Loading summary
Tim Gettys
Foreign what's up? And welcome to the Kind of Funny Games cast for Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, aka the day after Andy Cortez's birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday, Cortez.
Carl Jacobs
And my sister's birthday.
Tim Gettys
Oh, man. A dual birthday. You'll love to see it. Of course. I am your host, Tim Gettys. I am joined today by Forbes 30 under 30, aka the Patreon Producer Carl Jacobs.
Carl Jacobs
I did it. I'm a producer.
Tim Gettys
You did it. You did. You're actually here though. I think that's the most exciting thing it's been years upon years upon years of us trying to actually get you into the kind of funny studios. It was even back when you were at the old studio we were trying to get you in. You were supposed to be here for the launch of this event, but you got Covid, like going to the airport.
Carl Jacobs
Literally. The morning was the first time I tested positive. Morning to the airport at 11am was my flight or something like that. That was. It was a whirlwind. Yeah.
Tim Gettys
That was two years ago.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah. Wow.
Tim Gettys
I couldn't believe a lot has happened since. Since then you. You have just only gotten more and more successful and done more and more insane things. Carl, I. Wow.
Carl Jacobs
I don't know how to respond to that even.
Tim Gettys
Why are you here right now?
Carl Jacobs
I. It's really just like here in San Francisco.
Tim Gettys
San Francisco?
Carl Jacobs
Oh, I. It's cuz I'm wearing. Just got done filming in the NBA All Stars game. There was like they did three games this year, so we did like a big bit for one of our videos that we're recording and also for them between games one and two of the All Star show, which was. I don't know why I just got to say that sentence out loud and it'd be true.
Tim Gettys
But this fixer is like the funniest thing in the world.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah. Why is that real? Also, like, I don't know enough about basketball to be sitting right there, I feel. So the whole time I was there, I was like, this isn't fair. Why am I here?
Tim Gettys
Well, because you're a baseball boy, right? You love the. The Yankees.
Carl Jacobs
I really like baseball and hockey. Those are the ones I like watching.
Tim Gettys
And I've seen you just living your best life with all this Yankee stuff, right?
Carl Jacobs
Like, yeah, man, we're all over the place. Oh, wait, that isn't out.
Tim Gettys
No, no, sorry. Did like a year ago, right? You went and you actually got to go.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, yeah, I went to the. I went to the World Series. We just did something Cool that with. With a baseball team that I'm excited is also going to be coming out soon, which is sick. It's been a whirlwind. This has been ridiculous.
Tim Gettys
I absolutely freaking love it. Carl, of course this is the kind of funny games cast where each and every day we get together to talk about video games. Whether it's reviews, previews or just super cool people and their histories with them. If you like that, you can get the kind of funny membership. Of course you can get it on Patreon, YouTube, Spotify or Apple podcast. If you do that, you can get the shows ad free. You can watch us live as we record them and you get a daily exclusive. Greg way a chance to be part of this show. YouTube Super Chat In. If you have any questions for Carl, please get them in. And we will get to those throughout the show. Little housekeeping for you. I have a really fun announcement right now. Next Monday, one week from today, I will be debuting me and gia's wedding on YouTube for everybody to see. Thank you very much. Only weirdos like me, you know what I mean? But there's enough weirdos out there that actually want to watch it. I promise you it's going to be worth it. I've been editing my ass off the last couple months. This is definitely like one of my magnum opus projects.
Carl Jacobs
I, I wonder if you got any trouble with her. If you were like editing things. She's like, why'd you cut that out?
Tim Gettys
No, no, no, no. I was editing less, taking things out more. Just like, you know, different angles. Yeah, editing live production. We're not cutting anything. You're gonna see it all, including Greg and Nick's speeches, all of our intros, Cisco's performance, a whole bunch of insanity. That's going to be next Monday after the games cast. A very special games cast that I can't exactly talk about yet. So Monday's going to be a big time for everybody. So stay tuned here. A little more housekeeping for you. Blessing and Mike will be at Magicon Chicago this Friday. If you're around the convention center, come find them and say hi. If you're in the Chicago area, they're actually holding a meet and greet at Portillo off Canal and Taylor at 7:30 to 8:30 on Friday. So go hang out with Bless and Mike in Chicago. Remember, we are an 11 person business all about live talk shows. You already got Games Daily where Roger and Bless broke down all the latest on Sony's fair game situation. Is it delayed? Is it not? Go listen to the episode to find out. After this, the stream will be Nick hanging out alone, playing something. And then after that, we're doing the Cobra Kai series finale review. Do you watch Cobra Kai?
Carl Jacobs
I haven't.
Tim Gettys
You're missing out, my friend.
Carl Jacobs
I know. I'm catching up on everything.
Tim Gettys
It's the greatest karate saga of all time. But you, you were actually starting in a more important place. And where is that, my friend?
Carl Jacobs
I. This is going to sound sacrilegious, but I've never seen a Fast and Furious movie up until about a week ago. And now I'm three in your three.
Tim Gettys
And man, the journey begins. We've all been there at one point.
Carl Jacobs
This is my stuff. I don't know why. It's. I love movies that were made for humans and not critics. And like, this is like the best thing ever. I could.
Tim Gettys
That's a great way to put it. That is a great way to put it. And also, if only somebody had been telling you for the last 10 years to watch these movies.
Carl Jacobs
You know, it's you and everybody else.
Tim Gettys
I know. That is true. But I started it. Yeah. And I started being obnoxious back. Back then. But you know what? It doesn't matter. I'm happy you're here. It's never too late to be.
Carl Jacobs
Thank you.
Tim Gettys
If you're a kind of funny member, you can get today's Greg Way. A little housekeeping for you there. There's no KF podcast today. We have to double up and move some things around because we had a special guest come through. Didn't know he was coming, but the NBA All Star Game, you know who. Who could predict who that our friends would be there?
Carl Jacobs
Not me.
Tim Gettys
Thank you to our Patreon producers, Delaney Twining, Carl Jacobs and A. Buster and Karen Lindner. Today we're brought to you by Built, Rewards, Factor and Stash, but we'll tell you all about that later. Now, let's begin with the topic of the show. The topic of the show is Carl Jacobs. From KFBF to rising celebrity and still kfbf.
Carl Jacobs
You guys don't get to revoke that from me. Why do I. Why do I lose that?
Tim Gettys
You don't. You don't. You don't lose that. I mean, your. Your history with us is. Is storied. Carl, I want to start. I have a couple of things real quick I want to bring up just for context for people out there. We first met you at TwitchCon.
Carl Jacobs
No, MomoCon 20.
Tim Gettys
It was you at MomoCon.
Carl Jacobs
MomoCon 2016.
Tim Gettys
That is absolutely. So how did you get there?
Carl Jacobs
That's Momo Con 2016.
Tim Gettys
I thought this was TwitchCon. Oh my God.
Carl Jacobs
I got to tell you. So right there, all the way to the right is my brother, the one with the afro. He has an afro.
Tim Gettys
I remember this kid so vividly.
Carl Jacobs
He was like, are in. You guys loved him.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, yeah.
Carl Jacobs
You guys are like with that hair.
Tim Gettys
Like that's so freaking funny. Oh my God. Yeah. Momo Con 2015. This was the first convention that we went to as a group after leaving ign.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, it, it was. I, I was very locked into ign. I thought that that was my career. That's what I was like, I'm gonna go become a games journalist. I was positive and that this was like when kinda funny did their thing, I was like, oh, it's like a culmination of all of the. What I like about ign. And now they're doing it like them, you know what I mean? And that was so cool to me.
Tim Gettys
So how old are you there? How old are you now?
Carl Jacobs
I'm 26.
Tim Gettys
26.
Carl Jacobs
Dude, I'm going to blow your mind. I was 17, I think maybe, maybe 16. Yeah, at the, at the oldest I was 17 years old.
Tim Gettys
That's absolutely wild, man. Like, that's how far back this goes. And then. So where, where were you living at this point?
Carl Jacobs
I was in. I was in a high school in Charleston, South Carolina. That's where I was living. That, that in the middle right there. Ended up becoming my roommate in Portland. Whenever I went to Portland for college. But yeah, that was before I was in college. So I, I was living in Charleston, going to high school, just being a high schooler.
Tim Gettys
And then. So Momo Con was in Atlanta.
Carl Jacobs
Atlanta, yes.
Tim Gettys
So how did you get there?
Carl Jacobs
I. I did not have that much money, but what I did do was I worked at a retro game store. And then on the side I was. I woke up every Saturday 5 or 6am goes to every garage sale, went to every flea market, tried to like buy games to flip. Like I was obsessed with like just all things games. Like I just, I. Back then there's honestly maybe even up to now you guys can name any video game and I could probably tell you within $10 how much it's worth.
Tim Gettys
I love that so much. By the way, this is a slight spoilers but Carl will be joining us for a kind of funny game showdown.
Carl Jacobs
And so I'm taking it home.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, I hope not because you're against me. You know what I mean? I don't need any more bullshit on that. Show. But. Okay, cool. So, man, that's. That's wild. You're. You're this young kid and going to Momo Con, saving your money with retro games to go to MomoCon. But then there was many other places that you would pop up in, in.
Carl Jacobs
Well, I want to talk about MomoCon first.
Tim Gettys
Oh, go for it. Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
Because I haven't told you this, but this is. Or any of you guys this, but this was like Momo con to me. And why I'm always as thankful as I am to you guys and why I will never ever take it for granted is because of momocon. And how you guys treated me, treated my brother, my roommate and my mom that took us, you guys. Like, I. This isn't just because I'm in their studio right now. I was holding this to tell you guys while on your guys show, but that was like probably the biggest point of movement in my life to push me towards content creating. To be honest, like, I really mean it because it was always something I really wanted to do and it was. You guys supported it in like a, like, yeah, you should try this, you know, and it came from you guys who I looked at as like, this is what success should look like to me. You know what I mean?
Tim Gettys
I mean, that is incredibly kind of you, but I do think that you're. You're tapping into something that is so genuine and authentic about what we have, and that is community. And I think that it's such a beautiful thing that it's a learned experience. Right? Like, you don't know what community is until you're part of it. And you can see how special it is to be able to be in a room with people and just sit down and start talking to someone you don't know, but realize, oh, we have shared interest. We can talk about our love of obscure GameCube games or, or whatever it is and just have Fast and Furious. Yeah, whatever that. The thing is that just like, oh, wow, we can connect on this. And you know, I've been so proud of you for so many reasons in the. The last 10 years of seeing you kind of skyrocket. But what I love so much is that you value your community so much and that I, I would say that more than any of the other creators that I've seen, Community, specifically solo people, like solo streamers, the Carl community and the way you treat them and the way they see you and there's this like amazing relationship. It's so special. And I really do truly feel that that comes from things like MomoCon and things like actually being able to experience, like, people being good to each other.
Carl Jacobs
Well, I, I, again, this isn't just like, I feel like this is like a glaze fest for me. But I. How I interact with fans, like, in person stems from what I, like, learned from you guys. Like, seriously, like, I like what I took in and really valued from you guys because I probably bugged you guys way too many times at momocon, I tried to like, you know, and it's funny because now that I have people that recognize me, I could tell when somebody like, does like a. Oh, wait, you know, like the. Oh, are you. You know. But as a, as a kid, that's what I was doing to you guys 24 7. And the amount of grace that you guys provided to me was just crazy.
Tim Gettys
I can't explain to you how much I remember your brother. I can't explain. Because Momo Gun was such an important moment for us too, because it was not only our first convention as kind of funny post ign, but that was like, definitely. I mean, that must have been Nick's first convention ever because, like, we had been to like, or at least as, as like on panel talent or whatever you want.
Carl Jacobs
You know what's funny about that convention? Kevin was there, but he hadn't face revealed yet. That was Pre face reveal.
Tim Gettys
Kevin 20 live. Yes.
Carl Jacobs
And I felt that. I was astonished that I knew what Kevin looked like. I was astonished. I, like, that's. That's where I was in this, in this whole thing. It was, it was awesome. But I want to do a shout out really quick.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
To. To Greg specifically, of course, for a second, because my mom is on board as me being a content creator. On board with all of this because of one sentence that he did to her, one sentence that he said to her. We went to a gathering with you guys somewhere in Atlanta and he went to my mom and thanked her for taking us and brought up the fact that he thinks it's so important for parents to, like, really lean into, like, the things that their kids are passionate about and that it will go a long way for me as a person. And he really does appreciate it come, like, to her. And that was like, something I never saw. He got nothing out of that, obviously. You know what I mean? I was a high school kid. He was a mom. But it means so much to her that she loves you guys so much that I could be doing the coolest thing on the planet. And she's like, that's amazing. Like, and now what's going on with kind of funny? I mean, she's like, oh, like when are you going to San Francisco? She like loves you guys. She loves you guys.
Tim Gettys
Well, we love you too.
Carl Jacobs
It really did start from that and like that I do appreciate it a lot because I like a very family oriented person and like, to treat somebody like that, it means a lot.
Tim Gettys
And Greg's a dad now. That's. It's crazy because back then that was like not in the car cards at all. But I mean now seeing him, like that's definitely like how he has supported Ben, you know, I mean, supporting any interest Ben has even a little of. Greg pushes and supports it so much and it's such a beautiful thing. So he definitely lives by his words, which is great to see. Okay, so. So Momo con.
Carl Jacobs
Yes.
Tim Gettys
Then was the next time we saw you the world tour?
Carl Jacobs
Either that or probably like a pack something.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, we had a ton of paxes back then.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, I was trying to, really trying to go to everything again at the same time. I really thought I was going to be an IGN journalist. So I was like, I was writing like things for publications I didn't know existed just so I could get media badges.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, straight up.
Carl Jacobs
Just so I could just show up to, to like different events, like, and be able to pay for it. That's how my first number leaked. My first phone number leaked because way years later I, I responded to somebody's Reddit post with my phone number because they wanted to split their hotel room for Pax West. I was 19 years old and I split a hotel room with a complete stranger just so I could afford going to Pax West. Dude, I don't know, in hindsight I'm like, wow, how am I alive? But yeah, that's how my phone number leaked. Like years later, somebody's like, this can't be true. Carl left his phone number on a Reddit post. How is this?
Tim Gettys
God, that's so great.
Carl Jacobs
So I think the next time, I don't know if like y'all interacted, but I know prom happened pre me, so.
Tim Gettys
Yes, you're right. So yeah, prom was first. So Carl, I don't think you've ever seen this footage. Oh God, I need to show it because. So what's funny? Before you bring it up there, like it's funny is like I, I've had a couple like big projects that I've worked on in my life. The kind of funny lives, prom and now the wedding that I, I put my all into, like the production of it. Making sure that every second being shown is, like, perfect. Prom was one of the ones that I had so much fun with because I got. We had so much footage, just people in the crowd, and I have this footage of you, so in the moment.
Carl Jacobs
Oh, God.
Tim Gettys
And the best thing about this, again, I want to set this up a little more, too, because you saying, oh, I wanted to be an IGN journalist, like, that's what you thought your life was going to be. What I love about that is you are definitely of the class that so many people here at. Kind of funny are. Barrett, blessing, Roger, Mike. Right. Like, so many, like, you are in that kind of conversation where I feel like all of you to some extent, like, that was the dream or the goal, you know, Barrett even made it there, you know what I mean? For a while. But I. I love that so much. And there is this, like, amazing kind of rising moment of different classes trying different things. You guys all podcasting together. Like, you used to podcast with my brother.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, I did a. I did, I think, eight episodes of the series with Johnny Hayes. Shout out Johnny the goat. But we both were obsessed with cartoons, and we were like, we should just get cool people to get in a podcast with us and just talk about their favorite cartoon, because just, like, seeing cool people talk about things they're passionate about is awesome. Like, I. I was literally just talking to Nick about. I love his. The street, the C2 file streams, and I don't know any reference. I maybe. I know 3% of the movies that they say out loud, but I just love watching him, Roger, Joey, being obsessed with, like, movies and just, like, it's just awesome to me, even if I don't understand it. So, yeah.
Tim Gettys
So great, man.
Carl Jacobs
Your brother was my. Our first guest. He was the first episode of that entire thing.
Tim Gettys
I love it so much, man. Like, that. It's so freaking funny. But I. I just. I love that. And you and Roger had a thing together, too, right?
Carl Jacobs
I don't know if it ever ended up even becoming a thing. We tried. We. Man, I was just. We were all trying, dude. Yeah, that's what. That's what it was.
Tim Gettys
The point is, y'all were trying, and you found each other in different ways, and I. I think that there's a. A lot of beauty there, and I love that there was definitely, like, a class of people that were the. Were standouts in a lot of ways of the community, just because of how active they were or how much they were attempting to try to make content themselves. And at KF Prom, we had our, like, prom king and queen and all that stuff.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
And Blessing ended up getting prom king. Zyger got prom queen, and they did their first dance to Time After Time. And I. Now you can play this, please, Barrett. I remember.
Carl Jacobs
I remember my outfit from this. That's all I remember.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. So we have the dancing, which is just hilarious.
Carl Jacobs
With the cape and everything.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, Right here.
Carl Jacobs
There I am.
Tim Gettys
And then there's Carl.
Carl Jacobs
Loving it. I'm in on that, dude. I was. There's Alex. Holy cow.
Tim Gettys
I love it. I love it. That's all I want to show. But, my God, prom. What a night. That was.
Carl Jacobs
That was amazing. I, I, that was. Yeah, that was a highlight for me. That's where I feel like I got much closer to, like, Blessing. I, like, I mean, I knew Blessing before then, but that's where I felt like I was really, like, getting closer to, like, a lot of the people that I look at as, like, friends from, you know, that I've gained from that era now, you know? So, yeah, that was really cool.
Tim Gettys
Amazing stuff, man. Banshee says, hey, I was in that video. Yeah. I mean, most people, Most, if you were at kfrom, you probably are in that video somewhere. And then, yeah, after that, we had the. The next year, we did the KF World Tour. We went to a whole bunch of places, and one of the stops was San Francisco, because we're here. Why not? And you were there. And I remember it blew all of our minds because you had. And you still have this, like, glowing young kid energy, you know? And you. We were like, all of us were just shocked, like, how'd you get here? Because we remembered. It's like, oh, last time we saw you, you with your parents, you know what I mean? And you found a way from Oregon down to San Francisco by yourself.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
And you were still young enough that that felt crazy.
Carl Jacobs
I think I took a. Whatever the equivalent of a Greyhound is. Maybe it was a Greyhound, but I took a bus to that. Yeah, I think it was for that, and I think, yeah. Oh, my gosh, that's college Carl.
Tim Gettys
You could tell, but. Yeah. So here we are at the meet and greet in San Francisco, and you were there, and we did a whole thing of, like, what does kind of funny mean to you? And that you were being interviewed there, Barrett? Do you have the other one?
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, the KFA F thing. And, like, that was significant for me because I remember that was, like, the first meetup I ever did as an employee. And I remember you and I talking for a While. Just because. Yeah, we were so blown away of.
Tim Gettys
Like, dude, how old are you?
Carl Jacobs
And how did you get down here? What is happening right now? But my favorite memory. Hold on, I'm trying to find it. Is I lost it because.
Tim Gettys
So. So for the vlog, we did a vlog for everywhere we went. And for this one, we interviewed a lot of the best friends asking, like, what does kind of funny mean to you? What's this community mean to you? And there was a lot of really heartfelt answers. Of course, this was the time that KFAF was happening. The best show on the Internet with Nick and Andy. And they always need to take all the hard work that we've done to make productions and stuff and steal it for themselves. So they decided for KFAF to ask all the same people, like, what KFAF means to them.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, hold on. I'm trying to find the exact timecode here. We. We interviewed a lot of people. That's awesome. Don't worry.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, I got it. You got it.
Carl Jacobs
Everybody stay in silence, chat. Stop chatting for a second. Watch KFAF because it's funny af. I watch KFAF because where else can I get.
Tim Gettys
I just. I just love it. I just love how deep this all goes.
Carl Jacobs
Man. That's so silly.
Tim Gettys
So. So that was the last time we saw you. And I feel. And so that was 2019.
Carl Jacobs
Wow. That's the last time I saw you.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Well, then the whole pandemic happened.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
So a lot. A lot went down there. But simultaneously, you went from just being the sweet young kid to this sweet young kid that I'm walking in the mall that I grew up going to, walking past the Journeys clothing store and seeing a giant poster of you, which was the face of Journeys, which is.
Carl Jacobs
By the way, shout out Journeys. They're. They're awesome. I don't. I don't get paid by them anymore. To be clear. We don't even have, like, a thing going on right now. But they were amazing. They're like, one of the best friends I've ever worked with, so I just want to. They're cool.
Tim Gettys
That was the moment, though, for me, that I was like, what the fuck? Because I knew you were blowing up. But we know a ton of, like, big content creators. There was something different about this, though. It was around that 2020-2022 era that all of a sudden, you were everywhere. And it got to the point. I mean, we even did a. That was back when me and Nick did Internet Explorers. We did a whole episode just about you being like, what the hell? Like, how. What's happening with this kid? Because it. You could not open Twitter without Carl trending.
Carl Jacobs
I. So behind the scenes, I. One of my favorite parts of everything, what I found out that I actually really enjoy about content creation is like almost figuring out how to solve things and like, figure out how to like, learn things. Like the algorithms. I love. Like, so me and a lot of people, I won't even say anybody's names because I don't know who would care to be associated with this. But like, I had a discord group chat that was dedicated to like learning Twitter, figuring out. And it wasn't even people that were within my exact, like, group, but like, just people being like, hey, I tried this, it did better on Twitter. Now, hey, I did this and now this happened. You know what I mean? So I just loved like learning how to game it. Yeah. Gamify it. So like, that's, that's. That was that era. And Twitter since has been like algorithmically ruined, by the way. But whatever. It's. It's. That was so much fun for me that that whole era of like figuring out how to make things trending and like, it was. There was a whole era where because, you know, the trending gives descriptions for the trending. So I figured out those are. Well, not that it's rocket science, but humans wrote the topics they used to.
Tim Gettys
At least not anymore they don't definitely. No, no, they definitely do not anymore. I will never forget when we were trending for the kind of funny 10 year anniversary last month and reading the AI garbage written about us. It was like, you're kind of there, but.
Carl Jacobs
But I remember like for like a whole week because you would have to wait a day to fall off of trending to get a new description. So I would like intentionally try to talk to the guy that was writing the descriptions by talking to them and then forcing people to tweet that with the thing that would go trending so that we would like have this conversation back and forth. So it was. Those were fun times. I don't know. I just went on a tangent.
Tim Gettys
But I mean, I think that's awesome because, like, that shows. I. I didn't know that you were intentionally doing anything with the hashtag or with Carl itself. Right. Like, I thought that that was just kind of like a side effect of you, like making your content and people being super into it. But no, this was like a attempted.
Carl Jacobs
But it was. To be clear, it was attempted with the community as well. Like, it was like oh, we're doing this. Like, this is like.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, just one worked and one didn't.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah. Yeah.
Tim Gettys
So with, with that though, like, we're now talking about this era of, you know, you go from like making podcasts with. With Cool Greg to all of a sudden you're trending. What are we missing here?
Carl Jacobs
A lot of things. So I, at the time, I was close to finishing college. I was getting two associate's degrees. I was working on two degrees at the same time for video production and multimedia. And I was really worried I was going to graduate, which is a weird sentence to say out loud, but in my brain I was like, when I graduate college, I'm going to have to just like kind of buckle down and do something like a, you know, maybe like more of a normal job. And it's just not where my brain was for me. Like, I was like, I just don't think that that's what I want to do. But also I'm not, you know, like, I just wanted to keep it in reality. And like, my parents were so supportive. I didn't want to like screw anybody over or anything. So I was like, look, if I, in my brain I was like, if I graduate college before figuring out a reason to drop out of college, then I think I'm going to get a real job and like, just like do like, because I don't have a real job right now, to be clear. But so, so I was trying everything and I didn't want to drop out for no reason. I wanted to drop out because I literally would need to drop out to, you know, do something like, of like the caliber worthy of dropping out, if that makes sense. To be clear, I think college is like, honestly, I'm the, for my generation kind of weird. But I think college is like very important. I think it's really cool to go to college. I think like getting an education in general is, is amazing. I think it's like if you have the means and the ability, you should really strive to. Especially like, I went the route of like kind of going to a trade school learning video production in Portland with like people that were part time teachers because they're working on Portlandia or Grimm and stuff like that. It was really cool, you know what I mean? So in those regards, I think that's awesome. But I wanted to figure out how to not. And I got an opportunity because I had a friend at Mr. Beast and at the time Mr. Beast had much. It was a YouTube channel at that point still. It was like 10 or 15 million subscribers, which is still.
Tim Gettys
It wasn't a corporation.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, exactly. I think at the time they had probably less employees than you have right now. You know what I mean? So it was my buddy, though. He wanted to. He want. He was like, hey, I want to start streaming. He's somebody that was on screen at the time. His name's Garrett. He was a on screen person in Beast. And he's like, I want to start streaming. You stream already. Even though, like, I didn't. I was never successful at that point, so.
Tim Gettys
But you, you were streaming consistently, dude. And what did that look like? What was your audience like?
Carl Jacobs
I got to tell you, I was. This is like my flex of like I was grinding. I was max credits in college and streaming on average five hours a day minimum. So it was like every day. Like, if you average it out every day, including days I took off, I averaged five hours a day. And. And I was max credits in college. So I was like really trying. You know what I mean?
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
And streaming wasn't taking off though. But I really felt like I was becoming better at it. Like, I was really kind of honing it. I was every stream. I would end up watching the stream back to, like, see, like, I hate. I have like words that I keep saying that I don't like. I like pause here every time I do this. I was really kind of like into it. And then I told him I'd help him. I'd set him up. His whole stream set up. All in return is ask if they are looking for an editor. That's it. You know, because I was going to school for video editing, I thought that I was getting pretty good. And he was like, I could try. I fly in. And the day I fly in, he was like, I have a meeting with the manager to talk about you becoming an editor. And I was like, this is amazing. Wow. I was in my last quarter of college period, like the last quarter, and then I graduate and I had 11 weeks left and. Or six weeks left of an 11 week quarter. Sorry. And I took a week off to come visit to help him set up his thing and then try to get a job editing. And he comes back that day. I'll never forget. And he was like. So I was like, how'd the meeting with the manager go? And he was like, the manager got fired this morning.
Tim Gettys
No.
Carl Jacobs
And I was like, oh, okay, cool. I guess I'm. That's awesome. And then he was like, but, you know, we're talking about his brother starting a YouTube channel. His brother's channel doesn't exist yet, but they will need editors. Do you think you could stay another week maybe, and then we can really try pushing you into that role? And I was like, that would be amazing.
Tim Gettys
You know?
Carl Jacobs
But now we're talking about missing two of my last six weeks of college. And my mom is just freaked out. She's like, what is happening? And then I met with the team. At the time, it was. It didn't exist yet. But it's the channel. It's Mr. Bro now. And I within. I started, and they were like, hey, we're doing this. Like, we would love for you to be the editor, but you'd have to start now. And then I was like, I'd have to drop out of college with now five weeks left before getting two degrees, you know what I mean? But to me, it was like, I'm just gonna bet on myself though, right? Like, I feel like that's. That's the plan. And then I kind of made the right bet. Did it. Yeah, I did it. And that was actually. It was funny. That lines up perfectly with. I went to Ian. Ian's wedding from ok. Beast.
Tim Gettys
Okay.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah. And it was like. They were like, whoa, that's crazy. Like, what the heck? You're, like, adjacent to Mr. Beast now. That's actually insane. And from there, like, it. In a couple months, it was me and my friend Tyler. Tyler is. I love Tyler. He's my best friend in all of Mr. Beast for sure. And he was on Mr. Bro the same time as me.
Tim Gettys
Wait, is Tyler. Is that the. He's the one. That showrunner of these games.
Carl Jacobs
He's the director of Beast Games. Yeah. So.
Tim Gettys
Jesus Christ.
Carl Jacobs
He wrote. He was the macro level, like, writer of it. And, like, he's the most talented person, bar none, that I've worked with in my life in terms of anything. Like, whatever.
Tim Gettys
Damn, man.
Carl Jacobs
I never can praise him enough. But we were at Mr. Bro at the same time, and it's from there. Within, like three months, me and him ended up combined. We were writing everything. I was leading camera, he was directing, I was on screen, and I was also editing the videos afterwards. You know what I mean? So we were basically, like, doing a lot.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
And then quarter four came along and Mr. Beast was like, we need to all hands on deck. We're about to do the craziest series we've ever done. We need to bring the people from Mr. Bro over to Mr. Beast.
Tim Gettys
So at this point, how big's the team? Ish.
Carl Jacobs
Mr. Bro has me, Tyler, probably three more people. And CJ, who's Mr. Bro. And then Mr. Beast probably has 15, 20 employees maybe. And they have like a warehouse and stuff. And they just bought a old church that wasn't a church anymore, it was just abandoned. And we bought it to turn it into a studio, which was. I remember walking to it for the first time. I was like, this is a YouTube. You know, I mean, which is crazy because this is ridiculous too. Like, this is way cooler than what that was. You know what I mean? So. So at the time it was like mind blowing to though and it. And that was the series of. We did four last to leave videos. And the winner of all four of those competed in last to take handoff. $1 million keeps it. And they needed hands, all hands on deck. They needed more editors, they needed more camera work. And I did both of those things.
Tim Gettys
Because you went to a trade school that taught you those things so you had the ability to be good enough at editing and using a camera.
Carl Jacobs
Exactly. And then because of that, I just started being a cameraman there. Whenever Mr. Bro went back to Mr. Bro, I stayed on Mr. Beast then. So then I became an editor there and then I started making my way to doing camera work again. And then I started joining like writing sessions. And at that point I was just always there. And then I kind of became friends with them all. And then I started just being in the videos because of that. And then, yeah, the rest is history.
Tim Gettys
So being in the videos, I mean, for those that don't know Mr. Beast, it's. Which is a crazy thing to say, but I'm sure there are some people that are like, who is this? What's happening? Mr. Beast is one of the most popular, if not the most popular YouTube channels ever. Yeah. And a lot of the content is like challenge based, competition based for crazy rewards like winning Lamborghini or a million dollars or a private island that. That could then be yours.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Like a couple times, like in. I would say, at least outwardly, your public rise was the hide and seek video.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
And then the last person to leave wins this private island.
Carl Jacobs
Okay. Yeah, those were. That's funny that you see it like that because that's. Yeah, that's me there. I had blonde hair. I dyed my hair pink at one point and yeah, it just kind of faded because I never used the right.
Tim Gettys
It happens.
Carl Jacobs
Are they hearing the audio for that, by the way?
Tim Gettys
No.
Carl Jacobs
Okay. I was like worried I was speaking over just.
Tim Gettys
Oh, no, just be roll.
Carl Jacobs
My bad. Anyway, yeah, that was. That. That was my first video. I've ever I was on for a Mr. Beast video. Other than like the island one? No, that was the hide and seek.
Tim Gettys
Oh, hide and seek. Gotcha.
Carl Jacobs
I was hide and seek for 60,000. That was the first time I was on video that wasn't just like occasionally I was in the background as a cameraman, which I was like excited about even. But like all of that led to that and I was so nervous about it and I was like, I just need to crush this. And I like spent the night before like freaking out. Tyler was also in that video. Like, and we, I remember the night before we went to Walmart and we were like looking around trying to like see if we should buy props for it, like for our own, like not for like the writers to write for us, but like it'd be funny if we just had like props for no reason, you know what I mean? And you're trying to stand out.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, I really like actively trying to self produce.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Within the production that was happening.
Carl Jacobs
I, I had edited at that point for months of Mr. Beast content and I guess I got a good pulse on like what the leads really actually wanted in videos. I would see what they would cut and I would see what they would keep. And I like loved more the like longer form, like more drawn out humor. And that never was the case back, especially back then we were much more like snappy almost like to like a, to me like in hindsight now we've evolved so much past that to where like we have more depth and kind of storytelling. But like back then it was much more like neck breaking speeds, you know. So I learned a lot from editing too.
Tim Gettys
I love that you said that because I, I, I've never been able to kind of put it into words the way you just did. Where I, I truly believe that in the, this era of video production, like the YouTube era, and we're so deep into it now, but the change between, oh, I make TV shows or I make movies or I make music videos, commercials or whatever, two I, I make content for whatever that's worth, YouTube videos and all of that. When you become this like, oh, what do you do? Oh, I'm a producer. Oh, I'm an editor. Oh, I'm a creator is what most people would say. I think that the difference there is when you understand the edit, you then retroactively understand the production. Yeah. And I feel like you either get that or you don't. And like there's certain people, like Roger Pokorny I think is an amazing example. Cameron Kennedy is an Amazing example. Like they are such good editors that it makes them incredible producers because they know, because they've edited so much and they know what works and what doesn't and they get the voice of the thing. And I can totally see you actually being the editor of the Mr. Beast videos being like, I know what to do to make the cut, even if it's not going to be you editing it. Yeah, you know, like that. So smart.
Carl Jacobs
Exactly. It's because you like look at it. You have to look at it in like there's like way more than just one story being told. It's like the person. We have a completely separate team for ideation then to creative, which sounds like the same thing, but like the people that come up with the frameworks of videos and titles is different from the people that write then within those confinements of the framework. So then those are two different stories in my head. Like this person has a story in their brain when they came up with the title and the framework. Then the creative hears that and then they kind of write their own story. And then the producers, for better or for worse, have real life confinements now. And now they have budgets. And because of that, the story is what they have to tell is like they try to take these two stories and make it to the best of their ability, but as a producer and then from there it gets to the editing room and that's where the final story gets told. You know what I mean? So as long as to me as an editor, like, I think I have so much respect for good editors. I, I would, I don't think I would be even the, whatever the lowest ranked editor could possibly be on Mr. Beast at this point. I'm like not a good editor compared to what they have now, which is.
Tim Gettys
So that's good because I'm sure so many of them learn from you. All right.
Carl Jacobs
No, I was a editor when we had four editors and I stopped being an editor and then there were still three editors.
Tim Gettys
But in the style though, like, I, I feel like you can't undersell and under estimate the importance of the voice of the content that lives on through from that original origin days. Right.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, I, I appreciate, I think, I don't know, I look it back at that time as like I was learning so much. I don't, I don't, I don't even look at it as like, I wonder what people got from me out of it. But like, yeah, I, I guess definitely everything piggybacks off of like what has happened in the past, obviously. So I guess in that way, yeah, definitely. But yeah, there was, there was and there are and there always will be. Way more like way better editors than I've ever been there. It's so funny.
Tim Gettys
I want to keep talking to you, but real quick, I do want to take a quick word from our sponsors. This episode is brought to you by Build. Y'all already know I'm a big points and rewards guy, but here's a PSA for anyone who rents. If you haven't heard of bilt, you're about to thank me. Earning points on rent is now a reality. When you pay your rent through bilt, there's no cost to join bilt and as a member you will earn valuable points on rent and on your everyday spending. BILT points can be transferred to your favorite hotels and airlines and even the ones you haven't heard of. There are over 500 airlines and 700,000 hotels and properties on around the world. You can redeem your Built points towards points can also be redeemed towards a future rent payment and unique experiences that only Built members can access. So if you're not earning points on rent, my question is why not start earning points on rent you're already paying by going to join built.com kindafunny that's J-O-I-N B I L T.com kinda funny. Make sure to use R URL so they know we sent you. Join bilt.com kinda funny to start earning points on your rent payments today. It's bt. This episode's brought to you by Factor Ready to optimize your nutrition this year, Factor has chef made gourmet meals that make eating well easy. They're dietitian approved and ready to heat and eat in two minutes so you can fuel right and feel great no matter what life throws at you. Greg Miller's been loving how simple it is to enjoy his Factor Meals as he's rushing between shows each day. Here. Kind of funny Factor arrives fresh and fully prepared, perfect for any active, busy lifestyle. With 40 options across eight dietary preferences on the menu each week, it's easy to pick meals tailored to your goals. Choose from preferences like Calorie Smart, Protein plus, or Keto. Multiple people here at Kinda Funny have been loving their experience with factories, and you can too eat smart with Factor. Get started@Factor Meals.com Factor Podcast and use code Factor Podcast to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping. That's code Factor Podcast at Factor Meals.com Factor Podcast to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. This podcast is brought to you by Stash. Saving and investing can feel impossible. But with Stash, it's not just a reality, it's easy. Stash isn't just an investing app. It's a registered investment advisor that combines automated investing with dependable financial strategies to help you reach your goals faster. They'll provide you with personalized advice on what to invest in based on your goals. Or if you want to just sit back and watch your money go to work, you can opt into their award winning expert managed portfolio portfolio that picks stocks for you. Stash has helped millions of Americans reach their financial goals and starts at just $3 per month. Don't let your savings sit around, make it work harder for you. Go to get.stash.com kindafunny to see how you can receive 25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. That's get.stash.com kindAFunny paid non client endorsements not representative of all clients and not a guarantee. Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments llc, an SEC registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk offer is subject to T and C's. And we're back. Carl, I want to ask you a wild question here.
Carl Jacobs
Ask it.
Tim Gettys
So you, like I first met you in Atlanta at momocon. This young little boy. Since then, you've gallivanted the world and done some of the most insane things any human being has ever done. Recently you were telling me that you went to Egypt, you got to go into the pyramids and you got to go into Osiris.
Carl Jacobs
So yeah, so by the way, we worked with some of the coolest people on the planet over there. It's like these people are like real life. I want to say Nathan Drake, but he steals stuff. So not them, the opposite of Nathan Drake, but also like the real life, but the aura of Nathan Drake.
Tim Gettys
Okay, okay.
Carl Jacobs
You know what I mean? Like, yeah, they are like this guy Rami was with us the whole time and like he. I don't think he's ever buttoned past the middle button and. And he shouldn't. And I don't want him to.
Tim Gettys
Hell yeah.
Carl Jacobs
He's just the coolest guy on the planet. And all these guys were teaching us everything the whole way. Like everything. It was the coolest thing ever. They took us to Osiris's tomb. I don't know if you know who Osiris is not a human. So he's the God of the underworld for them. And I don't, I don't Want to also, I might be explaining a lot of this very incorrectly. It was just based on the hundred hours of sleep deprivation. Carl trying to take in as much as I could about this land that I know absolutely nothing about. But I think it was Osiris is the God of the underworld is the idea. But they put his tomb, they created a tomb for him to be like the passageway for the, the kings and all of the people that they make pyramids for, like including all of the wives and stuff like that. They made the Osiris's tomb for when they die, for their spirits to find an easy route to the underworld. So it was kind of looked at as a very like positive way, I think, which you think of underworld and you think of like. Yeah, but it had a lot of respect and there was like, it was insane and I could be mixing it up. So again, if I'm speaking like incorrectly, that's my bad. But we get there and they didn't tell me anything about this beforehand because I would love to not know because I love getting surprised right there. And they hand me a wetsuit and I'm like, oh God, this can't be good. What are we doing?
Tim Gettys
What?
Carl Jacobs
And they told, they told me we're going to the tomb of Osiris. And the tomb of Osiris is not just a thing that you just go to. It's. We would, we walked through a gate into this tunnel and there were Egyptian guides that we had that wouldn't come with us past that point because they were worried that they would get like. They were like, this is bad energy. Like I don't know if they believed they would get cursed or like, I don't want to speak for them, but they were like to the point where they weren't willing to go in there, you know what I mean? Like some of some people that we were with and we then walk through the tunnel and there's literally a 150 foot, 200 foot ladder to go down that's rusted off of like snake eater. It was the craziest. It was, yeah, it was like insane. We go down the ladder, go through another tunnel to another ladder that goes another some odd feet down. This is this, look at this.
Tim Gettys
Oh my Lord. He literally is like snake eater. That's crazy.
Carl Jacobs
Look how the timecode. I can't believe I like magically pulled that up. That was very impressive. Very impress.
Tim Gettys
Wait, so that's wrong. Yeah, you're right, you're right. I'm freaking out. Indiana Jones, little get up Here, wait. So how scary was it to even go down the ladder? That seems like a lot.
Carl Jacobs
And there were sections. It was. It felt like. Do you remember. Have you ever watched Spirited Away?
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
You know the scene where she's, like, on the side with the pipes, and then you're like, oh, I'm just waiting for the pipe to break because it's gonna happen? It felt like that. And then it's some. Miraculously, it didn't. And then there's. We get down, and now we're in an area that have tombs and, like, a little offshoots of where people in ancient times were there to leave offerings so they would leave, like, oil and, you know, many different things. For Osiris, thanks for, like, safe travels to the Underworld, I assume. And then next to that is one more ladder that's probably only 30ft long, but the last 10ft are underwater. And I'm climbing down the ladder, and I'm now in water, you know, So.
Tim Gettys
I mean, I know you're wearing a wetsuit and you kind of have at least some knowledge of what's going on.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Was there any part of you that's like, am I supposed to go in this water?
Carl Jacobs
So I could tell you with certainty less people have been right here, what you're seeing on the screen than have been to space. It's in. In recent. In modern times. In modern times, less people have been right there. And then I went.
Tim Gettys
You go under the water. Carl, what are you doing? You're going to the Underworld.
Carl Jacobs
So I hear that that's the coolest thing that's ever existed to me. I'm like, wow, we are doing the cr. And, like, people don't document as far as we. Like, there's so many other than that section all over what we were doing in Egypt that were never documented to the full extent that we've documented with our cameras. You know what I mean? Like, a lot of it has almost never been shown to an a. Like, a person just on YouTube before, you know, which was surreal to me.
Tim Gettys
And so you decided to put your head in the water. That seems like a choice, my friend.
Carl Jacobs
It was a choice, but I thought it through, and I'm. I don't regret it.
Tim Gettys
Explain that. Explain that a little bit. What. What does that mean? You thought it through?
Carl Jacobs
First of all, we were the first people in modern history to be down there during nighttime. And apparently, I think either some or they or many people believe that that at nighttime is when the passageway to the Underworld opens. We're the only People in modern history that have done this and the passageway is not just his tomb, it's in his sarcophagus. Because even though he wasn't, you know, he didn't have a body, he's like a God in, in this, in this, he had a sarcophagus, like, obviously, because it's a tomb and they want to show respect. And his sarcophagus is what is the gateway to the underworld. And we're standing along the edges of the sarcophagus, but it's open. And I'm like, well, has anybody tried it? You know what I mean? Has anybody tried this to like go technically, you know, if this is like their idea to go through to the Underworld would be that. And nobody's done it in modern history ever. And I, and I asked Rami, I was like, am I like, is this disrespectful? Is it? And he's like, I don't think it's disrespectful. I'm like, a lot of people wouldn't do it, but like, it's not disrespectful. And I was like, well, I'm gonna try it. You know what I mean? And he's like, you probably don't want to because you'd have to go underwater. Like, like your head would have to be 3 or 4ft underwater to do it.
Tim Gettys
And like Kendry in the chat brings up something that I wanted to bring up. Like, this is pretty much exactly what Moon Knight did. I just want you to understand what I don't. I'm not the Marvel character. Moon Knight, like, like he literally does this exact thing.
Carl Jacobs
But okay, the Curse of Osiris is like the thing. It's like a thing. And I was like, I want to do it then. I want to do it. And I'm like, I'm going to give it a shot. So I literally like went underwater. I hate the way that that was cut. I'm very upset at the way that that was cut. Cuz it looks like I didn't go all the way underwater and man did. All the way under, man did I. I was full feet underwater. I was feet underwater, man. And it cuts right as I'm going under. Look at it go. Wait, go back one, like maybe five seconds. Yeah, it doesn't even really show that. I was like, you know what I mean?
Tim Gettys
Yeah, I was like, dude, I full.
Carl Jacobs
Sent that and I didn't get, you know, I was like, I couldn't believe it.
Tim Gettys
So you are you. Were you okay? Did you get any type of sickness from this or anything.
Carl Jacobs
Well, thanks for asking. Apparently still water that's been still for thousands of years.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
Leads to getting an ear infection.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
Okay.
Tim Gettys
I'd imagine that's you lucked out if that's all you got there.
Carl Jacobs
I got an ear infection. I did.
Tim Gettys
That's insane. But, but I wanted to ask like that. That is a crazy example of where your life is now going. Doing something that like, few people in the entire world have ever done. What are other things like that that you can't believe you've done?
Carl Jacobs
It's that. And that is officially my favorite recording we've ever done now. But it beat out, I think, over two years ago, we went to Antarctica, which was my favorite recording we've ever done. We went not just like to Antarctica, but we went so deep into Antarctica that I think we were a three hour flight away from anything living. Except for us. You know what I mean? Like, we were deep in there. We were living in a camp of scientists that are there for, like actual things that actually matter. And not just camping in Antarctica. But that was a. That was a whirlwind. I feel like, yeah, there I am. Oh, that's not me. But, you know, there we are.
Tim Gettys
There you are.
Carl Jacobs
I spent my whole time digging a hole.
Tim Gettys
I had a lot of Minecraft brained.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah. I was like. I was like, I feel like this video needs like a B plot. And I was having fun because I. There was a section of our tent that had an opening on the ground. So I was like, it'd be funny if I secretly made a tunnel. So I dug very deep and we had safety guides that were like, any deeper and you're probably going to cave in and die, so probably chill out.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
And I was like, okay, fair enough. But it was like eight feet deep. I'm pretty proud of it. Dang.
Tim Gettys
Dude.
Carl Jacobs
And that was it. Dark to go was probably the craziest experience of my life. Because of.
Tim Gettys
Oh, my God.
Carl Jacobs
Because of this. It was like just snow. You had to wear sunglasses outside or else you would get what was called snow blindness because of how bright the snow was reflected from the sun.
Tim Gettys
I see you. Jesus Christ. Children. A lot of them. All right, so this is crazy, but these are just the Mr. Beast videos. These are the normal YouTube channel stuff.
Carl Jacobs
Yes.
Tim Gettys
This last week, Beast Games.
Carl Jacobs
Yep.
Tim Gettys
The most record breaking show of all time. By literally, like, when we're talking about world records. What was it?
Carl Jacobs
I think it was 43 or something.
Tim Gettys
43 world records.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
By this show, including most expensive unscripted reality show of all time.
Carl Jacobs
42. After I took a world record from the set, I stole. I stole a world record, ladies and gentlemen. Some of the people at Amazon are finding that out right now.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, yeah.
Carl Jacobs
And that's okay.
Tim Gettys
I mean, this. So the show's wild, kind of funny. Me and Mike were watching it week to week religiously. What I loved so much is that Gia was watching it. And Gia is. Everybody knows she loves reality tv. We watch all the Housewives and all that stuff. But she also loves Survivor and the more competition based, like, you know, the good stuff when it comes to Survivor. And Survivor is legitimately a perfect show. Like, it's so well designed. The people that, that get that show and what makes it tick, the, the competitions and challenges are so well thought out, but also it's about the people and it's about finding the storylines between the people. Seeing Beast Games kind of take that and just up the ante to such a ridiculous extent week after week. And then every couple minutes. Seeing you show up on my TV screen, Carl, it made me giggle, literally giggle every time I would see you.
Carl Jacobs
It was, it was pretty surreal to me. It was easily the hardest I've worked in my entire life. It was easily the least amount I've ever slept in my entire life, but it was the. One of the most rewarding things we've ever done. I think it was always worth it. It was so fun to me. I had so much fun making that. It was a dream to me.
Tim Gettys
It's crazy to me that you say it's the hardest you've ever worked because earlier you joked saying that, like, you don't have a real job. And like, while that might be true in terms of like, just by definition or whatever the way you want to look at it, I don't know how anyone can work harder than you do. Like, and there's a, there's a level of people that I've met in my life that I feel very thankful to have met and lucky to have met and have been around. It's also very humbling because I think I work very hard. But then I see people like Austin Creed, Xavier woods, you, that I'm just like, how is this possible? But legitimately, you, in the last couple days have traveled to so many different places and like the, the, the flights and the time to even sleep and then having to do these. You were at the NBA All Star Game, working, doing stuff, and now here you are just hanging out. But it's work like you work so hard. Like, are you. Are you okay?
Carl Jacobs
I think I really enjoy, like, working on stuff. I really. I really, really enjoy it. I also. I feel like I'm pretty lucky to where I don't really need that much sleep. I don't know if that's, like, scientifically a thing.
Tim Gettys
That actually sounds like Kevin, man.
Carl Jacobs
Really?
Tim Gettys
Yeah. That's. That's such a Kevin Coelho thing to say.
Carl Jacobs
I don't. I really don't sleep that much as is. Like, even if I had all the time in the world, I think I. I kind of, like, my body, like, wakes myself up at, like, in six hours of sleeping, even. You know what I mean? Like, I. There's no way. I. I probably slept on average, like, three hours a night during the filming abuse games. Like, I was. But it was really. I noticed I was. I was not overworked. I like, forced myself to get to be able to work more spots. You know what I mean? I just loved it. It was my favorite thing ever, you know? I don't know. I feel, like, uncomfortable with, like. A full day off would be really, really weird to me. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. I don't like it, but it's, like, not in, like, a flex way. I don't look at it like that because I feel like a lot of people like to talk about how hard they're working in the grind. And to me, it's not really like that. It's like you found the ability to.
Tim Gettys
Do something that you love, and it's still something that you love. It's not something that you feel like you have to do.
Carl Jacobs
I mean, we're talking about, like, I. We're. You just talked about how much I'm traveling, right? And how much I've flown and how much. How little I've slept. But then obviously, we can't speak about some of the stuff that I did. But in that time frame, I was at the NBA All Stars. We did something with the baseball team, like I said we did. Like, I'm like, who can ever be upset about this life? You know what I mean? Like, this is. I'm so grateful for it, you know? So it's, like, cool, and it's so well worth the work because it pays off so much in, like, such. So many different ways, you know?
Tim Gettys
I don't want you to have to say anything you don't want to yet, but do you have. Is there a goal still? Because I feel like, you know, let's just say your goal was, I Want to work at ign?
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Now here you are with where you're at, like, do you still have something or you kind of just like, I'm going to take every opportunity and take it to the max.
Carl Jacobs
That's the goal. I really, I don't ever want to feel like I. There was a fork in the road and, and I don't mind if there's a fork in the road. I made the wrong decision. I don't want to be. There's a fork in the road and I made a decision based on, like, not willing to put in the work for the other. Does that make sense? Yeah, I think I don't really actually have an exact goal. I mean, like, I do have goals of, like, I really want to make sure, like my brother, I want him to be able to do whatever he wants to do in his life. I don't want him to just be lazy. But I also want him to know, like, he can strive for what he wants to get done and then not worry about if it doesn't work out. You know what I mean? Like, that's the kind of stuff I have as, like, my goals, you know? But beyond that, it really is just, I just like doing just, I just want to take advantage of every opportunity I keep trying to get, you know?
Tim Gettys
So. Okay, this is a big question.
Carl Jacobs
Okay.
Tim Gettys
What do you do?
Carl Jacobs
I have no idea. I don't know yet. I'm still figuring it out. I, I, it's funny because, like, there's times, like, there's times where I'm like, I, for instance, Tyler again was like the, the lead of all of the creative for Beast Games, and he, like, even just the amount that he let me access, like, what he, what was definitely his baby. There were parts where I was like, I don't even care if I'm on screen. I love writing and I like just being a part of creating stuff. You know what I mean? Like, I don't even know if it's always going to be that I'm in front of the camera. I don't. That's not the part. It's a part that I do love and I am passionate about, but it's not the passion to me. You know what I mean?
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
So I have no idea for sure. I have no idea what I'm doing right now. I have no idea what I'm going to be doing in three years. You know, I mean it, I have zero clue, you know, so. But that's kind of the fun part to me.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, and Again, only answer this to the extent that you want to or can. But, like, what. Besides just being on camera for. For Beast Games specifically, what did you.
Carl Jacobs
Do in Beast Games? Like, yeah, because obviously, I mean, if you watch Beast Games, like, there's episodes where I'm not even, like, in it, you know? But there was a lot. There was. I felt that it was very important that there was somebody that the contestants could recognize that was kind of there if they were ever going through, like, struggles. Like, struggles that come with it or. Like, for instance, I remember one of the days there was, like, complications with hotels. So, like, there were some of the contestants that couldn't sleep in, like, one of the days before starting. I mean, and there was a complications at, like, 2am where there were contestants waiting in a hotel lobby. And I was like, this is ridiculous, and I need to go over there. You know what I mean? Like, I was like, I should just be there with them, because if they're there, we have a great team on the back end that was there to, like, support them and be there for them, but they also don't recognize those people. They. They joined for, like, the people that they recognized. And, like, I wanted to be like, hey, this is terrible. I'm here for you. You know what I mean? Like, so that kind of stuff was, like, important to me, just being there for the contestants in general. I. It's. It got to the point where, like, closer to the ending, like, episode six, seven, eight, I started being, like, sad when contestants would get out. Like, we, like, literally grew connections, if that makes sense. And other than that, I did do an okay amount of writing for the show in general, but just tried to help be, like, a tool for specifically Tyler, again, was the dude the brain of it, and, well, him and a guy named Shawn Klitzner. So it's Tyler Conklin and Sean Klitzner. It's like, they are, like, such a duo of Sean Klitzner. I just have to give him his flowers for a second. He is the guy that landed us Egypt. Everything that you saw in Egypt was Shawn Klitzner and also was the guy that got us the Eiffel Tower rented out.
Tim Gettys
And I'm like, you're out the Eiffel Tower. You know what I mean?
Carl Jacobs
Like, what are we doing? What are we doing? Like, how. How is. Like, he is the best producer, or we call that producing, so whatever everybody calls that, but, like, he's, like, probably the best problem solver I've met in my life. And I think those two together Just like, being a tool for them whenever they need me, like, was kind of what I did for the show.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, man. So freaking cool, man. All right, you're. You're big, you're powerful, you're successful, Mr. Beast, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It all comes back to the video games. Carl, what was your first console?
Carl Jacobs
O. The water just splashes.
Tim Gettys
Splashes himself.
Carl Jacobs
My sister had an N64, but my first console was a PS2. That's like the first, like, we had it as a family. So, yeah, the PS2 was my first thing. Jak and Daxter was my first game.
Tim Gettys
Hell yeah.
Carl Jacobs
Perfect. It's still great. It's still, like, amazing. Yeah.
Tim Gettys
So getting into video games, like you earlier were saying you worked at a retro game shop, like, obviously I got about 10 years on you, so, like, a lot of different touch points for me, but I feel like we're similar in the way that I fell in love with video games early on and wanted to go back and learn the history and, like, I wanted to play all the old stuff and know all the old stuff for you was that, like, did you fall in love after Jak and Daxter and like, then that was the moment. This is it.
Carl Jacobs
Yes. I mean, the first game I ever played, or maybe the first game I ever, like, beat, probably with the help of like, my older sister and like my, you know, friends and stuff, was Majora's Mask. Holy. Which is a perfect first game to beat, by the way. Like, what a.
Tim Gettys
That is.
Carl Jacobs
What a star studded lineup I got.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Tim Gettys
But, yeah, Wild.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, exactly. I think, man, that game I fell in love with, I fell in love with Majora's Mask. So big Jack and D. Yeah. I pretty immediately was like, this is the best. Like, why? Why? Like, people read books still, like, what is. What are we doing? I was like, wow, okay. Yeah. I've always been obsessed with video games since I remember.
Tim Gettys
So now you play a lot of, like, your channel, The Carl Jacobs YouTube channel is mainly Minecraft stuff, right. And, like, you're really, really good at it.
Carl Jacobs
It's funny you say that.
Tim Gettys
Why?
Carl Jacobs
Because when you look at my channel, like, it's all Minecraft, but, like, a lot of it is basically us creating videos, but, like, we use Minecraft as.
Tim Gettys
The set, of course.
Carl Jacobs
And you assume that I'm very good at Minecraft, but I've competed in Minecraft championships before and the first one I ever competed in, we actually won. So there was 40 people total, four, all in teams of four. And my team won but to this day, I still have the record for being on the winning team. As the lowest individual score. I got 38th out of all 40 people. But my team won. So I am not good at Minecraft.
Tim Gettys
Okay, you're just number 38, like out of the best people ever. Like, no, it's, it's absolutely wild because I, I, in the last couple days I've been like trying to see like what, what is Carl actually making on his channel these days? And I popped in and I was just watching a couple videos and I'm like, I'm so, I shouldn't be shocked, but I'm just so shocked at how much production is in your let's plays. Like, like and, and you said you use it as a set. It reminds me so much of Rooster Teeth using Red Verse or using Halo to make Red versus Blue. Like you are just making shows, competition shows inside of Minecraft. But it's, it's so impressive. But obviously you and your team have to spend so many hours playing Minecraft. Do you have time to play other video games these days?
Carl Jacobs
Not as much as I want to be. Yeah, this is, I did like, I called it Realistic wars in Minecraft. So we like created a ton of mods to make this happen. This is like practice.
Tim Gettys
Even the camera work right. Like we just so much production here.
Carl Jacobs
Our team has a proprietary camera system that we developed in Minecraft specifically because there is a really cool mod called Replay Mod that is open source. It's amazing. The fact that it's free is crazy and like it's basically B roll in Minecraft that you can get retroactively but then it does have limitations. But since it's a free product, I'm never going to. But we were like, oh, we want to be able to do like, you know, like Twitter. Yeah, like very, very more cinematic. And yeah, they, I have a whole team dedicated to just camera work in Minecraft. It's so funny.
Tim Gettys
How, how big is the Carl Jacobs team?
Carl Jacobs
I think we probably have maybe 15 full time employees.
Tim Gettys
That is amazing.
Carl Jacobs
And they're amazing. I think it's. I can't. I'm so grateful. I literally have the best team on the planet. I think. I don't know how by happenstance, it just happened this way and like little by little we pieced it together with like who. I think everybody is like the best at what they do. It's the coolest thing ever. I love them so much. It's amazing.
Tim Gettys
So damn, who could relate? But with the, with, with that. So you don't have that much time to play games these days.
Carl Jacobs
No.
Tim Gettys
But when you do have time, do you find yourself playing new games? Are you going back to older stuff?
Carl Jacobs
Right now I am playing need for Speed. Most Wanted.
Tim Gettys
Yes, you are.
Carl Jacobs
For the Xbox original.
Tim Gettys
Yes, you are.
Carl Jacobs
I set up a room in my house, me and my roommate. I live with a streamer called Foolish. And we have a whole room in our house dedicated to retro stuff. So I got like a 27 inch CRT TV and we have like a bookshelf just filled with GameCube, Xbox, PS2, N64, SNES, and like all of that. Just because we. Whatever. We're like getting the chance, dude. Most Wanted. This is the remake.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, no, this is the. We gotta go back.
Carl Jacobs
What are we doing? Sorry, I didn't think you would notice. That one didn't look enough piss yellow.
Tim Gettys
It was that era, man. Because Most one was post underground and underground too. We went from like all the colors to. You're just getting yellow, bro.
Carl Jacobs
Dude, Most Wanted, its cutscenes are to die for. But I'm having so much fun with that. Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. That's awesome. So what are some other formative Carl games?
Carl Jacobs
Psychonauts is probably the most important game of my entire life. I think it's.
Tim Gettys
Barrett loves Psychonauts.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah, Barrett has good taste. He's a Psychonauts. He's Persona Barrett. Barrett's correct as a human. I think Jack and Dexter as well. Yeah, there you go. Jack and Daxter. We're doing it. You know what I mean? Psychonauts is the funniest game that's ever been written to me. I think Tim Schaefer is the best writer in video games history. I don't. I don't even know if it's close to me. He's like my biggest inspiration.
Tim Gettys
Tim is amazing.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah. I would probably. I don't know how I'd react if I saw him in person.
Tim Gettys
Have you not?
Carl Jacobs
No, I don't. I don't know how I'd react.
Tim Gettys
Oh, my God.
Carl Jacobs
I think I'd freeze, like, just on the spot. I think I'd start potentially crying. Yeah, I mean, it would be. It'd be a moment. Psychonauts. Yeah. Psychonauts for me is that. I feel like there's more. Kingdom Hearts is gigantic to me.
Tim Gettys
Kingdom Hearts, baby. Hell, yeah. Have you seen Mike go through Kingdom Hearts for the first time?
Carl Jacobs
I was watching a little bit of it. I love that dude. Because Mike is just the opposite of a Kingdom Hearts fan. When you picture.
Tim Gettys
Exactly. Exactly. God, Mike's tasty video games is one of my favorite. I'm so bummed he's not here today. He's out doing business somewhere doing some fun stuff. But the energy of Snowbike Mike is unlike anything else, man.
Carl Jacobs
I have a DVD of his.
Tim Gettys
Yes. No, Mike. Mike the movie.
Carl Jacobs
I got him to sign it for me.
Tim Gettys
I love that. I love that so much. I'm trying to think, where else do I want to go? We're wrapping up. Is there anything else that you. You want to talk about?
Carl Jacobs
Oh, God, I should have thought of something. No, I mean, I guess it's been cool on my end as well, so. Because I feel like we've talked about your perspective of me. It's been so cool to watch how you guys have evolved, you know, I think it's the coolest thing on the planet. I think I love something that I care about deeply for anything that I do is like, I want to. It might be as random as anything. I released a comic book whenever. My fan base at the time was probably predominantly preteen to teen girls that don't. That aren't the target demographic for comics. But I. The idea was like, I was like, I grew up reading comics. I really like comics. And maybe this is my chance to like open you guys to that. And it's really. When I make anything, the hope is it might be the most random thing on the planet, but I'm gonna put a lot of work and heart into it. And I think you guys do that better than anything. I think it's so cool how many things you guys, like, try, you know, it's cool how like, experimental you guys can be. It's, you know, it's like Games Showdown is like brand new and it's potentially the best show you guys have ever created, you know?
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
I say brand new. I guess it's not new new, you know, like, it's like kfaf. I can't wait for it to come.
Tim Gettys
Back one day, maybe.
Carl Jacobs
Who knows?
Tim Gettys
It's not on me, let everyone know that.
Carl Jacobs
But yeah, it's just. I think you guys are always doing such cool stuff and like every, like to this day, I always look to it as inspiration. It's like so cool to me.
Tim Gettys
Thank you so much.
Carl Jacobs
I just hope that that's seen and like, felt and. Yeah. Respected from everybody else. Whenever they watch your guys stuff, it's like, this is like a special channel to me. I really think so. It's like probably the only channel I have consistently watched as often as I have for as long as I have. You know what I mean?
Tim Gettys
Well, thank you so much. That truly means a lot. And thank you, obviously, for all of your support as being a Patreon producer. Like, it really goes a long way. So many people are like, all right, Carl Jacobs. Like, that can't be the Carl Jacobs. And it is. Here he is sitting here, like, thank you so much for all your support, but also, just thank you for your support. Just showing up to things like Momocon, right? Like, you know, just, like, being in the chat, like, doing all this stuff. Like, you are such a shining example of anybody listening or watching right now can make it. If you. If you have the dream of, like, being a creator and doing things, it's, like, it is possible. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, but it's possible, man.
Carl Jacobs
So it's. I feel like I got a lot of really cool lucky breaks, and I. I think the amount of lucky breaks that somebody might have in their life definitely varies a lot. I'm never gonna argue that. And I think I am very lucky with the amount of opportunities I've had in my life. But I guess, like, the only, like, piece of advice that I'd have to anybody that's like, dude, how do I, like, do anything? Is, like, instead of trying to capitalize on a lucky break that you were trying to generate yourself, be ready for the lucky break whenever it gets there. So, like, I went to college for video editing, you know, so that I could have that opportunity to be an editor for somebody. It's not like I'm reaching out to editor to edit for a channel and then learning to edit, you know what I mean? It's like, it's put in the work to be ready for whenever a lucky break might come along and kind of set yourself up to receive that, you know?
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Carl Jacobs
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Amazing stuff, man. Carl, thank you so much for taking some of your very, very, very busy time to come out here and talk to us. Like I was saying, you will be on Game Showdown. I'm very, very excited for that. Is there anything that you want to talk about for people to check out of your stuff?
Carl Jacobs
Honestly, I'm. Carl, you probably just. I think my YouTube channel is just Karl. Karl. So if you want to check it out, I. I don't even think you have to understand Minecraft to enjoy it. That's the hope at least. So check it out if you want to. And the only other thing I want to say is maybe. Maybe we got to talk about what stars I should be taking from you. And stars in the bank, baby.
Tim Gettys
Not you, too. Not you, too, Carl.
Carl Jacobs
Stars, plural. Don't forget.
Tim Gettys
Oh, no. Well, everybody, thank you so much for hanging out with us. If you're on Twitch, you can stay right where you are. If you're on YouTube, you're gonna have to make the jump over to whatever stream Nick is about to do. Carl, thank you so much for hanging out. Everyone else, I love you all. Goodbye.
Episode: Karl Jacobs: A KFBF's Rise to Fame
Release Date: February 17, 2025
Host: Tim Gettys
Guest: Carl Jacobs (Forbes 30 Under 30, Patreon Producer)
The episode kicks off with Tim Gettys extending birthday wishes to both Andy Cortez and Carl Jacobs' sister, setting a warm and celebratory tone. Tim introduces Carl Jacobs, lauding his achievements and expressing excitement about finally having him on the show after years of attempts to bring him into the Kind of Funny (KF) studios.
Notable Quote:
Tim Gettys [00:18]: “...the most exciting thing it's been years upon years upon years of us trying to actually get you into the kind of funny studios.”
Carl shares his early connection with KF, recalling memorable moments from events like MomoCon 2016 in Atlanta. He reminisces about his initial aspirations to become a games journalist with IGN and how KF played a pivotal role in steering him towards content creation. Carl emphasizes the impact KF had on his decision to pursue his passion, highlighting the supportive community that KF embodies.
Notable Quotes:
Carl Jacobs [09:38]: “...Momo con ... was like the biggest point of movement in my life to push me towards content creating.”
Tim Gettys [10:52]: “...you're a shining example of anybody listening or watching right now can make it.”
Carl details his transition from aspiring journalist to content creator. He recounts his involvement with Mr. Beast's channel, Mr. Bro, where his skills in video editing and camera work were instrumental. Carl narrates how he became an integral part of the team, contributing to high-profile projects like the "Last to Leave" series and expanding his role within the organization.
Notable Quotes:
Carl Jacobs [28:17]: “...I worked at a retro game store... was obsessed with all things games.”
Tim Gettys [32:48]: “...Mr. Beast is one of the most popular, if not the most popular YouTube channels ever.”
The conversation delves into Carl's extraordinary adventures, including traveling to Egypt to explore the tomb of Osiris and venturing deep into Antarctica. Carl describes these experiences as some of the most surreal and challenging moments of his life, highlighting the blend of excitement and rigorous work involved in producing content of such magnitude.
Notable Quotes:
Carl Jacobs [41:18]: “...we had to go into the pyramids and we got into Osiris's Tomb. It was like the coolest thing ever.”
Carl Jacobs [49:00]: “...it was like Indiana Jones in real life.”
Carl discusses his deep-rooted passion for video games, tracing it back to his first console experiences with the PS2 and games like Jak and Daxter and Majora's Mask. He elucidates how his love for gaming evolved into creating intricate Minecraft-based shows, utilizing custom mods and a dedicated team to produce high-quality, cinematic content that resonates with a broad audience.
Notable Quotes:
Carl Jacobs [60:21]: “My first console was a PS2. Jak and Daxter was my first game.”
Tim Gettys [63:21]: “...it's like Red vs. Blue inside Minecraft. It's so impressive.”
Carl highlights the importance of his team in scaling his content creation endeavors. With a team of around 15 full-time employees, Carl emphasizes the collaborative effort in developing proprietary systems for Minecraft content and maintaining high production standards. He attributes much of his success to the unwavering support and expertise of his team members.
Notable Quotes:
Carl Jacobs [64:22]: “I have the best team on the planet. They are amazing.”
Tim Gettys [64:43]: “...how smart and dedicated your team is is just incredible.”
The podcast underscores the significance of community and relationships in Carl's journey. Carl expresses profound gratitude towards KF for fostering a supportive environment that not only nurtured his growth but also inspired him to support others. He shares heartfelt anecdotes about interactions at events and the lasting bonds formed through shared passions.
Notable Quotes:
Carl Jacobs [70:38]: “...be ready for the lucky break whenever it gets there.”
Tim Gettys [69:14]: “...you are such a shining example of anybody listening or watching right now can make it.”
In the closing segment, Carl reflects on his goals, which center around continuous growth, taking advantage of every opportunity, and supporting his brother. He offers invaluable advice to aspiring creators, emphasizing the importance of preparation, dedication, and being open to unforeseen opportunities.
Notable Quotes:
Carl Jacobs [70:38]: “...put in the work to be ready for whenever a lucky break might come along.”
Carl Jacobs [71:15]: “...check out my YouTube channel if you want to. And the only other thing I want to say is maybe...”
Tim Gettys wraps up the episode by expressing immense appreciation for Carl's contributions and the inspirational story he shared. He encourages listeners to support Carl's endeavors and highlights the mutual respect and admiration between Carl and the KF team.
Notable Quotes:
Tim Gettys [69:49]: “...you are such a shining example of anybody listening or watching right now can make it.”
Carl Jacobs [70:56]: “...be ready for the lucky break whenever it gets there.”
Carl Jacobs [70:38]: “...be ready for the lucky break whenever it gets there.”
This episode of Kinda Funny Gamescast provides an inspiring glimpse into Carl Jacobs' meteoric rise within the gaming and content creation spheres. Through his candid storytelling, Carl illustrates the interplay of passion, community support, and relentless hard work, offering valuable insights for both fans and aspiring creators alike.