Latest news with #MaxKlymenko
USA Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Can he guess your job in 2 minutes? Meet Max, the man behind 'Career Ladder'
'It's kind of crazy because initially, no one wanted to get on,' Max Klymenko said. 'Now ... there's sometimes hundreds of people who line up ... to be on the ladder.' Max Klymenko has had anything but an ordinary career path, and now the 30-year-old is guessing what other people do for a living, all while standing on a ladder. The Ukrainian native may have studied in law school, but he is now a content creator who boasts more than 3.17 million YouTube subscribers, known for his quickly growing series, "Career Ladder." In short vertical videos, Klymenko stands on the back rungs of a ladder, inviting one guest at a time to hop on the front side. In just two minutes, he attempts to guess the guest's career through a series of questions. Sometimes he guesses the career correctly, and other times, he doesn't quite get there, allowing them to keep their jobs a secret or share them with viewers. (They often opt for the latter). Most of the questions Klymenko asks are relevant to identifying a person's career, but others feel a bit more obscure, like, "If your career was a food, what would it be?" But Klymenko said all of the questions are a way to connect with those on the other side of the ladder. "I am more looking for interesting conversations. I'm looking for moments. I'm almost looking to stumble across the guess by chance (rather) than on purpose. I am trying to guess, but that's not the only thing I'm doing," Klymenko told USA TODAY. "I also want to have a fun conversation. I want the person to open up." USA TODAY Top Workplaces: Join the ranks of the nation's best employers How did 'Career Ladder' get started? "Career Ladder" began a little more than a year ago, and it's not Klymenko's first series. He's been creating video content for about eight years, starting when he was in college. In addition to a law degree, Klymenko also studied economics, business and sociology. For the past three years, he's been a full-time content creator. Klymenko said he'd been looking for a way to discuss careers without the biases that accompany those conversations, such as someone's appearance, income or where they live. He and his team of about six other creators began brainstorming how Klymenko could converse with people about their jobs in his way, including possibly having him blindfolded or turned away from guests. But Klymenko also knew he wanted the videos to be filmed vertically, so he needed a method that would be conducive to this narrower visual structure. "I remember, I was coming out of the bus and I was like, 'A ladder. We could be standing on a ladder talking about jobs,'" Klymenko recounted. "And then we were like, 'Okay, a job ladder.' Then we were like, 'Wait, a career ladder ... the concept, the corporate thing.'" With the idea in mind, Klymenko said he and his team bought a ladder, but it sat in their office for about two months before they hit the streets and interviewed anyone. Then one day, when another shoot fell through, it felt like the right opportunity to test the concept. At first, Klymenko had trouble getting people to hop up on the ladder to chat, but as of Monday, Aug. 11, Klymenko and his team have recorded about 2,000 "Career Ladder" interviews. Only about 300 have been posted to social media. Followers may think Klymenko is working from a backlog, but Klymenko told USA TODAY he and his team film interviews several days a week, for about seven hours per day. Most recently, Klymenko filmed "Career Ladder" videos in the Baltic Sea region, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. "It's kind of crazy because initially, no one wanted to get on," Klymenko said with a chuckle. "And now, we just don't have enough time for everybody who wants to be on. There's sometimes hundreds of people who line up ... and they want to be on the ladder. In London, we had to get the police to help us manage the crowd." She turned herself into an 'LA 10.' It's part of a growing 'unrecognizable makeup' trend. Celebs even climb the 'Career Ladder' Among the 2,000 interviews, Klymenko has interviewed several influential people. In one of the most-viewed "Career Ladder" episodes, which as of Tuesday, Aug. 12, had more than 22.6 million views on TikTok, Klymenko unknowingly interviews Belgian fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, known for creating the wrap dress. It's evident in the video that Klymenko is not familiar with von Furstenberg, and he ends the video by calling his mother, who gasps in surprise because he's just chatted with such a prominent person. In another popular video, Klymenko interviews Zoë Lister, the voice actress known for the now-viral line, "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday," in an advertisement campaign. He was also unable to guess Lister's career. And in another, Klymenko interviews none other than Shaquille O'Neal in Times Square. Although Klymenko is familiar with Shaq's NBA career, he guesses what he is up to these days, which happens to be a promotion for the Shaq Scholars Program. "If you fail, I'ma give you a spanking," the 7-foot-1-inch tall Basketball Hall of Fame center says before Klymenko begins guessing his job. What is the future of 'Career Ladder'? Klymenko hopes to travel more with "Career Ladder" in the future and eventually hopes to make a stop in his hometown of Mykolaiv, he said. Klymenko said he is also open to more long-form content, such as conducting follow-up interviews with those he has met on the ladder, trying out different jobs himself – a sketch he has done in a few other YouTube videos – or even helping people find jobs. Where can you watch 'Career Ladder'? "Career Ladder" is available to watch on Klymenko's social media platforms, including TikTok and YouTube. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Sky News
01-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News
UK content creators demand formal recognition from the government
The UK's YouTubers, TikTok creators and Instagram influencers have been surveyed on mass for the first time ever, and are demanding formal recognition from the government. The creator economy in the UK is thought to employ around 45,000 people and contribute over £2bn to the country in one year alone, according to the new research by YouTube and Public First. But, despite all that value, its workers say they feel underappreciated by the authorities. "If you look at the viewership, our channel is not too different from a big media company," said Max Klymenko, a content creator with more than 10 million subscribers and half a billion monthly views on average. "If you look at the relevancy, especially among young audiences, I will say that we are more relevant. That said, we don't really get the same treatment," he told Sky News. Fifty-six per cent of the more than 10,000 creators surveyed said they do not think UK creators have a "voice in shaping government policies" that affect them. Only 7% think they get enough support to access finance, while just 17% think there is enough training and skills development here in the UK. Nearly half think their value is not recognised by the broader creative industry. The creative industries minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said the government "firmly recognises the integral role that creators play" in the UK's creative industries and the fact that they help "to drive billions into the economy" and support more than 45,000 jobs. "We understand more can be done to help creators reach their full potential, which is why we are backing them through our new Creative Industries Sector Plan," he said. "The UK has got a fantastic history of supporting the creative industries," said Ben Woods, a creator economy analyst, Midia Research who was not involved in the report. "Whether you look at the film side, lots of blockbuster films are being shot here, or television, which is making waves on the global stage. "But perhaps the government needs to broaden that lens a little bit to look at just what's going on within the creator economy as well, because it is highly valuable, it's where younger audiences are spending a lot of their time and [the UK is] really good at it." According to YouTube, formal recognition would mean creators are factored into official economic impact data reporting, are represented on government creative bodies, and receive creator-specific guidance from HMRC on taxes and finances. For some, financial guidance and clarity would be invaluable; the 'creator' job title seems to cause problems when applying for mortgages or bank loans. "It's really difficult as a freelancer to get things like mortgages and bank accounts and credit and those types of things," said podcaster David Brown, who owns a recording studio for creators. "A lot of people make very good money doing it," he told Sky News. "They're very well supported. They have a lot of cash flow, and they are successful at doing that job. It's just the way society and banking and everything is set up. It makes it really difficult." The creative industries minister said he is committed to appointing a creative freelance champion and increasing support from the British Business Bank in order to "help creators thrive and drive even more growth in the sector". The government has already pledged to boost the UK's creative industries, launching a plan to make the UK the number one destination for creative investment and promising an extra £14bn to the sector by 2035. These influencers want to make sure they are recognised as part of that.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK content creators demand formal recognition from the government
The UK's YouTubers, TikTok creators and Instagram influencers have been surveyed on mass for the first time ever, and are demanding formal recognition from the government. The creator economy in the UK is thought to employ around 45,000 people and contribute over £2bn to the country in one year alone, according to the new research by and Public First. But, despite all that value, its workers say they feel underappreciated by the authorities. "If you look at the viewership, our channel is not too different from a big media company," said Max Klymenko, a content creator with more than 10 million subscribers and half a billion monthly views on average. "If you look at the relevancy, especially among young audiences, I will say that we are more relevant. That said, we don't really get the same treatment," he told Sky News. Fifty-six per cent of the more than 10,000 creators surveyed said they do not think UK creators have a "voice in shaping government policies" that affect them. Only 7% think they get enough support to access finance, while just 17% think there is enough training and skills development here in the UK. Nearly half think their value is not recognised by the broader creative industry. The creative industries minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said the government "firmly recognises the integral role that creators play" in the UK's creative industries and the fact that they help "to drive billions into the economy" and support more than 45,000 jobs. "We understand more can be done to help creators reach their full potential, which is why we are backing them through our new Creative Industries Sector Plan," he said. "The UK has got a fantastic history of supporting the creative industries," said Ben Woods, a creator economy analyst, Midia Research who was not involved in the report. "Whether you look at the film side, lots of blockbuster films are being shot here, or television, which is making waves on the global stage. "But perhaps the government needs to broaden that lens a little bit to look at just what's going on within the creator economy as well, because it is highly valuable, it's where younger audiences are spending a lot of their time and [the UK is] really good at it." Read more from Sky News: According to YouTube, formal recognition would mean creators are factored into official economic impact data reporting, are represented on government creative bodies, and receive creator-specific guidance from HMRC on taxes and finances. For some, financial guidance and clarity would be invaluable; the 'creator' job title seems to cause problems when applying for mortgages or bank loans. "It's really difficult as a freelancer to get things like mortgages and bank accounts and credit and those types of things," said podcaster David Brown, who owns a recording studio for creators. "A lot of people make very good money doing it," he told Sky News. "They're very well supported. They have a lot of cash flow, and they are successful at doing that job. It's just the way society and banking and everything is set up. It makes it really difficult." The creative industries minister said he is committed to appointing a creative freelance champion and increasing support from the British Business Bank in order to "help creators thrive and drive even more growth in the sector". The government has already pledged to boost the UK's creative industries, launching a plan to make the UK the number one destination for creative investment and promising an extra £14bn to the sector by 2035. These influencers want to make sure they are recognised as part of that.
