UNBOXED

Simon Gunning is CEO of the Campaign Against Living Miserably — and a renowned expert on mental health.  We cover everything from suicide as a cultural disaster to the power of community and The Sidemen in getting people to talk. I’ve just launched a weekly newsletter to help round off your week with inspiration. For snippets of insight every Friday, head here: https://www.jordanschwarz.com/one-la...

Nikki Lilly’s story of resilience is one of the most moving I’ve come across. This is a content creator at the top of her game — and with personal reflections to rival someone twice her age.  0:00 - 1:12 Intro  1:12 - 4:18 Nikki’s origin story 4:18 - 9:33  Life with AVM 9:33 - 11:51 Time at school 11:51 - 18:33 Life with a chronic illness 18:33 - 24:05 Family and treatment  24:05 - 28:10 Starting...

Josh and Archie have created some of the most culturally significant YouTube content of the past decade. Always hilarious and often political, the cornerstone of their success flows from one principle: taking big — but calculated — risks. Here’s how they’ve built out an audience that includes politicians, millions of fans, and Stormzy. 0:00 - 1:07 Intro MPB 1:07 - 1:48 1:48 - 5:22 Starting out and...

Callux is one of his generation’s greatest YouTubers. Growing up on a council estate, he has transformed his life through content — and perfectionism. Here’s how he’s done it, and his incredible plans for the future 🚀 0:00 - 0:48 Coming up 0:48 - 2:15 UNBOXED 2.0 & MPB 2:15 - 7:22 Callux’s beginnings 7:22 - 9:03 Expanding his network and AfterParty 9:03 - 11:55 Launching notwoways and first p...

Anastasia Kingsnorth started producing toy review videos at just 11 years old. Ten or so years later, she's an international influencer with millions of followers across all platforms and one theme keeps coming up again and again: consistency… 0:00 - Intro 1:51 - How it all started 4:06 - Growing up in content 8:02 - Turning creating into a business 12:05 - The power of consistency 15:56 - Friends...

Through GUAP, Ibrahim and Jide cultivated a highly creative community that supported the ambitions of individuals and brands, paying six-figures to tap into. Behind-the-scenes, they created a way out of the ends, broke the mould of young black South-Londoners and persistently overcame what got in their way. In this episode, we go behind the wildly successful media platform to tell the story of two...

After racking up nearly 7 million subscribers, touring the world and interviewing the likes of Ed Sheeran and Zac Efron, OG YouTuber Caspar Lee quit.  But when his feed went quiet, his business picked up. In the last four years, Caspar has established himself as a venture capitalist and entrepreneur; founding four game-changing businesses that support creators through talent management, marketing...

Colin and Samir are EXPERTS in the creator industry. Their Youtube channel colinandsamir features unfiltered conversations with the likes of Mr Beast and the mysterious Dream, they host a hit podcast breaking down the latest creator economy news and they founded The Publish Press, a creator focused newsletter. All this to educate and empower other creatives on how to be successful online. In 2011,...

In 2015, at a time of perfected jump-cuts, parodies and polished beauty content on YouTube, Taz Alam dropped 'I Hate Myself' - a three-minute-long spoken poetry video that would reveal her insecurities, views on the digital space and an unprecedented level of authenticity. It resonated with over a million viewers. Now Taz, known online as ClickForTaz, has a following 1.5 million strong, who are de...

Danny McMahon is the filmmaker behind The Adam Sandler Paradox and The Many Faces of Donald Glover - highly creative, heavily researched documentary films created to live on YouTube. Known online as Dodford, Danny's work, and his success symbolises a shift in what it means to be a filmmaker in the creator economy. In his own words, his work guides the generation of bedroom filmmakers. In this epis...

Moyo J Ajibade, known online as @YourBoyMoyo, is TikTok's favourite funny guy. 3 years ago, Moyo dropped a video on TikTok where he hilariously recounted why he wouldn't be caught dead swimming in the open ocean. That 50 second clip reached millions, shot up his follower count and launched his online career. In this episode, Moyo sits down with Jordan to reveal the path to becoming the creator he...

Summer Fox built an audience on TikTok of 500k+ strong with her hilarious storytimes, relatable relationship content, and spontaneous lifestyle. While getting fired would be a life crisis for most people, for Summer, it was an opportunity to seize. In this episode, she recounts leaving her job, meeting her boyfriend, and documenting their travels around the world on TikTok. We get an inside look a...

Viewture CEO, David Page, joins Jordan on this episode of UNBOXED. David is passionate about connecting creators with financial opportunities backed by data. Here, he talks about the opportunities he can spot for creators at the moment, how they connect the traditional finance world to the creator world, and what creators can learn from the previous deals Viewture have made. 1:08 – 3:45 What is Vi...

Maddie Grace Jepson creates comedic content based on everyday relatable moments. She began her journey as many TikTok creators did, during one of the pandemic’s lockdowns. Maddie’s superpower is her theatrical training, during which she developed her abilities to perform and create improv comedy scenes. In this episode, Maddie shares her thoughts on her success and the realities of being a creator...

Leo Mandella aka Gully Guy Leo started his career as a fashion creator at just 13 years old, turning up to Supreme drops every Thursday to take photos in the latest hyped clothing. In this episode, Leo reflects on what rapid success felt like at such a young age and working with some of the biggest fashion brands around the world. He also shares his views on how social platforms operate today, and...

Saffron Barker started uploading to YouTube at 15-years-old and it didn’t take long for her to capture the attention of viewers. Ever since, she has consistently uploaded weekly vlogs that provide an intimate glimpse into her family's life. In this episode, Saffron opens up about a time when it all became too much and the impact it had on her loved ones. She explains how she adapted to find a heal...

Co-founded by friends Kesang Ball & Sam Blenkinsopp, Trippin is an independent community of diverse voices connecting people and cultures from all over the world. The platform, which started out as a Facebook group, offers travel guides, tools, local tips and travel tricks, and provides a deeper cultural understanding of unique destinations. In this episode, Kesang & Sam offer valuable ins...

Lucy Mountain, a fitness and health creator, transitioned from food recommendations to anti-diet culture content. She now identifies as a "recovered diet culture victim" and recently launched Nobs, a beginner-friendly fitness app. As the Founder, Lucy is redefining her role and shaping the company to align with her personal aspirations. Lucy offers insights in longevity in a crowded market, and ho...

Woody & Kleiny are creators who you'd class as OG’s in the YouTube space. They have been creating content for over 10 years and during this decade, they've refined and developed tried and tested strategies that have optimised their content — allowing them to reach over 10.3 billion views in 2022 alone. Jordan unpicks the inner workings of their productions and the blueprints of their high perf...

With over 4 million subscribers, Calfreezy has made a name for himself with entertaining and outrageous content, but in this candid conversation, he reveals why he doesn't view his channel as a success and what his ambitions are for the future. As a co-founder of The Fellas Studio, which has produced hit shows such as Saving Grace, The Club, The Fellas, Not My Bagg, and more, Calfreezy offers an i...

Joining from Salt Lake City is London Lazerson – a creator whose not afraid of setting himself up for an epic challenge. London's content has ranged from extreme sports to comedy and after 10 years in the game, he now has over 9.5m followers on TikTok and created commercials for huge brands such as Tesla.  In this episode, we discover the moment that made London's career, the three pillars he stic...

Joe Sugg found fame after his sister, Zoe Sugg, known as Zoella, convinced him to start uploading videos to YouTube. He quickly built a community by posting content such as Q&A's, pranks and challenges and became a core member of the massive 'Brit Crew' moment in 2014. In this episode, Joe reflects on why collaborating with YouTubers was so important to his success and urges emerging creators...

Jimmy is a former special advisor to the Prime Minister, and worked at No. 10 advising the government on business, entrepreneurship and what the future of our economy could look like. In this episode we delve into Jimmy's journey into the creator industry, transitioning from politics to podcasting. He provides insights into the political landscape of the creator industry, what his role in govermen...

In this special episode of Unboxed, we’re joined by stateside guest, Caleb Simpson from the ‘How Much Rent Do You Pay’ TikTok series. Dialling in from his apartment in New York, Caleb talks about his ‘MTV Cribs meets Humans of New York’ style of content. Earning around 40K a month, Caleb discusses his team, his strategy for promotion, how he perfects his edits and why he believes his content reson...

Henrie is a creator who wears many hats: a presenter for some of the biggest brands including Spotify and KISS, a founder of production company HTK Productions, and a creator that uploads content raging from laugh out loud funny to serious and emotive. Her online portfolio tells a story of exploration and experimentation, and in this episode of UNBOXED, Jordan examines the journey and skills Henri...