Jordan Schwarzenberger, manager of the successful YouTube group ‘The Sidemen’, shared his experiences in the online creative industry as part of an interview at Leeds Trinity’s Journalism and Media Week.
Jordan, who became the chief creative officer of YMU at just 20 years old, focuses on compartmentalizing content creation; separating the creative talent from the administrative elements of social media. He said: “We operate everything, and they can just go and make videos.”
MA Journalism student Megan Clibbens quizzed Jordan on what he thought it was that separated him from the crowd at such an early age: “Input, Input, Input. I think that’s the key with anything in terms of skillset, it’s not so much about being the most talented, it’s about applying yourself consistently.”
He said: “Never underestimate the impact networking and input can have. You never know what’s going to happen off the back of a meeting, I’ve learned that so many times.”
One later question was directed at the recent controversy facing the well-known Sidemen member “JJ” Olatunji, better known as KSI, asking whether it had also affected the Sidemen business.
The online criticism of KSI gained traction in October due to several factors, these included his partnering with YouTuber Mr. Beast to create “Lunchly” a highly processed snack for children, his fiery tweet exchanges with YouTuber “DanTDM” and the release of his song “The Thick of It”, which quickly became a viral meme.
Jordan described the coalescence of these factors as “the perfect storm” although was quick to argue that taken individually, none of these stories would have been particularly notable. He also pointed out that “the criticism turned into immense publicity” allowing the song to reach No.6 in the UK charts.
Referencing whether it had affected the Sidemen, Jordan stressed the separation of KSI as an individual brand, and KSI as a member of the Sidemen. He said: “The way that the dynamic works between KSI and the Sidemen is that he always comes back to that group and has a role which is totally equal, and he has his own world over there doing all the things that he does incredibly well.”
When asked about the future of successful content Jordan highlighted the growing importance of loosely formatted media such as ‘Chicken Shop Date’ and ‘Hot Ones’. He argued they provide enough room for creative expression while simultaneously expanding a core audience base.
He said: “YouTube are doing more stuff to bring newer accounts to the foreground, and I think that’s a really great thing.”