Justin Flom, a renowned content creator and magician, has taken the digital world by storm with his captivating performances and unique backgrounds. Born into a family of magicians, Flom’s childhood was anything but ordinary. “I was a kid magician, raised by a family of magicians,” he says, reminiscing about his early years. “Very cool upbringing, with a very magical house with secret passageways and a stage in the basement.”

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This magical childhood laid the foundation for Flom’s future as an entertainer. As he grew older, he honed his skills and began performing on stage, delighting audiences with his mind-boggling tricks and charming personality. However, as technology evolved, Flom saw an opportunity to expand his reach beyond the confines of a physical stage.

One night, he came up with a simple idea: a puzzle where a girl is given a credit card, and if she can solve the puzzle, she gets to buy whatever she wants with the card. “This video, that I just shot one night at my house ended up going to 50 million views. It was one of the very first pieces of social media content I did,” he recalls. The success of this video opened Flom’s eyes to the potential of content creation, “It kind of changed everything from there. I got off the stage and started doing videos for the people around the world right there from my house,” he says.

“Suddenly I’m one of the most viewed, shorts creators on YouTube and content creators on all different platforms,” he explains, highlighting his successful transition from traditional to digital media. His ability to adapt and innovate has earned him a massive following, with billions of views across various platforms.

The Secrets of Algorithms and Flom’s Data-Driven Approach

“It used to be that you would work really hard for years on an act, and you would hope to maybe one day get that act on TV,” he explains. However, everything changed when Flom learned the power of content creation and how to analyze data to understand what viewers enjoy watching, sharing, and engaging with online. “We live in an algorithm world,” he says. “Any time somebody says the word algorithm, just think of human beings because that’s what it is. The algorithm will push whatever the human beings are interacting more with,” he explains. 

When it comes to tailoring his content strategy for each platform, Flom has some insider advice for aspiring influencers. “If a platform gives you an amount of time, try and take all of that. Meaning that if YouTube short says you can have a video that’s up to 60s make that video 60s,” he explains. The reasoning behind this approach is simple: “All of these platforms want to keep their viewers on the platform for as long as possible,” he says. By creating content that maximizes the allotted time on each platform, Flom believes creators can increase their chances of receiving preferential treatment from the algorithms. “If you can make a video that keeps people hanging out on the platform for longer, then you’re going to get preferential treatment,” he explains.

Flom also emphasizes the importance of using data to better understand audiences and anticipate trends. “The best tool for each platform is the numbers on the platform itself” he begins. “Click in and take a look at the analytics of what your video did. That single step alone is something that most creators don’t do,” he explains.

By analyzing the watch time of his videos, Flom gains valuable insights into what content resonates with his audience. “What you’re looking for is videos that have a higher watch time and then do more videos like that”. To identify the most engaging content, he experiments with a wide range of topics and formats. “I’ve tried auto mechanic videos, cooking videos, sketch comedy and stand-up comedy, magic videos, craft videos, hack videos, DIY.

I’ve done all of them,” he says. “Turns out people are watching me spray paint longer than they were watching me cook. Now, I love grilling steak, and I wish that I could just show people how to grill the perfect steak, but the viewer didn’t want that. The viewer wanted this spray paint art that I was doing while I’m smashing walls and, coloring it,” he explains.

The Case for a Purified Algorithm

If Flom could change one thing about the content creation industry, he would focus on purifying the algorithms that determine which content is promoted on various platforms. “It appears that all of the platforms have a lot of different qualifiers that they’re putting on the content to determine whether or not they push it”, he says. “They aren’t just looking at how people interact with the content. They’re looking at the health of the page or your last piece of content, or how often you post or what time you post.” 

In contrast, Flom fondly recalls a time when the algorithms on platforms were more “pure,” meaning that the success of a video was determined solely by its quality and the audience’s reaction to it. “There was a time when the algorithm was so pure that if the video was good, by the end of the night it had 10 million views. And if a video was bad, you knew it immediately because nobody would watch it,” he explains. “To me, that was the most fun Wild West of creating content, because you were able to see instantly whether or not you were making good content, and learn very quickly what the viewer wanted,” he says.

While Flom understands the reasoning behind this shift, he maintains that content should be the primary factor in determining its success. “To me, content is king. If it’s a good video, show it to the world,” he states, reiterating his call for a more content-centric approach to content distribution.

The Ups and Downs of Being a Content Creator

“The biggest challenge is riding the wave of the internet,” Flom says, highlighting the constantly evolving nature of the digital world and the public’s opinion on content.

During periods of dipped income and decreased engagement, Flom finds himself experimenting with new formats, video styles, and ideas in an attempt to find what resonates with his audience. “During those dips, you’re spending a lot of time trying out new formats, new video styles, trying out new things. And, it just feels like you’re hitting a wall and you’re like, ‘Did I make people hate me now’? ‘Do I not know what people like? I thought this was good,” he shares, emphasizing the discouragement that can come with these challenging moments.

However, amidst these challenges, Flom also finds great reward in his ability to inspire creativity in others, particularly the younger generation who have grown up watching his videos. “I am so excited that there are young people now who have been watching me long enough that they’ve actually kind of grown up watching me. That’s how long I’ve been doing it now,” he says.

Flom recounts a recent experience that highlights the impact he has had on his audience. “There was a knock at my door yesterday, and I opened the door and it was a college kid. And, he’s a painter, and he’s going door to door asking if he can paint the house. And I open the door and he goes, ‘Oh, you’re Justin Flom, I watch your videos since I was a kid,” he shares, emphasizing the connection he has formed with his viewers over the years. “That’s the most exciting thing in terms of inspiring other people,” he adds.

The lesson Flom has learned from these experiences is that rejection from viewers can be more painful than receiving negative comments. “It’s so discouraging to have the art you create be rejected by the viewers. I would rather get a mean comment than somebody to swipe away because mean comments still pay, but apathy does not pay,” he says, emphasizing the importance of audience engagement, even if it comes in the form of criticism.

From Fun Houses to Family-Friendly Content: Flom’s Vision

Flom is excited about the ongoing development of his “Fun Houses” in multiple states. “We’ve got really fun new plans for this Fun House that I’m building”, he shares. “I have another Fun House in another state. I’m in Minnesota, where we’re starting to go ‘Okay, where can we put a foam pit and a secret passageway here?’ It’s a really fun challenge to look at the most domestic, ordinary house and think, how can we pump this thing full of lead and get monkey bars and trampolines inside and things like that,” he says, highlighting the joy he finds in transforming ordinary spaces into extraordinary experiences.

Beyond these immediate projects, Flom has his sights set on expanding his creative horizons within the digital ecosystem. “I want to crack a new game show. I want to crack a new format for YouTube,” he says, expressing his desire to innovate and create new ways of sharing his fun ideas with a wider audience.

One specific goal is to develop content that caters to families watching together on television, as half of YouTube viewers now consume content this way. “That’s the next thing we’re developing,” Flom says. To achieve these goals, Flom is actively collaborating with producers, writers, and his wife, Anna, who he describes as the “funniest person I know.” Together, they are developing new ideas and gags that will be incorporated into his content and the Las Vegas Fun House.