Podcast Episodes
Interviews with creators, internet personalities, and the people behind viral culture. Ordered from oldest to newest.
Bob Ross in Space: The Art Show with Captain Skinner┃Skinner & Allen Cordell Interview
Skinner (Oakland artist behind massive murals and Adult Swim projects) and filmmaker Allen Cordell talk about their web series Art Show with Captain Skinner, where Skinner is held against his will in outer space painting monsters for two hours straight. They break down how Skinner finally stopped spending all his energy making celebrity guests comfortable and just started talking and painting, Allan’s directional philosophy of having a list but letting Skinner riff, and the technical nightmare they created by painting with green pigments on a green screen.
The Secret to Getting a Laugh Out of Margot Robbie | The Movie Dweeb Interview
Dan (The Movie Dweeb) talks about turning a DIY movie blog, originally featuring art he traced on an iPad, into a career interviewing Margot Robbie, Owen Wilson, and others. He shares how he flips the standard press junket script, the nerves he still gets before every high-stakes Zoom call, his shark and horror movie phobia, and the time he nearly derailed his own honeymoon just to meet Jeff Goldblum.
Why I Lived in a Tent After My Song Went Viral | MikeManik Interview
MikeManik (Kanye East) talks about recording hit songs on his lunch break at Arby’s and how housing extortion ended with him living in a high-tech tent in his parents’ backyard despite racking up millions of streams. He shares stories from working with DMX’s production team, his unexpected appearance in a MrBeast video, the legal hurdles of getting a Lil Wayne feature, and why his next goal is a verse from the real Kanye West.
How Lake Markham Survived the Chaos of the Filthy Frank Era | Lake Markham Interview
Lake Markham talks about playing the character Dade on Filthy Frank and what it took to start driving his own creative machine with the Bald Internet Man series. He covers filming a death scene in a Brooklyn Airbnb, eating a worm on camera, how Nashville’s rapid gentrification shapes his storytelling, and finally addresses the persistent How To Basic rumors.
How a Barista’s Frustration Turned into a Viral Hit | Sugar Pit Interview
Sugar Pit talks about how his hit song Customer Service racked up millions of streams and how his father’s carpentry background shaped his DIY approach to recording. He recorded his entire catalog on a basic 2-input interface and explains how leaning into a janky amp became his signature sound. He also gets into his improvisation-based approach to music teaching and why he prioritized planning over passion when he was starting out.
Why America’s Got Talent is a Scam: The Secret Rule for Who Wins | Verbal Ase Interview
Verbal Ase talks about going from performing in New York subways to building a YouTube channel with over 4 million subscribers. He explains why Will Smith got obsessed with his content, how AGT producers manipulate results, why he spends $34,000 per episode on Cartoon Beatbox Battles, his run-ins with Michael Winslow and Trey Smith, and the time he stripped mid-performance for a massive crowd in Union Square.
Why I Ran for Mayor to Get Fast Food and Actually Succeeded | Dylan Wallace Interview
Dylan Wallace ran a meme campaign for mayor that actually worked and brought Chick-fil-A to London, Ontario. He talks about sitting across from Mayor Josh Morgan to watch his joke campaign promise become real, his shift from the 2016 diss track era to high-energy vlogs, why he’s walking away from the prank genre, and the moment 40 fans showed up to a local meetup just to see the guy from TikTok.
Why This Ed Sheeran Impersonator Can Only Buy Groceries at Night | Ty Jones Interview
Ty Jones talks about a decade as the world’s leading Ed Sheeran lookalike — wearing disguises just to buy milk and going from bingo halls to global internet fame. He shares the story of meeting the real Ed Sheeran after a viral photo prompted the singer to track him down on Twitter, the logistical chaos of the KSI fight in LA, the reality that professional impersonators often get paid only £50 a day, and his physical struggles as a left-handed guitarist.
How a $20 Impression Started the Global “Moistverse” Trend | Jasper Lucas & Chaloloo Interview
Nathaniel and Jasper talk about two unexpected viral moments built around a white t-shirt and an 800-ton grain silo. Nathaniel shares the exact moment MoistCr1TiKaL reacted to his Puerto Rican Moist Critical impression and what happened after. Jasper explains how singing the Halo theme inside massive acoustic farm silos hit 25 million views and how he used those earnings to build a proper music studio. They also get into their MS Paint art galleries and what it actually takes to turn meme status into something that lasts.
How to Manage a Billion-Dollar Gaming Brand Without a Degree | Corey Andress Interview
Corey talks about how a stroke forced him to abandon police training and follow his obsession with sports gaming into leadership roles at EA and 2K. He explains the cold-messaging strategy — finding names in game credits — that helped him eventually manage 30 million players with no traditional corporate background. He also shares the story of an $11,000 corporate dinner bill involving a famous athlete and why he thinks managing your own team well is the only way to survive the gaming industry long-term.
Stop Thinking You Need a Degree to Master Photography | Lake Markham Interview
Lake Markham talks about using 19th-century philosophy and perspectival photography to document the death and life of middle America. He shares stories from his childhood in Japan, his early 20s working in high-stakes kitchens, why he refuses to charge for his art, the moment he realized NFT culture was a gimmick for Nashville tech bros, and how his technical process evolved from an iPhone 4 to mirrorless cameras. He also gets into how Kierkegaard and Vonnegut shape his daily journaling.
Why I Left the MrBeast Crew to Become a Full-Time Missionary | Zach Hallow Interview
Zach Hallow grew up as Greenville Little League teammates with MrBeast and became a key contributor during the channel’s explosive rise. He talks about living with Chandler during that period, his early days working as a $7.25 executive chef, and the specific moment he decided the viral world wasn’t where he was staying. He also shares a personal encounter that shifted his focus from YouTube to full-time youth ministry.
Social Anxiety in the Spotlight: The Reality of Being a YouTube Star | Chris Tyson Interview
Chris Tyson, a founding MrBeast crew member, walks through the channel’s entire run from 2015 to global powerhouse. He shares the story of arriving late to a Best Buy shift in full uniform because he was filming the sticky-note video that changed the internet. He also talks about managing social anxiety as one of the most recognized faces online, whether Chandler is acting or just being himself, the Mars-like conditions of the desert challenge, and the early days of Beast merch.
Designing for 40 Million: The Self-Taught Path to MrBeast Merch | Felix Schlater Interview
Felix talks about going from Casey Neistat superfan to lead designer for MrBeast’s 40-million-subscriber merchandise line. He walks through pivoting from big artistic dreams to professional graphic design just to pay rent, walking away from animation after five months, the creative process behind his street-art-inspired shirts, and the visual measurement instincts he developed for custom shoe design.
Why I Gifted a Broadsword to Pewdiepie and How It Cleared Customs | Voiceover Pete Interview
Voiceover Pete talks about how a corporate layoff turned him into a global meme icon whose voice defined an era of internet culture. He walks through recording the legendary John Wick needs your help video, discovering he was permanently banned from Fiverr via a tweet, completing 8,000 separate productions, and the logistics of shipping a real medieval broadsword to PewDiePie. He also explains how his son convinced him to jump into the digital world in the first place.
900 Hours of Raw Video: The Brutal Reality of Editing MrBeast | Bailey Stanfield Interview
Bailey talks about editing for MrBeast, where teams condense 6 terabytes of footage and 900 combined camera hours into a single video in five days. He shares how he got hired after Jimmy saw a video he filmed for a friend, what the 48-hour review windows actually feel like under pressure, his music career under the name Chino, and how he grew his brand Quiet Wave from a shirt company into a full entertainment project.