Sway LA & TalentX

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There'S people out there that try to. The problem is they try to be somebody else. Like they're like, oh, this person is being like, they're being really good. They're successful. If I think Bryce is super successful, I shouldn't be like, oh, I'm gonna do the exact same videos as Bryce. Act like Bryce. I'm gonna become Bryce. Because then like I was two years ago. You're playing a character, you're like, you're not. You're not yourself. Yeah.

What's going on, everyone? KC Adams here. Welcome back to the Rise of the Young podcast. Today we are at the Sway House. We just did our official first house tour and we have three legends. We have Jason Wilhelm. Is that Wilhelm? Wilhelm, yes. And we'll get into some funny stuff about how we have some connections in our life. Also Josh Richards and Bryce Hall. Thanks so much for coming on, guys.

Thank you for having us.

I just want to say really quick, your last names are so much easier to pronounce them.

I had to make sure. Alright, so we just did the first house tour of the Sway House for the people that are tuning in right now. What is the Sway House?

I mean, I would just call the Sway House. Like it's a bunch of us that are friends, right? We went on tour together. We besides us. But after tour, we hung out all summer like, and we were all just kind of like, we just became a family really. Just like we're all brothers. And then luckily, you know, Jason came and they all found us and they put us into a house.

Okay, so Jason, Talent X, an agency that I know love to talk about this podcast. What is Talent X? I know that's a huge part of this way house. If the people don't know that yet, you're obviously the man behind it with Michael and a couple other people. So what is talentex?

Shout out to tal. So talent X is, I mean, just doing everything. I mean, we are a company that if you're a creator and you want to be a part of something huge, come to us and we make your dreams come true.

And that's really what it is.

We are doing everything in this industry.

And even beyond that, the people watching, what is the total follower count that is sitting on this couch right here in terms of TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, everything put together, Because I'm curious, like, this is. That number is like massive.

500.

500 followers. 500,000. Wait, real quick. We'll skim it down. TikTok followers.

Okay, I'm at 11.2 million.

11.2 million. 2.5 million. So we're already at almost 14 million right there.

Right.

So real quick, before we talk on other social medias, I know TikTok is a huge part of this that you guys have built. You have 11 million, he has 2 million. Number one. Where did you guys start on TikTok? When was it and why?

I mean, let's have price go first.

I started four months ago. I was actually, like, pretty consistent on YouTube. And then I saw these like. Like, them, like all these group people I'm living with, like, their engagement was just so insane. And everyone's telling me, like, about TikTok. I was on Musical ly and Musical ly turned into TikTok eventually. But I didn't realize how much potential and like much it converts from TikTok to all your other platforms. So I only hopped on because of them. And then it turns out I'm pretty good at lip syncing sometimes.

Did you guys know each other before? No.

No.

Watched me.

Yeah, I used to watch.

Really?

Yeah. So, like, the thing is, I've always been super into social media.

Like, since you're 17 now.

Yeah, 17 now. When I was like, 14, I would watch, like, all the music of the kids and I would watch all the YouTubers and everything. So, like, Rice was one of the people that I would watch.

So it was before you had any audience.

Anything, anything. Like zero audience, zero accounts.

And now he passed me. So what are my sins?

So let's take it back a step. Where is everyone from?

I'm from Maryland.

Maryland.

Chesterfield, Virginia.

That's insane. If anyone knows me, I am literally from the smallest town in Virginia called Chesterfield, Virginia. When we did the house tour and he said that, my mind was blown. I never meet people who were from Chesterfield, Virginia. So when he said it, I was like, what are the odds? So shout out to Chesterfield. We're out here doing it.

Shout out to Chesterfield. You're right, you're right. It's very small. And honestly, I haven't met another person. Influencer from Chesterton, Virginia.

That's so dope. Number one, we're here. All right. And Josh, I'm from Toronto. Toronto, yeah. Okay, we got some Canadians out here.

Okay, Shout out to Canada.

So social media, right? With it being such a huge part of your life. When did you start on social media? We'll start with Bryce again. And why?

I started when I was 15. It was actually by accident. I had no friends in high school. I was like completely bullied. So I literally started doing live broadcasting things just to be me. And I grew an audience on a platform called YouNow, which is like a live broadcasting platform. Gained a few followers from it, a few thousands from followers from it. Converted to my Instagram and I realized that you could actually monetize your social media. And that's when I was like. I was like, I never worked like a real job. Real job. Never worked like a. Going to target nine to five. Yeah, nine to five. Never worked with nine to five. So, like, I didn't really know that you could make money. Like, I didn't know you could make money off of social media. I was just doing it for fun. And then it came in.

Okay, very cool. All right, next.

So I started in 2011, so I was one of the original gaming YouTubers. Probably not original because, you know, YouTube's been around for like 2008, 2009, but I was one of the OGs back then. And just a bunch of friends of mine told me I was good at Call of Duty and I just started posting and then I went into esports and now I'm here.

So for me, it was like my sister actually did musical Ly and then I went to a TikTok or musical ly with her and there were a bunch of comments like, oh, where's his account? And it did good on her account. So I was like, oh, dang. Alright, I'm gonna make an account. Like, there's these girls commenting, what's my account? So I was like, okay, I'll do it. And I made an account and I'm really competitive. Like, I'm a sports. So I was like, if I hit 10,000 followers by the end of the summer, then I will continue doing it and if not, I'll quit. So it Was the summer of 2016. I go and I hit like 26,000 followers. Didn't know you can make a dollar off this either. Yeah, just like Bryce. I've Never worked in 95, never done any of that stuff. Got bullied a ton in high school because that was the summer leading into when I was gonna be a freshman. So I come in with these followers. I'm like this new kid in the school. Everyone was just always hallways, whatever it was. They were just trying to. Trying to say whatever.

Just make fun.

Yeah. So. So then I was like, I quit.

Completely for three months due to others opinions.

Yeah, yeah. I just like, I let that get to me.

Yeah.

And then I was gonna actually like sell my account. I was gonna just sell it. I was like, whatever, I'm done with it. And one of the people that watched my lives and gave me money once, I didn't even know it was money. They were like, you know, like when I sent you gifts, that turns into money or whatever.

And I was like, what?

So I go and I check my account. I had like a hundred dollars sitting in my account, right? And I was like, holy cow. Because I'm like a 14 year old. Hundred dollars, never made money before. I was like, wow, that's crazy. Cash it out. I was like, screw it. I don't care what anyone says. Like, I'm gonna do this.

Yeah.

And I like doing it.

So.

And then just from there.

Okay, very cool. So I know we talked about this earlier, but regarding TikTok, what is your most viewed video on TikTok?

Like 25 to 30 million.

25 million?

Yeah.

50 to 70.

That's just insane. Like when you, when you think about that number starting, you're saying, okay, one of my goal Is to hit 10,000 followers. You're 14 years old, you don't know what this social media thing is now. And now you're 17. You're 20. How do you feel looking back when you say, Okay, I have 30 million views on this TikTok, 70 million views here. Like, what does that feel like in today's world? Sitting down here on this couch in this house in la? You guys have grown so much over.

These last years, it really hasn't even processed.

That's what I think.

It's actually crazy that we're living in a house like this. Like, yeah, he says 70 million followers or 70 million views. I'm just like, that sounds like obviously there's a lot of people, but like, it's kind of just not processed. Yeah, it's Just a number. It's like, oh, that did good.

Is there. Does it become us? Like, for example, anyone that's a young kid watching this who has aspirations of becoming viral or getting attention, is there a boundary where it's like, once you hit a million followers, is it you guys settle or what's the mindset of growing on social media? You have, right, 11 million followers on TikTok. 2.5 million. Jason, what do you have on TikTok, by the way? We haven't become TikTok, like, 80K. 80K. But I haven't posted since. Okay, okay. But like, what's the mentality of, like, growth when you have such large followings? Like, is it always about the next thing or how do you live it back?

I think it has to be always.

About the next thing.

Because the people that settle, like you said, are the people that they disappear.

Yep.

Like, they settle and they're like, oh, I hit a million. I'm chilling. I can do whatever I want. And then they learn they can't do whatever they want and they're gone.

You know what, though?

That's a good life lesson, right? Like, you never should settle. Just keep going, keep going and try to be better and better.

What is the key to going viral on TikTok?

There's no key. It's like kind of just at first, it's luck. Like the first video that goes viral, it's luck because you obviously don't have any followers on the platform. It gets picked by TikTok to go viral. It's how you bounce off of that.

Okay, funny story. So Arfa, who's behind the camera over here, first video, get on TikTok, her first video, 1.4 million views, right?

That's the same TikTok first video. But they love you. They love.

They want you to stay on.

So what they often will do is like your first, like, five videos. One of those will probably blow up big. If it's. If it's good enough content to obviously blow up. You can just like, sit there with camera face and just.

But.

No, like, you need. You need a little something in there, spice up your video. And if they blow that up, it's just about, like, capitalizing on.

Yeah.

Like, you got to be like, on there. And then it's like, okay, next week, next video, next video. You got to keep, like, banging at it.

How often do you guys post a day on TikTok?

3 to 5.

3 to 5. 3 to 5. Is this something where, like. Because obviously TikTok moves so fast. Right. The trends, the music, the dance, everything. How do you stay in tune with what's happening on that platform? They move so quick.

There's always, there's actually like a trend every week and you can like repeat the trends and like get more views each time you post it, but there's no way to keep up with it. It's kind of like.

I'm on that.

For you page all the time.

Right.

So then when I'm scrolling through and I'm trying to find what videos I want to do, I just, I learn what's the trend. So basically there's no creativity.

Okay, Jason, so speaking of talent X and when you look at influencers and creators, what do you look for in A, either an early creator or B, someone that you see potential in.

Yeah. So I think the big thing is somebody has a drive to actually want to build a brand. For us, it's all about building brands. And so we don't want to just bring somebody on just to bring them on. We want to build an actual basically360 brand on that person. So that's a big thing, at least for me.

How has influencer marketing changed within the last three years?

Oh, I mean, it's changed so much in the last three years. I mean, you had companies that would come in and just see a person with 10 million followers and just dump a ton of money into that person and you fast forward three years later and it's all about engagement. And that's been a big thing that I've noticed is it's now way more about engagement versus follower count.

Wait, I'm sorry, can we pause? Can we do that answer one more time? Alright, I'll try to again. Perfect. How has influencer marketing changed within the last three years?

Oh, it's changed tremendously in the last three years. I mean, three years ago you had companies that would just spend so much money based on somebody's follower count. You know, you had people with 10 million subscribers on YouTube that, you know, were, you know, aren't pulling the views that they used to get and they would dump tons of money into that person just based on that number or of course, like name recognition, that sort of thing. Now they're looking way more at engagement. And so you have people that have 500,000 followers on Instagram getting 250, 300,000 likes post and they're able to put so much more money behind that. And they're also doing a lot more research into the people that, you know, they're putting money behind it's. Not just like we're throwing money at influencers just to throw money at them. So that's been a big, you know, a big thing. It's also a lot more creative, too.

Than it used to be.

What do you think? And this is for Jason, again, the future looks like, especially with, like, a new platform like TikTok coming out, right. I think just by seeing it within the last year or two years, how it's capitalized on so much of the social media world. What does the next 12, 24 months look like, especially with what you guys are creating here in terms of, like, the influencer world? Yeah.

So I think, you know, it's. I mean, every month is different, right? So you have TikTok, for example. You know, TikTok this year is gonna be massive for companies spending on TikTok. You know, the biggest thing is TikTok is a platform. Companies don't really know how to promote on TikTok just because it's so new. So, for example, on Instagram, you can do a swipe up, right? So there's a clear ROI there. So on TikTok, it's literally mostly just eyeballs. And so a lot of companies are really just trying to figure out how to spend on TikTok. And so I think that's gonna really flushes out over the next year. But again, it's also very hard to determine where this industry's gonna be in 24 months. Okay. I mean, if you would have.

It's probably gonna be a new social media.

Probably be a new social media.

There'd probably be a new number one.

Because when TikTok first came out, no one. No one was guessing that it was gonna blow up. When TikTok first came out, everyone was like, this is.

This is done. It was whack.

WhatsApp is going away. Like, when that launched, everyone was like, all right, Musically's dead. TikTok's dead.

Yeah.

I've been on social media for, like, five years, and I've seen, like, new generations blow up. It was like the. And then it was like the live broadcasters musically, and then now TikTok.

But I'll say something really interesting about Talimax here, when I say we're building brands around these guys. Most TikTokers right now aren't really utilizing most of the platforms, right? So obviously, most of them are utilizing Instagram.

Right.

And some are utilizing Snapchat. But, like, none of the guys really are posting on YouTube, for example. So I think the next generation of big YouTubers are coming off of TikTok. And, you know, for us here at Talent, I mean, that's a big part of what we're doing here, is taking people like Josh, with 11 million followers on TikTok and branching them over to YouTube. Because the very interesting thing about these TikTokers, and honestly, it, you know, kind.

Of like the Viners, they have a.

Very, like, cult, like, fan base.

Right.

So wherever they are, that's where the fans are. And that's why you're seeing part of the engagement on Instagram being, you know, 500,000 followers and 250, 300, 400,000 likes and posts.

It's the most engagement anyone Instagram has ever seen.

Like, there's never.

YouTubers don't get this engagement.

Yeah.

That's insane.

People accuse us of, like, buying likes and stuff.

What's your most liked photo on Instagram?

As of Right now, it's 725,000.

Mine's about 700,000.

And Anthony.

Anthony.

Anthony just hit a million likes on.

His photo, and he's at, what, 1.8 million on Instagram?

1.9 now.

So that's over 50%.

Those are. They're hitting numbers out here. Oh, my God. So I kind of want to change lane. So, like, you're 17 years old. 20 years old. 22. 22 years old. What do your parents think about what you're doing? Because for me, I'm 19. Right. I remember when I first got into what I'm doing, it's like you kind of have to sell them on. Like, so what are your parents think about what you're doing today?

My mom still doesn't understand it. I mean, she kind of helps me with, like, contract stuff, but that's basically all she.

Okay.

She sees, like, the paychecks, and she's like, yeah, I have to work two months, three months to get this. You're doing a post on Instagram.

What about you?

So, like, my parents, I would say, like, they're super supportive.

17. You're not in school right now. Online school. Yeah. Insane.

Yeah. So, I mean, big switch. So, like, my parents were always like, university. Like, you're gonna be, like, high 90s student. Always on me for school. My dad was a teacher, math teacher, and my mom is, like, a speech pass. So they're both kind of in that teaching industry a little bit. So they were always really hard ones with school. I ended up kind of, like, trying to pitch this to them over the last three years. And I think because it's been over time and They've got to see me grow and like, pretty much like as I figured out social media and shared what I figured out with them, they've kind of figured it out. So I mean they're supportive, they kind of get it.

They get a little gist things really.

But yeah.

What about siblings? Do you guys have siblings?

Yeah, only child.

Only child.

So I got two half brothers and two half sisters.

Okay.

I mean, yeah, for ten half brothers.

Escalated.

But I have a brother and a sister.

Are they utilizing social media? Because I always like to think about like regarding what you guys are doing in the social media world. Does it rub off on your family and your friends or is it more so just something that hasn't really penetrated into your close relatives or friends?

None of my like half brothers, but my mom has like a lot of followers.

Not for me.

So like I tried to get my sister into TikTok for so long and she just, she was never about it. She just like, I think she just wants to live kind of a normal lifestyle. Okay.

Like speaking of that meaning just like the mentality of what you guys are doing every single day. Right. You guys have ambition, you're working on this bigger picture career. What keeps you motivated on a daily basis?

I mean.

Me and Josh kind of have competitions.

Yeah, we keep each other motivated.

Yeah. We have goals. Like, we're like, alright, let's see if we can get this first.

Okay, what's an example of that?

I mean, YouTube and like we have like a. I don't know, we have like a bet to who's gonna get $300,000 faster.

Okay.

Right. So like starting now.

Not kind of right now, it's just.

Like, yeah, we don't want to gross because like we're trying to like talk about money, you know what I mean? But it's more just like it's like competitions.

Like we have like.

Yeah, we have bread and seeds.

Let's see if you can hit 300k before I hit a million on YouTube.

Right, right. Or it's like, it's like whose YouTube videos can do better? So like, let's try to like make our best.

Or what's your recent TikTok kid?

Yeah, exactly. When we do this same audio, we're like on TikTok, like the same sound, we're like, oh, who's did better? Who's did better? So it's always just kind of like a friendly competition.

Very cool. When it comes to TikTok and like music and hip hop industry. Are you guys like hip hop f.

I Don't really listen to music that much.

You don't listen to music that much.

Like a get together.

Wow, interesting. I was about to say, like, is there like someone not even regarding TikTok, like a dream person or individual you want to collaborate with? Whether that's for any type of social media. Do you have like a person you want to collaborate with that you have not yet collaborate with?

Well, since we're the Sway LA house, Swae Lee in this house would be pretty sick.

Okay.

Okay.

Eminem would be pretty cool.

Eminem, Geez, you guys are, you guys are coming up with good names right now. I've never really been a person that's like, I want to collab with you. I just kind of like whatever happens, happens.

Yeah. Do you think collaboration is like a part of growth on social media?

Oh yeah. That's like the same thing, 100%.

Okay.

If you can do it by yourself, that's insane.

Okay, very interesting. So if someone out there watching this video and they're trying to get to social media and they're maybe from a small town, what is the first step they need to take to get their name out there to go viral, to get attention on social them with their friends?

Yeah, it's like, I mean for me, how I started was on my own. Right. Like none of my friends were about doing social media or TikTok especially. But it was, it was just. You get to it, you gotta, you gotta find this start is the hardest part is always. And that's why like people will, they'll start doing TikTok and they might do it for like two months, three months and then they're like, alright, I'm not gonna try. They're gonna take a step back because you really gotta be pushing sometimes for like a year. It took me three years.

Yeah.

Before I got any traffic.

So the thing is about TikTok, it's such like an easy algorithm. Like if you, even if you're like a quote unquote, nobody, if you post three to five times a day, I guarantee like you're gonna pop off. But you have to stay consistent.

You have to.

And you gotta be making the right content. You gotta find like what you do, everything.

Three videos to five videos, you will pop off.

Consistency is so key in this industry.

Consistency is so it's with everything because it's like. But technical.

Like attention span, so little.

Yep.

That's why TikTok's so crazy because you can scroll through that for you page have endless content that's five to 15 seconds. Yeah. And so if you're not posting a ton, that's why, like, posting so much is helpful, because you got to stay on that for you page.

Right.

You gotta be always on there.

Yeah. Right.

Keep people.

What's your favorite social media platform?

Probably TikTok.

I've got a tie. YouTube and Twitter.

Now Twitter.

Twitter for me. Because the gaming world, like, is all on Twitter. So, you know, that's.

So let's kind of pivot again. Outside of social media and creating content, like, outside of everything you do on a daily basis, what are some of your hobbies or things that you like to do? Gym. Gym.

Yeah, we go to the gym.

Traveling and video games.

Traveling.

Oh, traveling is so fun. I love traveling.

What. What do you think is. Because I'm sure, right. Social media. Right. Everyone has a different perspective, let's say, of you. Right. Millions of people that follow you guys, they may think certain things, right. Due to the content and perception. What do you think is the number one thing that people get wrong about you?

People think I'm crazy. Like, insane.

And you're not.

I mean, like, you're insane. People think that.

And you are.

I mean, look, people think I'm, like, as crazy as, like, some of the things that I've done.

Wait, but everything. Hey, yo.

Sorry.

You want to say something? No, I'll be crazy right now. No, a lot of people think I'm, like, this crazy dude. Like, I don't want to get into it, but, like, crazy.

Should we not get into it?

Well, I think he's like. Like, mean.

Like, aggressive.

Yeah.

There's some weird rumors about Russ. Like, people think that he's just, like, some crazy, like, fucking fighter, too. Like, they think that he can fight. I'm gonna be honest, but have you guys fought before? No, we haven't even sparred or anything.

So I had a boxing ring in my living room, and then I was a wrestler in high school. And then I grew up with all these, like, bullies. So then I learned how to. Turns out I was really good at wrestling. And then I got to a few fights because I was just so tired of everything. And then I got this Persona. So everyone's like, oh, God rest.

Fights. Yeah, yeah.

Versus, like, when they beat me up. And I did nothing, like, in high school. And I would literally sit like this and just get pummeled. None of those. None of those are out there. But, like, the ones where I actually fight back, they're old.

Yeah.

For me, nobody really knows any of the business stuff.

It's Very. I keep.

Keep Overworld very, very simple. So, you know, I've never really done any interview.

You do business like that.

All right, that's weird.

Okay, Bryce, what would you say is.

A perception of black Ken Barbiel? Dude, no.

Ken Barrio.

That's crazy.

Nah, dude, they think. They think he's innocent, but that's not.

Not true.

That's not not true.

All right, so he's innocent.

No, no, no. People don't think that.

No, they think you're innocent.

No, they do not.

What is you, bro?

Nah. Bryce has wrecked my whole career now. But no, people. Like, here's the thing. People used to think I was super innocent because I was, like, with representation. I was younger and, like, I was forced to post certain content. I wasn't allowed to do the stuff I like to do. And it was like, everything I posted was reviewed. If it wasn't up to their standards, they wouldn't let me post it. So there's a lot of stuff like that. So I kind of was. I was almost just like, a product. I wasn't even me, Right. It was like someone was making.

You were a character.

Yeah, I was a character is what it was. I was playing a character, and then I was just, like, fed up with it, and I was like, I want to do my own thing.

Right?

That's how I was. I wanted Disney Channel.

Yeah.

I fought. Or that got handled. Whatever, done. And then I started doing my own thing. And then I think people were like, yo, who's this, like, new guy, right?

That is Josh is entering the building.

Like, who. Who's this? Like, I've never seen him be like that. So then people were like, oh, he switched up. Or, oh, Josh is, like, mean now. It's like, no, like that.

He's always been.

Yeah, it's just. It's just like, I'm a teenager, and I'm a teenage boy.

When I was 17, I was a lot crazier than you, that's for sure.

You guys have such an audience on social media. I'm sure there's so much love. But also hate that comes along with that. How do you balance that out and actually just stay grounded with all the attention you get?

So, yeah, there's a lot more love than hate, obviously. But last year, around this time, actually, like, last year, December. So, like, 2018. Yeah, 2018, I was probably one of the most hated kids on the Internet, for sure. According to the Internet. And literally, like, I was trying number, like, one on Twitter to, like, kill myself.

No way.

Yeah, yeah. Like, it was some like crazy stuff, but I'm a bad person. So that was actually around Christmas time and that was the very first Christmas where I didn't go home with family. Like, I was like being bashed on social media. Like 20,000 comments, losing over a hundred thousand followers. Like just all hate, literally, like no love. Like it was just all hate. And I was like, that was probably the worst mental space or like mental space that I was in ever. But I realized after going through that, even with the hate that I gave, now I just kind of like their comments, you know?

Yeah. What is happening? Are, are you just off your phone or how do you.

Oh yeah, I wasn't on my phone. Like, I mean, I continued post. Like I'd post and then I would just. Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't even look at it. And then I had like some supportive friends. I had like three friends that were like, with me. Yeah, that would like just cheer me up.

I think friends is a huge thing.

Yeah, like the people you strand stuff.

Like it's about being like with people also. Like, what I found is when I'm with these guys and they deal with the same thing, it's like, who cares? Like, everyone's dealing with it. Right. So when it's an issue, like when I'm at home, I'm the only one, like I like feel because like no one else is on social media and I'm getting bashed on. I feel like the comments stand out more. But if I'm in a group and we're all having the same issue, that issue becomes somewhere smaller. It's like, doesn't affect me at all.

Okay, what about you? Do you have.

Yeah, I mean, you know, in the.

Gaming world I had some things, you know, and you know, obviously in the business world it is what it is. But for me, I mean, you know, I just let everything roll off me, you know, I, I just don't, I don't get stressed. I don't let anything get to me. I'm a very, like.

It's just the type of person I am. If you feed them today, it'll affect your. It's going to affect your content.

So let's talk about Talon X. Jason. Josh, the business in a whole. I know. Josh, you're a part of the company, Talon X. How did you get involved as a partner in the company?

So what happened actually is I was at a party at Bryce's and this is how it all started. But I ended up meeting Michael. Yeah, we actually ended up boxing. That was the Craziest thing. I got into this company boxing Michael, and we were playing. We were boxing or whatever, and he's.

Like, you and Michael were boxing?

Yeah, yeah, I had a boxing. Yeah.

Okay.

No, I hit him with the left hook.

Boom.

We were supposed to.

He went down.

But anyway, so, like, that's kind of how we met. And then it ended up talking a little bit, and we both kind of had the same feeling that social media kids are gonna take advantage of a lot. There's a lot of my friends that got money stolen from them, and then, like, it's just. It's just such a bad industry right now. Like, there's. There's no one that's there to protect the influencers. And it's all about, like, those, like, fake managers making that quick buck and then moving on. So it's like, how do we do something? And then we met with Jason, we met with Paul. We all kind of came together because they were thinking of the same thing. Funny enough, he almost dis you that meeting.

He almost dissed the meeting. Yeah.

He was like, I don't want to go. You remember me and you, we were at DJ's restaurant, and I went, I don't have time to call Josh. I don't really want to go. I want to go out and party with my friends for years, huh? Right before Halloween. He's like, oh, my God, there's a party. I don't want to go. I'm like, dude, get there. What meeting is this?

Anyway?

The first time you met Jason call.

Where was? Well, we met before.

We met at Bryce.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I met the first. I met the first time. We all, like, sat down. Okay, that's crazy.

I didn't remember that. How did it go prior to that meeting?

I mean, it was just. It was just FaceTime calls. Like, it was just FaceTiming a lot, kind of like figuring it all out. I actually ended up, like, we talked about it once, and then I, like, kind of didn't talk about it with Michael for a while. For, like, two weeks, three weeks. And then I don't know if I flaked. I was just like, I've been told a lot of things from a lot of people, right? Being like, a social media kid, you. You get presented so many ideas that are always like, just talk, right? So it's just kind of. I was just kind of, like, trying to, like, see, is this actually going to be a thing or not? And then it was like, it was a thing. So I was like, okay, so figured.

Out I think this speaks to an important point though, that makes us so different than everyone else in this industry is that, you know, from the top levels of our company, you know we have a motto, right? For our company, it's called Creator first. And so, you know, the people that are running this company, like Josh Tall and myself for example, are three creators, right? Obviously me back in the OG days, but Josh, in terms of TikTok, TWIL is one of the biggest YouTubers on YouTube. And whenever we make a decision as a company, we ask ourselves, how is this going to benefit our creators that we're working with? And so I think that's something that really makes us vastly different than anyone else in this industry. And again, that's part of the reason.

That I'm, I mean, also like, to that part of like, what I do is like I go and talk to the creators as friends, right?

Yeah.

And it's, it's a lot different than like, oh, the big bad managers yelling at you, post something, then, oh, your friends talking to you about how we're gonna get this next YouTube film.

Right.

It's just, it's a lot different. It's more a friendship, really. It's a family.

Yeah.

Talon X is really just a family. We're all like such good friends.

It's so cool. So with Talent X, what is the number one, and I know you already said it, the number one problem you want to solve with it, because I know you said you want to put the creator first, but what are other talent agencies doing wrong in your opinion?

I mean, it's a laundry list, right? I mean, really the biggest thing, like I said, is really just putting your creator first. Right. And really building a brand around the whole creator.

Right.

So taking a tech Talker branch into YouTube and all social media platforms rather than just solely focusing on TikTok and solely focusing on Instagram. And I think that's something that for us is the most important thing is making sure that our creators are adequately taken care of better than anybody in the space. And we're hiring like crazy right now to make sure that every person that's part of this company is getting adequately taken care of.

That's very, very important because that's a huge thing. There's these managers that out there in the social media space that sign like 30 clients and then they deal with their top two and they don't care about anybody else. They don't do any ads. They like there were people that are represented and I'm not gonna say countries or anything. But they were represented by this one company for probably, like, three to six months, and they didn't get one brand deal. How do you go three to six months without one brand from your manager? That's promising you all these things. Yeah, it's like, now everyone's getting attention. We're extending the lifespan of creators careers as well, because, like, the average is probably 16 months. And then creators gone, right? Like, they blow up, and then, like, they're.

I wouldn't even say 16.

Yeah, probably like, people are blowing up and disappearing. Like it's crazy, right? So what we're able to do is set them up for something where this can be a career for life.

Yeah. Yeah.

Like, we're setting up a lot of strategic partnerships, a lot of companies to where we can, you know, once we sign a guy, we can start plugging into things almost instantly because we have that much deal flow coming in, or if there was that many opportunities coming in, that's something that, again, makes us very different than everyone else.

Very cool. So with social media as a whole, I have a couple more questions, but just thinking back, right? 11 million followers, millions of followers total, coming from that young kid that may be watching this that has aspirations for a creator. How do you not stay driven? But what is the number one thing that not keeps you motivated? Like I said earlier, but how do you always come up with new ideas and new dreams, trends, and just really stay on top of things that are happening? Because you guys are obviously the pros at that, right? People see you guys do something, they're like, oh, we should do that, right? Or, oh, that went viral. Oh, Bryce. Or whoever, it made it pop. How do you guys stay on top of that?

So what I do, what I'm gonna do on YouTube is I'm gonna look at some of the trends, switch it up, make it like my own, and then film it in my own style. So it's like, I'm not hopping on a trend necessarily. I'm making a trend different.

Yeah, you got to be your thing, right? There's people out there that try to. The problem is they try to be somebody else. Like, they're like, oh, this person's being like, they're doing really good. They're successful. Like, if I'm super successful, I shouldn't be like, oh, I'm gonna do the exact same videos as Bryce. Act like Bryce. I'm gonna become Bryce. Because then, like, I was two years ago. You're playing a character.

Yeah.

You're like, you're not. You're not yourself.

Yeah. Okay, well, second to last question before we wrap it up, what is a fun fact about each of you guys that you may have not put out there before or talk on a lot, but you want the audience to know about you?

You want them to know.

Yeah. You want them to know.

Okay, I got one. I don't know.

Not that I want them to know.

Like, a part of your life that you may not show enough that you don't think is highlighted, that you talk on, that you. You want your audience to learn more about or to know about you probably.

Like, I'm pretty athletic and I don't really show my videos.

Okay.

Right. No, I don't do any sports type videos.

So for me, I got two. So if you know me on the business side, you probably don't know that I pretty much only wear Gucci.

So that's a good thing about me. Only wear Gucci. Yeah. Look at this jacket. That's the low key.

Like, did you know?

He knows.

If you can tell, he makes money.

So.

So gg, right? So Gucci General. So my alias, you know, from the gaming world and from the YouTube world was general.

Yeah.

And so, you know, that's kind of how it happened. It wasn't just like, oh, I love Gucci. And then that's just how it happened.

But.

And then on the other side, you know, I was a gaming YouTuber, so that's from the business side.

Yeah.

Very cool. All right. Mine's not, like a serious thing like that. Mine's a little bit of a joke. Like, it's a little, like, funny, I guess. But I do a few, like, dance audios on TikTok. Right. Like, I'll do a dance channel from time to time. I don't think anybody knows this, but I didn't dance when I was a kid for like, one year. I was like 11 years old.

Boy.

I was like 11 years old. And I did.

I didn't dance for years. I think it was ballet. It was like. I don't think it was hip hop. It was something less cool than that. But I remember. I remember I was like, I want to do break dancing. Right? I think that's what I wanted to do. You did a whole year of it.

Come on.

All right, here we go.

Exclusive, guys.

Josh Richards content.

This is just what I do on TikTok. I'm just about to show you guys. You could call this Josh's dance.

Josh Richards.

I don't call it that.

Podcast.

But I think you already know the dance, bro.

I mean, what is it?

What are we doing?

Oh.

All right, ready?

The TikTok is going at it.

Three, two.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wow. Oh my goodness. All right, that's it.

That's it. That's what he learned a year dance.

Year dance.

That's what. Is that how you get 100 million views on TikTok?

Yes.

People watching this Instagram story. That's a hundred million views right there.

100 million.

All right. That's the key. Alright, so last question to wrap it up. We've talked about fun facts, we've talked about business, we've talked about Talent X, the Sway house moving forward into 2020. What should the audience know about this house? About what you guys are creating here at Talon X? What should the world know?

YouTube crazy. Just watch.

That's.

That's it.

Just.

I'm not gonna say it in like a copy way, but we're gonna take over. This house is gonna be on it. Like you're gonna see our faces a little bit more than you want to.

You're gonna see talent X everywhere. We are gonna dominate the space in the esports Influence World.

YouTube, TikTok, everything will take not being said. Last, last thing to wrap it up. Where is the best place that everyone can follow? Follow this whole squad? Where should they go to learn more about us?

Sway LA on Instagram.

Sway la.

That'll keep you guys updated on what.

We did in the house.

Yeah, literally.

Sway in LA. What's the TikTok?

Sway lay.

Is it? Sway Elena. Sway LA on TikTok. Sway LA on Instagram.

Epic. Well, that being said. Any last words guys?

Just be ready for a crazy year.

Honestly, 2020 is gonna be insane.

The first exclusive interview here at this whale we did. Thanks so much for coming on guys and we will talk to you guys soon. Appreciate it.

Yeah, appreciate it, man.

Legacy of Monsters An Apple original series. The world is on fire. I decided to do something about it on November 17th. This place, it's not ours.

Believe me.

The most massive event of the year arrives. If you come with me, you'll know everything. I promise.

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Go, go, go.

Legacy of Monsters stre. November 17th only on Apple TV.