Influencer
How 25-Year-Old Jackson Kessler Built a Multimillion-Dollar YouTube Brand from Car Mishaps
YouTuber Jackson Kessler, known for his “Captain Crankshaft” persona, is shattering the illusion of social media perfection by transforming automotive mishaps into a multimillion-dollar content empire.
The 25-year-old content creator has transformed his passion for car projects into a thriving multimedia brand.
From his relatable approach to content to his strategic multi-platform strategy, he discusses the challenges and opportunities facing today’s digital entrepreneurs in the automotive space and beyond.
In an exclusive interview with Net Influencer, Jackson shares insider details about niche content creation and influencer-driven businesses.
The Birth of Captain Crankshaft
Jackson’s journey into content creation began early, inspired by his father’s photography business. “I was always playing around with cameras,” he says. “I just thought it was fun being creative and making a video.”
He was drawn to the platform’s diverse content as part of the YouTube generation.
“We sort of grew up with it,” he tells us. “Since I’m a little ADHD, it was a little more fun to click through and see all this crazy stuff that was out on the Internet.”
Before finding his niche in automotive content, Jackson explored various channels, including business and finance videos on short-form platforms.
This venture led to unexpected success and a business sale to Morning Brew.
As Jackson notes, the experience proved valuable: “I finally had success making videos, and I took all that understanding and learning and turned it into an automotive channel.”
The Captain Crankshaft persona emerged from Jackson’s desire for a memorable brand. “I didn’t want it to be my name just because I thought that was less exciting,” he explains.
The channel focuses on Jackson’s passion for cars, particularly transformation projects.
Revving Up Revenue
The financial transparency of established YouTubers sparked Jackson’s journey into full-time content creation.
“It was right when YouTubers started talking about how much money they were making and sharing those stats, as well as a huge shock,” he recalls.
However, the path to success in automotive content creation comes with significant challenges.
“It’s expensive,” Jackson admits, stating that many big brands market and run as large businesses, and they compromise on the content because they want to make as much profit as possible.
“I don’t want to do that,” he clarifies.
The learning curve for content creators is steep, requiring mastery of multiple disciplines.
“You have to do so many things right,” Jackson explains. “It’s like having ten different what should be full-time jobs.”
In Jackson’s case, these roles include filming, editing, analytics, marketing, and automotive expertise.
Short-form content platforms have been instrumental in accelerating his growth.
“I was making one short a day for a long time, and the short-form stuff is a little bit easier to make,” he says. This approach allowed him to learn and iterate faster than traditional long-form content.
Despite the challenges, the content creator remained passionate about the process. “I love YouTube more than I love real estate,” he says, referring to his previous career. “This is more fun for me.”
The business side of content creation presents its hurdles.
“The business side is the biggest challenge by far,” Jackson notes. You can make content, but if you want to quit your day job and start putting all your effort into it, that’s when you hit a lot of challenges.”
For Jackson, the rewards outweigh the difficulties.
“I feel like so many people work jobs that they just don’t love,” he tells us. “I’m getting to do something I love doing and make at least some money doing it.”
The Fast Lane
Despite his passion for cars, Jackson acknowledges the financial hurdles of producing high-quality automotive content.
“It’s expensive to make car videos, and it’s also very hard to make money on YouTube unless you’ve been doing it for a long time and you’re in the top 1%,” he reveals.
This financial pressure is compounded by the risks inherent in car-focused content.
“We bought one car that just didn’t perform well… We lost money, which is hard for a company just starting,” Jackson says.
He also points out the competitive nature of the automotive content space: “That space is controlled by mainstream media sources, like car magazines that now do videos. They’re more trusted than a new person.”
Despite these obstacles, Jackson sees potential advantages. “The car space is a relatively small community. So once you’re in, you’re in, and it makes it a lot easier to get things done,” he observes.
The influencer also suggests that the high barriers to entry may reduce competition in the niche.
Balancing content production schedules with the unpredictable nature of car projects presents another challenge.
“We want to get one video out a week, but very often, we run into a problem where we find something else that’s broken that we need to order, and it will take three weeks to get here,” Jackson shares.
The Captain Crankshaft Strategy
Jackson employs a multi-platform approach, creating content on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok and primarily focusing on long-form YouTube videos.
However, he also leverages short-form content across various platforms to engage different audiences.
He observes distinct audience behaviors across platforms: “It’s very rare to get a video to do well across every platform, which is interesting because the demographics are just different.”
Jackson’s approach to automotive content balances technical aspects with broad appeal.
“We get to be creative with the build that we’re doing on a car,” he explains, citing a project where they transformed the cheapest Porsche 911 in the country into an off-road “Safari 911” as an example of their unique approach.
However, Jackson is mindful of his audience’s diverse knowledge levels. “We must understand the viewers’ knowledge base,” he says.
His goal is to make content accessible to everyone, including non-car enthusiasts. “I try to make sure I let my mom watch the videos, to make sure that she’s having fun watching them because she doesn’t care about cars,” Jackson tells us.
Ultimately, his content strategy aims to ignite passion for automobiles in his audience.
“My goal is to try to get people into enjoying cars more and not seeing them just as transportation, but seeing them in the way that I see them, which is like art on wheels or a way of expressing yourself,” he concludes.
Integrity in Influencing
Jackson prioritizes authenticity and relatability. “I’ve never taken myself too seriously. I am not afraid to mess up on camera and admit I was wrong,” he admits.
His content strategy revolves around learning alongside his audience.
“If you took the overarching storyline, it’s meta-learning how to work on cars and become an at-home mechanic,” he says.
When it comes to brand partnerships, Jackson maintains a strict policy of integrity.
“We are pretty particular about the brands we work with,” he states. “I think that integrity is really important for a long-form creator.”
He says this philosophy sometimes means turning down lucrative deals if he doesn’t believe in the product or service.
Jackson cites his partnership with Auto Tempest as an example of an ideal collaboration.
“I was using it for a long time. I pestered the owner for months to work with me,” he recalls. This persistence paid off, resulting in a partnership he’s proud to promote even without compensation.
However, Jackson acknowledges the challenges of balancing financial needs with maintaining integrity.
“Once you start making the money, you need it when you’re doing it full time. And that becomes a conflict of interest,” he confesses.
Despite these pressures, Jackson remains committed to promoting products and services he genuinely believes in.
Rather than viewing others within the automotive content creator community as competition, Jackson embraces collaboration.
“Everybody is so nice and so willing to help, and it’s like a rising tide floats all ships sort of mentality,” he notes.
The Road Ahead
Jackson is steering his content creation career into new territories. His most significant upcoming venture is launching a high-end car air freshener brand, set to debut in August.
“I thought it would be fun to try it and make something,” Jackson explains, reflecting on the year-long development process.
This product launch aligns with Jackson’s vision for the automotive content creator community.
“I’m hoping I can build this company and maybe sponsor other car influencers,” he says.
The social media star aims to create a sustainable ecosystem where creators can be less reliant on brand deals and reinvest profits into content creation.
Jackson’s commitment to his craft is evident in his approach to financial management.
“All the money that makes is just going to get reinvested. I probably won’t pay myself anything,” he admits, prioritizing growth over immediate personal gain.
On the content front, Jackson continues to push boundaries.
An upcoming project involves driving a restored Aston Martin nationwide to Car Week, a major automotive event.
Despite the challenges, Jackson remains committed to his passion. “As long as I can make the videos, I’m going to make them until financial ruin,” he concludes.
