How Cody Ko & Noel Miller Turned a Joke into a Multi-Million Dollar Business

Head to www.jellysmack.com/JellyFi to find more about your funding options.
Check Out TMG studios: tmgstudios.tv/
00:00 Who are Cody Ko & Noel Miller?
02:21 How did Tiny Meat Gang start?
07:36 First brand deal
09:43 Life before KZbin, what they learned
18:02 How Cody & Noel Built Tiny Meat Gang on Patreon
22:23 The Value of Podcasts in Growing a community
25:24 Noel Miller's big ideas
27:45 Do Cody Ko and Noel Miller identify as KZbinrs?
32:48 Why Cody & Noel started their podcast network, TMG Studios
39:45 How Cody & Noel built TMG Studios
40:50 The challenges of going from creator to network
46:25 Cody Ko & Noel Miller on Ending That's Cringe
50:26 The Rise of Tiny Meat Gang Music
54:20 The Problem with Singing a Record Deal
58:43 Personal projects vs TMG
1:04:23 Cody Ko on creating uninspired work
1:05:44 The absurdity of KZbin
1:12:44 Why podcasts?
1:14:30 Why TMG Studios is different than other networks
1:18:20 The Future of TMG, Cody Ko and Noel
1:19:48 The TMG custom site
1:29:50 How to work for Cody Ko & Noel Miller
1:30:50 How TMG Studios makes money
1:33:13 Partying with Elon Musk
Editors:
Chris Schwaar
Jesse Leon
Graphics & Animation:
Chris Schwaar
Production Coordinator:
Marilyn Haigh
Special Thanks:
Ryan Faucett
TMG Studios
Joelle Park - UTA
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ABOUT US
We’re Colin and Samir, creators based out of Los Angeles California. We make videos about the creator economy, and the lessons we’ve learned over 10 years of being on KZbin. We also interview creators and try to get to the bottom of what’s working on KZbin and where the creator economy is headed.

[@Sabrina45678]

One of the very few genuine interviews from them. They always like to deflect and make jokes but I think they underestimate how much people really want to hear the full story

[@timber2017]

Your comment has over 700 likes fyiii

[@Vampgeek]

I wouldn’t say their other interviews aren’t genuine but I totally agree I rly enjoyed seeing this side to them

[@blizzardcore6431]

@@Vampgeek c. Evcccwcc CC dc XD we w wcw w dc w Ed w ex dd is dc. Few XD. We wc dw eden w dw and w gc. We w

[@blizzardcore6431]

@@Vampgeek c. Evcccwcc CC dc XD we w wcw w dc w Ed w ex dd is dc. Few XD. We wc dw eden w dw and w gc. We w

[@blizzardcore6431]

@@Vampgeek w we C vc w w w we c wcw we’d we. W w w

[@vintageindy]

Anytime Noel or Cody are serious and explain the detail and intention behind everything you just realize how smart these guys are and that they are playing chess when we are playing checkers. Glad you guys finally got them on the pod!

[@DarkMuj]

jokes on you i am playing Monster Hunter Sunbreak

[@Deezfugginnutzinyomouf]

@@DarkMuj jokes on you I’m playing Pokémon sun & moon 64 edition

[@mr.goon.shades]

Jokes on you I’m playing with myself. Oh! 🥴

[@Maya-Hayden]

I hope noel knows his story is impressive and inspiring. He glances over being let go, or being out of work, or having a complicated academic path like the real people that watch cant relate to it, WE CAN.

[@GabbieCh]

He doesn't like talking about his struggles. He definitely seems to be downplaying his emotions in general. He's one of these people who either suppress or deal with shit and then downplay it, they don't like talking about it and feeling like they're being pitied. I hope that he can at least share what he feels in his relationship. I respect that he doesn't wanna be vulnerable to his audience and his angle of approaching everything with a weird sense of humour is appealing to me.

[@Wizard_Of_Self]

@@GabbieCh ​ I don’t know if it’s really that he’s downplaying his emotions more so than that he doesn’t feel the sting of that old stuff anymore. To me it exemplifies his TUOT (turn up on tragedy) motto. He’s had a difficult life, from his dad dying of cancer at a young age, to his not super great relationship with his mom, to everything else mentioned. I think he’s just one of those dude that realizes it doesn’t help to feel bad for yourself or dwell on the past so he’d rather just not talk about it because what’s the point of dwelling on the negative. He sees any negative can be turned into a positive

[@DrEnword]

@@Wizard_Of_Self Noel’s dad died? He talks about him pretty often in some podcast episodes, unless he’s referring to a step dad

[@Wizard_Of_Self]

@@DrEnword I’ve never heard him mention a step dad so yeah I’m pretty sure he’s always referring to his father. But yeah I think he was a teenager when his dad passed. Teenager or like super early 20s but I’m more sure he was teen

[@kdawwwg40]

@@GabbieCh its probably safe to assume he shares things with the people closest to him. we are all internet strangers and with such a huge following I'm not surprised that he would want to keep difficult personal things to himself, at least on the internet.

[@Rabbert]

I just added up the "that's cringe" videos views out of curiosity. The videos collectively have around 290 million views total. Amazing!

[@norsky7199]

I miss That’s Cringe, it was so funny, but I understand why they stepped away from it. Still wish they wouldn’t have stopped, but massive respect and love for them.

[@kdenbman]

Bro they literally do it every week it’s just not labeled as That’s Cringe just go watch one episode of the podcast lmao

[@arjungutta7762]

@@kdenbman yep

[@sv-bd5em]

They still do it during their specials which are hilarious

[@Sequaloid]

lol what they still do it. they just rebranded into their podcast

[@samthemessiah9330]

I miss Noels vlogs. I still go back and watch them every couple months

[@ryanmccrary1880]

When Noel started talking about bland podcast setups and Samir looked around I started dying laughing 🤣

[@isabellasalazar5897]

do you have timestamp for this i couldnt find it anywhere 😭

[@ryanmccrary1880]

@@isabellasalazar5897 It’s pretty deep into the interview. I can find it later.

[@milky_boy17]

@@isabellasalazar5897 1:17:13

[@isabellasalazar5897]

@@milky_boy17 tysm

[@djentlover]

Two seconds after I saw this comment, that happened. We live in a simulation

[@8ajdj]

One important aspect that I think people sometimes miss when looking at TMG is their naturally complementary personalities. Within this interview alone you noticed how much respect they had for one another, allowing each individual to complete their thoughts without interruptions. Neither one of them was attempting to establish themselves as the "leader" but rather presenting TMG as a cohesive unit. Furthermore, Cody is definitely the more extroverted one, as he did a majority of the talking near the beginning, then Noel took over about halfway when he seemingly felt more comfortable. All credit to Colin and Samir for another fantastic interview!

[@TonyLewis42]

Yeah well said I was thinking the same thing while watching. Neither of them talks over one another and they both answer questions seamlessly transitioning back and forth.

[@LeonLush]

awesome interview, laughed along with you guys the whole way

[@ChrisJamesTV]

Ikr! Was super stoked to see they were on

[@abhiklovesbadbitches]

ily leon

[@freeestyleobsessed]

Leon, you’re one of the funniest dudes on the entire internet, keep doing your thing

[@benny89sandoval]

We need a Leon TMG collab!

[@viktorvaugndoom]

leon x tmg when?

[@treesrnotpaper6]

the media executive bit that noel did was so fucking funny i could not stop laughing 😭😭😭

[@Mattiaskrantz]

It’s a bit ironic that Jellysmack has pretty much exactly the same business modell as the record labels talked about except for youtubers. (They offer to push your content on facebook for a good amount of money, then you have to pay it all back yourself. On top of that they take a 50% cut. Literally a record label for content creators.

[@caspremedia]

and to think that both colin and samir promote jellysmack almost every video while labelling themselves as "for the creator" is ironic as well. And social media is all about independent growth and making your own money. I'd much rather hire a freelance editor whom i pay a flat rate, instead of giving a percentage of my revenue.

[@darrenrita]

Cody and Noel are two of the coolest dudes on the platform and I think that comes through in all that they do. I think they’ll continue to be successful in every endeavor they pursue

[@yeobo]

They’re honestly amazing for what they do, have been right infront of the curve every single time, from making money on patreon to their podcast and then becoming a full studio while making their own website for their own earnings. Genius boys, will always be proud of them for their growth and keep up their partnership through it. They have their hand in every pot and somehow it isn’t halfway

[@ProAFKGuy]

crazy how they got their whole crew into space. very inspirational.

[@withl0ve_kate]

Been following Cody and Noel for so many years and seeing their growth has been so awesome to see. They deserve all the recognition and praise they work their asses off for all that they do. Love you guys. Also Cody why does it look like you spilled chili on your shorts.

[@michellezein9999]

I'd like to see an interview like this, but with Michelle Phan. She might not be riding the KZbin wave as strongly as some other people right now, but she was definitely one of the first KZbinrs to get huge and has paved the way for many, many people after her. I'm really enjoying these interview videos and they're making me get to know creators that I'd normally not look twice, but I'd like to see something with someone that I already know!

[@iitstre_4550]

That’s facts. Would be cool to see

[@joselynr8700]

Yes!!

[@aranzacedillo1367]

I think she’s a cult leader now ?

[@yikes.]

this is the greatest double date ive ever seen

[@KloudKandy]

really awesome to hear cody and noel sit and talk about their process and how they think about their content. really loved this!

[@TonyLewis42]

I really like how you guys jump cut to whatever subject you are discussing to give context or to show who or what you are talking about. I wish more podcasts did this.

[@-rizzza-]

great episode guys. first time im watching yall, coming from the tmg boys, and im here to stay. your content is super interesting and entertaining!!!

[@stickdudetalks]

Jesus loves you✝✝

[@investabro2775]

True

[@SevenHunnid]

Hey brotha I’m 20, grinding hard to get out the hood, I can’t be 30 with nothing to show for so i smoke weed on my youtube channel 😕

[@noahsears653]

@@SevenHunnid bro keep on it you got this king 👑

[@RenterMan]

So true

[@suza.5306]

Cannot overstate my excitement when I saw Noel and Cody were the guests today - beautiful stuff, guys.

[@sv-bd5em]

Short kings ❤️ interesting to seeing them so serious, goes to show their relationship is much more idk mutual and serious and solid also as business partners than just the joking around they do on the podcast like they’re super well aligned

[@rednaruto88]

You guys peeled back so many layers of the TMG boys that other interviewers couldn’t. Y’all earned a new sub 🤝

[@joshgillis9026]

The interview we’ve been waiting for! Great work guys, solid interview, and extremely insightful. So close to 1 Mil, make a mini doc about getting there 👀

[@noaag]

Aww, I feel a little sad whenever Noel mentions that the gameshow(s) didn't succeed as much. I loved them and want to see more.

[@ChristianGardner]

For as non “smart” as their content is these guys are truly business genius

[@babosanders5223]

they’re software engineers lol

[@ChristianGardner]

@@babosanders5223 not all software engineers start multi million dollar businesses

[@blake3937]

⁠@@ChristianGardnernot all software engineers make multi million dollar companies but alot of multi million dollar companies are made by software engineers

[@miamimike91]

Amazing podcast! Great job to Colin and Samir, I’m a huge fan of TMG and now I’m a huge fan of you guys. This was a very insightful and important conversation I also love the editing style of this with adding in old clips and footage. Felt like I was watching a TMG documentary

[@prestongoes]

this is the most I've ever seen Samir laugh and that made me laugh hard haha

[@WithMarlon]

What a solid interview, I’m telling people I’m working towards being a media executive

[@Squirrley]

First time on this channel to watch my TMG boys. As great as it was to hear about their process and ideas, I have to give props to Samir for being a great interviewer and asking questions that kept the conversation engaging. Great ep!

[@QuotableComedy]

Hey to everyone on the team; just wanted to thank you for the consistently quality content. This is a much watch channel for me, i love the long form interviews great job dudes!

[@Jakerton]

This is my first time watching your video podcast… I’ve listened to almost every single audio podcast and I LOVE you guys! Side note… I had only ever seen one or two pictures / clips of you before listening to all of your audio podcasts and in my head Colin’s voice has been paired with Samir’s face and vice versa… I’m having an aneurysm watching this video for that reason 😂

[@studio.leonardo]

Love hearing the inner workings of these big creators. The mindset and analytics that go into it all never ceases to amaze me

[@BrainByproducts]

Colin & Samir, you guys are phenomenal interviewers! I absolutely love Cody, Noel and the TMG team. Love the interview. If I hear it right I see them becoming the next wave of Mythical entertainment. Where they become the studio to breed new content under their umbrella. Really exciting stuff. Love y’all, Colin and Samir. Really appreciate you guys being the source for quality creator content. So inspiring and insightful. I love to listen to this type of content from start to finish! -Storm

[@Reem.H.A]

Loved the interview! I started following cody and noel back when cody made vlogs, it’s great seeing how far they’ve come!

[@iamyonni]

Not gonna lie, its the only channel where I love watching their midroll sponsor ads. Love you guys so much. Awesome content.

[@pablojaviergaytanhernandez4409]

Its great to see cody ko and noel miller on the studio with you guys, their success is nothing short of Incredible, starting out as jokers to full on directors of their own show

[@heyabbyrey]

cody and noel are creating a legacy of being one of the best media companies to come from creators

[@TradesbyMatt]

Loved the chemistry between everyone. Great listen.

[@kryptiTV]

Love that I'm getting double tmg content cause their podcast comes out later today too

[@spicyboi2118]

i remember finding them off that’s cringe way back and then going back and watching their vlogs cause i loved their chemistry, insane to see how far they’ve come and how much they’ve built

[@RobertNowland]

One of the best sit down episodes of the show so far I think, so interesting to see behind the curtain to the vision and planning these guys are doing while also being great entertainers and comedians. Loved the chemistry

[@colbyhanley4864]

Really love hearing Cody and Noel talk about the business and strategy behind what they do. Been a long time fan and work in product management and strategy myself, so this is so fascinating! I would love to hear perspective on their fiances having their own new podcasts on other networks/independent from TMG

[@strmkid]

This is a fantastic interview! Also very grateful for these two - they helped get me through the pandemic

[@theVHSvlog]

I'm amazed that every single one of your videos appeals to creators both large and small. Literally any creator can take away valuable information, whether they're just starting their business or are running a studio with multiple employees. Thanks for all the information you guys have provided us throughout the years

[@JustusCagle]

It makes me so happy seeing y’all do this. It’s so cool growing up with y’all and seeing your content grow from TLN to your own thing. I used to love seeing the break downs every week on lacrosse content and now I see you guys as some of the most talented and in tune interviewers on the platform keep it up!

[@alinnarivera6627]

after following along for years this has genuinely made me so proud to hear more background

[@RoryBland]

Such a good episode 😍 they are amazing creators and have such a wealth of knowledge to share. Awesome to hear about a whole different side of them to what we normally see through their stuff. Top dudes and totally hilarious 😂

[@sharasahara]

really like colin and samir using notebooks instead of the laptop. Cool vibe.

[@quinnaitkenhead]

awesome watch and some great insights from you all, TMG is definitely hitting their stride

[@EthanMcAlpin]

Been waiting on this one for a MINUTE! Let's goooooo!

[@MichaelJaeYT]

I'm so happy you got them on, loved this video 👏

[@jbone877]

You guys are great interviewers! Lots of respect and admiration for everyone on this.

[@SecretG528]

Super insightful questions and very well made!

[@supercoo1996]

Great job! I couldn't stop listening. This interview was very insightful!

[@Itsnicolelive]

All of these old shots of them makes me feel like I’ve been growing older and closer with them. They’re like my older brothers, since my older brothers now live far and we don’t see each other much, I appreciate older the online older bros and my future sisters in law. 🥺♥️

[@willbettscope9042]

Greatly enjoyed the podcast version, more people should definitely see this one, I’m sure it’ll catch in the algorithm soon.

[@madebylamodernique]

I am learning so much every time I watch an episode. Such a great one again. Thank you so much!

[@palomacorrea7319]

Love you Colin and Samir your videos are so informative and help so many young creators, Thank you!

[@isaiahvanausdal730]

I’ve always wanted to hear the bts from these two. Mad respect for their online personas and artistic projects

[@gingersmedia]

Top 5 episodes to date. 4 of my favorite content creators all in 1 room, great episode

[@rendelx]

this was a dope episode man had me in stitches most of the way through great journey!

[@REVIEWSONTHERUN]

Good interview. Thank you for sharing it. ✌️

[@TGFanatic]

@CodyKo & @NoelMiller Such an inspiration. As a fresh Comp Sci graduate myself and looking forward to software engineering jobs. Seeing where these two are now from where they were is amazing.

[@NeuraPod]

Excellent episode as always. Nice questions and convo guys.

[@sweggemen42069]

great job colin and samir but also Cody and noel for being very entertaining guests. one of the best colin and samir interviews i’ve seen yet

[@sethmurray8336]

It’s crazy I remember watching the weekly watch And watching that’s cringe years ago !!! It’s awesome seeing you all grow as people!! Feels like i know you guys personally it’s so weird lol

[@frasnosrep2]

About the “KZbinr” tag and having the confort of saying you are a KZbin: I think that can relate to the sheer variability of what that can be. I mean, if someone says they are an athlete, they could play a huge variety of games, but you can still have a quick idea of what that means in practice. Saying you are a KZbinr has a lot bigger range of possibilities and would not give much insight on what you can expect from that person.

[@dvno4431]

TMG keeps comedy alive! I love those two guys together they have an unmatchable chemistry that can’t be found anywhere 🤘

[@mollyfarkas3589]

I’ve been watching the boys since it was just Cody’s podcast, this is so cool and fun to listen to 🖤

[@jacobhensley2584]

This was awesome, us TMG fans don’t really get to hear the business side of things and hear them go into detail

[@KyleVertoch]

What a great interview guys, just found you on here!

[@kings_and_creatures]

You guys have great editors. Nice job.

[@strawberrygirl7831]

This was a phenomenal interview

[@likeaboss700]

really cool and interesting hearing more details about the business side of the podcast and other industries

[@Msftfrk]

Best episode ever! I’ve never gotten an in depth look at the guys from this perspective and as a fan I really enjoyed it!

[@spennnny]

algorithm aint picking this up but this is a legendary video fantastic job

[@timaglam9140]

Thnk u Samir and Colin. This was very interesting

[@lorenzos7838]

Great interview. Enjoyed this video immensely

[@inessant1559]

Love how passionate Cody is at 1:06:35 But also, thats just how it goes man Same thing happens in other industries, like in coding for example a lot of people complain about how every year a younger, faster more energetic and overall better intern comes in and "takes" their place

[@gen9528]

They make a great point about building a story bc I came in watching TMG and I watched the first Ben and Emil episode and I found my niche! I am more in tuned with politics so I found my people with Trill :) love the entire network

[@Aya-vv2yu]

Absolutely loved listening to this. Got me through cleaning my room and making dinner.

[@jessicaleajames]

I always look forward to new uploads here.

[@Michael-xl9nq]

Love this chat couldn’t stop listening

[@elighseo]

As a day 1 listener of the TMG podcast, I appreciated the hell out of this episode. Extremely proud of how far they’ve come

[@ty6272]

really insightful, beautiful interview thank you

[@frasnosrep2]

Amazing vid! My favorite duos on KZbin

[@2Swifty]

Love the intro!

[@TinFamsThoughts]

Much needed title change boys. I really enjoyed this. I’m gonna be on the show one day

[@joshnunez518]

Every podcast ya’ll drop I think it’s going to be my favorite but this one definitely takes the cake!

[@connoreck]

another great vid, cant believe ive been watching these guys since TLN and now they so big congrats fellas

[@maxgray9919]

Great job by the interviewers. Earned a new sub

[@cchampa17]

such a great interview

[@MattAcrylic]

YES. Was waiting for this one 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@harrisonjwhite]

Loved this interview!

[@A_Ducky]

CC Suarez showed me the way, and I promptly subbed. You're dangerously close to a million, I wanna be there for it. 🤘🖤

[@aydenpb]

The Trill segment aged like milk

[@ninamarie1213]

“build a nice ecosystem of creative people” yikes

[@lightswitch2622]

why

[@aydenpb]

They dropped Ben & Emile@@lightswitch2622

[@barkleesanders]

Favorite interview in awhile , laughed so much at this one

[@MagiCaleb]

This only has less than 10k views because it’s in the middle of a work day. This’ll pop for sure. Great interview!

[@xndr3]

I love seeing this side of them. So proud 🥹