We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Saviano a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brian, appreciate you joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
Some of the most unexpected problems in my creative journey came from dealing with the backend logistics that really make the workflow and business operations happen. As a lifelong creative, it’s easy for me to get wrapped up in the big, bold ideas that define who I am. If there isn’t a path to bring it to fruition, then a lot of that energy ends up wasted.
I’ve had to learn to refine the energy that pours from my heart and mind and hone it into a streamlined creative vision that everyone can understand. Especially when considering the financial aspect, having a clear vision ends up being cheaper, too.
One of the biggest hold-ups was getting brian@bricksobrian.com to be under my domain name. For years, I would use my Gmail when reaching out to brand deals, which came off really unprofessional. It took me over a year of off-and-on effort to troubleshoot Google Workspace and get things working properly! Persistence, focus, and a little bit of digging paid off in the long run.
Especially when you’re first starting out, doing things as cost-effectively as possible is really important. The more time you waste on bad ideas, the longer it takes to get to where you actually want to be. I don’t want to know how many brand deals having a Gmail email address cost me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started creating video content back in 2008/2009. Without parents’ permission, I would record gameplay of Pokémon on my Nintendo DS, do tutorials, walkthroughs, whatever nonsense I could spout out as a source of creative energy. Growing up as an only child, I was really compelled by the idea that I could connect with people around the world over my passions, like Nintendo games, LEGO, and really everything.
As social media continued to evolve in those early years, it was all happening so quickly that I got wrapped up in internet culture, trying to find the positives wherever I could. I was on Twitter in 2009, entering hashtag-based giveaways just because winning something online for free was such a cool concept.
My passion for bright, colorful, vibrant adventure games led me to consistently create content about them. I never wanted to bring real-world drama, politics, or negative energy while playing games like Super Mario and Legend of Zelda. It just didn’t make sense to me. I had plenty of negative energy growing up… Dark times that loomed over me. I didn’t want that to permeate into my creative work.
I wanted to be positive, uplifting, but not delusional. I didn’t want to speak down to kids in goofy voices and pander. I vividly remember wanting to be spoken to like an adult, in tone and presence. No matter what I do in my content, I want it to be authentic and real without the drudgery.
I’m incredibly proud to be a family-friendly content creator that kids can look up to. Being a positive role model is incredibly important to me, and knowing that I’m a wholesome corner of the internet that families can trust is worth its weight in gold. So whether I’m uploading a video to YouTube, streaming live on Twitch, or appearing as a guest on someone else’s content, I maintain the same trusted, family-friendly standard across everything I do.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative person is tuning in to what makes me tick and translating it into something everybody can enjoy. I often find that these big businessmen will enter the fray, trying to optimize every little detail of what they do, but they’re missing the heart of why people are here in the first place. Having everything cookie-cutter, scheduled, and by the book doesn’t mean people will care. You may pull in numbers. You may make whatever money you want, but that doesn’t mean you have an actual impact
Having an impact isn’t contingent on how many followers you have on social media. I’ve had millions of hours of watch time across all the platforms I’ve created content for and all the channels I’ve collaborated with, but there’s no big, giant number hanging over me to prove my worth. People have messaged me in droves over the years, telling me how much my content means to them and how much they trust it. Unfortunately, trust, authenticity, and kind-heartedness don’t translate to a pretty social media number.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
To be honest, I hit my main mission goal at around 22 years old! I wanted to make the content I enjoy for as many people as possible, and it ended up reaching hundreds of thousands in a very short time.
Now, at 30 years old, having raised so much money for charity and independently published three children’s books, I feel like I’ve done a lot of incredible work given the scale I’m at. I’ve worked incredibly hard to diversify my skill set and my business overall, but I haven’t fully focused on my numbers as a YouTube creator. Getting a silver or gold plaque for reaching a subscriber milestone isn’t all that interesting to me, so it’s never actually been a motivator.
But I understand in the creator economy that having larger numbers generally means more opportunities, more awareness, and longevity. For the next 24 months, I’m thinking that will be my focus… Growing the Bricks ‘O’ Brian YouTube channel to 100,000 subscribers through creating meaningful content across gaming, LEGO building, and anything that will bring joy to my committed community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bricksobrian.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricksobrian/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BricksOBrian
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansaviano/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BricksOBrian
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BricksOBrian
- Other: Pro Gamer’s Guide book series: https://www.progamersguide.com/
