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Barstool Laid Him Off… Now He Has 1 Billion Views | Austin "Young Mantis" Taylor, Creator
On today's show I sat down with Austin Taylor, aka Young Mantis, a 29-year-old Fishers, Indiana content creator whose videos have surpassed 1 billion views. Young Mantis remembers starting with the "Ref Daddy" video while interning for Pat McAfee's Barstool Heartland, lessons about professionalism, and creating early YouTube satire about IUPUI. He then won Barstool Idol in 2018, adopted the Young Mantis name, moved to New York, and navigated Barstool's approval and consent-form process before being laid off during COVID. After returning to Indiana, he DoorDashed, freelanced, and later partnered with Brandon Ames to build a business through brand deals and short-form strategy. Viral stunts like checking into an IUPUI basketball game, Shrek Beef, a 130M-view "corn dog" clip, and free-throw endurance challenges to hit 100 and eventually 135 consecutive free throws, among many others, have elevated his brand. If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast. You are going to learn about: - Young Mantis' Journey from Barstool Idol to Full-Time Content Creator - Viral Stunts Elevating His Brand - Building Business Through Brand Deals and Content Strategy Thank you to our partners: Pence Media Group Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance Check out these great clips from the show: 00:00 Followers Don't Matter 01:19 Guest Introduction: Austin "Young Mantis" Taylor, Creator 02:41 First Viral Video Ref Daddy 03:20 Pat McAfee Internship Story 10:59 Barstool Idol Win 17:48 Becoming Young Mantis 19:36 Barstool Life and Pressure 25:11 Sneaking In and Getting Banned 28:59 Shorts Era Breakthrough 30:48 Monetizing With Brandon 35:48 Creator Advice and Adaptation 40:22 Brand Deals vs Pure Views 41:43 Prediction Markets Collab 42:15 Vegas Trips and Hustle 42:38 Next Wave for Mantis 43:21 Creators and Mentors 44:17 Leaving Barstool Behind 45:38 Building Products Long Term 47:05 Process and Handling Hate 49:06 Proudest Moments and Day Jobs 50:27 Indiana Roots and Home Base 51:35 Regrets and Free Throw Stream 53:22 Dream Videos and Collabs 54:58 Fame Misconceptions and Fans 01:01:12 Jack Harlow Storytime 01:05:36 Adaptation and Trends 01:09:36 Indiana Final Three 01:13:15 Where to Follow Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.
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