The special effect of BrandonB

You've been making mind-bending videos long before you had a dedicated studio. Can you tell us more about how having a fully-fitted studio has changed your content?

Initially, my bedroom was my studio. I used to fold up my mattress against my bedroom wall every day so that I could use my bedroom as a studio. Then at nighttime, I'd fold it down from against my wall so I could sleep straight on the mattress, and that's how I'd balance everything. Thankfully, now I'm very grateful that I have somewhere I can go to create, and feel creative and inspired by what's around me, while also having the separation of getting to sleep in my bedroom. It's awesome.

The biggest benefit I found with being able to invest in a studio is being able to bring other incredible creatives into that studio. We all get to bounce ideas off of each other, get inspired by each other's creative genius, and together grow and improve our creative abilities. Day-to-day, we use our studio space for things like building sets, creating really intricate and cool costumes and props, editing videos, having brainstorm sessions, writing scripts, drawing storyboards, and, of course, uploading our content.

What did you want to achieve when you first started StudioB?

I grew up watching YouTube as my main source of entertainment, but there were very few shows on the platform that were fictional and followed characters in mystical worlds. That’s something I’m desperate to bring to the platform, and I’m really excited now that YouTube in the living room has really spiked. It feels like an awesome opportunity for my team and me to create movies and series in that space.

We know you've had a handful of interactions with Hollywood and with Marvel Cinematic Universe specifically - how do you see your work on YouTube carrying over into Hollywood?

Yes, we’ve actually had many incredible opportunities to work closely with Hollywood studios, Sony being an incredible partner of ours. I got to sit down and have a conversation with Mike Laser, the VFX supervisor on Across the Spider-Verse, who gave me direct feedback on our Spider-Man video, which was a dream come true. It’s awesome to see Hollywood really taking an interest in what we’re doing on YouTube and seeing how our world can help theirs by bringing people across to watch feature films.

The magical thing about YouTube that isn’t experienced across the rest of the media world is the interaction audiences have with creators. I think that can be an incredible opportunity for studios to direct people to their platforms. Long-term, I see YouTube being the future of Hollywood. I think that’s where the next generation of Spielbergs will be coming from, rising through the YouTube ranks. I’m so excited because this suddenly opens up a democratised line of creativity. No longer are you pitching your ideas to commissioners and waiting to be greenlit—you can just start creating your content. Assuming you have a phone and access to the internet, it gives so many more people the opportunity to create and tell their stories.