Viral Sensation Joey Gizzi & Steven Lannum Of AreYouKiddingTV Exclusive Interview

The rise of comedy duo Joey Gizzi & Steven Lannum of AreYouKiddingTV.

Joey Gizzi and Steven Lannum are the brains behind AreYouKiddingTV. They have established themselves as a significant force in the world of digital entertainment. Their unique blend of humor and creativity has garnered over 1 billion views on YouTube. They currently have a combined following of over 10 million on TikTok and Instagram. Their journey began in 2014 at Elon University in North Carolina. This is where they met and discovered their shared passion for comedy and entertainment. They started creating entertaining video segments for their university’s television station, which quickly gained popularity among their peers.

In 2016, they transitioned to YouTube.

They would go on to rebrand AreYouKidding to AreYouKiddingTV. Their content, which initially focused on pranks and social experiments with fellow students, gained traction. Now, their content, where they challenge people to complete tasks for prizes, has made a big splash online. After graduation, Joey returned to his hometown in North Carolina, while Steven went back to Massachusetts. However, they continued to create content despite the distance. During the pandemic, TikTok became their platform to share their comedic talent, and they gained millions of followers and billions of likes.

I had the opportunity to chat with the duo and dive into their world of digital viral creations.

SEAN: Did the both of you ever imagine this is what y’all are going to be at this age?

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: Yeah. No, we could have never imagined it turning into anything like it is right now. We’re so happy that it has, though. It’s been a great journey. We have gotten to meet a lot of really cool people that I don’t think either of us could have ever imagined we would. We’re collaborating with people that we grew up watching on TV, and it’s just kind of amazing to see it unfold before our eyes.

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: Definitely. Yeah, and you asked about the most surreal moments, like you said, being able to collaborate with people like Ed Sheeran and Mr. Beast, too. We’ve been watching for a while just to kind of know that we’ve, I guess, done well enough to get their attention and be able to do stuff with them and take time out of their day. It’s just really humbling.

SEAN: You mentioned Ed Sheeran and Mr. Beast, which I’m sure was surreal. Did you pick up on anything that y’all could utilize for yourselves?

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: Yeah, I mean, I definitely think it was nice to be able to visit his big studio, warehouse, whatever you call it, and meet his team. They have a big team and are very focused on perfection and making everything as good as possible. They had a very good sense of humor. We went through and talked ideas, and they were kind of on the same page as us, which is cool to bounce back and forth.

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: Yeah, I agree. It’s interesting to see someone in the same space who’s just so well-defined and established. I mean, he has a whole army behind him. So it’s exciting to see where it’s possible to take content creation, and it definitely gives us hope for what we can achieve in the future.

SEAN: How do you all combat burning out?

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: Well, I think the good thing about this is that we have so much fun doing it. It’s our passion that we’ve been working on, so I know they say if you love what you do, it’s not work. It’s kind of like that. I mean, obviously, it gets tiring. We put a lot of effort in, but I think being excited to see an idea turn into something real kind of keeps us motivated.

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this is something we started in college, and it was just a hobby that we would do on the weekends, and the fact that it’s our full-time job now, there’s still so much magic and fun in it that it’s hard to be, I guess it doesn’t get old. It is hard to get tired of the work because you know what it’s going towards and what opportunities it brings. So we’ve just been having a blast with it.

SEAN: How long does a single video, on average, take from start to finish?

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: We usually plan filming dates two to three weeks in advance depending on our schedule, and we both have these running lists on our phones on Google Docs where we’re just if we have an idea, we throw it up there, and then we’ll meet before these filming sessions, and we’ll decide, Hey, on this date, let’s film x, Y, Z on this date. Let’s film this.

The ideas we do every once in a while, we will come together and we’ll brainstorm new ideas for a specific sponsor or something like that, or if it’s a holiday video. But yeah, I guess once we have the idea, we will film In the filming process, we had set up the cameras and all that, but once everything is set up, the videos themselves, the reactions usually only take about 10 to 20 minutes to film. Sometimes, there’ll be as much as 45 minutes or an hour. Sometimes, it happens as quickly as five minutes.

SEAN: What is one lesson you have learned along the way that you wish you had known when you were just starting out?

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: I mean, I think we’ve definitely learned that, as you said, you need to keep switching it up and not just do the same thing over and over. I think it’s great that we have our format that can work for so many different things, so it’s great. So as long as we have the sign in the videos, we know that kind of sticks to our brand, but we also need to be able to expand it and do bigger and better videos and keep people kind of watching new things each time.

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: I’ll add one thing: just not being afraid to experiment a little bit. If you post a video and it doesn’t get your normal views, it’s not the end of the world. Definitely playing the long game with content creation, and if at first your videos just aren’t getting the views you like, Don, don’t be discouraged. Stay consistent, keep making content that you love creating that you’re passionate about, and eventually you’re going to hit that target audience and see your results.

SEAN: That’s some great advice, and hopefully, people will take it to heart because it’s simple advice, but it’s true advice, and it really works when you just do it. Do you have a favorite city or place where y’all filmed the videos?

AREYOUKIDDINGTV: We love going to the University of Texas, but we love filming at home in Nashville. We love UCLA, but really, we’re trying to always go to new schools. We’re always getting DMs and comments saying, come here, come here. So we want to make people happy. We want to try and go to as many schools as we can.

SEAN: Do y’all have any favorites?

AREYOU KIDDINGTV: Yeah, I mean, we went to school at Elon University, so it’s always fun going back there and visiting the campus. Yeah, I mean, honestly, wherever we go, we usually have a good time and get some good content.

SEAN: What do you hope is next for Are You Kidding TV?

AREYOU KIDDINGTV: What we’re planning right now is kind of a live variety show and seeing if we can kind of maybe hit college campuses or cities and do a live version of our sign challenges mixed in with some comedy and Q&A and stuff like that. So that’s a project we’re currently working on, hoping to do something with it.

Despite its success, AreYouKiddingTV remains committed to its fans and engaging with audiences worldwide. Their challenges continue to resonate with viewers and have evolved alongside their growing fan base. Joey Gizzi and Steven Lannum’s story is a testament to their friendship, creativity, and perseverance. They started from humble beginnings and evolved into digital stars while staying true to their roots. As they continue to push the boundaries of comedy, the world eagerly awaits their next hilarious antics.

@areyoukiddingtv

Yes, microwaved is acceptable. #comedy #funny #funnyvideos #fyp #foryou #viral #wow #lol

♬ original sound – AreYouKiddingTV

To experience their comedic brilliance, check out AreYouKiddingTV on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. With millions of followers and billions of views, you won’t want to miss out on the laughs!

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