An Unfiltered Conversation with TheStradman (Controversy, Income, and Regrets)

Added: Jul 7, 2024

Initially living in his Audi TT in Beverly Hills to chase his dream, James realized he needed to fully commit to succeed. He moved to California to film supercars, as there were more per capita there than anywhere else in the world. At the time, the term "YouTuber" wasn't widely recognized, and he had no money or cars of his own. He slept in his car to maximize his ability to film content.

James' channel really took off when he bought a Lamborghini Gallardo while working as an accountant. He made a video explaining how he afforded it on a $45,000 salary, which resonated with viewers. The ad revenue from that single video paid for about 10% of the car's purchase price, validating his YouTube strategy. Another pivotal moment came when he got fired from his accounting job. He immediately filmed a video about potentially losing his Lamborghini, which performed well and covered several months of car payments.

Car Collection and Experiences

James now owns 17 cars valued at around $6.3 million. His most expensive car is a Koenigsegg Agera S, which he leases. The Koenigsegg has a fascinating backstory - James first encountered it years ago at a car show where Lewis Hamilton was driving it. He helped jump-start the car when its battery died, leading to a memorable ride. Years later, he was able to acquire the same car.

James recently sold his Bugatti Veyron, which he had mixed feelings about. While an amazing car, he felt it was partly to "check a box" and didn't miss it much after selling. He found the Lamborghini Aventador to be more enjoyable overall. He considers the manual transmission Lamborghini Murcielago to be the quintessential supercar experience.

Regarding maintenance costs, he estimates he spends around $100,000 per year maintaining his fleet of 17 cars. The Koenigsegg is particularly expensive, with a recent $50,000 service. However, James notes that newer exotic cars tend to be quite reliable.

YouTube Strategy and Growth

James' YouTube strategy centers around being open and honest about his experiences. His video explaining how he bought a Lamborghini at age 26 resonated because of its transparency. He aims to film his day-to-day life in an interactive style that gives viewers insight into everything he does.

Interestingly, James' channel has maintained remarkably consistent viewership over the past 4-5 years, with most videos getting between 900,000 to 1.1 million views. While this consistency is enviable, James admits it can be demotivating to not see growth. He misses the early days of rapid channel growth, which was addicting and opened up new creative possibilities.

He takes pride in doing everything himself - filming, editing, producing, etc. He wants to maintain the personal connection of early YouTube, resisting the trend toward more corporate, team-produced content. However, this DIY approach limits how much content he can produce.

Coming up with fresh ideas after 12 years of car content is challenging. James feels he's done almost everything possible in the car world that he wants to do. He's become more selective about what he films to maintain quality and viewer interest.

Financial Aspects

James is very open about his income, stating he makes around $2 million per year from YouTube. This has remained consistent for the past several years. While enviable, James notes that more money and success have paradoxically made life harder and less satisfying in some ways.

Regarding car finances, James put $40,000 down on his first Lamborghini Gallardo, financing $70,000. He had saved aggressively while working as an accountant to afford it. For his Bugatti Veyron, he put down $580,000 and financed $300,000. His Koenigsegg is leased with a payoff amount that decreases each month.

He believes some cars can be good investments if chosen carefully. He looks for rare, iconic models that left a strong impression when he was younger. Current examples he thinks are undervalued include the Acura NSX, original Audi R8 V8 with manual transmission, and Honda S2000.

House Build Experience

James recently built a house, which ended up costing about $1 million over the initial $2 million budget. He attributes this partly to building during the worst possible time, with COVID-19 driving up material costs. Interest rates also increased significantly during construction.

While the extra cost was frustrating, he is grateful he could afford it by leveraging the house build into YouTube content. He found working with contractors after the main build challenging, often receiving inflated quotes due to his public profile. James has tried to do more work himself to combat this.

Personal Life and Perspective

James is in a relationship with his girlfriend Sophia, who he praises for handling the public attention well and supporting his YouTube career. He was initially cautious about making the relationship public but feels Sophia has adapted admirably.

When asked about his biggest fear, he cites dying alone and regretting focusing too much on materialism at the expense of relationships. He emphasizes that family and friends are the most important things in life. He wants to have children in the future and potentially be a stay-at-home dad, leveraging his financial success to be very present in his kids' lives.

The death of James' father since the last podcast has given him a new perspective. He has more empathy for others who have lost loved ones and a greater appreciation for his dad's impact. It's made him reevaluate his priorities somewhat, though he admits it initially made everything seem pointless for a while.

Reflections on Success and YouTube

James acknowledges that life has gotten harder and less satisfying in some ways with more success and money. He feels pressure to keep producing fresh content and competing with larger, more corporate YouTube operations. The fear of "falling off" or becoming irrelevant is a constant concern.

While he loves his YouTube "baby" that he's built from nothing, he knows he'll need to walk away at some point. Ideally, he'd like to do so while still at the top of his game rather than when viewership has significantly declined. However, the thought of leaving something on the table makes it difficult to step away.

James believes it's important to have dreams, be productive, and have goals, but not at the expense of everything else in life. He's trying to find a better balance and be more grateful for what he has, recognizing it's easy to become normalized to success and always want more.

Closing Thoughts

James expresses belief in free will and having control over one's life path. He's been able to achieve many goals he's set for himself, from doing YouTube to acquiring dream cars. While he acknowledges environmental factors play a role, he ultimately believes people have the power to shape their destinies through their choices and actions.

The podcast concludes with a discussion of other automotive YouTubers, particularly praising Whistlin Diesel for his unique, boundary-pushing content. James admires his fearlessness and creativity, even if he personally couldn't bring himself to treat cars so roughly. He sees Whistlin Diesel as a pioneer in the industry, competing only against himself rather than the thousands of more conventional car channels.