Creator Playbooks
Stories behind some of the world's best creators and entrepreneurs. Hosted by Callum McDonnell. Watch on YouTube.
Episodes
World’s No 1 LinkedIn Creator: I’ll 10x Your Reach in 92 Minutes | Lara Acosta
Get the FREE breakdown of Lara's frameworks in my newsletter: https://bit.ly/4w4oRVKApply to work with me: https://bit.ly/3SgmP6zLara Acosta is a founder, creator, and personal branding strategist who built a 7-figure business through LinkedIn.With 320K+ followers and thousands of students, she’s become one of the fastest-growing voices in personal branding - known for turning content into aut
Meet The Marketing Genius Working with Red Bull, Nike & ASOS
Get the breakdown of Sedge's frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4tNXDkR Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/499YncxSedge Beswick is a brand and influencer marketing expert who’s worked with Red Bull, Nike, and ASOS - where she built the iconic Insider Program - and scaled her own agency to a £24M valuation.In this episode, she breaks down what actually wins in marketing in 2026
Meet The Advertising Genius Behind Steven Bartlett
Get a breakdown of Tom's frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/48JKUaaApply to work with me:https://bit.ly/4aqqEewTom Lewis is Steven Bartlett’s advertising performance partner and co-founder of Metastat. At 22, he’s helped scale brands and creators by replacing guesswork with data.In this episode, Tom explains how top creators use paid ads to test thumbnails, titles, hooks, guests, and
Marketing Genius: Social Media Is About to Change Forever (Here’s What to Do)
Get the breakdown of Michael’s frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/41tiga0Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/4bYmX1LMichael is a brand and social media strategist known for his work at Ryanair and now through his consultancy, Slice. In this episode, he explains why most brands do not have a content problem, they have a strategy problem and breaks down the 4 ways brands can actually
Viral Accountant: “I Make $100k a Week from Instagram!” Rachel Harris
Get a breakdown of Rachel’s frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4bcKHi9Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/4kYIjiy Rachel Harris is a multi award-winning industry leader, content creator, entrepreneur and practice owner. She runs a multi seven-figure accounting firm and has built a personal brand (@accountant_she) that drives £100k worth of leads each week from socials.In this e
From Finance Career to $1M Coach: The Full Strategy | Simon Alexander Ong
Get a breakdown of Simon's frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4cc9RyuApply to work with me: https://bit.ly/3OXzZn0Simon Alexander Ong is a bestselling author (Energize, Penguin), keynote speaker and one of the world's leading personal development coaches. He left a six-figure finance career in 2017 to build a coaching practice from scratch, and has since grown a YouTube channel to 13
How Anyone Can Sell a Business for Millions | $28M Founder Timo Armoo
Get a breakdown of Timo's frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/48JKUaaApply to work with me: https://bit.ly/4rMKKXMTimo Armoo has built, scaled, and sold multiple companies. From his first exit at 17 to selling Fanbytes for tens of millions, brokering major media and data acquisitions and now investing through his own fund. In this episode, Timo breaks down what actually goes into buil
How James Smith Makes $1M+ Per Month From Social Media
Get a breakdown of James' frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/48JKUaaApply to work with me:https://bit.ly/48sQY8dJames Smith is one of the few creators willing to say the quiet part out loud. Despite building an audience of over 4 million followers and generating more than a billion views, James explains how chasing virality nearly destroyed his business and why deliberately stagnatin
World’s No 1 LinkedIn Expert: How To Grow a Personal Brand FAST in 2026
Get a breakdown of Josh’s LinkedIn frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/48JKUaaApply to work with me:https://bit.ly/48sQY8dJosh Sanders is the Head of Content for Chris Donnelly, where he helped scale one of the fastest-growing personal brands in the world from 0 to 3M+ followers across platforms and a 0-250,000 subscriber newsletter in under two years, then engineered the systems that
Personal Update & Plans For 2026
Email me callum@7xcontent.com with 3 reasons / ideas / examples of your work if you’d like to work with me in 2026.Apply to work with me here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7xcontent/jobs/Join Callum for a candid start-of-year business and life update, breaking down exactly what happened behind the scenes of Creator Playbooks and 7x Content in 2025.This episode covers real podcast performance n
Meet The Man Behind The Sidemen's $100M Empire
Get a breakdown of Jordan’s content engineering frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4pLrw4dApply to work with me: https://bit.ly/3MsFlWeJordan Schwarzenberger is the manager behind The Sidemen — one of the biggest creator groups on the planet, with over 10 billion views and a content empire that extends into restaurants, vodka brands, trading cards, a membership platform, and more. In
Content Isn't Hard. It's Misunderstood.
Get a breakdown of my content systems in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/3LJKSreApply to work with me:https://bit.ly/4o4iD3MI've spent the last 4 years working with some of the world's biggest creators and meeting the creators behind Alex Hormozi, GaryVee, Steven Bartlett and many more. I’ve seen the same mistakes again and again - mistakes that are easy to fix but cost creators months
How To Actually Build a Global Brand And Sell It (In Just 7 Steps) | Ben Branson | Seedlip
Get a breakdown of Ben’s brand-building frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4noPRukApply to work with me:https://bit.ly/4oDmAgxBen Branson is the founder of Seedlip - the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit. In this episode, Ben shares how he built a completely new drinks category from his kitchen and turned it into a global brand stocked in 40+ countries and acquired by Diageo.We cove
Meet The Marketing Genius Behind Alex Hormozi And GaryVee | Caleb Ralston
Get a breakdown of Caleb’s frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4nWMw78Apply to work with me:https://bit.ly/4qfKpwOCaleb Ralston is the secret strategist behind Gary Vee and Alex Hormozi — two of the biggest personal brands in the world. In this episode, Caleb reveals the exact systems and frameworks he used to help scale Hormozi’s brand to 11.5 million followers and build creator team
Meet The Marketing Genius Behind PerfectTed | $200M Brand Masterclass | Marisa Poster
Get a breakdown of Marisa’s brand-building frameworks in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/4mL8kRKApply to work with me:https://bit.ly/42PymMoMarisa Poster is the co-founder of PerfectTed — Europe’s fastest-growing matcha brand. In this episode, Marisa shares how she went from struggling to find matcha in the UK to building a global brand stocked in 30,000+ stores and generating millions a month
The YouTube Secrets Behind Ali Abdaal’s $5 Million Channel | Saf Mohammed
Get a breakdown of Saf's framework in my free newsletter: https://bit.ly/46QMur8Apply to work with me: https://bit.ly/4muEMHSSaf Mohammed is the content genius who left Ali Abdaal and founded his own agency Talking Heads. In this episode, Saf shares how he went from editing his own videos alone to running his own content agency, and how to build systems that make creative work scalable.We cove
Meet The Marketing Genius Behind A $100M Podcast | ZOE’s Rich Willan
Get Rich's pitch template:https://mailchi.mp/f5fbb8d327b2/zsn-pitch-template-lead-mag Get a breakdown of Rich’s podcast playbook in my free newsletter:https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me:https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbARich Willan is the Head of Content at ZOE — a $100M+ health brand that built the #1 most shared podcast in the UK. In this episode, Rich reveals how to
23 Harsh Truths Holding You Back | Unlock Your Full Potential | Jodie Cook
Get a breakdown of Jodie’s frameworks in my free newsletter:https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me:https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbAJodie Cook is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and one of the clearest thinkers on how to actually build a life you’re proud of. In this episode, she breaks down how to structure your day, build systems that free you up, and grow a meaningful b
Ultimate Podcast Setup For 2025 - Beginner To Advanced
Get the full gear breakdown in my free newsletter: https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me: https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbAIf you’re starting a podcast or want to upgrade your setup — this is the only video you need.In this episode, I sit down with Ben Warburton (award-winning director + DOP) to break down the ultimate podcast setup for every budget: from $1K to $100K. We cov
Meet The Marketing Genius Behind Alex Hormozi | Tobias Allen
Get Tobias' YouTube playbook with my free newsletter:https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me:https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbATobias Allen is the former director of marketing at Acquisition.com, working alongside Alex and Leila Hormozi to generate millions in revenue, engineer sold-out events, and drive growth across one of the world’s fastest-scaling business portfolios. I
Meet The Man Making Millionaires on YouTube | Oscar Owen
Get Oscar’s YouTube playbook with my free newsletter:https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me:https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbAOscar Owen isn’t just a famous YouTube magician — he’s a YouTube expert. With two channels nearing 1M subscribers combined, Oscar has mastered the art of faceless content, creator breakdowns, and turning views into serious revenue. In this episode, he br
The Social Media Expert: Turn Posts Into Millions | Aydan Al-Saad
Get Aydan's playbook with my free newsletter: https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me: https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbAMeet Aydan Al-Saad, an entrepreneur who replaced a 200K salary with multiple six‑figure income streams - all powered by social media content and a simple 5‑step system. In this episode, he reveals how to transform your skills into profitable offers, land your
Exposing Big Podcast Marketing Secrets
Get my latest playbook with my free newsletter: https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me: https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbAPodcasts are bigger than ever in 2025, and top creators use powerful strategies to grab your attention. In this video, I break down five genius podcast growth hacks that drive millions of views - so you can use them too.Listen on your Podcast Player: http
How to Build a Successful Personal Brand in 2025 | Full Masterclass
Get Ash Jones' playbook with my free newsletter: https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me: https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbAAsh Jones is the founder of Great Influence, a personal branding agency that has worked with high-profile entrepreneurs and business leaders like Steven Bartlett, Gary Neville, and Sacha Lord to build their online presence and influence.Listen on you
How To Build Community For Your Brand In 2025 | Live Masterclass
The word community gets thrown around a lot in the social media world—but what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how do you create one that people truly care about?
In this LIVE recording of Creator Playbooks hosted by Frankly Speaking, I’m joined by Daisy Morris, Kira Matthews, and Beth Thomas - creators, thought leaders, and experts in building thriving online communities.
Together,
The Blueprint To Grow FAST On Instagram From Day 1 | Ben Kaluza Interview
Meet Ben Kaluza, a full-time creator who has mastered the art of growing on Instagram. Ben shares practical tips and strategies, how he rapidly expanded his online presence, and the tactics he uses to stay ahead in 2025.
Get a free Breakdown Of Ben's strategy here: https://callummcdonnell.substack.com/
Tools I use:
VidIQ - https://vidiq.com/creatorplaybooks/
Riverside - https://riverside.fm/?vi
How We Grew Simon Squibb From Zero to 200 Million Views/Month
Meet Callum Church and Jack Whettingsteel, co-founders of HelpBnk and the content viral geniuses behind Simon Squibb's massive social media success. These young entrepreneurs have skyrocketed Simon's brand to over 200 million monthly views.
Get Simon Squibb's Strategy (FREE): https://callummcdonnell.substack.com/
Tools I use:
VidIQ - https://vidiq.com/creatorplaybooks/
Riverside - https://river
Meet The Viral Editor Who Saved Steven Bartlett
Anthony Smith is the creative mastermind behind the viral trailers for Steven Bartlett’s podcast, The Diary of a CEO, with over 7 million subscribers.
Get Diary of a CEO's Strategy (FREE): https://callummcdonnell.substack.com/
Formerly a video editor for major film and TV franchises like James Bond and Marvel, Anthony has revolutionised podcast marketing by bringing cinematic storytelling t
Meet The YouTuber Who Landed a Netflix Deal (And Quit) | Jo Franco
Jo Franco has turned her passion for creating into a thriving career, transitioning from a travel vlogger to a Netflix host and successful entrepreneur. With over 2 million YouTube subscribers, she is also the author of Fluentish and CEO of JoClub, a global community focused on journaling and personal growth.
Get Jo Franco's Content Business Strategy (FREE): https://callummcdonnell.substack.c
How Anyone Can Make $10K - $1M per Month | Daniel Priestley
Get Daniel's playbook with my free newsletter: https://callummcdonnell.substack.comApply to work with me: https://forms.gle/uw6NZDBHs2pQNYhbADaniel Priestley is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and international speaker who has built successful multi-million dollar businesses in Australia, the UK, and Singapore, starting with nothing. He co-founded Dent Global, a company dedicated t
Marketing Expert: 10 Steps to Build A Profitable Community
Daisy Morris is the founder of The Self Hood, a successful social media consultancy and digital community. Under her leadership, The Selfhood has become a six-figure business with a vibrant community of over 30,000 creatives. As an expert in social media strategy, Daisy has worked with major brands such as Microsoft, Mind, the London College of Fashion, AllBright, Bill's, Vagabond Wines, and C
The New Era of YouTube: Why MrBeast and The Sidemen Hired Me
Daniel McMahon, known as Dodford, is a British creative making a name for himself on YouTube with his impressive filmmaking, VFX skills, and storytelling abilities. His collaborations with big names like Mr. Beast and the Sidemen speak volumes about his standing in the online creative world.
In this episode, he shares:
• His strategy for 6 million views (that actually works)
• The harsh reality o
If I Wanted to Grow On Social Media in 2024, I’d Do This
Growing on social media is now more difficult than ever. So, if I wanted to grow online in 2024, what would I do? Well, I've spent the last few months chatting with masterminds in social media and marketing, and here's what I learned.
Tune in for expert advice from the likes of Grace Andrews (Head of Marketing at Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO), Calfreezy (The Fellas Studios), Micha
How to Grow a YouTube Channel from Zero in 2024 | Damien Talks Money
Damien Jordan, known online as DamienTalksMoney, is one of the UK's top content creators. Renowned for his trusted insights, he offers invaluable advice, tips, and strategies for mastering money management, investing wisely, and building wealth. However, what often goes unnoticed his how relentlessly committed he is to being a creative (not just a creator).
In this episode, he shares:
• How a
Meet The PR Genius Behind Lord Sugar
Andrew Bloch is the PR genius behind Lord Sugar (The Apprentice), and co-founder of one of the UK’s number one PR agencies, Frank. There, Andrew masterminded multiple world-famous campaigns with brands such as HP Sauce and Compare The Market. Andrew stepped back from running Frank in 2020 to launch Andrew Bloch & Associates which has just been awarded Boutique Marketing Consultancy of the Year
Meet The Marketing Genius Who Saved Ryanair
Michael Corcoran is the mastermind who led RyanAir's game-changing social media strategy. With a knack for reshaping brand perception and driving organic reach, Michael has earned a reputation as a visionary leader in the digital marketing landscape. His innovative strategies and expertise continue to redefine the way brands engage with audiences in the ever-evolving realm of social media.
In
Meet The YouTube Genius Building A £15,000,000 Empire | Calfreezy
Callum Airey, better known as Calfreezy, is a prominent British YouTuber and content creator. He gained popularity through his YouTube channel, where he creates content related to gaming, challenges, and vlogs. He is also the co-founder of The Fellas Studios, the UK's fastest-growing podcast network acclaimed for its shows, including The Fellas, Saving Grace, Growing Paynes, and more. Notably,
I Started A Business for £1k and Make £37,000 a Month
An end of year update from me.
I hope you enjoy and get some value! Let me know in the comments.
0:00 Biggest wins of the year
01:20 Agency Revenue Growth
03:15 Lessons from Hiring
04:50 Biggest failure
06:50 Removing Mediocrity
07:25 Moving at Pace
09:00 Content is a Superpower
12:00 Personal News
13:10 A message for YOU in 2024
Get FREE business breakdowns from Callum: https://callummcdonn
Meet The Man Who Solved TikTok: How To Go Viral Every Time
Charlie Lawrance is one the smartest operators in social media.
In this episode Charlie reveals the social strategy that grew his TikTok to 300k, built a hugely valuable community and launched a talent agency.
He shares: • How He Grew to 100k Followers in 18 Days• The Anatomy of a Viral Video • How To Succeed From Day 1 on Social + loads more!
The value shared in this conversation is incredible.
Olly Richards: Turning $1,000 in $10Million
Olly Richards is the owner of the $10Million online education business Storylearning.
Storylearning is a business built on content with millions of blog visits & Podcast downloads each month (plus 400,000 YouTube Subscribers!).
In this episode Olly shares so much value:
• How to find your USP
• How grow a high value audience
• What makes great content
• How to sell without discounting
•
Meet The Marketing Genius Behind Steven Bartlett
Grace Andrews is the Marketing Director for The Diary Of A CEO and Steven Bartlett.
In this episode Grace gives us a Marketing Masterclass.
She reveals:
- How The Diary of a CEO became the world's fastest growing Podcast
- What makes a great brand
- Why your social media probably sucks
- What it's live working with Steven Bartlett
- What brands get wrong about Creators
- Loads more!
I
Nathan Barry: Turning $1,000 into $320 Million
Nathan Barry is the founder of ConvertKit - a Creator business worth over $320 million.
In this episode we break down the fundamentals that got him there.
Nathan reveals:
• His Monthly Revenue Growth from $1500/Month in 2013 to $3Million/Month in 2023
• His 4 Step System To Building Wealth On The Internet
• The Flywheel Framework & How It Can Change The Trajectory Of Any Business
• Spotif
The Man Behind Ali Abdaal's £5 Million Business
Angus Parker is the man behind Ali Abdaal's £5 Million business.In this episode we deep dive in the business behind the YouTube channel.Angus unveils:- How one email changed his life- How they managed the incredible growth from £2.27 in 2017 to £5million+ in 2023- Their 3-step YouTube strategy- Full revenue stream breakdown- Loads more!Get a free Email breakdown of this business: https://callu
How Steven Bartlett Broke Podcasting (Genius Strategy)
Steven Bartlett went from recording his first podcast in his bedroom with a duvet over his head to over 10 Million monthly downloads in just 4 years. I estimate he makes around $2 million in direct revenue per year. He has a genius podcast strategy. Here’s the 7 things The Diary Of A CEO is doing and what we can learn from them:Follow me on my socials: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecall
He Makes £144,000/year Self Publishing on Amazon (Passive Income)
Rob sells 11,000 books a year self publishing on Amazon.
At £12 a book that’s £144,000 a year.
We chatted about his self publishing journey.
This is the most realistic form of passive income I have come across.
#passiveincome #selfpublishing #amazonselfpublishing
How To Grow A Podcast To A £1Million+ Business | Rob Dix
In this episode Callum sit’s down with Rob Dix, Co-Host of The Property Podcast & Sunday Times Bestselling Author.
We explore how he grew his podcast into a mid seven figures business, and his journey from lost PR Manager to fulfilled entrepreneur.
Follow Rob on social:
https://twitter.com/robdix
Follow Callum on social:https://linktr.ee/heycallum
Life update: My agency just crossed £18,000 in monthly revenue
It’s been almost a year since I sent an update.
My bad.
Good news - my little content agency just crossed £18,000 in monthly revenue.
It took 365 days with zero experience and is nicely profitable.
These are the 12 steps of my wild & bumpy journey.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/McdonnellCallum
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@callummcdonnell/about
Please note this is a video podcast :)
#4 Gaby Mendes: Quitting Teaching To Build A Media Company (Talk Twenties Podcast)
Gaby Mendes is a former teacher turned entrepreneur and CEO of the media brand 'Talk Twenties'.
'Talk Twenties' started as an event company but pivoted to an award winning Podcast during COVID and is now developing into a much bigger media brand.
In this episode we cover why Gaby left teaching for business, her plans for the brand and how anyone can start a media company on a budget.
You can find
#3 Charlie Light: How a Meme Account became a $1.2Million+ Content Agency
Charlie Light is an entrepreneur and the man behind the finance meme account John W Rich on Twitter.
He has grown a following of 140k+ on the platform which has quickly developed into a booming content agency.
In this episode we get into Charlie's plans to take his agency from $40k/month to $100k/month and how this all started as a bit of fun at the start of COVID.
You can find Charlie:
https://tw
#2 Gabriel Nussbaum: How I built a 1 Million+ TikTok in 6 Months
Gabriel Nussbaum is an entrepreneur and TikTok creator.
He has grown a following of 1million+ on the platform in the finance niche.
In this episode we get into Gabriel's journey as a content creator, how he cracked the TikTok algorithm, brand deals and his future plans.
You can find Gabriel:
https://www.tiktok.com/@gabriel.nussbaum
https://www.instagram.com/gabrielinussbaum/
You can find Callum:
h
#1 Danny Buck: How I Built a £20Million+ Brand in 3 Years
Danny Buck is the CEO and Founder of CRAFTD London.
He runs the holding company Brandbuildr, which includes CRAFTD London, Circulr and Honu.
In this episode we get into Danny's origin story, his time building a 100 person e-commerce agency and how he thinks about building successful brands today.
You can find Danny:
https://www.instagram.com/thedannybuck
https://twitter.com/thedannybuck
You can fi
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