Critical Role hires new general manager to elevate Beacon

The gap between Critical Role’s beginnings as a community-led platform created by nerdy voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons and its present as a global multimedia company continues to grow. That has never been so apparent with its latest high-profile hire, which may change how fans interact with Critical Role’s content for the better.

As announced in its newsletter, Critical Role has hired Alyssa Zeisler as General Manager for Beacon, a paid streaming membership platform launched in May 2024 that serves as an ad-free hub for all Critical Role content, including exclusive series. Zeisler was previously vice president of product at Hallmark Media, where her expertise helped relaunch the Hallmark+ streaming and commerce platform.

Zeisler’s goal is to “level up and evolve” Beacon for its next era, overseeing the app’s platform strategy, business performance, and product roadmap, and ensuring it remains a central hub for all things Critical Role. According to Variety, Zeisler’s overall mission is to grow Beacon “as a fan-first membership experience while supporting Critical Role’s long-term vision for sustainable, meaningful expansion across relevant formats, platforms, and markets.”

“Beacon is central to how we think about the future of Critical Role, and it’s time for it to level up and evolve,” said Travis Willingham, CEO and Co-founder of Critical Role, in the news release. “Alyssa brings exactly the kind of leadership this next phase requires. She understands how to build lasting, audience-first platforms at scale, and her experience leading subscription and direct-to-consumer businesses makes her a perfect fit to help Beacon grow while staying true to the unique authenticity that makes Critical Role what it is.”

Speaking to Variety, Zeisler added, “My goal for Beacon is to make it the gold standard for direct-to-consumer platforms. It’s a place where we can experiment with new formats in the TTRPG space while creating a seamless experience for fans. We’re building the blueprint for how a community-led brand transitions into a sustainable, global media company, and I’m excited to be at the helm as we evolve this ecosystem into something truly industry-defining.”

Fan reaction to Zeisler’s hiring seems largely positive, with conversation focused on how she will improve Beacon as a streaming app. Despite launching in mid-2024, Beacon still doesn’t offer a way for Critters to stream on their TV— a feature that has been requested often. Fans have also been clamoring for Beacon’s bugs and flaws (such as its likelihood to crash when used on mobile devices) to be fixed, as well as additional features that would make it more convenient to switch over to Beacon instead of using other platforms like YouTube and Twitch, where Critical Role content is also available.

However, Zeisler’s role speaks to a bigger topic: expanding Beacon’s reach as an “audience-first platform.” The question of what’s coming next for Critical Role remains a hot topic, and one that co-creator Matthew Mercer (who served as Critical Role’s longtime Dungeon Master in its multiple campaigns) has recently addressed in an interview alongside fellow Dungeon Master and Dimension 20 alumnus, Brennan Lee Mulligan. The future doesn’t lie in the same voice actors who built Critical Role’s dominance, but in “passing the torch on” to new faces and sharing that space with other creators. We’ve seen this already with Critical Role’s collaborations with creators like sketch-comedy troupe Viva La Dirty League’s Daggerheart: Azerim, as well as Acquisitions Incorporated‘s first Daggerheart show, unveiled at PAX Unplugged 2025.

Image: Critical Role

With an audience-first platform, Zeisler’s vision of long-term success for Critical Role doesn’t lie in keeping things the same, but in expanding the variety of content and finding the next big thing beyond the original cast to keep audiences coming back for more. Critical Role is only getting bigger, and with that size comes the question of how to keep this global sensation thriving. The answer seemingly lies not only in what content is delivered, but also how, and Beacon will be central to this strategy.

While Zeisler’s plans so far are vague, an “audience-first platform” speaks to Critical Role’s strength as a community and creator-led brand that is willing to share its space with TTRPG creators worldwide. Yet the big question remains whether the transformation from its humble beginnings into a sustainable global media company will preserve the company’s core values of “leave the world better than we found it” and the authenticity that Critical Role is known for.