Yes Theory and the Art of Making People Care

The Colin and Samir Show

Colin and Samir

Business

4.9 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2026

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Most of the internet runs on negativity. But Yes Theory built a massive audience doing the opposite. They’re a group of filmmakers known for traveling the world, meeting strangers, and living by one idea: “seek discomfort” the belief that the best moments in life exist outside your comfort zone We’ve known Thomas Brag for years, watching his journey up close, and this is his third time on the show. In this episode, we talk about the real challenge of YouTube:how do you make people care? Virality vs. meaning, real human moments, and why authenticity might be the only edge left online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	A lot of what drives the most viewership on the internet today is provocative or sensational content
0:05.1	that typically leans towards negativity, fear, and anger.
0:09.8	But our guest today has been reaching millions of people over the past 11 years by doing
0:15.4	the opposite, telling positive stories about people.
0:18.6	Thomas Bragg is the co-founder of yes theory, as well as one of the
0:22.6	best storytellers on YouTube. Their channel is basically Anthony Bourdain, parts unknown, for a new
0:29.1	generation. I think whenever we're asked, like who makes the best YouTube videos, our answer is
0:33.6	typically yes theory. And every week, I feel like you and I come in when they put out a new
0:38.5	video and we're like, how are they still doing this? And what I mean by still doing this is
0:43.0	improving week after week on long form documentaries about insane travels with beautiful
0:51.3	interactions with strangers. It has been an 11-year journey that has been
0:57.3	reinvention, this exploration of what storytelling looks like on the internet, and true
1:04.6	filmmaking on YouTube. And Thomas and Amar and Staphan and everyone at Yes Theory has a deep understanding, as you'll hear in this episode, of what actually not just grabs people's attention, but makes them a part of your community, makes them remember what you made and the stories that you're telling.
1:26.3	Yeah, I mean, if you look at, like, who has the deepest communities on the platform,
1:31.2	yes, theory is one of them, bound by this concept of seeking discomfort,
1:36.4	meaning that the best things in life are on the other side of your comfort zone.
1:41.6	And that mantra has really created this global community. Even when I was
1:45.5	traveling in India, I just reached out to the Yesfam India group and they hosted meetups with
1:52.3	hundreds of people in different cities that I was in to hang out, like because I reached out. And that was
1:58.4	crazy. It's a really, really impressive movement.
2:03.5	Thomas is one of the most impressive storytellers on the internet. And I think in a moment where,
2:07.9	as we've mentioned, this is the abundance era. And there's an abundance of negative content.
	...

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