Why chasing the data eventually stops working - Feat. Jazza

@Jazza started as a kid making Flash animations, moved to YouTube in 2012 because he could see a gap where the art tutorials were terrible, and has been there ever since. He's built one of the biggest art channels in the world and, by his own account, has never truly gone viral. The channel grew on being steadily, consistently himself.

In this episode, Jazza is thoughtful about what fourteen years actually teaches you. We cover why the algorithm shift to watch time helped him while it hurt the animators around him, why he keeps abandoning the analytics tools his team builds, and what he calls the MrBeastification of YouTube: a template that works, produces a lot of people who achieve the thing and then find they're committed and unhappy, and is now, he thinks, on its tail end. Plus the advice he's given since day one, which is to do the thing you'd do with no audience at all, and why most people can't stomach performing to an empty auditorium.

A reflective conversation about creative longevity, and about deciding what success means before the platform decides it for you.

Topics covered: fourteen years on YouTube · defining success on your own terms · data vs creative instinct · the MrBeastification of the platform · community and connection · creative partnerships · brand relationships beyond ROI · building a tool belt of skills