Griffin McElroy
Griffin Andrew McElroy entered the world on the 17th of April 1987. He grew up in Huntington, West Virginia. His father Clint worked as a morning radio host for WTCR-FM. This family background placed Griffin within a media environment from his earliest days. He later attended Marshall University to study journalism. The degree provided formal training that would shape his future career path. Griffin eventually moved away from his home state to live in Chicago.
His professional journey began in 2007 at Joystiq. He started there as the weekend editor. During the 2008 United States presidential election he served as MTV's local journalist for West Virginia. Griffin left that company in 2012 to co-found Polygon with his brother Justin and Christopher Grant. He became a senior video producer overseeing large volumes of content. The site produced their Monster Factory series and various let's plays. Both Griffin and Justin announced their departure from Polygon in 2018 to focus on podcasting careers.
The brothers launched My Brother, My Brother and Me in 2010. It functioned as an advice show for the modern era under the Maximum Fun network. Griffin appeared as a guest host on The Joystiq Podcast starting with episode 40 released the 7th of March 2008. Travis and Justin joined him as regular co-hosts. A television adaptation based on the podcast aired on Seeso in 2017. Griffin married Rachel McElroy in 2013 and they have two sons together.
The Adventure Zone began in 2014 as a tabletop role-playing game podcast. Griffin acted as the Dungeon Master for the first campaign Balance covering 69 episodes. He voiced numerous non-player characters throughout the run. The show later moved into other game systems including Monster of the Week. Griffin took on the role of Keeper for the Amnesty campaign. In the third campaign Graduation he played Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt. The fourth campaign Ethersea concluded in July 2022 while Griffin served as Dungeon Master again.
First Second Books published Here There Be Gerblins in 2018. This graphic novel adaptation topped The New York Times best-selling trade fiction list. It became the first graphic novel to achieve that specific ranking. Subsequent books followed including Murder on the Rockport Limited! in 2019. Petals to the Metal arrived in 2020 and The Crystal Kingdom came out in 2021. Artist Carey Pietsch collaborated with the brothers on these projects. Griffin composed much of the original soundtrack for the series itself.
McElroy provided voice acting for several animated series like Clarence and Big City Greens. He also voiced Country Tear and Skyscraper in Trolls World Tour. The film announcement came after a successful podcasting campaign in September 2018. His brothers Travis and Justin joined him in voicing characters for the movie. He was listed as Additional Voices in The Mitchells vs. the Machines released in April 2021. He also provided commentary for the 2017 video game 100ft Robot Golf alongside his siblings.
Forbes named McElroy a 30 Under 30 media luminary in 2017. This honor became a running gag during the introduction of My Brother, My Brother and Me for years. A newly discovered millipede species received the name Nannaria mcelroyorum in 2021. Scientists chose this name to recognize the family's podcasts that entertained them during fieldwork. The creature is found in West Virginia and the wider Appalachian region. Griffin and his brothers also host Til Death Do Us Blart every American Thanksgiving since 2015.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was Griffin McElroy born and where did he grow up?
Griffin Andrew McElroy entered the world on the 17th of April 1987. He grew up in Huntington, West Virginia.
What professional roles did Griffin McElroy hold at Joystiq and Polygon?
His professional journey began in 2007 at Joystiq where he started as the weekend editor. He later co-founded Polygon with his brother Justin and Christopher Grant to become a senior video producer overseeing large volumes of content.
Which campaigns did Griffin McElroy run for The Adventure Zone podcast series?
The Adventure Zone began in 2014 as a tabletop role-playing game podcast. Griffin acted as the Dungeon Master for the first campaign Balance covering 69 episodes and served as Dungeon Master again for the fourth campaign Ethersea which concluded in July 2022.
How many books has Griffin McElroy published with First Second Books and what are their titles?
First Second Books published Here There Be Gerblins in 2018 followed by Murder on the Rockport Limited! in 2019. Petals to the Metal arrived in 2020 and The Crystal Kingdom came out in 2021.
When was Griffin McElroy named a Forbes 30 Under 30 media luminary and what species bears his name?
Forbes named McElroy a 30 Under 30 media luminary in 2017. A newly discovered millipede species received the name Nannaria mcelroyorum in 2021 to recognize the family's podcasts that entertained scientists during fieldwork.