Cracking the code for pursuing a creative career often comes down to getting paid for doing so. For most of the online community this equates itself to sponsorships and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship. Canadian based Linus Tech Tips is one of most beloved and popular YouTube channels in the tech community; Jono Tan has been an essential part of this success. Serving varied roles ranging from producer to account manager, growth manager, and channel manager, Jono has both helped to craft some of Linus’s most popular productions that inform while also bringing attention to the companies and brands who partner with Linus to create this content. From the ongoing brand discourse of PC and Mac lovers to the latest electric car review, Jono Tan has brought ideas and production teams to create videos which consistently attract millions of viewers. The intersect of audience, talent, product, and relationship is where Jono lives. He’s proven how malleable and effective his talent is with an eclectic array of productions for Linus Media Group’s lineup.
The creation of the best YouTube videos is as much an undertaking as any network or streaming production. The drama and humor is as present in Linus Tech Tips’s “Mac vs PC Video Editing Showdown” as anyone who knows this polarizing topic might presume. Jono Tan coproduced this iJustine hosted video which featured LMG founder and CEO Linus Sebastian and other panelists professing the reasons for their opinions and perspective. Clocking in at twenty-five minutes long, “Mac vs PC Video Editing Showdown” capitalized on loyalties from the two most recognizable brands today. Six million views testified to the interest followers of both these brands have in regards to how invested they are in preserving that loyalty. The inverse of the “plug & play” of the biggest names and products is the ROG Rig Reboot 2020 which featured participants creating their own PC gaming systems, sponsored by ASUS ROG and TUF. Even in the midst of the pandemic, this show connected the host (Linus) with those aspiring to create a better gaming system, while being educated along the way about the process. Jono also oversaw the immensely popular Scrapyard Wars 8 series (consistently acquiring between 1.7 and 3.4 million views). The central theme of all these productions is competition, whether that be with one’s self or others. It’s a theme that exists behind the camera as well with Jono divulging, “We always demand the best of those working behind the scenes. This has led to us having creative clashes, butting heads, and getting into disagreements, but it was all in the benefit of the end result. We all shared the desire to make the best video possible.”
The Chevrolet Volt car review presented by LMG was a deliberate deviation from the typical in-studio reviews and discussions of tech items. Produced by Jono, the Grand Tour/Top Gear inspired visual approach of this video boasted 360 degree views with beautiful drone footage courtesy of its sponsor DJI. Electric vehicles have deeply embraced a high tech approach, establishing a “sweet spot” which intrigues consumers. Nearly 2 million views for this video attests to the idea that fans of the LMG channels were excited to investigate these automobiles when presented with knowledge and style. A subsequent Tesla Model Y review video (more than 2,500,000 views), which was also sponsored by DJI, capitalized on high production value while retaining the familiar communication style that Linus Tech Tips has always possessed. Jono Tan professes that while the look of these videos is admittedly impressive, it would just be eye-candy without integrity and a willingness to ruffle feathers when appropriate. Offering the Tesla review as an example, he comments, “Yes, we wanted to make the video cinematic and attractive to draw attention to the Tesla Model Y but LTT is not afraid to voice our opinions against the Tesla fans out there as long as we’re being fair and factual instead of just being biased.”
Check out all of Linus Media Groups channels to see how its personal brand of tech with personality and style continues to push the medium in new directions.
Writer: Coleman Haan