We’d love to get to know you a little better, tell us a little about who you are as a Creator?

I guess you could say I’m still trying to figure out who I am as a creator, too, honestly. I’m just a guy who likes Fortnite and happened to stumble into discovering that I liked streaming it. Streaming was never something that I planned on, so I’m still navigating what it means to be a content creator, which I think actually works in my favor at times. What you see is what you get with me, and I’m the same guy on and off stream. Because of that, I’ve become really tight with my community. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is just talking to chat everyday, remembering things about them, experiencing ups and downs of my life and their lives together, and just staying true to myself on stream.

When did you start streaming and why?

I started streaming in December 2019 because one of my good friends (and Fortnite duo) went on a business trip and was without a gaming setup, so I decided to stream so they could watch me get owned. At that time, I was a power user on Twitch and very active in various communities on the platform, but had never seriously considered doing it. Once I got going, I got addicted fast, though - and 5 years later, it’s all I want to do when I wake up everyday.

If it’s SFW, Where did your username come from?

It’s not very SFW haha. I used to be Swearin Rodgers but shortened it when I got partnered on Twitch.

Do you have a moment in your streaming career you’ll never forget?

I have so many, all of which I’m grateful for, but one of the absolute best days of my life was when I got to surprise my community with the announcement that I was quitting my (then) full-time job to go full-time as a streamer. Super cheesy, but when I’m feeling down about how streams have been, sometimes I go back and watch a clip from that day as a reminder to never take this job for granted. Not many people get the opportunity to love what they do, and it’s important to keep that in focus.

When you press end stream and turn off the camera, what does the rest of your day look like?

I talk for 6-8 hours straight, so I like to just shut up for 30 min or so and listen to an audiobook while I clean up around the house or play with the dogs. After that cool-off period, my mind is already back to how I can improve as a creator, moments on stream that felt good or not as good, etc. On my best days, I’ll get some exercise in. After working out or chilling out, I hop back on my PC to go through clips, plan a few things, or practice Fortnite and aim train.

That’ll be until around the time my wife gets home. She has a stressful job, so we love to just decompress on the couch with the dogs and watch guilty pleasure shows like Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones, Survivor and Vanderpump Rules.

Content creation is a 24/7 job, you’re the CEO, Editor, Creative Director, Community Manager and more. How do you mix work/life balance and being a creator?

It really is! Being a 24/7 job doesn’t make it *harder* than other, more conventional jobs - any creator who says their job is harder than most other jobs is honestly lying to themselves. BUT it does mean that you’re constantly on. Like a lot of jobs where someone is a single-point-failure, content creators are at least partially responsible for everything they have going on. Social media can be the BIGGEST drain on your time and energy, but it’s a necessary evil of the job.

One thing I promised myself when this became my career was to always give myself time off when I needed it. The biggest burden of content creation is that there’s literally always something I could be doing to grow, but one of the biggest blessings of content creation is I’m fully in charge of my schedule. If you don’t take advantage of the flexibility of this career, you risk burning out. And if you burn out, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be able to fully light that fire again, so when I see the first signs of smoke…I disconnect.

There are definitely times where my work/life balance skews way too far in either direction. When I get too entrenched in content, I’m incredibly, incredibly lucky to have an amazing, forgiving, understanding wife. She’s the only reason I was able to do this, as most people don’t have the time or resources to commit to this career at my age. When I have to focus on the “life” part of work/life balance, I’m also incredibly lucky to have supportive creator/industry friends, amazing mods, an understanding community, a great org (Stride or die!!), and an awesome agent (LP and Marie <3) to help pick up my slack when I need a break.

How did Noice grab your attention, and what were your first impressions of the platform?

I have been SCREAMING at anyone who would listen that Noice is the first platform I’ve seen that actually offers something different than other platforms. In my opinion, everything else is just Twitch but vertical or Twitch but YouTube or Twitch but green. Noice is its own thing, and it’s the most engaging and immersive platform on the market - which is perfect for my stream style and for my community.

Do you think it’s harder or easier to get into streaming now vs 5 years ago?

I think it’s easier than ever to get into streaming, but it’s harder than ever to break through.

What advice do you give to others who want to start streaming now?

New streamers, and streamers like myself who are still trying to figure out how to grow, are fortunate to have multiple platforms and limitless resources to create content that resonates with the largest audience that influencers have ever had. We can also learn from the creators who came before us.

Because of that, though, the sheer amount of content creators means that the market is really saturated. So you have to find a way to stand out somehow. That all starts with just making quality content or streaming consistently. Remember: If you exist then people like you exist, so just go out there and make the content you’d enjoy and try to get it in front of people who’d enjoy it too.

What’s next for you - what are your ambitions in this industry?

Man, I really wish I knew. With streaming, I’ve finally gotten to a point where the imposter syndrome is starting to disappear. I think I’m really good at it, but I also know my flaws with it and have a plan to get better about those things.

With regards to content creation like shorts and long form video, I really struggle. I’m not sure how to approach it in a way that fits my personality, and I haven’t quite been able to figure out how to reach an audience on those platforms like I have through streaming.

My next goal is to figure that out. My ambitions for the industry are just to leave it better than I found it, to be honest. I sometimes get discouraged that some of the most watched and most influential creators are using their platforms to spread negativity, toxicity, and harmful rhetoric. I want to be someone that people can look to and say that I did everything I could to be a good person while making content that resonates with as many people as possible.

Do you have any mods you’d like to shout-out in case they read this?

ALL OF EM. Literally every single one of my mods helps me more than I’ll ever be able to put into words. My stream and my community would not be the same without them, and they truly keep me sane.

He might not be SFW but he's live on Noice!