Dillan interviews James Gardner—the man behind Epic Chess.James is a British YouTuber who’s built a comedic and high-skill chess analysis channel with over 100,000 subscribers. His videos blend educational game breakdowns, storytelling, and humor, making chess entertaining for enthusiasts and casual fans.They discuss: how to build long-term success on YouTube without burning out, the power of storytelling in thumbnails and titles, the challenge of idea generation, finding your unfair advantages as a creator, monetization beyond AdSense, how to create consistently without losing your soul, and much more.Epic Chess's links...YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@epicchess2021•••Follow Dillan on the interwebs...Twitter / X: https://x.com/dillanroytaylorNewsletter: https://www.grindstone.coach/newsletterApply for Grindstone Coaching: https://www.grindstone.coach/Music by myboy.scoochy:https://www.instagram.com/myboy.scoochy/ •••0:00 Intro1:04 Why James started Epic Chess13:44 Breaking down the early Epic Chess channel18:14 How James has improved his content over 3 years 27:24 The value of just getting started30:05 When to push vs when to pivot36:05 James’s creative system for posting every day39:18 Why he makes the thumbnail first40:19 Polished vs authentic content46:09 Thumbnail strategies and AI tools52:52 Sponsorships, revenue breakdown, and boundaries1:04:41 Sustainable success and reframing burnout1:15:41 Epic Chess links & Dillan's tattoo1:19:06 Dillan vs. James blitz game1:29:49 Bye bye bye