Web

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 Locke & Key Tyler (voice) Audio drama [40]
2013 Teacher's Lounge Matt [40]
2017–2020 CollegeHumor Originals Various [18][41]
2017 Fallen For You Todd Pilot released on YouTube [42]
2018–present Dimension 20 Dungeon Master, various Also creator, executive producer [43][44][45]
2018 Liverspots and Astronots Lancery (voice), various [15]
2019–present Adventuring Academy Himself [46]
Game Changer Himself Also executive producer
2019–2022 Mission to Zyxx Kor Balevore (voice) 318: "Malice in Chains"
501: "O Others, Who Art Thou?!"
503: "Good Spot Hunting"
505: "Being Jawn Malevolent"
507: "A Little Ditty 'Bout Jakk and Shai'An"
512: "A Noob Hope"
515: "Gary's Home Companion"
520: "The Whole Mufalata"
521: "The Ass End" 		[47]
2019 The Adventure Zone: The Dadlands Game Master [48]
Ultramechatron Team Go! Galatax [49]
2020 Rude Tales of Magic Kreedis (voice) Episode: "Mountaintop" [50]
2021 Hello from the Magic Tavern Kalhaxorus the Grim (voice) Episode: "Death Knight" [51]
L.A. by Night Adrian Clairmont Episode: "Live on the Moon", Episode: "Reign in Hell" [52][53]
Battle for Beyond Nikhil [54][55]
2022–present Make Some Noise Himself Also executive producer
2022 Critical Role (one-shots) Brigidda Episode: "Elden Ring One-Shot: O Ye of Little Faith" [56]
Legends of the Multiverse Dungeon Master [57]
Roll20 Citizen Doctor Abraham Mehermblur 3 episodes; "D&D Strixhaven", "D&D Chaos", "D&D Chaos 3" [58]
Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Dungeon Master 4 episodes [59]
2023–present Worlds Beyond Number (The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One) Dungeon Master Creator-owned podcast [26][27][60]
2023 Candela Obscura (The Circle of Needle & Thread) Sean Finnerty 3 episodes [61][62]
2024 Critical Role (campaign 3) Dungeon Master Episode: "The Nox Engine", Episodes: "Downfall Parts 1–3" [63][64][65]
Very Important People Augbert Episode: "Augbert" [66]
Bigger! With Brennan and Izzy Himself Improv special [67][35]
The Adventure Zone: Abnimals Sgt. Salamander Podcast; Episode: "Bunny Heist!" [68]
99% Invisible Himself Podcast; Episode: "Brennan Lee Mulligan" [69]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Oyama, Zac; Mulligan, Brennan Lee; Beardsley, Ally; Marovitch, Katie (February 5, 2019). "Death Is Undignified" (Podcast). CollegeHumor. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b Mulligan, Brennan Lee (November 20, 2020). "Actor and writer Brennan Lee Mulligan on balancing art and stamina". The Creative Independent (Interview). Interviewed by Lior Phillips. Kickstarter. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020. Actor, writer, and Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan on the benefit of obstacles and limitations, the intersection of art and commercial products, and the power of world building.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Tito, Greg; Mazzanoble, Shelly (January 23, 2020). "Brennan Lee Mulligan". Dragon Talk (Podcast). Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Bootleg Adventures and New Moon". Times Herald-Record. Middletown, NY. August 21, 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Fite, Linda (August 21, 2004). "Find a way with Wayfinder". Times Herald-Record. Middletown, NY. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Mulligan, Brennan Lee (March 31, 2017). "Life Lessons with Brennan Lee Mulligan" (Interview). Interviewed by Judson Easton Packard. The Wayfinder Experience. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Olivera, Kate (April 10, 2023). "This weeks #MadeItMonday goes out to Brennan Mulligan - SUNY Ulster". Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Sierra, Gabrielle. "SVA Hosts Screenwriters Night 5/5 As Part Of Dustys Film & Animation Festival". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Davis, Lauren (December 22, 2012). "The Best New and Short Webcomics of 2012". io9. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Rude, Mey (September 22, 2015). "2015 Autostraddle Comic and Sequential Art Awards: Winners Include Lumberjanes, Strong Female Protagonist, Bitch Planet". Autostraddle. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  11. ^ "The CH Cast's Favorite Sketches of 2017". Dropout. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  12. ^ Rancic, Michael (May 26, 2022). "Critical Role's newest DM changes the game". Polygon. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  13. ^ "A Disturbance in HR - Season 1". Dropout. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "Anthony D'Anthony: The Motherfu*king Cheese Mogul". Dropout. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Brennan Lee Mulligan Resume". Brennan Lee Mulligan. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  16. ^ Hall, Margaret (April 6, 2023). "Michael Urie, Gaten Matarazzo, Rob McClure, More Star in Interactive Murder Mystery Series Foul Play". Playbill. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  17. ^ Williams, Tommy (April 16, 2023). "FOUL PLAY is a New Kind of Interactive Murder Mystery Series". GeekTyrant. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Who's the Real Cop? (YouTube). CollegeHumor. December 14, 2017. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ Spangler, Todd (September 26, 2018). "CollegeHumor Launches Subscription Service for Edgy, Advertiser-Unfriendly Comedy". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  20. ^ Mulligan, Brennan Lee (December 27, 2018). "INTERVIEW: CollegeHumor's Dimension 20: Fantasy High". Bleeding Cool (Interview). Interviewed by Gavin Sheehan. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Sowa, Alexander (November 10, 2020). "Dimension 20: Brennan Lee Mulligan Returns to the Unsleeping City". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020. Dimension 20's Brennan Lee Mulligan tells CBR about the process of returning to The Unsleeping City, an urban fantasy set in magical New York.
  22. ^ Burns, Kam (October 29, 2020). "How to Get Started With Dungeons & Dragons". Wired. ISSN 1078-3148. OCLC 24479723. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020. D&D can look difficult to get into, but with the right tools and a community you can vibe with, it's much easier than it looks.
  23. ^ Weldon, Glen; Rosario, Daisy; Searles, Jourdain; Klimek, Chris; Holmes, Linda (October 8, 2021). "What's making us happy: A guide for your weekend watching, listening and reading". NPR. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Ratcliffe, Amy (May 12, 2022). "Critical Role Announces New Exandria Unlimited Miniseries". Nerdist. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  25. ^ Hall, Charlie (May 13, 2022). "Critical Role and Dimension 20 are crossing the streams for a new actual play series". Polygon. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  26. ^ a b Carter, Justin (January 1, 2023). "TTRPG Alums Form New Tabletop Podcast Venture Worlds Beyond Number". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Hoffer, Christian (January 1, 2023). "Worlds Beyond Number, New All-Star TTRPG Podcast, Announced". ComicBook.com. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  28. ^ Hall, Charlie (February 28, 2023). "Worlds Beyond Number is the next big breakout actual play podcast". Polygon. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  29. ^ "Brennan Lee Mulligan". Upright Citizens Brigade. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  30. ^ "Tide CEO: You Gotta Stop Eating Tide Pods | CH Shorts". Webby Awards. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  31. ^ "Zac's Big Day - Season 1: All About "A Crown Of Candy"". Dropout. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  32. ^ "The Buccaneer Buddies Reunite". Dimension 20's Adventuring Party. Season 2. Episode 2. Dropout. Retrieved June 27, 2021.[verification needed]
  33. ^ Mulligan, Brennan Lee [@brennanleemulligan] (January 21, 2021). "True Story: Immediately following my proposal, the one and only Izzy Roland, never to be outdone, wordlessly bolted from her chair and sprinted down the hall, leaving me on bended knee while she recovered a silver Claddagh ring from its hiding place of several months. A counter-proposal for the ages, and I cannot wait until the day I get to turn this ring around. Love you with all my heart, @iz_ball! 🥰". Retrieved May 26, 2021 – via Instagram.
  34. ^ Stalwart, Patrick (May 18, 2023). "Brennan Lee Mulligan's Wedding With Izzy Roland: Pictures (Photos), Rings & TikTok Update!". Celebs In-Depth.
  35. ^ a b Volk, Pete (July 30, 2024). "Brennan Lee Mulligan and Isabella Roland go big on life, love, and improv as a comedy couple". Polygon. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  36. ^ "Fireside Chat for WWW ep20 "Later Than You Think"". Patreon. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  37. ^ "Talking to Brennan Lee Mulligan About His DnD Show, 'Dimension 20'". 34th Street. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  38. ^ Codega, Linda (September 4, 2023). "Fighting the Forces of Evil at the D&D-Themed Picket Line". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  39. ^ Zachary, Brandon (August 30, 2023). "Critical Role And Dimension 20 Are Teaming Up To Support A Good Cause". CBR. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  40. ^ a b Liptak, Andrew (October 3, 2015). "Locke & Key Is Just As Haunting As An Audio Drama As It Is A Graphic Novel". Gizmodo. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  41. ^ "CollegeHumor". Brennan Lee Mulligan. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  42. ^ Spangler, Todd (January 17, 2017). "New Form's Latest Incubator Wave Includes Pilots From YouTube Creators Alexa Losey, Jonah Green, MaryDoodles". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  43. ^ Bamberger, Cayla (September 26, 2018). "CollegeHumor Launches Brand New Comedy Subscription Service, DROPOUT". Paste. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  44. ^ Williams, Tommy (June 2021). "DIMENSION 20 Brings Aabria Iyengar in to GM MISFITS AND MAGIC Releasing This Month". GeekTyrant. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  45. ^ Hall, Charlie (August 3, 2022). "A new actual play ports Jane Austen into Dungeons & Dragons". Polygon. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  46. ^ Stoddard, Sebastian (February 26, 2022). "7 Dungeons and Dragons Podcasts to Listen to After 'The Legend of Vox Machina'". Collider. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  47. ^ Ford, Alden (July 24, 2019). "318: Malice in Chains [ft. Brennan Lee Mulligan]". Maximum Fun.
  48. ^ "The Adventure Zone: The Dadlands". The Adventure Zone. November 28, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  49. ^ Oller, Jacob (September 20, 2019). "WIRE Buzz: The Grudge unleashes first look; Sweetheart casts away first haunted poster; more". SYFY Official Site. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  50. ^ "Mountaintop (with special guest star Brennan Lee Mulligan)". Rude Tales of Magic. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  51. ^ Schultz, Garrett (February 8, 2021). "Season 3, Ep 77 - Death Knight (w/ Brennan Lee Mulligan)". Hello from the Magic Tavern. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  52. ^ "Live on the Moon". L.A. by Night. Season 5. Episode 4. September 24, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  53. ^ "Reign in Hell". L.A. by Night. Season 5. Episode 8. October 23, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  54. ^ Diaz, Ana (November 5, 2021). "D&D Battle for Beyond is a star-studded new actual play series". Polygon. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  55. ^ Galvis, Michael (November 1, 2021). "Join the Battle for Beyond, a 6-Part Dungeons & Dragons Campaign". D&D Beyond (Press release). Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  56. ^ Hall, Charlie (March 1, 2022). "Critical Role's Matt Mercer will run an Elden Ring one-shot adventure on Twitch". Polygon. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  57. ^ Episode 1 | Spelljammer Confirmed | Legends of the Multiverse | D&D (YouTube). Dungeons & Dragons. April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  58. ^ "Abraham Mehermblur Returns to Roll20!". brennanleemulligan.com. June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  59. ^ "Critical Role Announces New Exandria Unlimited Miniseries". ComicBook.com. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  60. ^ "Worlds Beyond Number". Worlds Beyond Number. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  61. ^ "Critical Role presents Candela Obscura!". Critical Role (Press release). July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  62. ^ Stretch, Andrew (September 12, 2023). "Brennan Lee Mulligan isn't ready to discuss the "feeling he can never shake" from Eldritch Horror". TechRaptor. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  63. ^ "The Nox Engine". Critical Role. Series 3. Episode 98. June 20, 2024. Beacon. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  64. ^ McCauley, Tara (June 18, 2024). "Brennan Lee Mulligan Delivered a Shocking Cliffhanger at Critical Role's Live Show". The Escapist. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  65. ^ Teh, Cheryl (June 21, 2024). "Critical Role's 'Downfall' is a new crossover project for the 'Dungeons & Dragons' history books". Business Insider. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  66. ^ "Augbert". Dropout. May 17, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  67. ^ "Bigger! With Brennan and Izzy". Dropout. July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  68. ^ "The Adventure Zone: Abnimals Ep. 1: Bunny Heist!". Maximum Fun. September 26, 2024.
  69. ^ "The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan". 99% Invisible. November 15, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
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