Snapchat the attention-grabbing headlines).

Today people don’t talk

Despite its 173 million daily active users (DAU), its 10 billion about sexting and Snapchat in the same breath anymore, just
daily video views, its 2.5 billion daily snaps, and the as people stopped sneering at Twitter for being the place
approximately 18 visits it enjoys from its DAU per day, 1 where attention hogs posted what they ate for lunch, and at
Snapchat remains another massively underestimated platform. Facebook for being a place where college students shared
Let me clue you in to an important tell: when the “normals,” their beer-pong pics. Today the Snapchat app allows you to
that is, the nontech, nonbusiness crowd, are the first to start post video as well as photos and has added all kinds of extras,
spending inordinate amounts of time on a platform, that’s the like filters, Geofilters, lenses, emojis, and videoediting tools
signal to start paying close attention. That’s what drew me to like slo-mo. Content is no longer ephemeral. You could always
Musical.ly early on, and it’s why I knew Snapchat had an hack by taking screenshots of images to save them, but with
exciting future when it first came out in 2011. I saw it as the the addition of Memories, which stores your content on the
first social network to closely re-create the way we app’s servers, Snapchat essentially caved in to the human
communicate face-toface. Its founders, Evan Spiegel and desire to save and revisit the important moments of our lives.
Bobby Murphy, conceived it as the antiFacebook, a The game-changing introduction, however, and the one that
photo-sharing app for spontaneous, imperfect, and would turn out to have the most influence on influencers, was
impermanent content. When Snapchat first came on the scene Stories, a function that allows you to link a series of videos and
in 2011, the messaging app’s vertical video and left-right photos to tell a longer narrative, visible to the whole Snapchat
swiping had people totally confused. It took most users, even community for twenty-four hours. It arrived in 2013, and I very
the young, a few minutes to click around and get used to it. publicly pronounced it a dud. You can watch me make my
For teens, though, it was worth figuring out, because it blunder emphatically and passionately at the LeWeb’13
addressed two universal adolescent realities: (1) You don’t conference on YouTube. I loved the platform, but I thought the
want to hang where you mom hangs out, and (2) You want to change introduced too much friction in the UI and betrayed the
lock your room. Because adults didn’t get it, because images whole point of the app, which was to create snack-size
“self-destructed” one to ten seconds after being opened, and disappearing content. I was dead wrong. The Story feature
because it gave you the option of drawing and writing text or became the main place where users could consume content at
captions on top of your pictures, the kids were quick to see its scale. Less than a year later, 40 percent of American
potential as texting 2.0—a freer, less curated, and less teenagers were using Snapchat daily. I learned an important
dangerous place than other platforms to share and creatively lesson from that bad call on Snapchat: a devoted, sticky fan
express themselves. And share they did; it became widely base is willing to be patient as you experiment your way to the
derided and even feared as the next sexting tool for the high next iteration. The next big launch, Discover, saw Snapchat
school set (though it never really was a sexting app; that was graduate into a bona fide media platform by offering a page
just the media jumping on a select few cases and running with where users would find a slew of brands like National

Geographic, T-Mobile, and ESPN. Snapchat now had access house by jet ski, only to get caught off guard by the waning
to advertising revenue, and that meant so did anyone who early-winter light. Disoriented in the now pitch-black water, he
could crack the Snapchat code. The man who did that is proceeded to snap his entire ordeal until he finally made it
named DJ Khaled, but before I introduce him, we’re going to back to shore. By the next day, his popularity—and his
reminisce about Ashton Kutcher. He wasn’t the first star on personal brand—had exploded. DJ Khaled made it official:
Twitter—big shout-out to MC Hammer (joined in May 2007) Snapchat was now a star-making vehicle. So how did Khaled
and LeVar Burton (joined in December 2008)—but after joining do it? How does a grown-up become famous on a platform
in January 2009, Kutcher was the first celebrity to truly scale that serves as a communication tool among tweens and
his brand through the platform. Like Hammer and Burton, he’d teens? By not overthinking anything. Unpolished content is
been building his brand through talent and hustle for decades native to Snapchat, and Khaled just was who he was. Some
as a model, a sitcom and film actor, and a producer and people might call such banal, spontaneous content dumb and
director for the reality-TV show Punk’d. I often talk about worthless, but that would be like saying that the minutiae of
Kutcher when I talk about the history of Twitter, because it was our lives are dumb and worthless. They’re not. When
only four months after joining that he became the first Twitter combined, those raw, unfiltered moments make up who we
user to boast one million followers, thanks to a brilliant are. We don’t judge mundane behavior as dumb when we
campaign of challenging CNN to a race to hit the milestone. interact with people; we save such judgment for truly dumb
Suddenly Twitter, which had seemed like a joke to most behavior. We accept people in their natural habitats, and we
people, was mainstream. DJ Khaled created the Ashton understand that every word people utter is not going to be
Kutcher moment for Snapchat. For over two decades, he built movie script–worthy. Snapchat is simply a channel that
a name for himself in the music industry as a Miami-based DJ, captures that unvarnished reality. The only reason some
producer, and radio host. Khaled joined Snapchat in the fall of people think what gets shared there is dumb is because it’s on
2015, snapping inspirational and motivational “keys” to life and a screen, and we’ve been conditioned to think that anything on
success. His fondness for the platform, he wrote in his memoir, a screen has to be perfectly produced and performed. On
The Keys, was that, “It’s not about the angle or editing or Twitter we’re expected to be clever or politically astute and
lighting or how good you look, it’s just you for ten seconds insightful. Facebook is where we show off our families and
being real with your fans.” 2 That authenticity had earned him vacations. On Instagram we build relationships through
a sizable fan base. By November or December of that year, images and short videos. Snapchat, though, is where we put
anyone following social media could see that whatever it was our throwaway content. It’s a relief to many because it
he was doing, it was something special. Thousands of kids demands little of either its content creators or users. It
were showing up to meet his bus in places like Des Moines, eliminated the great barrier to many social networks, which is
Iowa. You could start to feel that the scale of Snapchat was the anxiety of wondering what you’re going to post next,
shifting. Then, in December of that year, Khaled left a friend’s whether it will be well received, and whether it could come
back to haunt you one day. With the freedom to post anything, people who have already gotten some brand traction and are
people could experiment and get comfortable building their becoming influencers, including some featured in this book,
personal brands without fear of repercussions. That opened stopped producing content on Snapchat as soon as Instagram
the floodgates for many to unleash their creativity and discover Stories came out in August 2016. The thinking was that
and develop new skills. More than one person has left a Snapchat is toast. Why bother? You bother because it’s a
corporate job or fledgling startup because playing around on mistake to give up one of the tools in your tool belt for no
Snapchat led them to create a new art medium or become an reason. Hear this: Instagram and Snapchat are not the same.
influencer, which attracted brands eager to pay them tens of As always, people are looking for different things on each.
thousands of dollars to promote their products in Snapchat Why would you deprive them? Sure, it’s hard. That’s the
Stories. It is staggering how many families are filming their challenge. But that’s also the opportunity. Because it’s hard,
days and building actual fame. It’s especially easy if you’re only one in twenty of you is going to do it well. You should be
willing to include your children. That’s an extremely personal busting your ass to be that one in twenty. I understand that you
choice, but babies and cute animals always win, hands down. want to focus on what is giving you the best returns right now,
Kerry Robinson learned that when she used Snapchat to film but what if it doesn’t always? And why would you turn your
herself engaging in #salontalk with her baby girl, Jayde, while back on a potentially whole new audience? As I write this
Jayde took to her mom’s hair with a brush. Her Stories on book, I’m constantly checking the App Store to see which
Facebook went viral and garnered articles and TV segments in platforms are ranked highest. Snapchat is often in the top five.
national media, from CBS News to Essence magazine. Today That means it’s not an irrelevant platform, and no influencer is
Jayde has her own ad-supported YouTube channel with too good for it. If anything, this app is one of the most valuable
seventy-four thousand subscribers and an Instagram account for anyone whose brand is starting to scale. Much of your
with more than two hundred thousand followers. You can competition has surely become too reliant and focused on
watch a video of her opening a gift of children’s products from Instagram, which means those potential eyeballs still on
a hair care company and see a photo that expresses thanks Snapchat are looking for more content to feed them. Make
for a T-shirt sent by a company that celebrates children with sure you’re the one to deliver it. It is so easy for influencers to
naturally curly hair. You couldn’t get a purer example of a become sucked into the vortex of the media machine they’ve
person who is famous—and, it would seem, earning created. You risk becoming a caricature of yourself, especially
money—for simply being herself. That’s what can come from on Instagram, where the images are so highly curated. As a
posting a single piece of excellent content. What will come of feature within your Instagram ecosystem, Instagram Stories
Jayde’s online celebrity in the long term remains to be seen, of are almost required to stay within the lines and support the
course, but at a time when people are desperate for good narrative you’ve created there. Snapchat, on the other hand, is
news and uplifting, heartwarming content, a glimpse of your an entity unto its own. You can use it to break away from the
ordinary life could be just what they’re looking for. Many familiar narrative and show sides of yourself that simply don’t

exist anywhere else. It gives you differentiated content. figuring out how to make a quick buck. For example, Lauryn
Whereas all your other channels intertwine with each other to Evarts, creator of The Skinny Confidential, takes a long-term
support your pillar content, Snapchat stands alone. That’s an view of her investment in Snapchat. I answer every single
excellent reason in and of itself to take it seriously, even when snap I get, and sometimes I get two hundred a day. I sit down
its DNA makes it a natural draw for the mundane and the silly. at night for an hour and in the morning for an hour, and answer
It gives you a place to be surprising and different, often in the every single question. It’s almost like text-messaging your
most ordinary, banal ways. (This is advice I should take to readers like they’re your friends. I think it allowed people to
heart, too; I could do an even better job there myself!) really come into my life and allowed me to come into theirs. It’s
Snapchat 101 Back to the original question: how should just a different way of being social. And it allows me to tell a
grown-ups build their brands and dreams on a communication story, and while I tell that story, I’m 100 percent providing value
tool for tweens and teens? Some people, like baby Jayde, to the audience. For instance, if I go to cryotherapy, I take a
have so much charisma that they’re going to go viral the picture of where I am, and then I show me in the booth
minute they present themselves or their work in public. But freezing my ass off. And then I can show what I wore, and
those individuals are few. For the vast majority, it will take after that, I Snapchat the little flier with the benefits. So what
talent plus a combination of tactics and strategy to get noticed. my followers get out of that is where to go, what the benefits
Yet Snapchat limits those tactics. There are no hashtags, for are, what they should wear, and what it looks like when you’re
example, so no discoverability. What that means is that in the chamber. With every single thing I do, I try to hit those
building a brand on Snapchat is truly a test of your branding four points. I’m not just going to post a picture of my coffee
prowess. It’s not about running ads and quantifying every click cup. I’m going to say, “Today, I’m drinking iced coffee. I’m
and mathematical variable; it’s about hacking culture. drinking it with a silicone straw because it’s BPA free, and I like
Snapchat reveals who’s good at it and who’s not. This is why cinnamon in it because it helps with your blood sugar.” Every
you shouldn’t wonder whether to bother with Snapchat now single snap needs to leave them with something or else it’s
that Instagram has its own version of Stories. Whether or not narcissistic. With Instagram Stories, you’re competing with a
Snapchat can compete over time, it’s a terrific training ground lot of people. Snapchat has white noise, and whenever I see
to become a superior marketer and branding expert, not just a white noise, I’m intrigued, because that’s the way to stand out.
conversion-based digital salesperson. Let me say that again Some of these influencers have just been taking pictures for
another way. The business world is separated into two camps, the last five years. Snapchat forces you to show your
conversion-based salespeople and branding-and-marketing personality. Are you intelligent, are you funny? What are you
people. The former are short-term players; the latter, bringing to the table other than what you’re wearing? The thing
long-term. With no disrespect meant toward sales, I always try to remember is that no one is famous only on Snapchat.
to teach you to be branding-andmarketing people, because the Because of the temporary nature of the majority of the content,
great, life-changing upside resides in longterm thinking, not in the only way to allow it to live long enough for people to
discover and get to know you is to crosspollinate with other on their other platforms—their e-mail, their Instagram,
platforms. For example, if you missed DJ Khaled’s jet ski whatever—and either suggest doing something special
drama, you can still find it on YouTube. Same with Kerry and together on Snapchat or offer something valuable in return for
Jayde Robinson’s salon talk. That means that to be a a shout-out or endorsement on their channel. If you need other
Snapchat influencer, you need to be strong on the other influencers to help you grow your account, you’re probably not
platforms as well. The content you produce for Snapchat has big enough to be of much interest to them unless you’ve got
to be powerful enough to draw views on YouTube, Facebook, something pretty spectacular up your sleeve. Here are some
and Instagram. The way to get discovered on Snapchat is not ideas for growing your followers to build your brand and make
much different from the way television stations try to get yourself more attractive for collabs: Write multiple blog posts
people to tune in to their programs, which is to market in all the about Snapchat, so when the media need a quote about it,
other places where people who might be interested in you are they come to you. Gain visibility by creating Snapchat events,
already going. That’s what I did. I was never concerned by the such as the Jurasnap Park project that helped launch the
lack of discoverability on Snapchat, because I could see that career of Shonduras. Pay for a Google Ad that asks something
all I had to do was draw awareness to it through my base on like “Who Should I Follow on Snapchat?” and offers a list of
Twitter, YouTube, and my website. I did not use tactics like names, with yours at the top. One more suggestion: you could
running Facebook ads to convert people. Instead, I branded visit The11thsecond.com, a website founded by Cyrene
and marketed. You’ll be in the minority if you’re able to figure Quiamco, also known as CyreneQ, snapchat artist and
out a formula that works equally well across platforms—most influencer extraordinaire. She created the website in response
people lean heavily on the one or two they’re most comfortable to the app’s lack of discovery. There you can submit and check
with—and that rare skill could make you a dominant force out Snapchatter descriptions and user names to make it easier
here. All you’re doing when testing discovery strategies is for users to find accounts that match your interests, like
figuring out how to siphon people’s attention. For example, if Meowchickenfish, who uses Snapchat art to teach sign
you want to bring awareness to your Snapchat profile and you language, and Snapchatchef, who makes cooking videos. The
send out lots of e-mails, add your snapcode to the e-mail. site is a screenshot repository for cool Snapchat art, as well as
Pretty easy, right? You could wear a T-shirt with your a resource where Snapchatters can look for tips, hacks,
snapcode printed on it, or you could create custom Geofilters, inspiration, advice, and more. CyreneQ saw a problem—no
which are still underpriced.* Both tactics would allow you to put discovery option on her favorite platform—and solved it. Like
your brand right in front of people’s eyes in a fun, interactive, all good entrepreneurs, she found a way. Imagine This Let’s
unobtrusive way. Snapchat 201 Collaborate. There is no say you’re like me, a forty-two-year-old influencer who has
discoverability on Snapchat; people have to know who you are become somewhat pigeonholed in terms of the kind of content
and be motivated to come find you and follow you. That makes that’s expected of you. You already have a blog, a Q&A show,
organizing collaborations tricky unless you reach out to people and a daily vlog. While playing around on Snapchat, you

realize that it could provide you with an interesting outlet serving others and helping make a difference in their lives. The
where you could create a new narrative, a place to microvlog. skate shop was an ideal place for him to share his love for
It’s the place where you can talk about your coffee, show a sport and service. Problem was, while he liked the work, it
picture of the colorful cereal aisle at your supermarket, and wasn’t always much fun. He knew he wanted to build a
reveal that your favorite color marker is green. It’s where Rick business, and he knew his passion was skateboarding, but he
the clothing store manager snaps himself playing Wiffle Ball had a suspicion that building a business around that passion
with friends, and where Sally the real estate agent admits that could be a great way to ensure that he rarely got to indulge in
even though she’s paleo, she has a weakness for fried pies. it, like the music teacher and his neglected symphony in Mr.
Sharing these minor, seemingly unimportant details—often Holland’s Opus. “You can kill your passions. On a very good
embellished with colorful doodles or fun filters—will do nothing snow day, I was in the shop because everyone needed to buy
whatsoever to help build any of our brands as influencers in gear to go snowboarding. I think it’s often best to chase things
our respective fields, but it does give our followers a chance to that are in line with your passions but aren’t exactly your
see us at our most human. How I’m Crushing It Shaun passion.” Upon reading Crush It!, he applied some of what he
McBride, Shonduras IG:@shonduras It’s no secret that I think learned to his in-store customer service, but more significant,
spending four years getting a college degree if you have your the book made him realize that if he went about it creatively,
heart set on becoming a businessperson or entrepreneur is a he might be able to build an e-commerce business that would
waste of time and money. Make that a fucking waste of time allow him to have fun every day doing something he loved. He
and money. I feel that strongly about it. However, I am grateful didn’t know anything about e-commerce, but he figured the
to Weber State University in Utah, because that’s where best way to learn was to just go for it. What could he sell
Shaun McBride received Crush It! as a reading assignment online that would also allow him to interact regularly with
from one of his professors in 2010. If he hadn’t, it might have people? His first thought, of course, was skateboards and
been a few more years before we finally heard of him. The snowboards. But snowboards need a lot of storage and are
timing, however, put Shaun in a position to become a costly to ship and hard to buy in bulk. They were his passion,
mega-influencer. And he did it on a platform where most but they were not a practical choice. So what was small,
people said it couldn’t be done. Shaun embodies the lightweight, and easy to buy in bulk? Jewelry. Who bought
work-hard–work-smart model. At the time that he was getting jewelry? Moms. And where were moms hanging out?
his degree, Shaun was also running a skate/snowboard shop. Facebook. At the time, Facebook was still in the early stages
It made sense; until then, skateboarding had been his main joy of its gargantuan growth, adding millions of users every month,
in life. His other love was motivating people and sharing women leading the way to make up 57 percent of the site
positivity. He’d spent two years on a service mission in membership and accounting for 62 percent of the shares. 3
Honduras—that’s how he got his nickname, And Facebook had all these features that could enhance
Shonduras—where he had been moved by his experience engagement. For example, if one person commented on a
post, all their friends could see it! It’s hard to remember, but at he travel a lot, so Shaun’s highschool-age sisters asked him to
the time that was still pretty remarkable. Facebook became download a new app popular among teens called Snapchat to
Shaun’s storefront and his design studio. “I would ask my fans make it easier for him to share his adventures with them.
to tell me what kind of styles they wanted and help me name There it was: the answer he’d been seeking. At the time, you
the pieces. I’d do giveaways like, ‘Whoever picks the best had to hold your finger on the screen or the image would
name for this necklace will get ten free necklaces.’” disappear. That meant 100 percent engagement. You could
Engagement went through the roof. He gave people every draw cartoons and doodles on your pictures with your finger,
opportunity to interact with the site. “It felt like they were part of something you couldn’t do on any other platform. That meant
the jewelry boutique and that we were creating it together.” No fun. If there’s one thing Shaun had learned from his
one was more surprised by the venture’s success than Shaun. jewelry-boutique experiment, it’s that he was good at creating
“I didn’t even think it was going to work. I was hoping I could safe online communities where people could come together to
make fifty bucks a week extra by shipping a couple of engage and have fun. “The greatest challenge was trying to
necklaces out of the back of my skate shop. And within one grow on a platform that did not cater to growth. Snapchat was
week, I had more orders than I could handle. Within two a communication platform, like text messaging, so I had to
weeks, I’d hired all my sisters, and I was paying them with make it into a content-creating platform. Eventually, Snapchat
necklaces.” It took only two months to net six figures. He made updates, which helped with that, but I had to get creative
quickly hired more help, and by the end of the first year, the at first.” There’s a reason Shaun’s content got so much
business had made $1.2 million. But Shaun wasn’t there to attention when so many others on Snapchat did not: he
celebrate. He was having a blast, but after about eight months, treated Snapchat like a business. Many people start pumping
he was done. His excitement for the business was rooted in out cool content onto a platform and just hope they’ll get
the steep learning curve; now that he’d learned everything he noticed and grow their audience enough that brands will come
needed to know, he was ready to see if he could apply that calling. Usually you have to be more proactive than that.
knowledge to a new business, one that traded in helping Shaun had a plan. He set himself a series of goals, and
brands tell stories and spread positive messages via social everything he did from that moment was in service of meeting
media rather than selling consumer goods. Shaun sold the them. Goal number one was to grow an audience through
business to his partner and quit his day job at the retail shop, creative engagement and collaborations, so he started
but instead of immediately starting a new company, he doodling. Every day he would post a video of himself doing
accepted a dream job as a sales rep for some of his favorite something goofy or a fun picture he’d doctored to make people
skateboard and snowboard brands, a position that gave him laugh, like a unicorn vomiting rainbows over a snowy
plenty of opportunity to “shred” as much as he liked. It also landscape or his dachshunds in silly costumes and poses. He
bought him the time he needed to study the market and figure also invited his fans to participate in his snaps. For example,
out a scalable, long-term business idea. The job required that he drew himself as a triceratops and announced that he

wanted help building Jurasnap Park, posting requests for audience by thousands, making it possible for him to move
friends to take selfies, draw themselves as dinosaurs, and forward with the next stage of his plan. Goal number two was
send the pictures to him. He took screenshots of the images to get press. The major hindrance to growing a brand on
and displayed them. The response was tremendous. “It felt like Snapchat was its impermanence. There was no way to link, no
one-to-one communication. On a lot of social media, you make way to share, and the content vaporized after twenty-four
a beautiful image, and then people comment below. Snapchat hours. The only way Snapchatters could give their content a
felt more collaborative. We built the stories up together.” Most longer lifespan and establish a permanent online presence
people would naturally assume that it was Shaun’s artistic was to screen-shoot the images and push them onto Twitter
abilities that drew him to the platform, but there’s something and Instagram. The other way, it occurred to Shaun, was to get
funny about the way he drew his way to Snapchat stardom. I someone to write about him. Snapchat didn’t even have a
literally did not know how to draw. When I decided to make the website, so the only way someone could learn more about the
Snapchat thing work, I thought, “Well, if I want to tell a good platform was through Google. Shonduras intended to be the
story, and I think this is a great platform that’s emerging, a lot first name to pop up. Once again, he got creative. His mother,
of it has to do with doodling and creativity, I need to learn.” I understandably proud of her son, had contacted a media outlet
literally Googled “How to draw dinosaurs” and then “How do I and suggested they feature his work. Concerned that
do angry eyes?” and then I’d put them on my dinosaur. I never journalists wouldn’t pay attention to a self-promoter, he
copied anything, but I would teach myself how to draw by decided to use his mom’s e-mail address to pitch stories about
looking up art on the Internet, and then I slowly learned how to Snapchat. Every night, he’d ask his assistant in the Philippines
layer things. Give me a Snapchat and I’ll make you a funny to draft personalized e-mails to contacts at the tech
little doodle, but give me a pen and paper or a paintbrush, and trades—Mashable, BuzzFeed, and Business Insider, for
I probably can’t do much for you. He reached out to a talented example—with an attachment of his work. The e-mails were
Snapchat artist, Michael Platco, who was getting a lot of written in his mother’s voice: “I saw your recent article about
engagement, and with the aim of mutually growing each one’s YouTube and I thought a story on this new platform called
fan base, they created the first Snapchat collaboration: a Snapchat might be a good fit for your audience. My son does
boxing match. Each invited his fans to send his opponent these really interesting stories there. . . .” In the morning he’d
“punches” in the form of snaps doodled with a colorful Kapow! wake up to three or four emails from people asking his mom
or two, with fists and boxing gloves. The person who received for Shaun’s number. The media attention snowballed until he
the most punches would be KO’d. Within an hour, thousands started getting featured in Time, Forbes, and Fast Company.
of punches were thrown, and Shonduras and MPlatco That kept him relevant and top of mind, so when brands
responded to each round with selfies doodled to make started wondering how they could use the platform, as
themselves look pummeled to a pulp. They finally declared the predicted, his was the first name they thought of. While all this
fight a draw, but regardless, Shaun had won by multiplying his was happening, Shaun had also been working on goal number
three: to tell a story for a brand. “Every brand I’ve spoken to, launched a second YouTube channel, on which they all have
they aren’t just a product, they have a story, and they want to free rein to bring their “weird ideas” to life. Shaun envisions it
share it.” All along, he’d been hitting up small brands and local as a sitcom in which all of his friends and family play a distinct
businesses to see if they would give him a chance to create role. His hope is that his audience will get addicted to the
some work for them as a case study that he could then use as personalities and story lines just as they once did with shows
a marketing tool. No one was interested until he wrote to like Seinfeld. Though his YouTube brand deals today
Disney. Unbelievably, Disney, the biggest brand of all, said outnumber those he does for Snapchat, his Snapchat following
yes. Their branding slogan that year was “Show your Disney remains robust. In addition, he continues to accept speaking
side,” so Shaun’s idea was to go to every part of Disneyland to engagements, including a TED Talk. He is also working as a
look for his Disney side, snapping and doodling as he went consultant helping brands to strategize, work with influencers,
along. Was he more of a Toon guy, a Tomorrowland guy, or an and put together strong social-media campaigns. In 2017, he
Adventureland guy? (In the end, he was an Everything guy, announced that he’ll be creating branded content for Viacom,
snapping a photo of himself sporting doodled Tarzan dreads, a including Nickelodeon and MTV. And he recently launched a
robot arm, Tinker Bell on his shoulder, and a Captain Hook successful eSports organization with some of the number-one
wig.) From there, the branding work took off. Besides reprising teams in the world. There’s no sign of stopping. Every day, this
his role as brand ambassador several times for Disney, Shaun long-haired skater dude with the instincts of a hardened
has created Snapchat content for Red Bull, Xfinity Mobile, businessman commits to spreading positive messages and
Taco Bell, and many other companies. He even got to help giving people a reason to laugh and have fun. What’s the
promote the 2015 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. secret to his success? “Personal relationships. I think a lot of
Even at the height of his success, though, he was looking people establish fake, one-way relationships— they just want
ahead to see what else he could do. “That’s the thing: once to ask for something, or they want to do a collab and get a
you’ve crushed something, you’ve got to keep moving on. Who shout-out. They don’t develop those real relationships and
knows how long Snapchat’s going to be around? Let’s crush it provide value and just give, give, give. If you do that,
again.” While still going strong on Snapchat, Shaun started eventually you’ll get back, and that’s where the success
developing his YouTube channel. Originally he was comes.” I have watched this man execute relentlessly for the
documenting the scene behind the scenes of his crazy last five years or so. What I love most about him is how his
Snapchat adventures and travels, but as he started creating happiness comes through in everything that he does. He’s a
more branded YouTube videos and his life became classic storyteller who isn’t afraid to try anything. While many
increasingly packed with meetings, the channel increasingly people find every reason in the world to say no, Shaun says
featured all the characters in his life, from the employees yes. That’s his secret sauce
working in the “Spacestation”—Shaun’s studio and office— to
his wife, Jenny, and his baby girl, Adley. In late 2016, they