I genuinely think, bro, I'm gonna be one of the most talented filmmakers of my time Your most popular TikTok video has forty-eight point five million views.
The video came together over the course of about two months, the script. It was four nights of filming and a weekend of editing. I was blown away.
I was like, damn, this guy is like distilling the algorithmic short-form video. Like, this is that form perfected. There's absolutely zero alternative for me. I'm so all in on this.
You really frame yourself as an artist pretty explicitly. I'm committing my life to, like, perfecting this craft, period. What's the worst video you've ever made? That's a really good question, man. Um...
Welcome back to the Creator Spotlight podcast. My name is Francis Serra, and today we're speaking with Grant Beene.
If you've scrolled TikTok or Instagram Reels in the past few years, you have almost certainly seen his work.
These days he only publishes once every couple months, but his videos routinely get dozens of millions of views. Really good, basically a perfection of the short-form algorithmic video.
We're gonna play one, and then as soon as the episode starts, he and I are gonna talk about it and how he made it. Enjoy.
[laughs] What? [suspenseful music] Who are you? I'll be your waiter this evening. What can I get y'all started with?
I'll do the soup. And for you, sir? Uh, I'll have what he's having. I'll be right back with those soups. You okay? We were just in your room. What? How did we get here? Oh, I don't know.
I made a reservation four months ago. Without talking to me. Can you go five seconds without complaining? I could go ten. You happy now? It was the best ten seconds of my li- [gentle music] Just drop it.
And here's that soup. Thanks. Yeah, thanks. Is that DJ Khaled, Ronaldo, Millie Bobby Brown, Druski, and Mr. Beast in a cheer pyramid? Where? You're acting like a child. I am not. Can we get this guy a kids menu?
Are you joking? Do I look like someone who's joking? Dude, sit down and eat your soup. Wait. What? [groans] Jericho, I'm sorry. No, no, no. I'm so cold.
[gentle music] How's that? Oh. [laughs] I thought I lost you for a second. Can't get rid of me that easy.
[upbeat music] Your most popular TikTok video has forty-eight point five million views. It was posted March 2025, and it starts with you putting shaving cream in your friend Jericho's hand while he sleeps.
Then it goes to-- through this sidewalk dining scene, then back to the bedroom.
The whole thing is one minute twenty-nine seconds long, and by my rough count, there were fifty-three cuts, three different settings, four actors, including a small child. You're acting like a child. I am not.
Uh, there's a lot going on. This is kind of your work. There's always a lot going on. I wanna start by walking through the production process for this one, which kind of represents your style these days.
How did-- Like, from concept, writing, filming, posting, how did that video come to be? Yeah, dude. Let me think. So they all initially begin with
me getting an idea that I-- like is just too good, and I know that if it's not gonna be in the next video, it's gonna be in a video eventually. Mm-hmm.
And, um, so, like, sometimes I'll have an idea, and I'll start trying to write around it, and it's just obvious it's not time yet. And so I'll, I'll com- Mm. I'll put it aside, and then I'll start something else.
Um, 'cause you never wanna force it, you know what I mean? Yeah. And, yeah. The-- my worst videos are the ones that I, I force, you know what I mean? And so anyways, I,
I had been sitting on this idea for s- a long time, dude, where it's like I love the, uh, um, t- the YouTube screen recording with the ten seconds. Mm. And I just knew, like, uh, that joke
was so good, dog, and I was-- and I had been sitting on that for a long time.
And I remember whenever I sat down to, like, write my next video, I opened my notes, and I saw that, that YouTube joke idea with the screen recording and, like, the home screen and all that- Yeah... for a transition.
I- Which, wait, let me, let me just say quick for the listener, if you, if you're watching on YouTube, you'll have seen it in the intro here, but if you're not watching, it's when you, you know, the video goes from, like, the normal frame, it's being filmed, to then, you know, you, you scroll down on your phone, you're looking at the home screen, and it's, it's recording the home screen.
You're looking at YouTube. So it's this sort of like meta medium commentary before- Yeah... it then goes back into the shot. In the dialogue, the setup for the joke is like, "Can you go five seconds without complaining?"
And then it's like, "I could go ten." Can you go five seconds without complaining? I could go ten. You happy now? It was the best ten seconds of my li- [gentle music] Yeah, dude.
Um, and so it started with that, and then it was kind of from there, it's like, okay, like, well, okay, two characters need to be in an argument if we're gonna be doing that.
And then I remember, like, it's like, okay, like, I don't know where we're gonna argue and blah, blah, blah. But then I remember the next idea that really, like, catalyzed it.
I was like, ooh, that would be really good is I love that that was a trend going around the beginning with the shaving cream. Mm. Um- Like a trend... and, yeah, yeah.
And I love starting my videos off with something that feels like such just native internet scrolling content. Mm-hmm.
Because if you're scrolling and it's like brain rot, brain rot, brain rot, and then you see, like, a really, like, high-produced sketch, it can kind of be like, eh, like, I just want something a little lower commitment to watch.
And so I really try to start my videos with, like, a Snapchat or something so, like, oh, this is low commitment, dog. You know what I mean? Like, I'm just gonna scroll in, like, five seconds.
So I love starting with a very-- where the brain doesn't get scared away by, like, this is too intentional. Mm. It's like, oh, this feels like some nice internet brain rot.
So I was like, that's, that's, that's candy, bro. And, like, that can even start-Some tension between us, like if I'm doing a prank on him in bed. You know what I mean?
So anyways, um, and then from there, dude, just over, over the course of two months just wrote, wrote, wrote. And, like, the way my process works, dude, is it does take a while.
Um, but it's kinda just because I love to live life, dude. Mm. And as long as I'm patient, the inspiration hits me, dude.
And I can't even take credit, um, for a lot of the process 'cause it's all I do, dude, is I just, I don't get in a hurry.
I try to be as humble as possible as I walk throughout the world, and whatever is obvious to me, what just jumps out to me, it is the most miraculous thing, dude.
But it, it all ends up falling into place into a timeline. It's insane. Mm. And then once the script's put together, uh, we can make the video.
And so yeah, the video came together over the course of about, uh, two months, the script.
The script came together over the course of about two months, and then, um, it was four nights of filming and a weekend of editing, and that was that, dude. Damn.
Uh, so one thing I like, the way you're saying, you know, you, you, you, you let it cook, you let it simmer, you wait till it comes together. It reminds me of something I once read.
I forget who this was, some poet, but it's like a poem about writing poetry, and it's about how, you know, you may be, like, working in the field or, or, like, sitting in your house and, like, the, the poem will be, like, flying by in the sky, and you have to go out and grab it, and like, you, you have to go grab it then or else it might pass you by.
But I-- you really frame yourself as an artist pretty explicitly, which we'll, we'll get a little more into that later. Um, you film... All your videos sort of take place at night. Yeah.
And I've seen people in the comments saying, "Oh, fever dream." And I know in another interview you've said y- you kinda cringe at that. But sometimes they're explicitly dreams. Often the characters are sleeping.
But you film at night I think as a practical reason, right? Because there's, there's no natural light inconsistencies to worry about if you're shooting over four days. Totally, dude. Yeah, the...
It, yeah, it started strictly practical. It was fighting the sun is so annoying.
[laughs] And the way we shoot our videos is just, I don't know if this is the, like, proper term, but like shot for shot where it's literally- Mm... we don't do coverage.
We don't have multiple cameras filming all at once, like one scene.
Every line of dialogue, every beat is us taking our iPhone, hitting record, and then once that's been said, then we gotta cut to the B-roll, and we gotta, like, record that separately.
And so everything is being recorded separately. It's not all at the same time, so it takes so long. And dude, I mean, if we tried to record during the day, it would look like a time lapse, the sun in the background.
You know what I mean? Yeah. 'Cause it's just, it's very time-consuming.
And so it started off practical, but then it was kinda like, that's what's so cool, dog, is like it's so cool when the practical marries with, like, the art.
And it's literally like, oh, but dude, like, we would, I wouldn't wanna do it any other way. Like, it being shot at night, we've kinda created this world a little bit- Mm-hmm...
where every time you're watching one of our stories, it's just this is a world that these two dudes live in where, like, everything takes place at night. You know what I mean?
And then- Li- yeah, the limitation shapes the, the form of the art, yeah. Totally, dude.
And, and then what's been a really interesting conversation is as m- more people have gotten to know our stuff, and we can kinda have more resources and stuff, and, like, more people are willing to be in our videos, initially out of practicality, our videos were pretty stripped back.
It was, like, me and Jericho talking 'cause it's like- Mm... our friends have jobs, and they can't, like, help us film every time. And, like, um, we can't...
We had no money at the beginning, so we can't pay for extras and all this stuff. So the, the world would almost seem a little stripped back as well.
But dude, that even, as we kind of gained the freedom to be able to, with time, actually be able to afford to have, like, extras and all that, we kind of found that, like, we...
The world even feels surreal being stripped back. It's like we're these two dudes who live in this city, and you very rarely even see anybody else.
It's like, oh, is this whole city just our city, and we have, like- Yeah... three friends that live in it?
So anyways, yeah, dude, there's all these little things where, um, as long as you're having fun and taking your time and not getting in a hurry, not striving, dude, you kinda can have the eyes and the clarity to s- just see, "Oh, that's cool," as opposed to like, "Okay, how do we make it as big as possible, and how do I get as many videos out as I can?"
It's just, it's... Something can really naturally unfold, and this has really been the course of, like, three, four years now of just letting it slowly become what it is and incubate, you know?
Well, uh, so to that point, you know, slowly letting it incubate, I looked at your TikTok archive. You've got 130 videos as we record dating back to 2019.
In 2019, you published 36, 57 in 2020, and then a major drop in 2021 to six. Mm. It's 10 in 2022, nine in 2023, six in 2024, and finally six again in 2025. We're recording this in early 2026.
And in 2025, your, your mature style as is has developed, uh, over the six. It's kind of one every two months. The view counts range from 4.1 to 48.5 million across these six.
Going back to the very beginning though, you know, in 2019, it's more you in your garage. There's some friends as well sometimes. But it's like, I mean, it's early TikTok stuff, right?
It's, like, you doing a 12-second skit where you basically, a lot of those very first ones, you make some joke, and then it cuts to, like, you fully in the frame, and you do a weird little dance.
You know, early TikTok stuff. When a criminal steals your car from you but you don't have the Uber app unlocked yet. Dude, you can't just go around stealing people's cars. I can't call an Uber.
I don't have a way to get home. Oh, no way. Hop in the backseat. I'll give you a ride home. Whoa, dude. Thanks for being a bro. No problem. By the way, I'm not a bro. I'm a female. And that's how I met your mother.
The first few, the first four videos are all in the 400,000 range. The fifth hits 600K. The sixth has 1.4 million views. Did those... Are those view counts from then?
Like, did this hit from the start for you, or is this more like later people saw them? Yeah, dude, it did hit from the start. So the way the story goes, dude, is I, I was doing TikTok.
I downloaded TikTok literally just as... I just s- you know the duet feature early on? Mm-hmm. Like, that was so, like, cutting edge. In 2019- Yeah... it was like, no way, dude. You'd like...
If you download this TikTok app, bro, they have this thing where you can just put two videos beside each other, and I just downloaded TikTok, dog, to...
s- to make a duet video, and then save it to my camera roll and post it on my Finsta. And so I just downloaded TikTok- Jokes for your friends. Jokes for my friends, right. Mm-hmm.
And it was just like, I just downloaded TikTok, dude, as a, it was just the app that could make me make the video I wanted to make.
And then over the course of, like, a month, I wasn't creating, but I was just kind of started scrolling on there, and I realized, dude, people were using TikTok like the new Vine, where, like, you could just record yourself talking.
It didn't have to be s- you dancing to a sound. And so I thought that was kinda cool, and I even did Vine for a little while, and I got to, like, 30,000 followers on there or something. But I, uh, so I had, like, a...
I knew I liked to do that. I knew I liked to, like, have these kinda two characters played by the same person, which is me, having a comedic conversation.
And so I realized, dude, I could kinda start this up again on TikTok, dog. And so I remember I tried my hand at TikTok for, like, a month, and it went nowhere. Like, nothing was happening.
And I kinda got discouraged, and I was like, you know, every day I would post something, and then I wouldn't check the app all day. And then at the end of the day, I'd be like, "What did it do?"
And it would be like zero views. And [laughs] I, I was just like, you know, this is kinda like controlling my peace.
I remember at the end of the day, I'd just kinda be, like, bummed out, and I was like, "I don't like that, dude." Yeah. So I was like, "I'm just gonna delete this app. I don't think it's good for me."
And I was like, "I'm just gonna do my thing." I was pursuing, uh, like, I was doing e-com with my dad at the time. Hmm. And so anyways, that was kinda my, my future plan, and I was like, "This is just an extra thing.
I'm gonna let it go." And so I let it go, dude, and I remember the night I deleted it, I drove to Taco Bell, dog, and I was eating, like, four tostadas, bro, with a Baja Blast Freeze. Like, that was my meal at the time.
And, uh, I was watching a PewDiePie video. I was watching PewDiePie a lot at the time. And I remember he said something, dude, and it just, it inspired something in me, and I was like, "Oh, that..."
A whole video came to my head, and I was like, "Oh, it's too good not to make."
So I drove home and redownloaded the app the same day, and I, like, made this video real quick in my garage, and then I remember I hopped in the shower. And dude, I had never had a video go over 100 likes.
And when I got out of the shower, it had like 150 likes. Wow. And I was like, "Whoa."
And then I remember as I went to bed that night, I watched it go to, like, 1,000, and then I, like, woke up the next day, and it was, like, at 5,000.
And then that video ended up hitting, like, 50K or something, uh, likes, and that was kinda the start. And then, dude, from there, that video, I was kinda this persona, this Young Metronome persona.
[laughs] Uh, and I noticed people liked that.
And so over that summer of 2019, I just kept cooking with that persona and coming up with concepts and things I could get that character into that would be entertaining to watch, and that's how I built my initial following.
And it was pretty crazy from the get. Like- Yeah... after that first video took off, everything really hit moving forward that summer. Um, and that's how I got my initial following.
So yeah, you ran this momentum up for a while. There's this website, Social Blade, where you can see social analytics on any given account back a few years.
Uh, I went on there and looked at your TikTok account, and I could see as far back as May 31st, 2020, and by that point, you'd been posting on there for at least a year.
Uh, and you'd published around 50 videos, and you had 1.2 million followers. By August 2020, you hit 1.4 million, and then if Social Blade is right, you were flat for two years. You were at- Hmm...
about 1.4 million followers for two years. That's correct? Yeah. Okay, yeah.
So you finally start to grow again in the summer of 2022, and you suddenly add 500,000 subscribers, bringing you from 1.4 to 1.9 million between the end of May and the end of August 2022.
And I, I think I know why, looking at the videos. I wanna hear what you say about this. So you switch from solo skits with this DJ Young Metronome character, uh, and maybe some other characters. I don't know.
But you switch from solo skits to group skits, and the writing goes from these very straightforward single concepts, you know, maybe there's cuts, but it's not really conceptual cuts, just camera cuts.
Uh, the writing goes from really straightforward to this twisting, turning, more absurd style that you have developed and are known for today. There's one video specifically that marks the shift.
Again, Jericho, he's playing a cop. He pulls you over. Oh, look who's pulling up. Hey, what's good, my G? [laughs] How you been, bro? Hey, turn the car off. What? Turn the car off, sir. Wait, what?
[car locks] Oh, what's good, Officer? You seen this guy around? Dude's wanted for stealing, like, 40 pounds of oats. Wait, what? [whooshing] Wait a minute. [knocks] Do you know why I pulled you over today, sir?
What's going on? Who are you? Uh, a cop, idiot. Yeah, he kinda got here first, so... Yeah, I'm probably gonna arrest this dude. Wait, what? [knocks] You know why I pulled you over today, sir? You're too late, dude.
He beat us to it. Yeah, dude. Back off. Yeah, this guy's probably going to prison. What? Dude. Step out of the vehicle, sir. [door clicks] [suspenseful music] Oh, what do we have here?
[camera clicks] Too bad I can't use this photo as evidence in court. It's too grainy. 'Cause, like, oats are, like, a grain? [laughs] Your views immediately increase.
The six videos preceding that one have an average of 1.6 million, or 1.06 million views, and then the six videos starting with that video have an average of 6.7 million views.
So instantly, you start working with other people, and you, you implement this crazy style that you're known for today, and your view count sextuples over- overnight, right? Tell me what happened there. Yeah.
Like, what about your creative process changed? Yeah, dude. Um, I remember towards the end of 2020, I had actually, middle of 2020, moved to Utah with some- Hmm...
of my friends, and we were trying to do a house thing and, like, figure out if we could be a group, and it- Like, hype house style. Yeah, l- 'cause houses were so big at the time, dude. Yeah.
And we were doing that in Utah. There's a lot of politics and stuff to get into, but we were trying to make it work. It was kinda weird with management, and I was just learning so much at that time about,
as an artist, like, don't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Mm. I kind of thought, "I'm new to the internet thing. I have no authority. I can't say where my career's gonna go.
There's these business people who know what's up with, like, how to make money and how to do stuff on the internet, so I'll just do whatever they say."
But then I kinda realized that when I started doing whatever the suits said, I was, I was, uh, burning out, and I didn't love what I was doing.
For the s- for the summer of 2020, that was the first time I ever put stuff out I wasn't proud of. Mm. Because I was-I was trying to force stuff.
And so I remember kinda going towards the end of 2020, I just came to this point where, you know, I had really built an online career with that Young Metronome persona, and I was kind of associated with some different other internet comedians and stuff, and that was great.
But I just felt so in my being that whatever I was doing at the time wasn't right exactly.
And I'm just so after purity, dude, and I'm so after, like, I genuinely believe that a luxury we all get to enjoy is really being about what we're doing with our lives.
You don't have to just suffer and stumble forward every day. You can go through periods of time where you're figuring it out. But I just stopped everything. I was like, "I'm not gonna strive. I'm not gonna force this."
And so I really came into a time in my life where I was so comfortable with potentially giving up the entire internet, 'cause it just- Mm...
didn't feel right anymore, um, or stopping for a moment and allowing myself to evolve into something else. Those were kinda the two options a little bit.
So, and I just never wanted to white-knuckle it, and I felt that happening. It was really hard to take a step away in, like, 2021, but I was like, "I don't want this to ever have power over me." You know what I mean?
And I so came into it like, "This is just a little extra thing I'm doing." You know, I had the e-com thing with my dad and stuff. And then it very quickly, I, you know, I had a conversation with my dad early 2020.
I'm like, "I'm gonna really try the internet thing, and I'm, like, gonna go all in with it." And he's like, "All right."
So I leave that, and then it starts to be where I feel more dependency on the internet, and it really needs to work out. And it started getting to be this weird controlling thing where I just- Mm...
like, felt like I wasn't making decisions that were pure anymore. I was just going out of strict practicality. So all that to say, going into late 2020, into 2021, it was a total of 16 months before I ended up in LA.
All my friends moved out to LA, and I just said, "I'm not gonna do it. I need to find myself. I wanna be pure, man.
[smacks lips] I don't know what I'm doing right now, and I just want to get rid of this feeling before I start trying to make big moves and move to LA and all that." And so I do.
I just really sat with myself in Texas out... Everyone moved from Utah to LA. I moved from Utah to Texas. And dude, I'm just sitting out there, dude, for 16 months. I found myself. And
it was really cool, too, dude, because in that time I kinda grew up in a way. Mm. And- How old were you? At least, uh, I would've been 22 and 23- Mm-hmm... um, during that time.
And I remember that my, what inspired me and what was sticking out to me in the world changed. Because you can s- you can tell earlier on in my stuff, it's way different. Like, it's way lighter.
A lot of it, it's a lot of Vine inspiration. You know what I mean? Yeah. I was watching a lot of Vine, um, co- It's more immediately internet reactive. You're not really developing and baking these ideas.
It's, it's- Totally... more just, like he- like, he-- "We're gonna do it, post it, move on to the next one." 100%. The tone, yeah, the tone's way different.
And I just remember that as I was in, um, Texas, dude, yeah, just what was sticking out to me and what was inspiring me started to change a little bit.
And I started to, as a result of that, what I was intaking, the inspiration was different. So the desire of what I wanted to output began to change. Mm.
And I remember having a feeling kind of late into being in Texas where I just, I had such a desire to begin to output again, and that output was different 'cause a shift had happened, and I knew, oh, that's what needed to happen.
It was a one or two paths. I either just take a step away from the internet, or I need to evolve into something new on the internet. 'Cause I don't wanna keep doing Young Metronome.
I was so burnt out on the old character. Yeah. And then it kinda became obvious to me, whoa, this feels so right. Finally, life feels right again. 'Cause for a long time I was like, "Dude, what am I doing?"
You know what I mean? Yeah. But life felt right again, and it was, like, undeniable. The next move was I'm gonna move to LA, and I'm going to begin to make a comeback to the internet.
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Whereas the newer ones really are art. I remember when I first saw your videos in the wild, like, uh, a year or two ago, I, I was blown away.
I was like, "Damn, this guy is, like, distilling the algorithmic short-form video, like, as... Like, this is that form perfected," right?
Uh, there was a comment o- on one of your recent videos, just one of you and your friends start baking and selling cakes, to sum it up, that really summed up that feeling for me.
It just says, "I feel like I watched five reels without having to scroll." [chuckles] Yeah. And I thought that's, that's so right.
It's what you were just saying about, like, you start with that sort of brain rot intro that people recognize, draws them in, and then you immediately... It's like I said, that w- earlier video had, like, 53 cuts.
That's almost, like, one every second. I can't do math, but, [chuckles] but it's, like, hit after hit of novelty in this really condensed package, right? I don't scroll away because, like, the video is scrolling for me.
You know what I mean? Mm.
Um, and it, it, it makes sense that, like, you kinda went away for a little while, and [chuckles] it's like you shed this, this skin of the more commodity content and decided, like, "I'm going to, like, push this short-form algorithmic video form to its extreme- Mm...
and really make it an art form."
And what's, uh, what else is really cool, dude, about short-form, this is something I've just r- This is a recent thought, but, like, all the money is on YouTube right now if you wanna make money. Yeah, yeah.
You know what I mean? And short-form, ironically enough, there's not a ton of money in short-form in comparison to where else you can go on the internet, but there's all the attention there.
And so it is really interesting. So many pe- talented people are like, "How do I make money, though?" And so it's like, "I'm gonna put all my attention into YouTube." But it is kinda cool, dude.
The short-form right now is such aEasy place to dominate if you'll put all your creative attention into it, because people kind of think of short-form as an afterthought since it's not really where the money's at.
Like- Mm... let's stream, and then we'll cut up the clips and throw them on short-form and just see what happens. You know what I mean?
But if you're a dude who puts all your time and att- especially for me, dog, it's not like I'm posting, like, I put all my time and attention into one video- Whenever the money... for, yeah, for, like, two months, dog.
And it's a neat thing, dog, in that it's just I'm having so much fun, dude. You know what I mean? Yeah. There is no desired outcome. I love what you, that quote you said, dog, like, about...
Can you say it again, about outcome and what was it? Oh, like, uh, y- y- you're, you're, you are output-focused, not- Yeah... outcome-focused. You're focused on the- Yeah, dog...
craft of the media rather than, like, what you, what the media can bring you. Totally, dude, and, like, 100% agree with that, dude. And through really, like I said in Texas, and even since I've been in LA, like,
I really know, I really have a belief about, like, what I'm on this earth to do and what I'm going, and I wanna... That's to be a writer-director. And so- Yeah... I really, that's the outcome.
But how I get there, I'm not attached to it, dog. You know what I mean? And I'm not gonna strive to get there.
I just, I really feel that's for me, and in this lifetime that's gonna happen, and I'm just doing what's obvious. Like, every step should feel like peace. You know what I mean? Yeah.
It's that idea I keep talking about, but I'm just doing what's obvious, dude, and it's been such a cool... I feel like my journey on the internet, it- it's quite unique, dog. You know what I mean?
Um, and I don't know- Dope... how many people envy it or would want it, but it's definitely me. You know what I mean? Well, yeah, I mean- Like, I put my head on the pillow at night knowing that...
you were saying that it's like, you know, a- anyb- if anybody really focused on short-form, they could, they could find the sort of success which may be true.
But you also, you know, I don't know how long you were spending on Vine, and then- Mm... you were doing your TikToks for, like, about three years until you really hit this form.
So that's, like, I don't know, I'm, I'm assuming five or so years of making video after video after video to really perfect and understand the craft and sort of, like, get frustrated with the norms of the craft- Yeah...
to then have to, like, y- it's the, it's the classic, uh, you have to, you have to know the rules to break the rules, right? You knew them too well- Mm... and only then were you really able to break it.
Uh, uh, the writer-director bit, I wanna get there in a little bit. But first, how... So you've done six sponsored videos from what I can tell, but how do you make your living right now?
Is it primarily through content work broadly? Do you, do you have a, a day job? [laughs] Like, w- how do you make your living? Yeah, dude, there's absolutely zero alternative for me.
[laughs] It's like I'm so all in on this. And, like, I know it's not practical, dude, but for me, it's like, that's just how much I believe in myself.
And, and it's like, bro, one of the wisest things anyone ever told me was, I, this was, this was when I was going through that weird time in 2020. Mm.
And I literally had just moved back home to Texas, and I remember I was at a friend's photo shoot, and I was talking to this dude, and I was just like, "Yeah, dude, I don't know. What's the make of the internet anymore?
I might walk away. I don't know." And I floated this idea to this dude, and I said, "Um, I might, I might just sell out. I might do, like, three sponsored videos just cashing on the internet and, uh, and then be done."
And then he told me, "Dude, like, I really think you have something. I really believe in you, dude. And ultimately, something I live by is honor the craft and the money will come." Mm.
And so, dude, I, and when he said that, dude, that kinda burned off that day any compromise that was in me th- at that point. Like, it was just like, yeah, dude, what the heck? Why would I ever compromise?
Why would I ever sell myself short? You know what I mean?
And, and then especially on the south side of spending 16 months in Texas, dude, coming to LA, dude, I just came out here with this, like, fiery, like, I know who I am, I know what I wanna do, and I'm gonna act like it.
You know what I mean? Yeah. I have one life, and, like, I genuinely think, bro, I'm gonna be one of the most talented filmmakers of my time. And so I'm not go- for me to have these backup plans and stuff,
it's, it's to not believe in myself in a way- Yeah... to me, you know what I mean? And that goes back to everyone's gonna be different.
But for me, dog, it's like I came out, dude, uh, nothing I've done is practical, dog.
I moved out here, I moved to, like, the most expensive, one of the most expensive cities you can move to with, like, savings and no job lined up and to pursue the internet when I hadn't posted in eight months and just trusted that I was moving in peace, so it was gonna be okay, dog.
Mm. And it was okay. And dude, I've never lacked out here. I've always had enough, and I've always had what I needed. I have a fire apartment, dog. You know what I mean?
And it's like I don't, I don't need a bunch of crap. I don't need the cars. Yeah. I don't... It's like I have all I need, dog. And it's been... Like, life's too easy, dog. It's just like I'm moving forward in peace.
I'm not getting an unrealistic idea of, like, I need to have all this property and all this stuff. It's just like I have- Yeah...
all I need, and I'm doing what I love every day when I wake up, and I genuinely believe life's that simple. The rest will come. And so- Yeah. Yeah.
So okay, well, in, in, in practical terms, let's talk about these brand deals that you have done. So I counted six, and I, I think- Right...
the first time, the first time I remember seeing your work was this Totino's sponsored video where you and Jericho are in a train station. Hey, watch where you're going.
Hey, touch me one more time, you're gonna find out who I really am. My name is Grant Bean. I am 25 years old, and I think I have what it takes to be the next big thing. Go ahead. I'm not afraid. Stop. It's a yes for me.
You're going to Hollywood. This has been my dream ever since I was a kid. [slaps] Wake up. [slaps] Dude, wake up. We're late. What time is it? It's time to go. I made you breakfast in bed. Oh, hell no.
Are those the new breakfast bites? You freaking know it. [dramatic music] This guy's an animal before his morning coffee. [laughs] And it, it's, and I watched it, and I'm blown away.
I'm like, "This is so good that this is sponsored. It blends in so well. It doesn't compromise the integrity, the creative integrity here. Like, this is amazing. This is funny," right?
Um, obviously, a huge success for Totino's as well. You got 10.2 million plays on TikTok and 61.3 million on Instagram, which is more views than any of your individual TikToks have gotten also.
Um, you have one more video with Totino's. You have one with Axe that got 36.2 million views on TikTok and 10.4 million on Instagram.One with DoorDash and two with Spin Master Games.
The first one was with Spin Master Games, and it, it was in 2022, and it's sort of a earlier version of your now more mature style that's much more complex. Mm-hmm. Did that one...
Was that them reaching out to you, or were you like, "I need to make some money by, uh, monetizing"? One of those? How did that one come about, that first one? Spin Master? Yeah. Yeah, dude.
I remember I had been in LA for, like, nine or 10 months, and I hadn't gotten a brand deal yet, and bro, those savings were dwindling, dog. [laughs] And, um- They were not saved any longer.
[laughs] Yeah, they weren't saved, bro. And, um, I just... I remember, dude, I still felt in my being, it's like, "But this is where I'm supposed to be, and I know everything's gonna be okay."
And then I remember literally that deal came in, like, right as I was like, "I'm gonna have to find a job, dude." You know what I mean?
And, uh, and yeah, dude, that saved me, and that also gave me, like, the financial stability to get my own apartment out here. I was living in, like, a, a four-bed with 10 guys at the time- Jesus...
doing whatever it took. Like, dude, five guys in my bedroom alone. You were pushing the savings. I was, dog. Five guys in my bedroom alone. [laughs] Five guys in one bedroom alone with no door, dog.
[laughs] I mean, it was, like, whatever it takes. So I kinda... I think I do talk, like, kinda lofty and, like, unpractical, and people are like, "Yeah, but this dude's, like, never had a hard day of his life."
Dude, no, like, it's like whatever it takes, dog. You know what I mean? Like- Yeah... um, but that came in, and they reached out to me.
Um, ironically enough, like, without going too into details, if Utah never happened, that deal wouldn't have happened. Mm-hmm. Which is very interesting.
But some connections from Utah brought that to me, and I was like, "Fire." We made it happen. I did two videos for them. That gave me the financial stability I needed for, like, the next year.
I got my own apartment and stuff, and, um, and then we kept cooking, dude. Yeah. And then, what's, what's the process like for these? Like, because, I mean, I've been- Yeah...
on the brand side, like, looking for- Mm-hmm... a creator to work with. And for me, it was like, I am going to find somebody who I just believe in their work. I'm going to write a one-page brief.
It should be really short, and- Mm-hmm... I will nail in, like, the must-haves or, like, "Here are the lines you can't cross," and otherwise, it's kind of up to you.
Last time I did this, I think we did maybe one round of feedback, and that was something I'd written into the brief. I only wanna do one round of feedback just to make sure we're on the right path.
But, like, I'm picking you because I like your work. Is, is that in your experience? You've, you've been working... These are some big brands, right? Like Axe, Totino's, DoorDash, huge brands.
W- did you have to compromise much? 'Cause it doesn't seem like- Mm... you did in the final product. Yeah, dude, I kind of...
I just recently got a digital guy that's, like, representing me now, but for all those videos I was kinda representing myself.
And when brands reached out, I just had this copy-paste thing I would send them, which is basically like, "If you wanna work with me, you gotta put up with this crap," and I would just- [laughs]...
send them the bullet points. And also, dude, uh, brands reach out often, and I'm so comfortable. Like, if you won't match my rate 'cause you don't see the value of what I provide, it's so chill, dog.
Like, I only need to get, like, two, three brand deals a year for my rate and I'm fine. Um, and so yeah, dude, I... Brands say no to me all day because- Yeah... it's like, "We're, we're not gonna pay you this much
f- for us to not even have any say in what you do." I'm very big about, like, I need my creative freedom, dog. Like- Yeah... you're reaching out to me because you saw this video. Precisely. You know what I mean?
And so that was because that brand gave me the creative liberty, and it's like, I totally wanna, like, promote you, and I want...
And I am gonna bake you in for sure, but, like, I'm doing a thing here and I can't compromise. Because, dude, like, I'm a big fan of, like, I don't even want, wanna 1% compromise. Like- Yeah...
it goes back to that idea of I believe in myself, dog, and, like, if I believe in 100% of myself, I'm gonna 100% not compromise. You know what I mean?
'Cause I believe I, I need to bring all of myself to the table all the time. And that can be annoying to put up with for a brand. Yeah. But that's okay, dog.
Like, there, there's enough brands out there that are like, "No, we believe in you. We want you to 100% do you." And that's how I'm able to secure these brand deals that I can have so much creative liberty with.
You know what I mean? Yeah. Uh, I mean, it's- And it, and it keeps me hungry too, dog. Yeah. Like, if I was just taking every brand that came my way, like, I just... I don't know. I might lose my, like, my scrappy drive.
You know what I mean? Yeah. No, you, you [laughs] you, you seem to have very strong principles in how you approach this work, and I- Mm... I admire that. A lot of people don't.
My, my principles certainly are not as ironclad as yours. Um, I have lived in a two-bedroom apartment with four guys, but, you know, that wasn't as bad as yours. Um- [laughs]...
I wanna talk about the collaborative aspect of your work, right? So Jericho seems to be your most consistent collaborator going back years even. Mm. Your best videos tend to be collaborators.
That one, uh, we talked about at the start, it was you, Jericho, uh, one other person, and then a child. I don't know if that was other people behind the scenes.
Um, that cake one we mentioned, Dax Flame, um, you know, a, a, a classic character of, of the internet. I... Him and a couple other people in there. Tell me about your current group, if, if that term is even right. Hm.
Yeah, dude, um, it's so funny 'cause people kind of bring up, like, your group, dude, and, like, I, I, I'm so curious how people perceive my stuff.
Because obviously on the backend, like, I have a very certain view of what everything is. Yeah. But I do wonder what that translates to just on the front end when you're just watching it slightly differently.
Well, you, you can ask me if you want b- before you explain it. Like, I'm happy to- Tell me, bro. What... How do you perceive my, my, my vibe and my, uh, community- [laughs] Your community... through my videos?
Well, okay, like I said, I... The first one I remember seeing is that train Totino's one, and so I see it- Mm... and I'm like, "Oh, here's these two guys."
And I go to your page, I'm, like, scrolling, like, "Wow, this is awesome. It's these two guys." Right? So for me it's you and Jericho. But I notice that this is all on your page, so I think- Mm...
this guy seems to be the main sort of creative flame here. Like, I'm guessing that he's the writer. There's clearly collaboration though.
They, they collaborate so often that this, the, like, there seem, this seems to be a duo, um, but they're on this guy Grant's account. So this is, that's basically the limit of how I saw it. Right.
Yeah, that makes sense, dude. I, um-And then I see that there's tertiary characters that come in. Yeah. Even now prepping, I was like, "I feel like I remember there being more guys." And I was, and I was scrolling.
I was like, "Oh, no, it's, it's not... There's not as many consistent people." There, there was maybe a year ago who were in a few videos at a time, but the one consistent thread is Jericho. Right.
Yeah, dude, and with... So, so I have my own page, and Jericho has his own page. Mm-hmm. And at, at any given point, we're always writing two scripts, and one's for him and one's for me. Mm.
Um, and so the way a writing session will work is we'll write for me for like an hour and a half and him for an hour and a half, and we'll oscillate. And, and the change is
we, number one, only begin to write together when the person who is going to be directing the video has, like, an idea like, "I wanna do this."
Like, we don't just come together, and it's like, "I've got nothing," and, "I've got nothing either. Let's just..." Nothing ever happens. Yeah. You need something to kinda kick off of. Yeah.
And I think that keeps the seed, like, true to, like... If you look at Jericho's videos and you look at my videos, the tone is a tad different. Mm. Like, even though it's the same format, it...
I don't know how many people can see that, but like I... when I watch them, I can tell a Jericho video from a me video.
But anyways, um, and so- You're, you guys are kinda like the, uh, the short form Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. [laughs] Just- Dude, I, I, I can't get that reference, honestly. [laughs] But, um- That's okay...
but yeah, dude, we, uh, we-- once we have an idea, we bring it to the table, and then we start writing together. Yeah. And what's cool is when it's your v- So when it's my video and we're writing, like, it's...
You're gonna be directing it, so you are the end all be all of every idea. Mm. So, like, if you get in a fight over like, "I think it should go this way." "No, I think it should go this way."
If it's your video, you always win. Now, you can give the other person- But you, but you need to have the fight too, right? You need to have a fight- 100%... and argue about it to make it better. You still do that. 100%.
Yeah. Right. But you have that edge. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. And it is, like, at the end of the day, it's like you want their vision to happen. You know what I mean? Yeah. But you totally...
I mean, a lot of the time, it's like, "Oh, I didn't see that. That's a really good point. Let's do that." Yeah. You know what I mean? Sometimes- Iron sharpens iron kinda thing. Yeah. Yeah, dude.
Sometimes we even continue down the path of going their way, and then you realize, "Oh, dude, wait, if we wanted to do this at the end though, this path's way better." You know what I mean? Mm-hmm.
So yeah, it's just, it's a fun thing. And dude, over time, me and Jericho have just gotten such a... We have a magic, dude, in the writing room. It's so fun, dude. We've learned each other so well.
Yeah, dude, so as far as the group, yeah, me and Jericho write all our stuff together. Um, the- It's not a group. It's a duo more so. So yeah, it is a duo. And it, or... And it's more so
recently really turned into, like, we each have our certain career paths we'd like to take. Mm. Jer's kind of interested in commercial work. He'd love to direct commercials. I'm much more so, like, film.
I'd love to go into movies. But, like, it's just social media is such a big stage. It's the biggest stage right now. You know what I mean?
And you can just throw something up there, and you don't know who's gonna see it, dog. But it's just, it, it breeds opportunity.
And so why would we not, living in the same city, work together to help the other, like, create the most beautiful production you can- Yeah... so you can scream it from the mountaintops, "This is what I can do.
Who's gonna give me a shot?" You know what I mean? And it's been so cool some of the opportunities that have come in from us working together. But,
um, yeah, so we write everything together, dude, and then once the script's written, the other guy, the dude whose video it is, you put the shot list together. You, you get the props. You know, you're...
we're our own producers. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. We, we get everything ready to go and then set up all the meetings, like, if people are gonna come and, uh, help us out.
Like, if we need other characters, we'll cast that, and then it's like you direct your own video. Um, and that's where the different tone can really come in. So that's the vibe, dude. Yeah.
And, and then just with, like, other characters, it's literally just we have, like, three friends out here that are so... They love to be in the videos, and they love our vision.
And it, it's just a pleasure to work with them. And so just whatever part's better for them, what's like, "We want you to do this, we want you to do that," and we just make a world come to life, bro.
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So another one of your saved Instagram stories from late 2025, I'm gonna read the thing in full. "I know I don't post a ton, but I'm always working on something beautiful for y'all.
I've barely scratched the surface of what's possible in short form. Just wait. Three-part episodic reels with cliffhangers, five-minute videos, crazy new vision, genuinely want to just keep getting better."
So I bring this up. You're talking about how you wanna become a, a writer-director on a, on a larger scale in film, television perhaps.
Uh, this is you taking a step from this, like, perfected short-form concept style that you have into a longer format. Tell me about this. Dude, I could talk about this forever. I'm so excited. Um- Spill.
I mean, here we are, bro. Let's go. Yeah. [laughs] Um, yeah, dude, I... Well, right now, dude, I probably next week I'm gonna get this out, but I'm about to put out my f- my first three-minute video- Yeah...
which I'm very excited about. My last video was my longest video to date, which was, I think it was, like, two and a half. And, um, and this one's gonna be three. And I, I have this idea, dude, which is
I mentioned earlier when you're scrolling, y- the mind is in ROT mode. Yeah. And it needs to see things that are native to ROT. And so if you scr- dude, like, this is a great example. You see ROT, ROT.
If you scroll and see something shot on DSLR, bro, that's, like, genuinely beautiful, like a field, you're kinda like, "Eh," and you keep going. You're not in the mood for, like, genuine beauty when you're scrolling.
Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? But I wanna express genuine beauty online.And so what I've realized is I need to trick people into consuming beauty, and I think the way to do that be- is...
A guy put it to me this way, dude. You know how passionate I am, and I'm talking about like- [laughs]... oh, dude, like purity and beauty. And this guy in a- You wear it on your sleeve. Mm-hmm. Yeah, dude.
This guy in a party was like, "Dude..." I was talking to a producer.
He's like, "Dude, it's great that you, like, care about beauty and everything, but, uh, at the end of the day, what entertainment is creating is, like, a bunch of addicts, dopamine addicts- Mm-hmm...
where they want their fix. It doesn't matter how much the human soul needs beauty. It doesn't matter how much chasing dopamine is demoralizing the soul. People don't care, and they just want their fix."
He said it, and he, he said this, and I was like, "Dang, this is a great picture." He said, "It's like having a heroin addict on the side of the road and offering them the needle and this, and a sandwich.
And they're literally- Mm... starving, and they're gonna take the needle all day even though they need the sandwich 'cause they're an addict." And I really thought about that, dude.
I was like, "Dude, that's pr- that's, uh... He's not wrong." You know what I mean?
But what I realized this format has been, and this is why I'm just so glad I've just always followed the peace because if you follow the peace,
you're tapping into a strength outside yourself, and things unfold as they should. And then I realized, dude, this format that I've been incubating over the past few years almost feels like
the solution to that in that it starts off brain rot, where it's like Snapchat. You know what I mean? Uh, it's...
I, I strategically am starting every video rot, and then it goes from Snapchat into kind of a produced iPhone sketch, right? Mm-hmm.
And then with the last video, I even went into Cake Boss, which is shot on a DSLR, right? Could you, uh, repeat that again? Two butter pecan. Rule number one: never let the customer see weakness. It's bad for morale.
If you don't have the customer's confidence, what do you have? But it's almost like by the time the, the narrative's started, you're kind of in it. And also, dude, we keep it quick. You know what I mean? Yeah.
We keep you stimulated, and what we are tr- what I'm trying to get people to do is, through the bits, through, like, h- giving you your dopamine fixes, it's like the, it's like, "Here's the needle.
Oh, but it's a sandwich" by the end. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, I'm trying to trick people into
faul- getting enchanted and literally, like, falling in love with my video- This is what that commenter was saying about, like, "It's like I scrolled five reels at one in this one video."
It's like, the way I was- Right...
thinking about it too is it's like, it's like you're scrolling in the feed and then suddenly, like, you stop, but it starts scrolling, like, I don't know, into the phone or horizontally [laughs] instead of vertically.
Yes. It, it also reminds me, are, are you familiar with Conor O'Malley? Yes. He's- Yeah... incredible. Like, he is the only other person who I've seen do this in a similar way.
I don't know if you know his video Pipe Rock Theory where it like- Mm... starts as, like, these crazy podcast bros, and then it turns- Yeah, dude... into this amazing five-minute short film.
And, and I, [laughs] I, I think about that when I watch your videos. Yeah. Totally, dude. In finishing this bar off, dude, like- Mm-hmm... I'm...
So with what you said about, like, dude, I'm trying to go to five minutes, and I'm trying to do, like, multiple part series. Like, episodic stuff, dude, I, I think that the deeper...
I- it's a skill, and I can't just- Mm-hmm... do this, like, loosely. And dude, it's been crazy how it's expanding the timeline of my videos.
Basically, my belief is that if I can learn to tell five minutes, there's different rules for each minute. So- Mm... one in, minute one and two have to be, like, borderline brain rot. Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick.
[laughs] But even with my last video, dude, as I got into that 2:30 zone, as I got into those last 30 minutes, I really slowed the video down as an experiment to see if I could keep people watching. They're invested now.
They're inve- exactly. And, and you've won. Y- you're, they're giving you their attention, and you wanna steward it well.
Like, you, i- in that first two minutes, dude, like, they're giving it to me, and I'm saying, "See how I can entertain you? See how I know what I'm doing?" And then if I slow it down, it's like, "Okay, I trust him."
You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Like, "Okay, let me, let me give him more of my attention." And I slowed it down. And so my belief, dog, is if I...
And so I'm learning the, uh, with this last video I had to learn the, the rules of three minutes. Like, what can I do at three minutes? You know what I mean?
And I'm realizing, bro, by the time I get to five minutes I want to completely, in minute five, be switched into DSLR where I finally got you there. You know what I mean? And it's genuinely beautiful stuff.
Like, genuinely beaut- like, I wanna begin to hire gaffers, dude. I wanna be the first dude who has a full crew just to make shorts. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Like, a short-form video.
Um, and I wanna make the most beautiful stuff you've ever seen, dog.
Um, but it's gonna take time to get there, and I'm being patient, and I'm just gonna let it continue to incubate, but that really is the next frontier for me is, like, I'm trying to expand the minutes out, you know what I mean?
Yeah. And this next one's three minutes. The next one after that could be four, you know, and then after that five. And I'm just learning the rules.
But as I, you get deeper into the timeline, I gain more luxuries about what I can do in front of your eyes. I love this. This actually can be film, you know what I mean? Mm. Um,
and like I said earlier, this is where all the attention is short form. And so it can just get that beauty in front of a huge audience, dog. And, like, my whole passion for life is...
Dude, I wanna, like, re-enchant the Western spirit, dog. I think we've become so disenchanted out here, dog. And beauty enchants the soul, dog. Mm. It, like, makes hope and wonder and, like, dreaming worthwhile again.
You know what I mean? Um- You wanna, you wanna flip the short-form video, which is this thing that drains the soul, that, you know, the, the slop, brain rot, like, lifestyle.
You wanna try to, like, judo flip that into something beautiful. Exactly, dog. Mm-hmm. And good wins in the end, dog, and I think that's a good pursuit. And so- Mm...
I think I'm playing for the right team, dog, and I'm just gonna keep doing this, dude. [laughs] And I'm just gonna do ev- my, like, commit my entire existence to, like, um, elevating, like, the human soul, dog.
You know what I mean? Yeah. I just, I, I, I think people need it so bad, especially in the West. Just, wait, okay.
As ki- as kind of an aside, you, like, the only other interview I could find of yours is you, Jericho, and another of your friends, uh, t- uh, 2023, Rolling Stone, and the angle is, like, these three Christian TikTokers.
And a- a- it, it kind of blew my mind. The, the only other interview I could find is really just about, like, your faith. And I'm ass- uh, the way, the way you're talking now is why I bring this up. You're talking- Mm...
in this very sort of, like, faith-based way. I'm not personally, uh, a religious person, but I admire... Like, I, I watch soccer, right?
And a lot of the best soccer players that I watch are very religious guys, and, like, they'll score a goal, and they like, you know, point to the heavens, and like- [laughs] I, I'm a, I'm an Arsenal fan.
There's a lot of, like, uh, very Christian players on the team.
And I-I, I see that, like, you know, there's clearly some connection between, like, religious faith and, like, faith in oneself and what, and what a person is doing, and I'm seeing that in the way that you describe what, what you do.
Um, and it, it's... Yeah, I'd read that interview. I wasn't sure if, if it was gonna come up, but, like, I feel like I have to bring it up.
Like, is that an important part of the way you work and the sort of monastic approach you have to your art? Dude, absolutely. It's literally everything, dog. Like, back then, I didn't qui- It's funny, I...
We brought up faith, like, in one question, and I think they saw the angle they could play- This is gonna be great... and they made the whole interview about that. Yeah. And it really pissed me off. Like, I, I...
Yeah, I said, "I hate that, that inter-" It makes us look, like, such out of touch, like, [laughs] dudes- [laughs]... um, that don't know reality and how the world works. And so I've just kinda learned, like, a lot.
I'm still... I, I'll be honest, dude. I'm still even learning how to talk about God to this day because- Mm-hmm... people don't talk about it much. And so kinda if you bring God up, people wanna run with it.
And dude, I did this other podcast that, uh, I don't think anybody's seen. I don't even know if it got posted, but I brought up God in the- I didn't find it. The only one I could find- Okay, yeah...
was the Rolling Stone one. I don't think I've been able to find it, so I don't think it ever made it out. But I brought up God in the first question, and then the whole thing became abo- about God, and I just, um...
It's not that I'm not interested in talking about God. I just think that, um, it is my whole life, and there is such a sophistication to talking about it, and I never wanna- Yeah... be talking about something...
I feel like if I explain one thing, then I gotta explain these other things in regards- Yeah... to the faith and blah, blah, blah, and it's just not an interesting discussion. No.
And so I try to kinda just make it, like... You know, I, I use the verbiage, "You know, it just was obvious to me. I wasn't ready to move to the city."
But, I mean, the true translation when you get to the core is, "Dude, the Lord told me, 'I don't want you moving to LA yet.'" You know what I mean? Yeah. "You're not ready for it."
Um, and so if people wanna dig and be like, "Well, what do you mean by that? Like, how are you led with this wisdom and this discernment?" It's all God, and I can't take the credit, but I'm learning how to talk about it.
You know what I mean? Yeah. But to answer your question, dude, it's everything, dog. Yeah. It's like... It's... I've humbled myself enough to give up any pursuit I had. Uh, because for me, it... Beginning at, like...
When I was in my little era in 2020 in Texas figuring myself out, my whole, like, craziest possible dream was, "I wanna be a comedian." Yeah. And the Lord has turned that into, like,
"You, I want you to be a writer-director, and you do it through comedy right now. But don't misinterpret that, dude. You're, you're called... You just, that's just the format you operate in right now." Yeah.
"But I want you to be a writer-director." And yeah, dude, I think He goes before me, dog, and if that's what He wants me to do, then I'm just gonna keep acting like it. I've fallen so in love with writing and directing.
Comedy still has my heart, but dude, writing and directing is, like, everything, dog. And so this is my being, bro. This is like the fabric of me was knit together to write and direct, and I feel that crap, dog. Yeah.
What- And so I'm gonna keep acting like it. I, and I, I love the discipline, and that's the only reason I wanted to bring it up. 'Cause I was wondering, too, with the Rolling Stone thing.
It's like, did this, did the journalist go into this with this intention, or did this just become the angle?
But the reason I wanted to bring it up is 'cause I, I really admire your discipline and devotion to your work, and, and it, I just... That it's clearly that pattern.
Um- Dude, yeah, and funny enough, I, I'm only thinking about this now. I just think I wouldn't be able to even tap into that level of devotion and care about the whole thing if God wasn't a part of it, I guess.
'Cause I just, I... You know. Mm-hmm. You know. He's everything to me. And so, like, I think that's really where that drive is, is, like, bro, like, to do what you were created to do with the Lord is worship.
It's the highest form- Yeah... of worship. Over, over, like, singing a song in church. It's like, to do what He created you to do with Him, include Him in that crap, dude, He loves that crap. You know what I mean? Yeah.
So that's why in my doing, in my writing and directing, it's, like, so reverent for me, dog. It's like, bro, I'm gonna take this to the moon, and I'm not compromising it.
So much of the history of art is a history of spirituality, you know? Yeah, dog. That's the vibe. Yeah. Inspiration. Um, well, okay, so bringing it back to, to the art and to the craft. The...
As you're starting to make these longer videos, I'm curious if that changes anything about your writing process, where it's like- Mm...
you're talking about how, you know, minute one versus minute two versus minute three and so on. I... I- is it...
Like, you know, when I write, it's, my writing is best when I write whatever shitty first draft today, and then tomorrow I come back, and I revamp it, and the day after. And, you know, there's...
Don't need to do it every, every, every, every day, but if I can do it for, like, four or five days in a row, and these layers, it gets better, and I'm, like, figure...
Like, this is in place of this foundation, so now I can add this. I'm just curious how going from, like, you know, one-minute, 30-second videos to four-minute videos- Mm...
how that has changed, warped, or adapted your creative process. Yeah, dude. I'm gonna, I'm gonna stumble through this question 'cause I have thoughts- That's okay...
and I don't know how they're gonna connect, but I'm figuring it out still, is the short answer. [laughs] But one thing is, like, me and Jericho, we s- we did write a pilot episode for a, for a show, and that was kinda...
We were just figuring stuff out, seeing what felt right, and we did that. And dude, like, com- converting our format to 20 minutes is... I mean, you see how long it takes us to write a minute, dog.
[laughs] Like, it took us a year to write this thing, you know, to have this show. And, um, it's... What I'm learning is, bro, this format, man, it is incredibly time-consuming writing. Mm.
Because it can't just be random to be random. It needs to really be, like, organized chaos, and then also it's gotta be sharp. You know? Like, we, we never wanna do, like, low-hanging fruit jo- jokes.
At least, you know, in our opinion, we don't think we do low-hanging fruit. And so there's just... I'm realizing that, like, the rules are going to change, um, to get longer. Um, a- and that's what I kinda said earlier.
Each minute the rules are gonna change a little bit and tweak a little bit. Um, this three-minute video I'm making right now, I literally feel like as I'm making it, I'm learning new things and learning new rules.
Um, and the literal rules for the entire format are changing. This is something I was talking to Jericho about the other day. Um, when I made my video Golf, you know that video- Mm... with the time loop?
[glass shattering] [car honking] [upbeat music] Where'd it go? Just wait.Dude, no way. Bro, you're such an athlete. You... Ah. I'm starving. Check the fridge. The mini fridge. Oh, yeah. What we got? Uh, we got lettuce.
Uh, let's just do takeout. Dude, I'm so down. [bell dings] [jazz music] No way. Dude, pizza rolls. [vacuum cleaner running] I need more. We need more.
[bag rustling] Why you holding the bag like that? I just wanna make sure you guys can see the logo. All right, dude. Can't get enough pizza rolls? No. I was doing an ad read with my own light.
130 cal pack of Totino's pizza rolls. All right, let's eat. Jericho. [gentle music] [glass shatters] [alarm blaring] Where'd it go?
Just wait. I finished editing that video, and I remember feeling like this is such a set apart video from anything I've made before, as far as you laugh, but it's also... it's a very low joke count video. Mm.
And it almost can make you feel a little bit more than a laugh. You know what I mean? It's like, "Whoa" at the end. And I remember thinking, "Whoa, I, like, tapped into something here."
And then shortly after that video was when I really felt the Lord reveal to me, "Dude, I want you to be a writer-director," and I was like, "That makes a little bit of sense." But anyways, um, I, I...
Golf Forward has been what I call V2- Mm-hmm... which is V2 of the videos. Before that, everything I made was V1.
Um, and dude, this next video genuinely, I was just talking to Jericho about this, feels like the first V3, where the rules are changing again, and it's going to be a different tone than anything I've ever made.
It's gonna be bigger than anything I've ever made. It's, it's more expansive universe. And for example, here's a great example of rules changing.
So with V2 and V1, I had this specific emphasis on the props we use and, and the way we produce these videos have got to look like you could do this with your friends at a sleepover. Mm.
I don't want this big overproduced looking video because I feel like it almost kills the relatability, uh, of the video. I want people to watch this and kind of be like, "Dude, we could make this at a sleepover."
You know what I mean? Yeah. I feel like it makes it more fun, and we just film it in our apartment. We're not at this big set or anything. Yeah, I mean- But dude-... this again goes back... Sorry to interrupt.
This again goes back to, like, your, your creative style being rooted in starting with Vine and, like, the, the, the modes of Vine- Mm. Yes...
and then going to early TikTok, which is so just, like, kids messing about, dance videos, duets, et cetera.
Like, like, e-even though your storytelling and editing and production has gotten so much more advanced, you're still rooted in this very, like, like, relatable, like, anybody on TikTok style- Mm...
that's just been taken to the extreme. Yes. Totally, dude. And, and now to go into V2, as I've been... This video's taken me a while to write, dog, and it's because- To go into V3. Sorry, going into V3. Thank you.
This video's taken me a, a while to write, dude, because the rules were changing as I was writing, and I was just doing my best to be aware of what was changing. Mm.
I was trying to write a V2 video when I made this script, and dude, there's this, this thing I've been saying, dude. When I... It's getting to the point, dude, when I make a video, it feels like I'm not making it up,
uh, as I write it. It literally feels like I'm discovering something that's always existed. Yes.
And I, I, as I was writing this video, I was trying to discover this video that al-already exists, and I was trying to discover it with the tools I use to discover a V2 video. You know what I mean?
But it was like they weren't the adequate tools to find it, literally, and I just was like, for a month, like, "Dog, why can't I figure out these sections of this video?" Like, my traditional f- like, uh,
way of working isn't making it happen. And then I had to just stop, dog, and, like, really sit with myself, and then I got it, dog. And I, I won't go into the, the moment it happened- Yeah... but it was just like, "Ah."
And then I was like, "Oh, it's V3, dog. Oh, this is exciting." [laughs] You know what I mean? And so then it fell together. Um, I hon- I don't even remember the question. What were we saying? No, no, it's okay.
Well, the, the... This actually, this reminds me of something recently. So one of my favorite authors, this Norwegian guy, Karl Ove Knausgård, um, he's super famous. He's been doing it for, like, 20-plus years now.
Uh, the fourth book in the series he's working on just came out a few weeks ago, and I went to, um, like, a book release event interview here in New York.
And h-he was talking about the creative process in a way that's reminding me of what you're talking about, and he talks about when he was, like, in his 20s and he was trying to write a novel and trying to write a novel, and he couldn't figure it out, and then he read, like, this amazing novel, uh, by Proust, and then the next summer he, like, could finally write a novel, and, like, only later did he clock, like, "Oh, it's because I read that and I digested it."
But more close to what you're saying and what I thought about is the book that I was going to the event for the release of, right?
He's talking about how, like, he starts with this character and he's, you know, he's just kind of writing the character and discovering what happens, and this pivotal moment happens when the character is biking through London and he stops to have a cigarette because Knausgård's like, "Well, I- that's what I would do if I was biking.
I would stop here and I would have a cigarette." Mm. And then because he stops there, the most pivotal event in the book happens, and he's talking- Mm... about how, like, "I discovered that happening. Like, that...
I discovered that because I, I thought I would stop for a cigarette there, so the character did, and then this happened, and then that unlocked the rest of the book." Mm.
And that is, like, exactly what I'm hearing from you of, like, you are, like, you are entering a stage in your creative career and your creative process where, like, that kind of thing is happening for you, and that's how you are enter- Like, that's how you're discovering how to make these longer narratives.
Yes, exactly, dude. Like, it's, it's all there. I just have to humble myself enough to see it, you know? Yes. Yeah. And, um, and yeah, dude, I remember I was talking about...
So with V3, dog, like, just finishing this bar, um, the way the rules have changed is, like, I have an ice cream truck in this video, and I would have never...
The way I would've done an ice cream truck in the past would have been, in V2, would have been let's get a U-Haul-... truck and let's, like, print ice cream- Yeah...
pictures off of it and make the menu, and it'll look very, like, oh, we could just have done this- So lo-fi... edit. Right. But now I'm realizing the tone is changing.
And the tone, I want you to fall into these worlds I'm creating for, like, the minutes that they, that you're watching my videos, and it needs to be immersive and it needs... I- you can't...
N- if for the tone to match the production and the props, I can't bring the tone up here and then the props are still down here. Like, oh- Mm-hmm... just like, it, it would take you out of the moment.
Everything has to be in agreement. The music's getting so much more fire and cinematic too, dude, but everything's elevating. And so we had to get a legit ice cream truck for this video. You know what I mean? Um- Yeah...
and that's sin if you're in V2, dawg. It's like you don't, you don't do that, dawg. It, it's too try hard. It won't... But it works with the tone that's becoming elevated, so it's fire. Mm-hmm.
But to answer your question, dude, how do I do this? I don't know, dude. [laughs] If I did, it wouldn't be, it wouldn't require humility. So I'm just gonna- Yeah...
keep submitting and, and making the best stuff I can b- one video at a time. And, you know, give me 20 years, I'll make the best movie you've ever seen. What's the worst video you've ever made? Good question, dawg.
[laughs] Um- The least true to yourself. Hmm. I would, I would probably say, um, this video called Red-Handed. Um, and it's not up anymore. Oh. Uh, but it's, uh- Which do you...
Have you often deleted videos? Um, I think over the past, like, four years, I've maybe taken down three. The, like, there, there's just... I don't really do it anymore because- 'Cause you don't-...
I learned the hard way. Yeah But- You make good videos. You don't make them anymore. [laughs] Um, but, like, I, I just used to sometimes rush it, dawg, and I've just learned don't rush it.
I mean, I keep talking about that and bringing that up. I've learned that the hard way. 'Cause it, it sucks to put as much time as I do in these videos and then them not be everything they could be.
I mean, you're already gonna put a month into it, dude. Might as well put in two more weeks and make it good as opposed to crap, you know?
And one thing, dude, I've really learned, man, is it does not matter how sharp your script is and how good it is or how much you love the ideas, if the execution upon shooting isn't so thought about- Mm-hmm...
with a shot list, w- at least with the format I cook in, you don't do the idea justice.
And I literally, like, feel a relationship now build up between me and the bits I write, where, like, over time I'm writing this script and I'm so into this bit.
I literally told you earlier how, like, I literally just have to know, okay, it doesn't fit in this video. It'll be in a future video. Let me write it in this note.
But, like, there are these bits where I have a relationship with them, and for me to, like, be a good friend to these bits, I want to put them on display in front of the world in the best way possible where people get it, you know what I mean?
Yeah. And, and so yeah, dude, it's, uh, it's all about taking your time. So Red-Handed was so rushed. Um, great bits in there, but just was forcing it, dawg. Mm. And then also, dude, oh my gosh, one...
like, literally the hardest shoot ever. We filmed it in a movie theater bathroom, and literally, like, before we even get shot one off, we get... we...
dude, we sneak all this candy into this theater, all our props we literally snuck under our hoodies. And we're in the theater, bro, and we have this can of WD-40 which was for a bit we were doing in the video.
This guy walks in who works there, and he's like, "You can't have that in here." [laughs] And we're like, "Oh, okay." Uh, and he's like, "You gotta get out of here. That's a fire hazard."
And we were like- You were, you were caught red-handed. [laughs] Literally caught red-handed, dawg. [laughs] It's, like, too poetic, bro.
And, and so then we literally, bro, got kicked out of that theater, and then we had to walk with all our props to the n- like, the, this mall. Mm-hmm. Which was, like, maybe a quarter mile away. We walk to the mall.
We f- we begin to film in that bathroom. Anytime someone came in the bathroom to use it, we had to stop filming. So we filmed in there for, like, eight hours. [laughs] And, um, I mean, dude, we're fried.
Like I said, the script already was rushed and sucks, and we're filming it. I'm like, "What are we even doing, dawg?" And then we, uh, had some other shots we had to film in an actual theater.
So then we had to walk to a different theater to film, 'cause we got kicked out of the other one, so we can't film in there. [laughs] We had to walk to a different theater, film in there.
Those shots we filmed that day, on shoot day, didn't even, weren't even usable. They sucked so bad.
And then, and then I remember we came back to the mall bathroom, dawg, to film some shots, and the mall cop kicked us out.
[laughs] And so then we had to sneak back in the, the m- mall bathroom, like, when he was on, like, far away doing his rounds around the mall, and we filmed as quick as we could, and then we got out of there.
And dude, I'm stitching it all together in, on my Premiere timeline. I was like, "Oh my gosh, this is the worst video I've ever made." And I should've just had the discipline to just not post it, but I did. Mm.
And it was silly, dawg, but I love it. Well, so one thing about this is I can't recall you having many, you know, stolen locations, I think is the term for that in, in filming. Mm. I can't recall you having many.
Like, I can think of... It's usually, you know, your, you and your friends' apartments or just on the sidewalk. I can think of one where you're in a McDonald's drive-through. It's, like, this time machine video. Mm-hmm.
But I... Is that part of it? Like, I can't think of any others, maybe I haven't watched them all, where you're stealing locations like that. Is that part of what?
Like, um, like, is that part of why that one was a failure is because you were, you, you were having to shoot in these locations that had so much, like, risk involved where- Right...
you're in public basically, and so, like, there's so many people that could come in and out, and, like, just, you, you can't get in your flow and you're being disrupted, and, like, there's literally, like, people who can tell you to, to get the hell out of there, right?
Like, is that part of it? Right. Um, oh, for sure, dawg. I mean, we... It's so funny though. Sometimes there's just favor over the shoot and nothing happens, dawg. It's fire. Yeah. Like, we filmed in the subway.
We filmed at a gas station one time. Oh, yeah, that's that, the Totino's video, yeah. Yeah. Like, in, in the... We, we had to shoot five separate days in that subway, um, 'cause we did kick, get kicked out twice.
But, um, you just gotta flow with it, dawg, and whatever it takes to... And dude, I also, like, my fav- I haven't said this yet. My favorite genre is sci-fi. Like, my magnum- Mm...
opus work, dawg, is gonna be, like, s- a sci-fi trilogy, bro. And I just loved that subway, bro. It had such a sci-fi look to it, like, with these huge pillars. It almost looks like Gattaca or something, bro.
Yeah, one of my favorite movies. And I was like, "We have to get the shots in there, bro." Mm-hmm. Um, so anyways, but, um, yeah, dude, it's... We really try to film in the apartment.
Um, it's just so much easier, and we're not getting licenses or anything, dude. Um, so it's, it is a very run-and-gun situation. But yeah, that was just one of the worst... times ever, dog.
Like, kicked out of two different places, bro, but yeah. Yeah. On the, on the sci-fi topic, I, I have been wanting to ask, like, what are some, right now, some of your, like, creative inspirations?
What recently in the past few months has been really inspiring for you? Yeah, dude. I mean, Dune II is my number one favorite movie of all time. It- That's amazing... and that was...
I saw it five times in theaters, bro, and the second time I saw it, when I walked out of the theater, that was the night I decided, like, "I'm gonna commit my life to being a writer-director." Like- Yeah...
the, what that was able... I, I have such a heart for making people feel alive and making people, the, making the human soul feel beauty.
And then I got to see what Denis and his ability to direct did to me and my soul, and how excited I was about life, and j- I just felt charged, dog.
And like, I was like, "I'm committing my life to, like, perfecting this craft," period. Um- I love that. But, uh, so yeah, dude, Dune II, so fire. I realized recently how good Dune I is.
I always thought, "Oh, it's like the afterthought," but it's like Dune I is really good too. On the sci-fi front, bro, love Prometheus, Alien: Prometheus, dude. Mm. Yes. Um, that was...
I remember after I watched that movie, that was the first time I ever floated the idea... I, I talked to my dad after we watched the movie. I said, "Dude, it'd be so, so cool to be a, a, a director one day."
[laughs] And I just remember thinking that's... I was like 17 when I said that. Yeah. And it was, like, just so daunting and I was like, "No way I could do it," but like, that's just... I don't know. It's fun.
Wouldn't that be sick? [laughs] Yeah, it'd be sick. Um, other than that, bro, um, dude, I don't know why my brain's kinda blanking right now. No, I mean, that's okay.
I'm not- I, I, I, like, my impression, I, I ask this not really thinking you would give much of an answer. My impression is that you, like, are more... Like, you're not necessarily...
That's not really where you put your energy. Mm. You don't necessarily- Right... need to do that.
You have enough kind of within you already that i- that you can react to and build on, that you don't need to go out and like, "Ah, I'm feeling dry. Let me go watch 10 movies," you know? Right. Right, dude. I...
What's interesting is until, like, middle of 2025, uh, me and Jericho, something we shared in common is we both don't... We've watched, like, no movies. You know what I mean? [laughs] And, like, we've seen some- Yeah...
and there's some that mean something to us, but, like, for the most part, we had our movies that kinda meant something to us, but we didn't...
And I think that's what gave us such an original approach to how we pursued our style. Mm-hmm. And then what was really... We didn't get bogged down in technical shit.
Like, people are calling you guys Lynchian, and you're like, "Who's that?" Yeah, "Who?" Or what? [laughs] Yeah. Yeah.
Um, but I did feel recently that, or in tw- in the middle of 2025, I have started to watch a ton of movies. Yeah. Because I kinda feel like something...
A danger of film school is sometimes you can get out and you're so technical, you can't just genuinely express who you are.
And it kinda feels like I, I found somewhat what my fingerprints are with my projects and how I'm gonna express myself, and now I really wanna ground it in maturity- Yes... and, like, really- Yes... study the craft.
Um- Yeah... dude, oh my gosh, I just watched Fight Club, dog. [laughs] And that is so good, dog. For the first time. [laughs] It's insane. I, I watched it when I was, like, 15, and I don't remember it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [laughs] Huge movie also for me, dude, Speed Racer. Mm. So good, dog. That, I watched that in theaters when I was eight, and that movie- Yeah... has really stuck with me. Really cool movie.
The Matrix, top movie for me. Um, so ahead of its time, bro. Like, really predicted some vibes. Okay, I asked you what your worst video was.
So in that Instagram story, that saved Instagram story that I mentioned earlier, you wrote, "Good art resembles its creator." Which of your videos most resembles you? That's a really good question, man. I think,
I think I've gotten a little bit better since then, but, like, if it's just about what represents me, I would say, uh, Living the Dream. Mm. The video in the subway. Yeah.
Um, I think so much of my, uh, artistic inspiration, um, I'm not able to express in all of my work. Like, just with how much I love sci-fi.
Um, I do have the trippy sound design which I love with, like, synth and stuff, and like, all of that I just love, and it's very sci-fi rooted.
Um, but I think I was able to sorta get my sci-fi bar- bars off with that video, just with, like, the s- the scene of the subway. I think it's so cool. It literally looks like a space, like, airport or something. Yeah.
And there's also a song called Aura, iro- ironically enough, that I used, um, in that video that is so my vibe, so my taste in sound design. Um, and I... And, and then also, yeah, dude, it's that, that video is...
The whole video is a punchline pun of living your dream, and of course, that's kinda just like I really think everyone should believe enough, enough in themselves to really live their dream, no matter what it looks like, dog.
It doesn't have to look any certain way. So yeah, dude, I think I would say that video. Um, but it's funny, I look at it now and I'm like, "I could make something better."
I would love to make that video now, and I know it could be more polished and better.
But I would say that, d- Oh, and dude, even the, me opening my mouth and my mouth being a UFO and sucking up the pizza rollers, just all sci-fi- That's so good...
little undertones where I could, like, let it get through the cracks a little bit. But yeah. Well, I can't wait to see what you do with a, a bigger budget someday. Yeah, dude. Me too. Tell me, I mean, the, to end this,
I don't know if you have a path laid out. I don't get the impression that you're like, "I have to do this to then do that to then do this to then do that."
You, you know, you make the work, and the work will lead you to, to the next work, right? Mm. That's kind of the impression I'm getting here. Um,
but I think there's probably some contrast you see in if you wanna be more writer-director making films, and then you're working with Jericho who wants to be more on the commercial side and is seeing that.
Like, it sounds like you are seeing some of the stepping stones of this path start to appear in front of you, and I would love to hear how you see, whatever the time span is that makes sense for you.
Like, in two years, are you making a feature fi- Whatever, right? Tell me a little bit- Mm-hmm... about how you are envisioning your future on this path towards being a larger scale writer and director.
Well, you're, you're right to some extent in that I'm trying to just approach the whole thing with humility and not get set on any certain outcome. Um, butAnd then also, dude, you know, man plans, God laughs, bruh.
[laughs] You know? So I, I really think I, I, I know the end goal, and I know where I wanna end, you know what I mean?
And I don't even think that's hardly my desire as much as something the Lord's put on my heart, you know? Mm-hmm. Uh, which is to be a writer-director.
But I think with how I get there, it's up in the air, but I have an idea. And I think... Like I said, uh, last year me and Jerica spent the whole year writing a pilot. Yeah.
And we were really planning on taking a very traditional approach into the industry. We got film management, and they were shopping our pilot around the town, yada, yada.
And it just, as I started to integrate into the world in that way, when I say the world, I mean Hollywood. Yeah. I just recognized, to some extent it's dying right now, and there's an evolution happening, I believe.
And also, there's so much red tape, dog.
And with my heart and where I'm at with wanting to enchant the West, dude, and, like, elevate human consciousness, I just, just don't think Hollywood's really in the game for any of that. Mm.
And I think that the way I see it is the internet, it's not... People have kinda been floating the idea that the internet is, um, the next Hollywood. I think that it's more so the bridge to the next Hollywood.
I think that it's really giving freedom to the people again. It's insane what you can do. I mean, the internet's just a canvas, bro. Mm-hmm. It can legit be whatever you want.
I think we get caught up in kinda seeing trends and what people are doing, and there's, like, this general creator economy, so we all do this now and stuff. Yeah.
But at the end of the day, it is actually whatever you want it to be, and that's how I'm trying to treat it.
And so I just think that you're able to ge- generate a ton of capital and a ton of attention with the internet, depending on how you play it. And I think that
people who play that right can provide something that Hollywood's not providing anymore as time goes on. And I think that that's gonna usher in a new time where Hollywood's gonna l- l- lose its grip on entertainment. Mm.
Um, kinda the choke hold it has on it.
And I think the future is, in 10 or 20 years, privately owned studios being made and producing their own films because of all the capital and attention certain individuals have from the internet. Um- Yeah...
and so something like that, dude. And I have vision to make my own creative s- my own, like, film studio called Runner Studios. Mm. Everybody's gonna talk about it. Don't even worry about it.
Um, and yeah, dude, that's, that's crazy vision on my heart, too. And, dude, my vision with Runner Studios, bro, I just gotta get this bar off, is leg... Have you seen The Truman Show? Uh, of course, yeah.
Another banger, dog. Mm-hmm. But- That's a classic... dude, my vision with Runner Studios is, you know the dome that- Mm-hmm... that he lives in?
Dude, it, it, it doesn't have to be a dome, but I just picture this huge building, dog, where inside Runner Studios, like, every department needed to make a film exists, independent of Hollywood.
And we have a makeup department. We have our editors. Mm. You know, we have, we have it all. And, um, we can make films in the dome in Runner Studios, you know what I mean?
And everybody who works there, bro, it has this, this, uh... There's this tone and this, this attitude of, like, early Apple, dude, like Pixar. Mm. Like, "I work at Runner," "I work at Apple," dog. Yeah.
Where there's almost, like, this we only hire people that are genuinely into committing their lives to making beauty, you know what I mean? And I think that a certain product's gonna be produced by that.
And I think we talk like that now, and we're kind of at the peak of this era where the... I really think a bubble's about to pop, where it's like, bro, like, integrity doesn't win anymore.
Like, that's, that's a great idea. But dude, I'm telling you, I really think the future's bright, and I think that there's gonna be a shift.
And I do think that's a reality in the future where the winning studios are people that are talking like that, who are like- Yeah... "Why are we trying to turn this into a business?
Let's make the most beautiful thing possible, and the money will come." Like, that's my whole life business motto, dude, or, like- Yeah... not even business motto, but just, you know, that's my motto, dog.
Well, I think we'll end it there. Grant, where should the people go to find you? Um, bro, TikTok and Instagram. Uh, can you just put the crap on the screen? We'll put it on the screen. All right.
Uh, I think, well, for, for the listeners not watching too, let me read it off. What's... On Instagram, it's, uh, @grantbeans, correct? That's correct. And on TikTok, it's @tik_tok_bhadi, B-H-A-D-I. [laughs] Yeah, bro.
[laughs] Kind of a mouthful. That's good. Well, thank you for coming on. This was awesome. Yeah, man. Thank you for having me. Listener, we'll see you next week.
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