Cody Ko On Building A YouTube Empire, Partying With Elon & Stand-Up Comedy
Oct 3, 2023
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Cody Ko, a popular YouTuber, comedian, and musician, shares his journey from an aspiring app developer to creating a $1M YouTube empire. He reveals the secrets behind his viral app, I’d Cap That, and opens up about the challenges of transitioning to live stand-up comedy. Cody discusses his surreal experiences partying with Elon Musk and shares insights about evolving in the creative space. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of authenticity in branding and the thrill of embracing new challenges in his career.
Taking risks and embracing creativity are essential for success in the digital space.
Consistency, genuine expression, and connecting with an audience are crucial for building an online presence.
Exploring new avenues, pursuing personal interests, and maintaining a sense of humor can lead to exciting and diverse creative endeavors.
Deep dives
Creating Viral Apps and Transitioning to YouTube
The podcast episode features an interview with a successful YouTuber named Cody, who initially gained popularity by creating a viral app called 'I'd Cap That.' Cody shares his journey from being a college student with no job prospects to developing a successful app that earned him money and recognition. He discusses how his initial focus was on the creative aspect, but as he grew older, he started prioritizing the business side of content creation. Cody's story highlights the importance of taking risks, embracing creativity, and adapting to new opportunities.
The Evolution of Content and Building a YouTube Following
The interview delves into Cody's transition from app development to becoming a prominent YouTuber. He shares how he discovered his passion for creating content on Vine and later on YouTube. Cody emphasizes the importance of consistency, genuine expression, and connecting with an audience. He highlights the role of the online community and the support from fellow creators in his success. Cody's story underlines the significance of putting in the effort to cultivate an online presence and the potential for growth in the digital space.
Venturing into Music, Live Performances, and Fitness
The podcast episode explores Cody's foray into music, live performances, and fitness. Cody discusses how he expanded his creative endeavors by producing music videos and releasing songs. He elaborates on the process of collaborating with producers and musicians to create catchy and humorous tracks. Additionally, Cody shares his passion for fitness, recounting his experiences with running marathons and participating in an ironman triathlon. His journey highlights the importance of exploring new avenues, pursuing personal interests, and maintaining a sense of humor along the way.
Learning through Repetition and Experience
The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning and getting better through repetition and experience. They explain that while reading books, taking classes, or studying successful individuals can help, the number one way to improve is by simply doing it. They provide examples from their own journey, mentioning that their early podcast episodes were not great but over time, through continuous practice and learning, they have improved. They highlight the joy in the learning curve and the satisfaction of seeing progress over time.
Creating a Product for Creators and Business Opportunities
The speaker discusses the idea of creating a product for creators, leveraging their experience in the entertainment industry. They mention the difficulty in aligning comedy with products or services and share their current project, Cody's Run Club, which focuses on fitness. They mention the challenge of balancing humor and seriousness in promoting their product. Furthermore, they explore the potential of AI in helping creators with elements like thumbnails or titles, and suggest opportunities in the creator economy that cater specifically to the needs and lifestyle of creators.
Past guests on My First Million include Rob Dyrdek, Hasan Minhaj, Balaji Srinivasan, Jake Paul, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, Lance Armstrong, Sophia Amoruso, Ariel Helwani, Ramit Sethi, Stanley Druckenmiller, Peter Diamandis, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan, Marc Lore, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Wilkinson, Julian Shapiro, Kat Cole, Codie Sanchez, Nader Al-Naji, Steph Smith, Trung Phan, Nick Huber, Anthony Pompliano, Ben Askren, Ramon Van Meer, Brianne Kimmel, Andrew Gazdecki, Scott Belsky, Moiz Ali, Dan Held, Elaine Zelby, Michael Saylor, Ryan Begelman, Jack Butcher, Reed Duchscher, Tai Lopez, Harley Finkelstein, Alexa von Tobel, Noah Kagan, Nick Bare, Greg Isenberg, James Altucher, Randy Hetrick and more.
