Jordan Schwarzenberger is co-founder of Arcade, the talent management and ventures company for the YouTube collective, the Sidemen. Since 2021, Arcade has built a team of 40 who work on content creation and brand partnerships on behalf of the Sidemen.
The Sidemen aren't just YouTubers; they're a cultural phenomenon:
- 22 million YouTube subscribers
- New videos like this seeing 2.1 million views in 15 hours
- Fresh ventures including a fashion brand and a fast food chain
With numbers like these, they're eclipsing traditional TV shows like Love Island and Britain's Got Talent.
This isn't just viewership; it's a generational shift in how content is consumed.
Over the past decade, the seven friends in the Sidemen – KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S – have built a loyal fanbase, leveraging YouTube's power to connect with audiences authentically.
This isn’t just passive viewing either. The Sidemen mobilise fans in real life, attracting a sold-out crowd of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium this month.
These men are creators and savvy marketers. They’ve figured out that YouTube is more than just a video platform; it combines social-like discoverability and deep fan-creator relationships, creating a space that is unmatched for engagement and attention.
Now, after years of experience, they have lessons to share.
Growth, connection, and brand building
Since day one, the Sidemen’s raw humour and authentic friendship resonated with viewers, creating a sense of belonging. YouTube has been the central hub for the Sidemen's community, enabling us to build genuine, lasting relationships with audiences, and align relevant brands. We actively engage through comments, Q&As, and live streams, fostering a two-way investment.
Each bit of growth that the group has gone on became a nostalgic celebration for all of their fans who've supported them all the way. I've always likened it to supporting a musician from playing pubs, all the way up to selling out stadiums.
Brands recognise the Sidemen's influence across these channels, leading to impactful partnerships. Between Sidemen Entertainment and Arcade we have over 40 people who support the Sidemen channels and deliver proven results for brands like Revolut.
Our YouTube-focused partnership with Revolut drove the brand’s most successful acquisition campaign, delivering more than 100,000 app downloads within three months.
Consistency and brand building provides the payoff 10 years later when our fans say: “I'm ready to support you in whatever way you want me to support you.”
You can't fake that. You can't manufacture a decade of shared experiences.
The power of social marketing on YouTube
The Sidemen's journey exemplifies YouTube's unique social potential. Our strategy is a carefully crafted blend of formats, designed to maximise impact and connect with our audience on every level.
Long-form videos, like Sidemen Sunday, MoreSidemen, and SidemenReacts, remain the cornerstone of our deep connection with our audience. We use YouTube Shorts to drive viral moments, extracting highlights from our long-form content to generate mass awareness. Live streams are reserved for our biggest events – such as our Wembley charity football match – to create shared experiences.
For our premium content, such as 'Inside', the team employs YouTube Premieres and Live Q&A. These promotional tools not only build anticipation, they help build deeper fan connections. It’s the ultimate watch party; YouTube's shared viewing experience brings fans closer to the content than ever before.
Looking ahead, we’re anticipating a continued shift in our approach to YouTube Shorts. We're going to see a movement away from just clipping and syndication, towards more dedicated Shorts-style content. It’ll be premium, yet accessible. As video consumption habits become more blended, Shorts will continue to be a leader on top of the funnel awareness for creators, and driving discoverability, fame, and virality. Then pair that with deeper long-form video and you have a winning combo.
Mobilising fans for the Sidemen Charity Match
The Sidemen Charity Match started off small. It was just mates and fans raising money at a football match. But over the years, fuelled by the passion of our YouTube audience, it's grown exponentially.
With 2.5 million concurrent streams, the 2022 match set a Guinness World Record for the most viewers for a charity sports match live stream on YouTube. In 2023, the match raised over £2.5 million. This year, 350,000 people tried to get tickets for a 90,000-capacity event.
The success of these events is directly linked to the relationship the Sidemen have with their YouTube audience. They have given so much of their lives to their audience and community for so long, that the day becomes a culmination of all of that excitement, which is pretty special. You've never seen a crowd that excited.
As the Sidemen evolve, so will their content. New formats, new collaborations, and, undoubtedly, new ways to connect with their ever-growing community. But the core principle will remain the same: experimentation, authenticity, shared experiences, and the unwavering belief in the power of YouTube to bring people together.
