Cutting through the digital noise isn’t easy for any creator, yet AreYouKiddingTV’s Joey Gizzi and Steven Lannum have managed to do it time and time again. The American duo first met 12 years ago while at university, and what began as a shared creative pursuit has evolved into one of social media’s biggest comedy platforms. Today, their YouTube channel has amassed more than two billion views, while they’ve built a loyal audience of over 10 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.

Their success lies in an effortlessly simple yet endlessly entertaining formula. Wearing their signature sunglasses, the pair stand outside a location holding a sign in silence, inviting strangers to approach and complete whatever challenge is written on it. The interactions that follow are impossible to predict, leading to moments that are equal parts hilarious, chaotic, and surprisingly heartfelt. It’s a concept that proves genuine human connection can still thrive in an age dominated by algorithms.

Over the years, AreYouKiddingTV has collaborated with an impressive roster of artists and entertainers, including Ed Sheeran, Keith Urban, Jason Derulo, Ne-Yo, Drake Bell, Craig Robinson, Lainey Wilson, MrBeast, and Formula 1883 cover star Steve Aoki. Beyond the entertainment world, they’ve partnered with global brands including Disney, Dr Pepper, United Airlines, the Nashville Predators, and Paramount, cementing their place as two of digital media’s most sought-after creators.

In conversation with 1883 Magazine, Joey Gizzi and Steven Lannum discuss the evolution of the AreYouKiddingTV formula, protecting the authenticity that made it resonate with millions, learning when to switch off from work, and what’s next for the ever-growing platform.

Steven, Joey, thanks for speaking with 1883 Magazine. Starting with a loaded question, it’s been 12 years since you both met at Elon University, and it’s an understatement to say that your lives have changed dramatically in that period. Looking back on those university days, how do you think you’ve both changed as people since then?

Time really does fly! While it feels like yesterday we were freshmen in college, we’ve both grown a lot both in our personal and professional lives. Neither of us would’ve believed we’d still be making content together twelve years later, but we’re very grateful to still be able to collaborate. 

Earning millions of followers and achieving more than two billion views on YouTube alone is something most creators can only dream of. Looking back at the early days of AreYouKiddingTV, how long did it take to refine this formula you’ve created, and what were the main teething issues you faced at the start?

We posted videos for three years during our time in college, and we honestly didn’t have many viewers back then. We knew our content was fairly high-quality, but it was difficult getting people to watch it organically. In 2020, during COVID, it had been two years since we graduated, and we decided to re-edit our videos from YouTube and post them as vertical videos on TikTok. From there, we started to get views pretty quickly, and we realized our video style worked much better as short-form content instead of long-form YouTube videos. 

At what point were you able to take this full-time, and how did you celebrate in that moment?

After posting short-form content and eventually reuniting to film new content for two years, we realized we were making enough income to take this full-time. We waited a bit longer after that, and eventually, we were 100% focused on AreYouKiddingTV as our careers. There wasn’t any specific celebration for it, but it was at that point where we really locked in and started planning out bigger, better content for the future. 

In a world of information overload and so much digital noise, how do you both navigate keeping the creative vision of AreYouKiddingTV pure while staying ahead of trends in your storytelling?

We both think individually about video ideas pretty much all the time, but we also will meet up often to collaborate and brainstorm ideas together. Keeping each other accountable and talking through trends, ways to innovate, etc helps keep our content fresh while also keeping to our overall brand’s simplicity. 

From Ed Sheeran to former 1883 cover star Steve Aoki and beyond, you’ve worked with so many big names. Could you share some of your favorite collaborations?

We’ve loved pretty much every celebrity collaboration, and we’ve met some awesome people. Ed Sheeran was probably the coolest celebrity video we’ve filmed to this date. We filmed two videos with our friend Khleo Thomas and they were very successful. HARDY was a great person to work with, as well as the other country singers we’ve been able to make content with since we live in Nashville. These experiences make us grateful for what we do for a living.  

Could you share an idea on what goes on behind the scenes when working on a video from the moment it’s filmed to the final edit and upload?

Once we get to our filming location and shoot the video, we’ll talk about the reactions we got and how we should lay out the video to make it look the best we can. We’ll then give the footage to our talented video producer and editor, Derek, and he will edit everything together. Once we all have a version we love, we’ll decide on the caption and post it to all of our social media platforms. 

In a way, your jobs are very public-facing. Are you able to protect your peace and actually switch off after a long day of work? Or do people come up to you both even when you’re not filming?

The great thing about what we do is while we are public-facing and known, we aren’t too famous where it gets overwhelming. We still love it every time someone comes up to us, and people always have such kind things to say about us and our videos. Since we almost always wear sunglasses in our videos, we’re more recognizable when wearing them, so we usually don’t get recognized too often walking around without them. 

Finally, what’s exciting you both about the future, not just for the channel but for any other projects you’re working on?

We’re always working on ways to expand our brand, and we have several ideas that are in the works. We’re at the point now where we can continue filming our normal content while also developing new, unique ways to take it to the next level. We’re excited to see what the future has in store for us.

Follow AreYouKiddingTv on TikTok below.

Interview Cameron Poole

Photography Daniel Alvarado