Interview by Bryce Hall about his next chapter
Ricardo Ramirez“People thought I was actually like that” Bryce Hall she said as we sat down for our interview. “[But] if you meet me, you’ll know it’s just part of the game.”
The social media game is something Hall has mastered over the years — with over 33 million followers Tik Tok, YouTubeand Instagram. But it also had its share of controversy. from paparazzi encounters to street fights and arrest in 2020.
There’s the viral clip of Hall bragging that he’ll knock out his boxing opponent because he’s, “participated in over 40 street battles.”
But these days, Hall is out to prove he’s more than just a headliner.
Hall is a budding entrepreneur. launch FAINT, his own drink earlier this year. He is also an aspiring actor, co-star Skill House with 50 centsa film that will premiere in early 2024.
Gee Perez and Bryce Hall before their match
BKFCIn August, Hall did his thing Bare Knuckle Boxing debut. winning by TKO vs Ji Perez.
“[The] the goal is to take over the entertainment space,” Bryce Hall said. “Every form of entertainment, I’ll do at least once.”
I had the opportunity to sit down with Bryce Hall to discuss his ambitions beyond social media, his start as a creator 10 years ago, and what he’s learned along the way.
Bryce’s Principles
Scroll through any of Hall’s socials and the word “introvert” might be the last word that comes to mind. Its content is full of energy, with constantly other friends and creators. But in high school, Hall had a very different experience.
“I had no friends in high school. I started social media when I was 14, it was disgusting,” Hall said. “So I started live streaming because I had no one to talk to.”
Hall was broadcast live on a platform called You now. While at first he streamed to an audience of three or four, it quickly grew to hundreds and thousands.
Hall first started at YouNow
You nowLater that year, YouNow began paying its creators, and Hall received his first check in the mail for $2,400.
“[My mom] it was like, “What did you do to get that $2,400 as a 14-year-old boy?” Hall said. “”My 14 year old son is live streaming on a random website and got paid for it?”
“I started social media in the first place because I wanted to help my mom,” Hall said. “I wanted to buy her the house. I just wanted to repay her for raising a son, single.”
While Hall’s mother was skeptical at first, after watching a live stream from the sidelines, she gave her approval.
Around the same time, Bryce began publishing on Vine, where he further increased his following. After Vine shut down in 2014, Bryce turned to Musical.ly (the platform that eventually became TikTok) and grew his followers to over a million. But along with this online success came ongoing bullying.
“People were making fun of me every day and it was crap,” Hall said. “They were talking shit. It was, it was like they made my life miserable in that little square that was the high school. But once you get out of that block and into the real world … you’re a completely different person. You can do whatever you want. You can shape yourself to be whoever you want to be.”
Hall started uploading to YouTube and eventually stopped posting to Musical.ly, until it became TikTok in 2018.
“I saw Josh Richards, Jaden Hosler — They only had 300,000 likes on Instagram that got 150,000, 200,000 likes [on TikTok]Hall said. “I saw it and thought, oh my god, am I going to have to do this mess again?”
Taking over TikTok with the Sway Boys
Inspired by these unseen levels of engagement, Hall began posting again on Musical.ly — which was now TikTok. And by the end of 2020, Hall had over 16 million followers on the platform.
The Sway Boys
New York TimesIn the same year, Hall became part of it Sway House — an online collective with five other TikTok creators. The team moved into a Bel Air mansion in January 2020 and began creating content together. On the surface, the “Sway Boys” had viral content, a rapidly growing fan base and a luxury home in one of Los Angeles’ wealthiest neighborhoods. But behind the scenes it was different.
“We weren’t all making money,” Hall said. “None of us had any money. We had a sponsor who paid for the house.”
With no set monetization plan from Sway House management, TalentXmembers started generating revenue on their own.
“Mainly like Josh and I were the first to figure out how to monetize social media,” Hall said.
Hall made advertising money from his YouTube uploads. It launched Party Animal University (PAU), a merchandise line that made $400,000 a month at its peak.
Hall’s Commercial Series, “Party Animal University”
Bryce HallUnder the same name, Hall founded a subscription club where he published his uncensored vlogs for $15 a month. At its peak, his PAU club had 15,000 members.
Hall and Josh Richardsa member of Sway House, was released Still softa diss-track aimed at a creator-turned-musician Lil Huddy. The music video has 44 million views and the Spotify track has over 30 million streams.
But by February 2021, Hall was gone and Sway House was officially closed.
The End of Sway House & Hall’s Next Chapter
“I messed up a lot for the Sway Boys,” Hall said. “My, I am joking [Richards], Jaden [Hossler] and Blake [Gray] he went to Texas and got busted for weed,” Hall said. “So that ruined a multi-million dollar deal for a lot of the guys that were on Sway.”
After the arrest in Texas, says Hall Michael Gruenco-founder of Sway House and Hall’s former manager, blamed Hall internally.
“It caused everyone to move away from me for controversy,” Hall explained. Yes, I had many arguments. But his arrest sidelined that.”
The arrest took place in May 2020 and shortly after the group split into two. Room, Noah Beck and Blake Grey moved to one house and the other three members moved to another house.
While Sway House was still alive during this time, Hall says each of the members was ready to go their own way. In February 2021, Michael Gruen confirmed to People that the content house was officially over.
Leaving Sway House and its management behind, Hall signed on to new management, Panther talentmanaged by Brad Baskin.
“He’s done so much more for me,” Hall said. “[My old management] he didn’t believe in me. They didn’t think I would make it past the Sway Boy, TikTok boy era.”
Hall and his manager, Brad Baskin
Bryce Hall“Brad and I clicked right away. We talk a lot and our goal is to take over the entertainment space. And I feel like we’re coming for that,” Hall said.
Hall also began working with Alec Celestinfounder of the Nofphotos Group, who helped launch it Faint.
“In 2020, I met Bryce at my first company, Flighthouse. It’s been incredible to see his personal growth and maturity recently,” Celestin said of his friendship with Hall. “He seems to be happy in his own lane staying true to himself.”
Alec Celestin. & Bryce Hall
Alec CelestinThroughout our conversation, Hall frequently returned to his goal of growing beyond his old style of social media content.
“[Now] I have changed my entire TikTok content to comedy. I’m just reacting to shit, making fun of myself,” Hall said.
Scrolling through Hall’s TikTok and the change is clear. Hall’s comedy often sets itself up as the joke. His uploads now mock what he describes as his “ludicrous” early content — from Lips videos on Musical.ly to dancing on TikTok.
Last August, Hall did his thing Bare knuckle boxing debut vs Ji Perez, winning by TKO.
“Everybody doubted me all that time, [I was] a plus 500 underdog … I wrestled my ass, trained my ass,” Hall said. “I had to lose 30 kilos for the race. I could only eat 1,100 calories a day”
In conversation with Bryce Hall
Ricardo Ramirez“And then, victory? Ugh. Do you win as the huge underdog? I get knocked down in the first 10 seconds, it was so emotional,” Hall said. “I proved everyone wrong. It was such a crazy time for me.”
Hall also co-stars 50 cents in a horror thriller called Skill House, will be released early next year. Written by its authors Saw, the film follows 10 social media stars who are kidnapped and forced to compete for views. Whoever has the fewest views in each round dies in a Saw-like fashion.
While filming Skill House, Hall achieved his goal from 2014. buying his mother a house.
“It was incredible… I was shooting the movie with 50 Cent. So in the middle of the scenes, I would sign the papers for the house,” Hall said. “And now that I bought her a house, I’m all right—now what the hell do I do?”
Jon Youshaei & Bryce Hall
Ricardo RamirezHall insists he will enter every aspect of entertainment during his career. But for now, acting seems to be the next career goal.
“I really like acting. Comedy is where I want to keep my lane,” Hall said. “We are talking about a fairly long film which is a comedy… I can say that one of the screenwriters is the author of Van Wilderthat college movie.”
From being bullied for his social media presence to co-starring in a movie with 50 Cent — it’s clear that Hall is a force to be reckoned with.
“Doing a bare knuckle race, training for it, devoting two and a half months of my time to something and really putting everything into it. And I’m winning it,” Hall said. “I think I could do anything.