UNBOXED

This week on UNBOXED, YouTuber and Filmmaker Brandon Baum, who creates magic videos by using special effects and clever editing, joins Jordan to talk about why shorts content is so powerful. 

Brandon has built a significant following through short form content and is here to share his insight into how he did so, and what he plans to do with his platform next. From his work with Woody and Kleiny to his recent collab with Pixar, Brandon shares insights into how these experiences shaped him into the creator he is today. 

Topics discussed in this episode
0:00 - 4:00: Brandon’s creator background 
4:05 - 6:31: Trends, Tiktok and learnings from Woody and Kleiny
6:40 - 8:36: Brandon’s formula for going viral 
8:50 - 10:38: Working with Ai to create content
10:58 - 13:09: Production process involved 
13:15 - 17:17: brand partners, reinvesting and monetisation 
17:22 - 20:23: Promoting Shorts with his show This Interview will Self Destruct
20:30 - 23:12: Metaverse: the future of the creator economy?
23:16 - 26:15:: Investing in branded content 
26:39 - 29:26: Production timelines and the downfalls of perfectionism
29:30 - 31:00: Brandon’s top editing tips
31:07 - 35:07: His hopes for the future
35:20 - 36:22: Brandon’s favourite creators: Corridor Digital

Videos Brandon referenced in this video:
Pixar In Real Life: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/38OLPSV6rT4
TOM HOLLAND | This Interview Will Self-Destruct ⚠️: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy0zbMukweU
Brandon’s favourite video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htj53CAkjQM

Brandon’s must see creator:
Corridor Digital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBWVHCYZ_Zs

You can find more UNBOXED content on social @unboxedwithjordan.

A Listen production, with Arcade Media. 

This episode is sponsored by Komi. For more information head to https://bit.ly/3J5jgsW

This week on Unboxed, Jordan sits down with Jono Yates, founder of food pages OnlyScrans and TravelScrans, and meme accounts Made In Poor Taste, Simply Pints, and Stray Offside. 

Jono started his career at LadBible where he picked up a sense for viral content with a light-hearted centre. He developed an instinct for spotting trends early and picking up on moments in the zeitgeist to create content that translates to a large audience and shares how that has influenced his journey. 

Topics discussed in this episode
00:00 - 2:34 - Jono’s day-to-day
2:42 - 6:24 - Felix Baumgartner fake account, Red Bull and LadBible
6:41 - 8:20 Jono’s top tips for being relevant 
8:25 - 11:04 - Jono’s meme network and working with brands
11:28 - 13:20 - OnlyScrans finance journey
13:39 - 16:32 Jono’s views on TikTok and creating branded content
17:11 - 18:50 - Jono’s favourite creators (Thom Bateman) 

Jono’s pages:
Made in Poor Taste: https://www.instagram.com/madeinpoortaste/?hl=en
Stray offside: https://www.instagram.com/strayoffside/?hl=en
Only Scrans: https://www.instagram.com/onlyscrans/?hl=en
Simply Pints: https://www.instagram.com/simplypints/?hl=en
Travel Scrans: https://www.instagram.com/travelscrans/?hl=en

Creators referenced in this episode:
Chef Thom Bateman: https://www.instagram.com/chefthombateman/?hl=en
Bob does Sports: https://www.instagram.com/bobdoessports/?hl=en

You can find more UNBOXED content on social @unboxedwithjordan.

A Listen production, with Arcade Media. 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]

This week, as we approach the World Cup finals, Jordan speaks to Manchester City pro-FIFA player Ryan Pessoa on UNBOXED. From being signed to the club in 2019, to working with some of the biggest brands in the esports space (Red Bull and Hashtag United), Ryan’s had an illustrious pro-FIFA career at the age of just 24. 

However, Ryan reveals how it almost didn’t happen: after thinking he didn't qualify for the pro-tournament and that his official invite was spam, it took a leap of faith to change his world from that moment onwards.

Ryan shares how he’s handled the pressure of being associated with a team who are world renowned for their success. He’s open about how his aim for perfection has held him back in ways and how his building to correct that, and why counting your losses as well as your wins makes you a better creator. 

Topics discussed in this episode
0:00 - 2:47 - How Ryan’s career almost didn’t happen 
3:00 - 5:30 - Ryan’s path to Hashtag United 
5:40 - 6:30 - How brands like Red Bull have accelerated the esports scene
6:41 - 8:15 - Self managing and negotiating contracts.
8:27 - 10:20 - How Ryan signed to Man City
10:25 - 12:20 - Having to back yourself, and pressure as an e-sports competitor
12:36 - 14:13 - Ryan’s advice on how to improve your FIFA game
1415 - 15:20 - Having your hobby become your career
15:32 - 18:55 - The Man City club mindset and self analysis
19:00 - 21:02 - Ryan’s advice to aspiring pro-players
21:10 - 22:16 - Tournaments to sign up for
22:33 - Ryan’s favourite creators

Ryan’s socials:
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ryanpessoa_
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/ryanpessoa
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanpessoa_

Creators Ryan loves:
Tom Stokes: https://www.youtube.com/@TomStokesFIFA
Tekkz: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX8NCCNOTsu_8xonYuLTq2g

Want more expert advice from Jordan? Subscribe to UNBOXED EXTRA for subscriber-exclusive, weekly deep dives which pull out strategic lessons from the main episodes and explain how to implement them… plus ad-free listening too.
New EXTRA episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe today by clicking ‘Try Free’ on Apple Podcasts

Follow us on socials:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unboxedwithjordan
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@unboxedwithjordan

A Listen production, with Arcade Media.Want to hear your brand in this show? Email: [email protected]

This week on Unboxed, Jordan sits down with YouTuber and stand up comedian, Max Fosh - the creator behind videos like “I Spent 24 Hours With A Literal Elephant In The Room” to “I Served RoadKill To Food Critics Without Telling Them”.

With an impressive 1M subscriber growth in the last year, Max details the checklist he implements in each video to give his videos the best success. From the ‘bored button’ he’s factored into his review process to using voiceover and classical music to punctuate his storytelling.

With 282% growth over the last year, Max provides an invaluable and honest account of his growth over the last year with many tips for budding creators.

Topics mentioned in this episode:
0:00 - 4:45 - Max’s big moments as a creator so far
4:53 - 6:50 - His mechanisms that make his videos successful
06:52 - 10:43 - his use of classical music and voiceover in videos
10:50 - 14:30 - Testing content with his committee
14:32 - 19:22 - Mental health as a creator and having a team
19:30 - 23:18 - Max’s stand up career
24:56 - 26:12 - future of Max’s career
26:20 - 28:26 - future of creator economy 
28:30 - 28:56 - Max’s advice for creators
29:00 - Max’s favourite creators (Beau Miles, Seek Discomfort, The S Theory, Good Good, Casey Neistat, Jimmy The Giant)

Max’s content referenced in this episode:
I Spent 24 Hours With A Literal Elephant In The Room
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3pqUcYhzk

I Served RoadKill To Food Critics Without Telling Them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7YhaO87Ans

I Cast Porn Stars In A Movie To See If They Can Act
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIx0wr3yVXM

Creators Max loves: 
Beau Miles: https://www.youtube.com/@BeauMiles
Seek Discomfort: https://www.youtube.com/@SeekDiscomfort
The S Theory: https://www.youtube.com/@YesTheory
Good Good: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGood
Casey Neistat: https://www.youtube.com/@casey
Jimmy The Giant: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTheGiant

Want more expert advice from Jordan? Subscribe to UNBOXED EXTRA for subscriber-exclusive, weekly deep dives which pull out strategic lessons from the main episodes and explain how to implement them… plus ad-free listening too.
New EXTRA episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe today by clicking ‘Try Free’ on Apple Podcasts

Follow us on socials:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unboxedwithjordan
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@unboxedwithjordan

A Listen production, with Arcade Media.Want to hear your brand in this show? Email: [email protected]

Powerful voice in the neurodiversity space and ADHD and Autism advocate, Ellie Middleton, joins Jordan to talk about how one viral LinkedIn post launched her into building her 169k audience on that channel, and her own community platform (un)masked. Ellie is clear that her diagnoses of ADHD and Autism helped unlock this next part of her career as a creator, and gave her “cheat codes” to create bold and successful content. It also helped build her purpose, and a centre-point for her work. 

As an expert in the personal branding space, Ellie reveals strategy on how to elevate your online presence. From micro-moments, connecting with your audience by branding your personality traits, and self-evaluating viral successes - this episode is full of Ellie’s top takeaways to succeed as a creator on LinkedIn and beyond.

Topics discussed in this episode include:
0:50 - 1:40 - Ellie’s advice to her younger self
1:40 - 3:45 - Finding her personal brand with Great Influence with Ash Jones
3.46 - 5:50 - Embracing your differences (her ADHD and Autism diagnosis)
6:09 - 13:20 - Ellie’s viral #IAMPROFESSIONAL LinkedIn post 
13:30 - 14:50 - What is personal branding
15:05 - 16:20 - How being neurodivergent has helped in her career 
16:28 - 19:43 - Tinx and how she’s nailing her personal brand 
20:02 - 21:57 - Her learnings with her platforms including (un)masked.
22:04 - 23:40 - The future of Ellie’s platforms
23:50 - 24:56 - Creators she loves including Ella Willis and Milly Evans

Content referenced in this episode:
Ellie’s viral LinkedIn post:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elliemidds_can-we-pls-talk-for-a-minute-about-the-outdated-activity-6858668363242180608-A2xT/

Rich Mom Walk trend with Tinx:
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/richmomwalk?lang=en

Ella Willis on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@ellaellaw

Milly Evans on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@itsmillyevans 

Ellie’s Socials 
https://www.instagram.com/elliemidds/?hl=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@elliemidds

Want more expert advice from Jordan? Subscribe to UNBOXED EXTRA for subscriber-exclusive, weekly deep dives which pull out strategic lessons from the main episodes and explain how to implement them… plus ad-free listening too.
New EXTRA episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe today by clicking ‘Try Free’ on Apple Podcasts

Follow us on socials:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unboxedwithjordan
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@unboxedwithjordan

A Listen production, with Arcade Media.Want to hear your brand in this show? Email: [email protected]

Hilariously infectious brother-duo Joe and George Baggs join Jordan to talk about how they have amassed over 125m likes on TikTok and 2.9m followers across their channels. The Gogglebox pair reveal why their videos have repeatedly gone viral, from their ‘Cinema ad video’ that had over 10m views in just 24 hours, to their ‘rating the family’ videos that consistently have very high engagement.   

After collaborating most recently with Jack Wills on their #tiktokhouseibiza content trip, Joe and George give advice on when brands work best with creators. They also share their top tips for creating organic content and how they have transitioned from short-form to long-form with their new podcast.

Topics discussed in this episode include:
2:00 - 5:00 - Moving from full time jobs to full time creators
6:28 -  7:55- agents and relationships
7:57 - 12:18 - becoming and defining their personal brand 
12:25 - 14:28 - Not my Bagg podcast 
14:33 - 15:56 - mental well-being as creators
16:00 - 21:26 - experience working with brands
21:26 - 23:00 - advice to brands when working with creators 
23:02 - 25:00 - Jack wills brand experience and briefing process
25:00 - 29:00 - Value from Joe and George and production processes
30:04 - 32:00 - Not My Bagg podcast success 
32:05 - 33:42 -  their future predictions
33:46 - 35:08 - their top advice for creators
35:10 - 36:48 - Creators they love

Videos referenced in this episode:
Rating the family video: https://www.tiktok.com/@joebxggs/video/6827141087073766662?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=6827141087073766662&lang=en
Cinema ad video: https://www.tiktok.com/@joebxggs/video/7100180814842973445?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7100180814842973445
Jack Wills ad video: https://www.tiktok.com/@jackwills/video/7106420894410476805?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7106420894410476805

Want more expert advice from Jordan? Subscribe to UNBOXED EXTRA for subscriber-exclusive, weekly deep dives which pull out strategic lessons from the main episodes and explain how to implement them… plus ad-free listening too.

New EXTRA episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe today by clicking ‘Try Free’ on Apple Podcasts. Or head to unboxedwithjordan.com to get access wherever you listen.

Follow us on socials: 
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unboxedwithjordan
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@unboxedwithjordan

A Listen production, with Arcade Media. 

Want to hear your brand in this show? Email: [email protected]

Sneak-in video favourite and YT star, Zac Alsop, joins Jordan to talk about the art of thumbnails and how getting them right jumped him from 50k to 300k subscribers. Jordan and Zac talk through the dos and don’ts of thumbnail art, and Zac reveals his recent revelation: using AI to shape his ideas process. Plus, we dive into some of Zac’s biggest viral videos to hear how he made them: from his Fashion Week sneak-in with Max Fosh to Pet Friendly Ubers with Dangerous Animals.

With over 7 years experience creating content on YT, Zac has evolved with the platform, even taking the extremely bold move to completely axe his 120k channel and start again from 0! We hear why he made the move, his follow up with The Zac and Jay Show (with Jay Rawsthorne), and what ultimately brought that project to an end too. 

Topics discussed in this episode include:
0:00 - 3:50 - Early ‘sneak-in’ videos 
4:00 - 7:45 - abandoning his 120K channel and teaming up with Jay
7:48 - 9:42 - Fashion Week video with Max Fosh
9:45 - 11:50 - Thumbnail controversy 
11:55 - 12:44 - How the thumbnail converted from 50K subs to 300K.
12:45 - 14:45 - “Strange Traditions” - Bad thumbnail (click here to view) 
15:16 - 19:30 - “Pet Friendly Ubers with Dangerous Animals” Thumbnail (click here to view) 
19:39 - 21:15 -  Why you should invest in your thumbnail
21:20 - 24:20 - using AI in your thumbnail design
24:34 - 29:52 -  the Zac and Jay breakup
30:02 - 31:04 - Future for Zac
31:05 - 32:55 - Creators he loves

Videos mentioned in this episode
How The Zac and Jay Show Started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVd6NvNLvbM
We Faked A Model To The Top Of Fashion Week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16AfXwI2WGQ
Strange Traditions Video Thumbnail:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCILmya7lxM
Testing Pet Friendly Ubers with Dangerous Animals Thumbnail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsPcNp-J8KU

Want more expert advice from Jordan? Subscribe to UNBOXED EXTRA for subscriber-exclusive, weekly deep dives which pull out strategic lessons from the main episodes and explain how to implement them… plus ad-free listening too.

New EXTRA episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe today by clicking ‘Try Free’ on Apple Podcasts. Or head to unboxedwithjordan.com to get access wherever you listen.

Follow us on socials: 
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unboxedwithjordan
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@unboxedwithjordan

A Listen production, with Arcade Media. 

Want to hear your brand in this show? Email: [email protected]

At just 25 he’s already been Creative Strategist at VICE and LADbible, Founder of Gen-Z agency Roundabout, and CCO of global talent agency YMU. Now he manages The Sidemen – the biggest content creators in Europe. 

Meet Jordan Schwarzenberger, host of UNBOXED. In this extended trailer, hear his story and why he’s so passionate about using his new show to bridge the skills gap in the creator economy. 

Want more expert advice from Jordan? Subscribe to UNBOXED EXTRA for ad-free listening along with subscriber-exclusive weekly deep dives on three strategic lessons from the main episodes, and how to implement them. New EXTRA episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe today by clicking ‘Try Free’ on Apple Podcasts. Or head to unboxedwithjordan.com to get access wherever you listen.

The UK’s leading creators, content strategists, and curators sit down with co-founder of Arcade Media and manager of The Sidemen (130M+ followers), to unbox The Creator Economy and reveal blueprints for success. 

This is the show which takes you inside the biggest content and viral moments to understand how they came to be and provide an invaluable roadmap: whether it’s how to retain your audience, or how to break that first major brand deal. UNBOXED is the ultimate resource for anyone looking for success in content creation. 

Expect to hear insights from YouTubers including Zac Alsop, Max Fosh and Poet, to TikTok stars Joe and George and Niall Gray, personal branding expert Ellie Middleton and CEO of global talent agency YMU, Mary Bekhait, and many more. 

Jordan Schwarzenberger’s passionate about levelling-up the next generation of creators, to bridge the skills gap. He is one of the most exciting entrepreneurs at the forefront of The Creator Economy, who at just 25 has already been Creative Strategist at VICE and LADbible, Founder of Gen-Z agency Roundabout, and CCO of YMU. Now he manages The Sidemen – the biggest creators in Europe. 

Want more expert advice from Jordan? Subscribe to UNBOXED EXTRA for ad-free listening along with subscriber-exclusive weekly deep dives on three strategic lessons from the main episodes, and how to implement them. New EXTRA episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe today by clicking ‘Try Free’ on Apple Podcasts. 

Follow us on socials: 
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenberger
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unboxedwithjordan
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@unboxedwithjordan

A Listen production, with Arcade Media. 

Want to hear your brand in this show? Email: [email protected]