Behind the scenes: Jesser’s sports media empire
From 2K skits to global series, how Jesse Riedel built a modern sports entertainment empire.
May 13, 2026 [[read-time]] minute read
The way we watch sports has completely flipped. We’ve moved from an industry dictated entirely by traditional TV networks, to a phase where “influencers” were introduced as short-term marketing tactics, to the current reality where independent creators are commanding audiences comparable to major broadcasters.
At 17, Jesse Riedel made the call to go all-in on his YouTube channel, Jesser, focusing on the cultural elements of sports traditional TV completely ignored: video games, sneaker culture, and driveway challenges. It was a massive gamble back then, but one that paid off. A decade later, Jesse has built a community of over 41 million subscribers on his main channel, elite pro athletes are actively reaching out, and he’s expanding his content with large-scale episodic series like Summer of Soccer and Pros vs. YouTubers.
We sat down with Jesse to examine how the industry arrived at this point, the reality of managing a large-scale independent production, and the art of keeping a massive show feeling like a casual hangout.
You grew up with a dad who worked in traditional film, which is a perspective most creators don't have. When you were a kid watching him work, what was the one thing about that world that really stuck with you?
Jesse: Growing up around my dad, I learned really early that the final product is only as good as the amount of care that goes into it before anyone sees it. The planning, the shots, the little details, the way you think about story, all of that stuck with me. Even when a video looks chaotic or fun, there still has to be a level of craft and technicality behind it.
What made you want to do things differently?
Jesse: Speed. Traditional film can take forever, and I always loved the idea that on YouTube you could have an idea, go shoot it and get it in front of people while the energy was still there. That was exciting to me. I liked that it felt more direct. You didn’t need to wait for permission from a bunch of people. You could just make something and let the audience tell you if it worked.
You went all in on your channel at a time when most people, especially at your age, were still being told that the only way to make it was to follow the traditional path. When you look back at that time, what did 17/18 year old Jesse see about the way people were watching sports that the industry leaders were missing?
Jesse: I don’t know if I would say I saw it in some genius way at the time, but I definitely felt it. People my age did not only want the game. They wanted the culture around it. They wanted jokes, personalities, challenges, 2K, debates with friends, sneakers, pickup runs, everything around basketball that made it fun to talk about.
For me it was a hobby that was able to turn into a career, so I was really just making videos for the love of the game, I wasn’t focused on how other sports media played out. I think I just leaned into what felt natural to me instead of trying to copy what sports media had always been.
Now that it is a career, what’s changed for you?
Jesse: The scale is obviously completely different. The production is bigger, the team is bigger, the ideas are bigger and we’re thinking about things more like shows now instead of just individual uploads. I have learned a lot more about pacing, story and how to keep people watching.
But the feeling I’m chasing is still the same. I want it to feel fun. I want it to feel like you are watching something with your friends. Even if the budget is bigger or the concept is crazier, it still has to feel like me. That is the thing I never want to lose.
It takes a lot of work to make something feel effortless. How do you produce that feeling of hanging out with friends without making it feel over-rehearsed?
Jesse: The biggest thing is putting the right people in the right environment and then not trying to control every second. We plan a lot more than people probably realize, but the plan is really there to create space for real moments to happen.
I’m always looking for the little interaction or random bit that makes the video feel alive. If everyone feels like they are just performing lines, the video is not going to work. I want people to feel comfortable talking trash, laughing, messing up, being competitive and being themselves. That is where the best stuff comes from. You can structure the video, but you cannot fake chemistry.
We’ve seen a massive shift where major leagues that used to gatekeep are now eager to work with independent creators. Where do you think that change is coming from?
Jesse: I think they realized the audience is already here. Young fans are not waiting for a league or network to tell them where to watch or who to care about. They are following people they trust and people who make the sport feel fun to them.
Creators are not replacing the game. We are helping bring more people into it. If someone watches one of my videos and then starts caring more about basketball, soccer or a player they did not know before, that is good for everybody. I think leagues are starting to see that creators can make the sport feel more accessible without taking away from what makes it great.
At Brandcast, you announced two new shows — Summer of Soccer and Pros vs. YouTubers. Does your production style change when you’re working to keep an audience engaged over a month-long narrative versus a one off video?
Jesse: Yeah, because with a series you have to think about the bigger journey. A one-off video can just be a great idea executed really well. With a series, you need moments that make people want to come back. You need characters, stakes and a reason each episode matters.
But I still do not want it to feel too polished or distant. The challenge is making something that has a real arc while still feeling like the audience is on the trip with us. That is the balance. It has to feel bigger, but it can’t feel like we lost the YouTube part of it.
What’s a specific creative choice you made that you think a traditional network would have tried to talk you out of?
Jesse: Probably keeping in some of the messier moments. Not messy in a bad way, but the parts where things do not go perfectly. Someone is tired, something gets competitive, the plan changes, we are figuring something out in real time. A traditional network might want to clean all of that up.
For me, that is usually the good stuff. The audience can tell when something has been over-produced. I would rather let people see the real energy of what happened than make everything look perfect and lose the reason people cared in the first place.
Do you still get that same spark you had when you were just a kid making videos about 2K? How do you make sure that the fun doesn't get swallowed up by the business side of creation?
Jesse: I definitely still get it. It is different now because there is more responsibility, more people involved and bigger things we are building, but the spark is still there when the idea is right.
The way I protect it is by staying close to the actual creative. I still care about the video. I still care about whether the idea is fun. I still care about what the audience is going to feel when they watch it. The business side matters, but if the videos stop being fun, none of the rest works anyway. That is what got me here, so I try to never get too far away from that.
