Meet The Man Behind The Sidemen's $100M Empire

Get a breakdown of Jordan’s content engineering frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4pLrw4dApply to work with me: https://bit.ly/3MsFlWeJordan Schwarzenberger is the manager behind The Sidemen — one of the biggest creator groups on the planet, with over 10 billion views and a content empire that extends into restaurants, vodka brands, trading cards, a membership platform, and more. In this episode, Jordan breaks down the systems, strategies, and business models behind The Sidemen’s explosive rise.We cover how The Sidemen built a 2-billion-views-per-year YouTube machine, the real economics behind content businesses, the future of creators, how to think commercially about your channel, why most creators are stuck, and why the next era of content isn’t production — it’s engineering. This is one of the most detailed creator masterclasses ever recorded.Listen on Your Podcast Player: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/creatorplaybooksFollow Callum on socials:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thecallumcTikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@heycallumX – https://x.com/mcdonnellcallumLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnellProduced by 7xContent – make your own Podcast with us: https://www.7xcontent.comFollow Jordan:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jordanschwarzLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanschwarzenbergerWebsite – https://www.jordanschwarz.comTimestamps:0:00 – Introduction: The next era is content engineering1:37 – When Jordan realised creators were different5:04 – Why YouTube is the engine room of the creator economy8:41 – Anyone can win on YouTube: the democratization of reach9:49 – How Jordan first identified the opportunity with The Sidemen12:20 – Building the business: the original strategy & 15 focus areas14:13 – Alcohol brand, restaurant, trading cards & Side+ — choosing what to build17:20 – Launching Sides, XIX Vodka & Best Cereal — the real challenges22:20 – Why Side+ (membership) is their most successful business23:48 – The economics of creator brands & realistic conversion rates28:40 – Joint ventures, partnerships & structuring creator businesses33:46 – Long-term thinking: why creators won’t see returns for years36:11 – Diversifying creator income & building financial resilience41:05 – Why most UK creators are stuck — and the algorithm trap43:21 – How to think commercially: audiences, niches & advertising lanes47:15 – Why YouTube should be your primary platform49:59 – Do creators need managers? (Jordan’s honest take)53:47 – High-volume content, storytelling & what makes content “good”55:58 – The three S’s: Stop, Stay, Satisfy — Jordan’s content framework1:01:34 – The importance of analysing content like an engineer1:03:29 – The monoculture collapse & how algorithms changed everything1:08:07 – Instagram vs TikTok vs YouTube: where the real value is1:13:37 – Why traditional TV talent struggle to transition to YouTube1:17:55 – Final insights + why we’re still early in the creator wave