Why Smosh Sold for $0...Then Paid Millions To Buy It Back
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- Опубліковано 9 чер 2024
- I interviewed Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox, the co-founders of Smosh who recently bought back their historic UA-cam channel after 12 years. See written piece in Forbes and studio tour below. Thank you Lickd for sponsoring: get your first 14 days of Lickd stock music for free and save on your first mainstream track here: go.lickd.co/JonYoushaeiv4
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In 2011, Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox were one of the first to sell a UA-cam channel long before the likes of MrBeast started on UA-cam. 12 years later, they’ve become the first to buy a channel back. We discussed Smosh’s evolution from sketch comedy to a production power house with over 35 employees, 5 channels, and 45 million combined subscribers. We also covered the duo’s 2017 split, their solo journeys as creators, and their ultimate reunion to buy back Smosh from Rhett and Link (Mythical Entertainment).
Shoutout to Ricardo Ramirez, Alessandro Bordoni, Samuel Flores and the Richy Films team for helping film this episode. Check them out here: richyfilms.com/
00:00 - 01:51 - The Untold Story of Smosh
1:51 - 10:24 - Why Smosh Sold Its Channel...And What They Got
10:24 - 18:37 - Growing A Creator Business
18:37 - 28:00 - Creative Frustration & Breakthrough
28:00 - 35:47 - Why Anthony Left Smosh...But Ian Stayed
35:47 - 39:40 - Rules for Working With Best Friends
39:40 - 48:53 - Anthony's Solo Creator Career
48:53 - 52:33 - Ian Re-defines Smosh
52:33 - 56:35 - How Smosh Nearly Ended
56:35 - 1:05:55 - Finding Smosh A New Home
1:05:55 - 1:08:34 - Ian & Anthony's Secret Meetings
1:08:34 - 1:22:09 - Buying Back Smosh
1:22:09 - 1:32:38 - How Big Is Smosh Today?
1:32:38 - 1:41:34 - Economics Of Smosh & Memberships
1:41:34 - 1:45:11 - Creating Sustainable Content
1:45:11 - 1:49:56 - Smosh’s Production Process
1:49:56 - 1:55:35 - Sketch Writing Process
1:55:35 - 2:02:19 - Adapting To The Algorithm
2:02:19 - 2:10:38 - What’s Next For Smosh?
#Smosh #AnthonyPadilla #IanHecox #SmoshStudio #rhettandlink #smoshinterview #mrbeast #mkbhd #youtubestudio #smoshpit #smoshgames #boxman #foodbattle #rhettandlink
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ABOUT JON:
One of few marketers to work at both UA-cam and Instagram, Jon Youshaei has been featured in Business Insider, Time, and Inc Magazine and known as the "Creators' Creator"
During five years at UA-cam, Jon was Head of Creator Product Marketing where he worked with UA-cam's top creators and brands to grow their audience and their incomes. During three years at Instagram, Jon helped build their creator team to empower even more creators to grow and monetize.
Now a creator himself, Jon has garnered 500K+ followers, 300M+ views, and has interviewed Logan Paul, Paris Hilton, Terry Crews, Charli D'Amelio, Danny Duncan, Mark Rober, and more. He's been sponsored by top brands like American Express, HubSpot, Fiverr, and Microsoft and got signed by Gary Vaynerchuk to his speaking agency, VaynerSpeakers.
Jon is also a sought-after advisor, investor, and speaker who serves as a Head Creator Advisor for TubeBuddy (analytics platform used by 9M creators), and recognized by NPR as one of the best commencement speakers since 1774 alongside Steve Jobs, Oprah and John F. Kennedy. He has also been Forbes 30 Under 30 and LinkedIn named him as one of their Top Voices on the platform.
![ПОЛНАЯ ИСТОРИЯ ЭКЗОРЦИЗМА [Топ Сикрет]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qBySr6Bt0B8/mqdefault.jpg)
Ian's courage to helm a sinking ship deserves much more love and recognition. As Shayne once said on the Smoshcast, Ian saved Smosh. Pit and Games came out with some of the best content during the slump period and it's going strong since. Thank you Smosh for entertaining us throughout your ebbs and flows
Maybe because the sinking ship was something he created almost 15 years ago at that point? I don't think anyone would just let it die just like that 🥴
@@WoockerSocket2Anthony left tho
@@angelomendoza6666 Ian and Anthony talked about that - the separation had to happen to be able to finally communicate again.
Which is interesting on it's own. if you recall, basically Smosh started with Anthony (the website), and in 2017 he left and Ian took the reign and became a true leader.
The fact that the brand is not dead is really a testament of its own.
Which episode did Shayne say that?
Ian is the heart of smosh and knows what their fans want and likes, if he had left too Smosh would have been dead a long time ago.
Ian explaining the redefining Smosh was so emotional for some reason. Him doing all that all alone and actually succeeding to make them shine individually and make Smosh survive this long... You go Ian I'm so proud of you. Also I'm glad Anthony came back so Ian didn't have to carry all that on his shoulders but they can do it together now. Thanks for this beautiful interview 💖
Well said :) And thanks for watching!
I’m so proud of dad Ian
Ian's maturity and leadership has really, really been under the radar for so long. It's so great to finally see him getting recognition for that, and inspiring to see how humble he still remains with all that praise.
Rhett and Link: "Is there anything we can help"
Ian: "How about X amount of money for Smosh"
Rhett and Link: "Let's talk about that"
Hahaha :')
Que gmm music:
Ian is such an interesting person, I always thought that about him. He's been directly asked about the time between defy and mythical, he's been given a space to flesh out everything that he did for the brand, and he gives a summary of the whole shitshow, doesn't elaborate, but when you hear shane or anyone else who was there they talk so highly of Ian and everything he did for Smosh in so much detail. He makes you think it was so easy and everyone else is so grateful for all the sacrifices and hardwork he put into it it's crazy
I would like to see that video where Shane talks about him :)
@@SkaiderisThe smoshcast channel! In the podcast “I spent an hour with Anthony Padilla” Shayne talks a lot about how Ian saved the company!
I think the only time I've seen him discussing it in more detail is in Ryan Higa's Off The Pill podcast. Not only was he trying to save smosh by holding many meetings with possible buyers to make it happen, he was also managing the channel himself and uploading the few videos they managed to make to keep the channel alive. He also talks about how emotionally draining that whole period of time was, for every time they got a possible buyer, the next day, they would get bad news and then it'd be back to square one and it happened like that many, many times, so it was a four month period of ups and downs and total uncertainty that Ian pulled Smosh through, before Mythical showed up to save the day. He wasn't even able to keep the cast and crew fully informed about what was going on, so it must've been a pretty lonely time too. My boy deserves all the praises he can get. He is the beating heart of Smosh.
i mean his only other option he had was a grandma cooking show lol
The past Anthony was truly ambitious and didn’t know what to prioritize. The past Ian was more relaxed about the situation they were in. After Anthony left and Defy got shut down, Ian had to taste what it felt like to be on Anthony’s shoes back then. Ian had to be more ambitious about Smosh to protect everyone who still were on board. Meanwhile, Anthony had to learn more of how to let go, or to be more relaxed and insignificant, and probably his interview contents helped him in shaping his new outlook in life.
After these two had gone down their own phases, they came to a point of equilibrium. Now Anthony has learned that he doesn’t need to be too overly ambitious, he can be more relaxed too, to be more stoic. On the other hand, Ian also has learned that he can’t always be happy-go-lucky with everything and learned to have more sense of ownership to his own legacy.
This new balance in their own characters and self-improvement is what eventually brings them together again after a long period of silence. They probably surprised each other with how much similar to each other they had become, after learning things the hard way.
This is such a beautiful story. I may be wrong with my interpretation of their real situations, but still, it is one of the greatest stories in the history of people.
this is so beautifully well put together
So well said!! Thanks for sharing :)
Like coming in full circle
I’m always impressed by how well this duo does when speaking together in interviews and in videos. They don’t speak over one another. They show forms of active listening when the other is speaking. They use verbal and sometimes physical indicators when handing off speaking responsibilities. As someone whose fascinated by psychology and speech, they are great examples for people to learn from
Such a great point! They're really in sync. Thanks so much for watching and sharing 🙏
maybe there's a bit of editing but idk lol
@@highdefinition450 thanks for the comment! It contributed a lot to the conversation.
@@youshaei YOU deserve great praise for this interview too❤ without even accidentally interrupting their natural convo, which is normal when you are the host.. this feels like you were interviewing as well as listening❤ kudos bro
I’m only 30 mins in but I just have to say that I’m impressed with your ability to just let them speak. Other interviewers would bounce off of each statement and change the topic, but you really let them talk about their experiences and allowed them to be honest.
Hats off to you!
Thanks Alex! Least I can do with how candid they were with their answers
This is why UA-cam interview channels are far superior than TV's or radio
They don't go on a schedule for the next show. Here, they simply let it all flow until there's nothing more that needs to be said
Such an epic story of friendship and growing. They've both been through so much. Glad they were able to renew their friendship and get their business back
Such a special story, grateful I got to speak with them both 🙏
And thank you @@youshaei for sharing that with us. Loved the video
@Xel562 For real, up close and personal stuff is wildly appreciated by both Anthony's own audience and the Smosh's audience as a whole, so being able to see all of them together just talking and having a good time with each other is really great content.
Haven't watched this yet but I'm proud of Ian, Anthony, their crew and Mythical Productions for keeping Smosh alive.
Same here 👏
You haven't watched your own video?
The story of Smosh is seriously one of the most inspiring stories out there. What I love the most is that they had the courage to build it beyond just Ian and Anthony. I love the entire cast and crew of Smosh, the funniest bunch making some of the best videos on the internet ❤
Agreed 🙏 Thanks for watching!
I feel for Ian. You can tell Anthony hurt him. Not intentionally. BUT his heart was broken when Anthony left. Not only did Ian have to mourn the loss of Smosh, he was also mourning the loss of Anthony. His best friend. Ian needs all the love he can get. If it wasn’t for Ian, Smosh would have been a thing in the past. I know Ian and Anthony are cool with each other, BUT I could understand why Ian would have walls built up towards Anthony. I could understand why Ian would have some resentment towards Anthony back in the day. I’m glad that is past them now.
I mean he was definitely hurt but I think he has forgiven him. Rationally speaking at least, emotionally he still needs to feel safe again to really open up and it might take a while but you can already tell he's less guarded now compared to some time ago. He is suspicious by nature and after what he went through he naturally put even more walls up, so tearing them down isn't easy but I have hope because I can tell he wants to cherish this and make it work from how he speaks.
@@fantasuga4502 i agree. They are good now because even they said they wanted to work on them before trying to mend Smosh. Their relationship with each other are far more important vs their relationship with Smosh. Anthony had some healing to do as well. If Smosh ends today or years from now, they’ll still have each other and that is what counts! ❤️❤️
Well, it's good that Anthony left, cause he was at his low point of life. He didn't want to drag Ian, I think. So both of them were equally hurt and that wasn't anyone's fault
@@fantasuga4502that’s why the built there friendship over a year before even bringing up buying smosh, for them having that back was far more important.
I have thought about this so many times and came to a conclusion that if I were on Ian's shoes, I would have a hard time forgiving Anthony for like, abandoning me in that shitty situation, but I'm glad that they have had time and terapy to cure all of this remorse and resentment and get everything back to normal
It's not that Anthony is nothing without smosh, or Ian being nothing without Anthony. They have value, but they bring the best out in each other.
They really do!
that was an amazing video and just hearing ian and anthony talk about each other and MULTIPLE TIMES they say how they never found anyone else who matched their creative energys...its so heart warming. LIKE IAN SAYING NO ONE BUT ANTHONY can bring ian up to a 100% in the writing process is just making me cry. THEY R SUCH SOULMATES
Yess! Well said, hearing that was so heartwarming ❤️
I think the most interesting wrinkle to defy crumbling apart is that the warp zone was bought by Smosh who was bought by mythical and then Smosh gave the warp zone back to the warp zone guys. That was a very risky yet kind move on behalf of Ian and mythical to do that. That's how you know Ian is just a good dude at heart no matter what.
Ian:; "Anthony doesn't know how to not put all his heart into something".
That sentence, to me, neatly encapsulates why they both made the choices they did and how both of their paths are perfectly understandable.
I feel like Ian is so proud of what he built when Anthony says how surprised he is that things are ready when they go to film a sketch, and I think it's good that Ian has something to be proud of because he is 50% of this company and before that he was 70%-90% before Anthony came back and he really should be proud of himself for keeping this company running for so long through everything this business has gone through. He is very humble (which is good) but I think it's important for Ian to know how important his contribution was to the livelihood of the channel in general
I teared up about 5 times watching this. Smosh is such a source of joy and comfort for me for over a decade. Thank you Ian for keeping Smosh alive, and thank you Anthony for helping to take Smosh to this new exciting era. This is the golden age for me.
That means so much!! So glad this conversation is reaching the OG Smosh community
I started in watching Smosh when Anthony was already gone. "You posted that" got me into Smosh. I never stopped watching and I was very happy for them when Anthony came back.
this interview was so well conducted. every time they gave a response you had such a nice way of compounding on that response instead of just repeating what they said or being like "yeah wow" like so many other interviewers would. such a quality interview with some genuinely great host chemistry. felt like 3 people who were all on the same wavelength having a great chat about the history of smosh. thank you very much for this clever and insightful interview with my favorite youtubers!
Thank you this made my day!! Means so much given the time I put into prepping for these interviews. Really appreciate the kind words 🙏
@@youshaei the prep time really shows my man. and if you see this i would also like to note that i really love your calm presence. The pre interview research and calm demeanor really combine for a spectacular interview, and i forgot to mention in my original comment, but you asked some very hard hitting questions that i feel most other interviews with them kind of just avoided altogether. and when they didnt feel like sharing a specific answer you didnt keep pressing, simply respected the answer given and moved on. ill be sure to watch more of your interviews in the future.
2 hours of Ian and Anthony content so happy ❤
Enjoy!!
This was a GREAT interview! Ian really carried Smosh on his shoulders for awhile and i am so excited for them to be back together and making content again.
Thank you!
Ian really did save smosh, and will give this credit only to him. He deserves it, there would be no smosh to buy back if it wasnt for him.
So the producers, editors, assistants, cast, sound department, ect did nothing? 🤔
Sure Ian was at the helm but it was a joint effort, like he said. A good team is important
I was hoping that someone would interview them on this whole process. I watched their podcast interview but they went there separately and I really wanted a full interview with both of them present. like how they really went into details in here too, fascinating.
I love them. Watched them since the very beginning. I was very very young and probably shouldn't have been watching them lol but my whole childhood and teenage years were spent watching them. They've got me through some very dark times. Theyre so funny and genuine and kind. I hope to meet them one day. My dad was never around so THEY were my dad even tho theyre closer to my age than my dads. Theyre still my dads. Im so proud of them and so happy they bought it back and got back together. I was so sad when anthony left and when they got back together i cried and was telling all my friends about it. They saved my life. Idk if youtubers realize or understand this, but they save lives everyday. Just watching them and the cast and crew gives me such joy. Yesterday was my 21st birthday and before I went out last night, i spent all day watching them. Theyve had no controversy, theyve never been cancelled. Theyre such nice people and deserve everything theyve achieved
So awesome to hear this story, thanks so much for sharing
I genuinely have so much admiration for Ian like I hope he knows how much all of us appreciate him
Ahhh I’ll be 32 this year, and Smosh was the first UA-cam channel I was loyal to. I feel like I grew up with Ian and Anthony. I’m so damn proud of them.
I am so glad they have a nice handful of viewers around their age!
Seeing Ian & Anthony not only become close friends again, but reclaim/own the one thing that made them who they are today "Smosh", is an incredible story that I myself has been following ever since i was 8 years old. They are truly one of my strongest inspirations for becoming a UA-camr, and I have to say thank you to Jon for shining the light on these two. Along with other creators like Danny Duncan, because unfortunately these creators aren't given the flowers that they deserve, which is why i appreciate what Jon has done in his mission of spreading the lime light to those that are worthy of it, and I know one day that I will be the one giving and receiving as well.
-Amr H.
Friendship is the soul of everything. So is hardwork and trust, this story teaches us to reach goals even in the toughest of times and thanks for bringing this for us Jon! Ian and Anthony are amazing 💙
Appreciate your kind words as always Suraj!
The best part of 2018 shut down other than Rhett & Link buying Smosh is that they bought the warped zone. They saved the warped zone from being nothing and saving a smaller UA-cam channel from death is great and heart warming
I really like the in depth questions that was asked to Anthony and Ian which have been touched on in their various appearances elsewhere as guests and in their own content, but this gives a lot further context into their mindset and the circumstances of these big events in their journey together and as individuals. And I'm so happy to see them creating sketches again, from the beginning, even with just a web cam and before any classes, they had this innate sense of comedic rhythm and cinematic sense in both writing, filming, and editing that was very sophisticated from the jump which made their evolution with better equipment and know-how astronomical in the presentation of their creativity during the time period where they had full creative control of their work. Their new sketches continue to expand on their unique creative chemistry and humor and I'm so happy to continue to watch along side Anthony's I Spent a Day with series, which has had it's own fascinating evolution and continues to be refined. Very cool to see the two co-existing now and hopefully for a very long time.
This means so much!! I really appreciate you sharing and watching 🥹
From hearing everything so far I am honestly appreciative that there is a moment to explain certain definitions, people, abbreviations, etc to make it more accessible and understandable to others
The whole Smosh story is so interesting to me.
As someone who was around in the early days of UA-cam and Smosh and saw some of their videos and was subscribed, I think, but didn't follow them closely.
I only really started fully watching in the last 2 years, so the turbulent years passed by in my periphery and I wasn't really aware of it.
Learning about it since Anthony came back has been very interesting.
The choices leading up to Anthony leaving makes perfect sense, him leaving makes perfect sense, Ian staying makes perfect sense.
It's sad but wholesome story with a happy ending.
And Ian to an extent deciding to go down with a sinking ship and managing to stop it from sinking and sail on to prosperity deserves a lot of praise.
As does Rhett and Link, them being able and willing to buy Smosh, understand it, and then sell it really did save it.
I am crying watching this video.... I am so proud of their friendship and make everything better.. Also I really proud of Ian for being strong and brave managing a huge company on his own and to see him grow to be a boss, a friend and a person who is so caring of all the people around him and make sure everyone is apart of smosh was given the opportunity to grow and be creative.. TQ Ian for not giving up on smosh and keep the ship afloat.... ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Aw this means so much!! It was a really special conversation.. thank you so much for watching and of course for being an OG Smosh fan 🥹
Tq for doing this video... It really means alot to all smosh fans 😊
Awwwwww.... it was painful to see Ian tearing up. Such a strong man. Bless his heart
timestamp?
I don't think I noticed that. Do you remember when
? I don't think he teared up. Even when you can tell he is feeling stuff for his body language and stuff, he tries to keep it from showing during things like this
BAIT
@roohalji125 -- Baited Comment. He never teared up.
I just noticed this was filmed in the Flashback with Smosh Set lol
I think seeing how much Ian fought for Smosh made Anthony want to come back.
It's fucking insane to me, how Ian, someone who didn't necesarrily push for a leadership role before had to rise up to the task of becoming an actual leader when Anthony left, ironically because he wanted to be a leader but couldn't. Like I just cannot fathom what determination it must take to take that role because without you doing that it would all fall apart.
💯 you said it
I love them both so much. They are such interesting people and their story is so interesting as well. I am so glad they are back. Thanks for these videos on Smosh! 💛
Agreed 🙏 Thanks so much for watching
So thankful that mythical helped smosh stay alive, i love both. Grew up loving both.
And Ian for not giving up on it.
It’s beautiful how much more connected they seem here than in their June videos together
Honestly the best interview of the Anthony and Ian reunion thus far 👏🏽👏🏽
Wow thank you! There’s been so many good interviews after the reunion so that’s amazing to hear 🙏
I’m so sad that the bloopers and behind the scenes didn’t do well in the past, I loved watching them 😢 and now they’re members only 😭
I mean, I actually support that move
They literally are in debt for millions for buying back Smosh
At least now, having all the heat from the fans loving their come back, it's the best time to get as much funding as possible
Big Smosh fan. Been a part of this for a long time so I can't explain how grateful and emotional I feel about them buying Smosh back. Unlike a lot of UA-camrs and internet stars they stayed humble and real too which is so rare and I love how you can tell that they are genuinely good guys. I feel so lucky to get to see this crazy journey happen in real time, it is so rewarding to someone who has been here all along.
Agreed, it's been an incredible journey to watch 🙏
It’s so crazy that before when they were separated,Ian and Anthony being going to different podcasts alone and now they’re together to go to be interviewed
Thank you for bringing this interview to us!
Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you for this incredible interview. This is my intro to you and I’m pumped for further content from you
This means so much to me! Lots more coming :)
I hope these two kids know how much I love them. Just sending a warm hug to you both.
Say what u want, Ian is the new “the hot one” right now ❤🔥
I love them because of their personalities, but not gonna lie it doesn't hurt that they're both cute 😏
Still funny af though
Hes always been the hot one tf you mean 😅
This is some solid ass content right here. Great interview/conversation. Love what your channel is becoming, and I'm glad to see my old friends from O.G. UA-cam back together again.
So appreciate the kind words!! Lots more to come 🙏
I appreciate the sound effect for the little tips at the bottom of the screen! I like that i can look over to see the detail while still mostly listening to the video like a podcast (and the sound effect itself is a nice choice, distinct enough from the other sounds but not jarring/annoying like a ding would be)
Oh thank you! That’s actually really good to hear because we’ve been removing a lot of the other sound effects to make our interview videos more listenable as a podcast but that sound effect for the tips is one of the few we kept in to help people take notes
Glad you did this! Enjoyed it very much. Thank you! Have been watching them since 2006 and even though they don't know I exist I'm weirdly proud of them and it also feels weirdly good to support them as a member
So great to hear this! Thanks for watching 🙏
I really enjoyed this, I was a fan of smosh back in the day but stopped watching around the time that anthony left. I have been rediscovering it and finding that it is even better than it used to be because of the care mythical and Ian put into it. I have been loving what ian and anthony have been doing the last few months and I feel like you can see it in the energy of the cast as well.
Appreciate it!! Especially from an OG fan like yourself
Everyone needs a friend like Ian
Ian and Anthony are legit the dads of youtube. Like you look to them for words of wisdom when they are being serious. Ive loved them since i found smosh in 2010
Ian in interview and Ian in Smosh videos are two different people.
I'm all in for this even if it takes all day to watch.
Haha yess love to hear it
@@youshaei finally man why did it take you so long to publish it you said it would only take a week lol and I waited so long for this after the tour video😅
Such a good interview Jon, well done. Ian and Anthony are truly an inspiration
That means a lot!! Thanks for watching :)
I have so much respect for both of these guys. You could say Anthony just walked away but truthfully it’s so hard to recognize that you need to leave something behind and actually going through with it. Especially with something like this where he built it from the ground up and put some much time and energy into it.
Ian worked so hard to keep smosh alive. It says a lot about him how many people stuck through the rough periods especially when they didn’t know if they’d have a job the next day. They all speak so highly of him, he must be an amazing boss.
this video is literally life changing. thank you for this content
too kind thank you! Credit to Ian and Anthony for keeping it so candid
I'd like to see Ian and Anthony expanding their sketches and develop the cast's ideas. Amanda, Arasha and Angela did their own prank videos. It would be fun to watch the creative process.
I feel things playing out the way they did is why they will be succesfull for instance, I feel like Anothony always had the idea of "ownership" because he created it and ran it for the most part for the first few years of getting it off the ground. I feel that probably created some form of tension between the 2 and weird feelings. However with Ian taking charge of Smosh for a few years while Anthony was gone and helping redifine what it is today I think totally erased that thought of "ownership" for the both of them because now in my mind its "fair"
Love what you’re building here Jon
thank you! Always love seeing your comments Jacklyn, hopefully we'll catch up IRL one of these days!
I absolutely adore this duo and i have a ton of respect for Ian
They’re soulmates, your honor.
What Anthony said at the end omg that’s exactly how I feel Iv been watching since the beginning. I was in middle school at the time like 5th 6 grade. I graduated in 2012 and I just met a coworker my age and we were just talking about smosh and the beginning. Everyone in my high school and middle school watch a lot and we always talked about it. You guys have always made me smile through out the years and have always cheered me up since the world is so insane right now. I’m officially 30 as of October and I’ll watch till the end.
I’ve been watching over and over all day. Going back and repeating sections. I could listen to Ian & Anthony speak for hours. I am someone like Anthony who always feels like they need to be in control & rarely remember to feel grateful in the moment. I can learn a lot from Ian, slow & steady, & calm is equally important. They feel equally grounded & balanced now too. It’s an amazing journey to watch.
This is so awesome to hear, thank you for watching this special conversation 🥹
Just finished watching the whole interview. Great conversation and insights. Thank you for sharing. 😃
Thank you for watching! 🙏
Maybe I am just thinking too hard but this might be the most insightful interview for those we see content creation as income producing venue! Much respect
thank you Darren! Means a lot. Would love to have you join my Discord community where we have 3,000 creators helping each other grow:. Feels like you would be a great fit: www.discord.gg/created
They trail-blazed the wrong trail and that's how all UA-camrs know which trail to take
i feel like i learned more about how to have a successful business from this video than I would any class about it
Made my day to hear that, thank you!
Loved this. Very happy you took time to do this interview!
Thanks so much! So happy you enjoyed
Such a good in depth conversation about everything, thanks for the great video :)
So glad you enjoyed!
I'm so glad Anthony came back on his own terms, and the time apart was constructive, but damn, I respect Ian so much for the work he did in that time apart to keep Smosh afloat and heading in the best direction available. The joke has been made that our man was a single father there for a long time, and honestly that was the vibe post Defy explosion
I was waiting for this interview. I this was really cool to watch, good job. ( why did you guys photoshop brown eyes on Ian though in the thumbnail? 🤣 I'm watching this on my TV and the bigger version of the thumbnail with brown eyed Ian is triggering OCD 😂 )
THIS IS A MASTERCLASS OF MAKING VIDEOS. Incredible. I love Smosh, they are always going to be an inspiration for me and been able to Watch this full circle that they are talking about is awseome. SMOSH THE GOATS OF UA-cam
Yess well said 🙌
Man.. these guys seem like they learned a lot and are super experienced on the importance of delegating and working with others with their creative visions.. Cool dudes.
I was super happy to see that this video was out and then when I realised it was 2 hours long my day got 100 times better-
2 full hours of SMOSH 🙏
I would love to see a documentary on them.
I appreciate this interview so much. Also it made me reflect on my self on how creativity can either make or break you if you drive it the exhausting in the wrong technique. Learned so much about Smosh and thank you for highlighting those points.❤️
Such an amazing and inspiring story from one of the first ever UA-cam channel's I became a fan of! Ian and Anthony are such important figures to my childhood so it truly is inpriational to see how far they have come since I was 12! They motivate me to continue chasing the dream myself and I hope I can spread light in the form of comedy to thie world just like they do :)
I never watched the old Smosh, I would watch some videos the last few years with the cast, whenever some videos would pop up in my recommended and they seemed interesting enough. I knew about Rhett and Link basically saving Smosh, having watched GMM almost daily back in 2018, that connection made me a bit more interested in Smosh. I would at times check out their podcasts and stuff. When I heard the news about Anthony and Ian buying Smosh back, I felt happy, just because how nice of an outcome it was for everyone. I didn't find my interest in the channel change though.
Somehow, lately, like over the past two weeks or so, I have been watching the new videos with Anthony, and watching Flashback with Smosh and experiencing their old content through that series, and watching the interviews Ian and Anthony have been doing. I have been feeling so happy for them. I have been getting more and more interested in the content too.
In the middle of watching this (there's still like an hour left to watch) I just decided to become a member of their channel. Literally the first time I bought any membership on UA-cam haha. I just want to see them succeed and thrive so much. Like I have other youtubers I am a bigger fan of, but these two really deserve all the support and I have been enjoying all the insight on how they make videos etc. that I kinda really want to watch the bts videos and the watch parties :D
as an og fan of smosh that just went back after anthony coming back, i have a somewhat similar experience as you but me rediscovering how the rest of the cast are as amazing as these two are. but im so happy seeing someone completely new enjoying and supporting them as much i do, thank you
I've been doing UA-cam for almost a decade and I have never heard of Smosh. Wild.
i really like how often anthony says "something you can't help but (tune into/support/watch/etc)" i'm sure he doesn't notice it but it sounds like he's always pitching or trying to sell an idea. it's cute
This story really mirrors like what a divorce story where they get back together in the end would go 😅 and we are all the children
Hahah that’s definitely one way to put it
They are so honest here. Not like in their video on reading Anthony's letter to Ian
I came back to watching smosh when they announced Anthony was coming back and they were buying smosh back. Its so cool to see how its grown so much after not watching for probably 10 years or more
Really cool interview, watched all of it! I've been a long time Smosher (since 2011) and it's really good seeing them come all this way :)
Thanks so much! Means a lot coming from an OG Smosher
I’m glad you left UA-cam to do your own thing this is A class interviewing you can tell you’ve done your research and are actually interested in the interview well done!
This means so much 🙏 I put so much time in prepping and researching each guest
Their story helps me get through my career slump...
I haven't figured things out yet but if these two friends are okay, I know things will be okay
My favourite part of this is hearing Anthony talk about how impressed he was to watch from afar as Ian grew into a leader, which made Anthony realize he could come back and be his partner knowing that Ian was now capable of shouldering some of the leadership 🥲.
One of my favorite parts too 🥹 Thanks for watching!
Wait Ian and Anthony are back together? Yay!
Looking forward to watching the rest of this episode!
Thanks Luna! Excited to hear what you think :)
@youshaei Just finished!!! It was great, Jon! I took some notes throughout the interview [but I'll try not to bore with a bullet list!]
The story of Anthony and Ian's friendship is encouraging. The idea of friends "becoming acquaintances" is in a sense...heartbreaking. The single line, “You guys became full on acquaintances,” hit in a way I couldn’t have anticipated. Knowing that friendships will weaken, transform, die - and yet, seeing that there is a possibility to nurture those relationships and reconnect.
Thank you to the Smosh duo for sharing their valleys along with the contagious Joyful Absurdity. [What a brilliant term!!!] So glad to see them thriving today. Definitely something special about childhood friendships. ❤️
The pokemon graphics were such a good touch!! Charmander -> Charizard shots perfectly matched Ian's "dad" shirt [perhaps an epic coincidence 🤔]
I noted early in the podcast that screenshots or clips of "old YT" always feel nostalgic. Thanks for including those!! Sometimes it feels like yesterday. Clicking 5 stars with a blocky YT homepage. But sometimes it feels like a previous lifetime. Later hearing you mention, "The power of nostalgia," made me realize... It's possible to feel nostalgic for something you were not a part of, yet occurred during an era you were in a similar space. I did not watch Smosh in the early days, but 2005/2006 YT were heavily part of my computer usage. I'd not heard of "Food Battle 2006" until today, and yet it felt like A BLAST FROM THE PAST. The fonts, the year, the camera quality. Hearing Anthony talk about his excitement at the time learning to edit and add in fonts with the swoosh and explosion. Even having watched the video at the time, nor at all, this interview shined a light on an enjoyable piece of the past. So, thank you. [Also, gonna go watch it!!]
I love that Smosh's Spanish channel is dubbed by someone who used to do fandubs!!!
I’m realizing I have too many thoughts about this episode…
Oh...one more thing!!! Always get excited at the mention of people speaking Farsi [despite having never learned! My late father was Iranian, and I grew up hearing the long distance Farsi phone calls, eating Persian food daily, and celebrating Persian New Year]. I suppose it's excitement coupled with a tinge of envy! You've mentioned Farsi in other videos as well. Sometimes it's odd, having always identified with the Persian half, being able to identify when people around may be speaking Farsi, but never being able to engage with those people. But anywho, figured I'd mention it as it was on my mind. Always cool to grow up with multiple languages. Thank you for sharing that piece!
Oh no. I'm sorry for such a long comment! I suppose I'm glad it will be buried in the reply tab that hopefully no one clicks. XD
Love this interview and the whole video is incredibly well done! I'm a new Smosh subscriber and have been binging the whole catalogue of the last few years. Flashbacks with Smosh is quite a genious way to fill in the lore of Smosh for new viewers! I knew of Smosh and had been following Anthony, possibly after Mykie from Glam and Gore introduced their relationship. And I feel like some of that resentment or whatever his relation to the channel was at time time of his own channel gaining viewership transplanted into me. I didn't know nor care to be interested and the content I'd been consuming had been quite different from theirs. I understood Smosh as foundational for the evolution of youtube as a platform and adopted a by proxy adversion to what had become of it without ever checking out for myself. Looking back, I feel so sad for how the cast and Ian and Anthony themselves had to answer for how they were handled by Defy and how cosmically unfair the situation was in the first place. Still, Ian and Athony buying the brand back felt historical to me and finally got me into it. A story about estranged friends rekindling their relations and getting back something that was rightfully theirs is just generally personally touching. I can appreciate the whole history of smosh now from a somewhat outsider hindsight perspective, have already grown to love the many faces throughout the years and all the different realms of Smosh, and having little personal attachments to "the old smosh" I have no issue accepting anything to come as what Smosh will be, as what it really is now. Ian and Anthony being so open about their history both personally and professionally, the lingering questions all this time and the ways all of it affected their friendship is admirable. Even if some of it comes from a place of feeling they have to explain themselves, I feel like there's something valuable in sharing the behind the scenes, not only as a way for old and new viewers to get to live through this historical turn of events, but also for all other creators to learn from it.
I truly wish them the best. It's so good to see them genuinely in it together, with a vision and determination to get to do their very own thing again.
Thank you so much! Their journey has been really special to watch and getting the chance to speak with them was a really full circle moment for me 🙏
I stopped watching Smosh long before the new crew was being added, but I remember the new crew being my last straw and completely unsubscribing. I just didn't enjoy the new content being thrown out. When Anthony and Ian announced that they had bought back Smosh, curiosity got the best of me and I started binge watching all of their content, now I absolutely love the entire crew. There are some shows that I can't really watch (TNTL for example I don't really like how they improv) but every other show I love
FINALLY the interview i've been waiting for since june 20, 2023. so so insightful.
Thank you so much :)
Dude I played food battle on my phone when I was in sixth grade and had no friends at lunch
Came here to watch my smosh boys, though as soon as I saw you I thought 'yeah that guy must know Hebrew' so to hear later in the video that you do was entertaining.
Will be subscribing to your channel from now on cause I like your vibes and quality :)
haha finally putting it to good use! Appreciate the sub and hope you enjoy our other videos too : )
I have been waiting for this interview for like a week now. Phew!
Had to get it just right 🙏
Being a born and raised resident of OK when he first talked about their first defy salaries, I was shocked that they thought that those numbers were bad 😂 then I remembered they are in Cali