Just last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with BJ Lamberson. He is an old friend of mine I haven’t seen since my high school days and our lives have changed exponentially. We have both gone through college and found jobs, but his opportunity is very different from my own. He is the manager for his older brother Kris Lamberson aka FaZe Swagg. Swagg currently has 2.34 million YouTube subscribers, 347.8k Twitter followers, and 487k Instagram followers. I believe managers and agents of the big-time personalities and content creators typically fly under the radar and I wanted to break the mold and speak with the manager of one of the fastest-growing creators in the Call of Duty space. Below is my interview with BJ about what his position is like along with his day-to-day life.
I hear a lot of streamers and people that work in this industry struggle to explain to uber drivers or family what they do. How do you describe it?
When they ask what he does, I explain that he is a Youtuber and Streamer. He plays a variety of video games but has a focus on Call of Duty.
What is the correct term you wish to be called? Content Creator Manager, Stream Manager, Agent?
I am definitely a manager. Kris already has an agent and we work together a lot but we do different things!
What does a day in your life look like for your position/career? I want to hear everything!
Usually, I have a lot of business calls with his agent or other Faze managers. I make sure Kris gets his deliverables for brand deals or any other tasks that need to be completed
When did it truly feel surreal that your brother was striking it big?
Let me think about it, probably when he hit 1 million subs, or when he started streaming on Twitch!
What are you doing outside of this position?
This is a full-time gig, but when I get the chance I am streaming!
Do you see the Warzone scene staying around for longer or is constantly fluctuating?
I think it will be around for a while since every new Call of Duty will include a new integration into Warzone, causing its life to be prolonged and it will always have new waves of players and content.
What are some crazy things you guys have coming up? (If you can share)
There is a lot of stuff coming up! Although I cannot share any of it, it will be coming up soon!
Is there a single person or event that surprised you the most about your time in the industry or in managing your brother?
The zoom call with Kamala Harris caught me off guard. His agent called me the night before and told me he was gonna be speaking with the Vice President. I thought it was a VP of a company but it was the Vice President of the U.S.
You are moving to California next month, what are you doing in Cali? Opening new doors and business ventures? Anything already lined up?
Getting closer to the Faze Family so we do not have to worry about flying back and forth all the time!
What is the secret sauce of the Nuke Squad?
Their chemistry, they all balance each other out!
I remember when you invited me to a party over 4 years ago and that is when I first met your brother when he was still “up and coming”. That was a long time ago and wanted to see what advice you would give to your younger self?
Definitely have to learn to be patient. After I graduated high school, I was working multiple jobs with nothing secure. Kris’s previous manager said he could go full time and my brother sat me down to ask if I could be his manager. Just be patient!
