fbpx
Wikipedia

Syndicate (Internet personality)

Thomas George Cassell (born 23 June 1993), known online as Syndicate, is an English YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Regarded as one of the earlier known gaming personalities, his videography consists of Let's Play videos on Call of Duty and Minecraft. Born in Manchester, Cassell had passion for a career in the gaming industry, which he started by purchasing gaming equipment using his money from McDonald's. On 3 September 2010, Cassell registered his gaming channel "TheSyndicateProject", where he found success and an online community. His prominence online was recognized by Call of Duty publisher Activision and multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima, where he signed to the network to monetize his content. Cassell's channel achieved substantial growth, passing one million subscribers in June 2012 and one billion views in late 2013. He further expanded his career into livestreaming on Twitch, hosting the same commentary over his gameplays. His Twitch channel became the first to reach one million followers in August 2014.

Syndicate
Cassell in August 2018
Born
Thomas George Cassell

(1993-06-23) 23 June 1993 (age 30)
Manchester, England
Other namesTom Cassell
Occupations
Years active2010–present
PartnerLydia Hewitt-Lee (2016-present)
Children1
YouTube information
Channels
  • Syndicate
  • Life of Tom
Genres
Subscribers
  • 9.65 million (Syndicate)
  • 2.58 million (Life of Tom)
[1]
Total views
  • 2.1 billion (Syndicate)
  • 643 million (Life of Tom)
[1]
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2011[2]
1,000,000 subscribers2012[3][4]
10,000,000 subscribers2016[a]

Last updated: 3 July 2023
Twitch information
Channel
  • Syndicate
GenreGaming
Followers3.1 million

Last updated: 5 August 2022
Websitesyndicateoriginal.com
Signature

Cassell's YouTube content began to shift into vlogging, where his prominence in the genre took place from his life between Los Angeles and the UK. Back in England, Cassell and his father designed his own home, purchasing a nearby property and renovating it into an extensive gaming area. Cassell has co-founded a range of businesses, one of which failed to comply with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advertising guidelines. He co-founded the entertainment company 3BlackDot along with Evan Fong and Adam Montoya, and became featured in other media, spanning from a mobile game to a 12-track compilation album.

Cassell was nominated for "YouTube Gamer" in 2012 at the Golden Joystick Awards and was nominated as best in "Gaming" at the 9th Shorty Awards. He was also nominated as "Best British Vlogger" in 2014 at the BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards, and in 2017, was recognized by Forbes as one of the top gaming influencers. As of 29 May 2023, his gaming YouTube channel has over nine million subscribers and 2.1 billion views, and his Twitch channel has over three million followers.

Early life and education edit

 
Cassell attended the Blue Coat school at Oldham.

Thomas George Cassell was born on 23 June 1993 in Manchester, England, and is the brother of Alice Cassell.[6][7][8] His father worked in construction as a project manager and his mother, Karen Cassell, worked as a children's day care worker.[9][10] Cassell was educated at the Blue Coat school in nearby Oldham, and sold drinks at school to purchase a 42-inch plasma TV at the age of 15, as his father wanted him to work and pay for the items he wanted to get during the time.[3][11] He attended Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College in Ashton-under-Lyne and studied software development and video game design in 2010.[12][13] After leaving college, he briefly worked at McDonald's to purchase gaming equipment to record YouTube videos.[14][3]

Internet career edit

2008–2012: Online beginnings and corporate recognition edit

Before the start of his YouTube career, Cassell uploaded commentary videos on various channels for three years.[15][9] He started filming his gaming commentaries with his father's camera, and fashioned it with video game cases to point it at the TV.[15] He then acquired a capture card in 2008 to record his gameplay, in which he was inspired by video compilations of no-scope sniper kills on Call of Duty from a friend.[15][13] In regards to limited advances in technology, Cassell elaborated that video capturing content for YouTube was expensive. He admired the use of both commentary and gameplay in videos, as he was inspired by YouTuber Shaun Hutchinson.[3][13]

Cassell registered his gaming YouTube channel under the name "TheSyndicateProject" (renamed as "Syndicate") on 3 September 2010.[3] On YouTube, he uploaded Let's Play videos on the video game franchises Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Duty.[15][16][17] He came to prominence with his videos on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and the Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) Zombies mode.[13][18] Cassell had amassed around 300,000 views on his Call of Duty gameplays when he received a contract offer from multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima. He described this offer as the start of his full-time career as a gaming YouTuber.[15] After passing 500,000 subscribers, his content featured Minecraft gameplay for the first time. His Minecraft Let's Play series included The Minecraft Project, Trinity Island,[14][9] and Mianite, where Cassell forms a storyline through the game with fellow streamers on Twitch, such as Jordan Maron and Sonja Reid.[3][18][19]

In October 2012, Eurogamer reported that Cassell had attracted the attention Call of Duty publisher Activision during a 2011 GameCity convention. At the convention, Cassell drew video game journalists' attention to the YouTube gaming community and said that endorsement from a prominent company "is the best thing ever".[3] His channel reached one million subscribers and over 370 million views in June 2012.[4] Kevin Dowling of The Sunday Times recognized him as the UK's most popular gamer and estimated that he earned £700,000 a year, or £60,000 a month. Dowling said that the engagement Cassell attracted was "because he led [an exciting life] beyond his gaming videos".[20]

2013–present: Vlogging ventures and advertising violations edit

Cassell co-founded the entertainment company 3BlackDot with YouTubers Evan Fong and Adam Montoya in 2013,[10][21] along with former Machinima executives Angelo Pullen and Luke Stepleton.[22][23] Cassell reached one billion views on his gaming channel in late 2013.[14] Rob Waugh of Yahoo! News commented on Cassell's viewership as having "more viewers than hit TV shows such as EastEnders". In January 2014, Cassell's gaming channel reached 6.7 million subscribers. He began to vlog on his "Life of Tom" channel between his residences in Los Angeles and the UK, the start of which he began to receive sponsorships.[18][15] In July, Cassell's gaming channel reached 7.6 million subscribers and Gamasutra had listed it as the 6th most-subscribed gaming channel on YouTube.[22][24]

 
Cassell in a vlog from YouTuber MuzzaFuzza in 2014

Cassell's Twitch channel became the first to reach one million followers on 17 August, before Riot Games passed the milestone.[25][26] On Twitch, Cassell reached 120,000 concurrent viewers on a Call of Duty livestream on 24 August.[27] In November, Cassell signed to 3BlackDot's MCN Jetpak as the service went live for a better payment model.[28][29] Gamasutra later reported that Cassell uploaded Let's Play videos of 3BlackDot's game Dead Realm,[21] which failed to comply with FTC guidelines regarding a disclosure of a sponsorship.[30] In November 2015, his gaming channel was nearly at 10 million subscribers. Wired estimated Cassell's earnings to be US$1 million a year.[13]

Cassell attracted media attention in July 2016 when he promoted the skin gambling website CSGO Lotto along with Trevor Martin without disclosing a conflict of interest as vice-president of the company, in conflict with FTC regulations.[31][32] In his videos promoting the site, Cassell had disclosed the endorsements in their descriptions[33] and responded that he would be more transparent about these disclosures in the future.[34] The FTC later reached a settlement agreement with Martin and Cassell in September 2017 for disclosing their legal relations and sponsorship deals with companies.[35] There were no financial charges held against Cassell.[36][37]

In 2016, Cassell's gaming and vlogging channel reached 10 and 2 million subscribers respectively,[18][38] and in August 2018, his Twitch channel accumulated 2.6 million followers.[39] Throughout his vlogging career, Cassell had travelled to Abu Dhabi and the Acropolis of Athens,[40] and received further recognition for his livestreams, as Insider ranked Cassell as the 7th most popular Twitch streamer worldwide.[16] Activision then collaborated with Cassell to showcase and stream the "Gunfight" multiplayer mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) on Twitch.[41]

Content edit

Online content edit

 
Cassell at the i60 Insomnia Gaming Festival

Cassell maintained his schedule of two gaming videos daily.[42] He described himself as a PC gamer and said that Minecraft had been the most popular game on his channel, having an interest in sandbox-styled video games.[43] He advised others that consistency and quality was necessary for success.[26] Regarding content, he wanted gaming to be "more of an adventure" and liked the rapid use of social interaction in livestreams.[14][13][44] After gaming, Cassell's YouTube content shifted to vlogging, as he wanted his audience to know him outside of the genre.[42] Kotaku described him as a daily vlogger.[45] He has frequently played Lisa Mitchell's song "Neopolitan Dreams", as it was one of the first tracks he received a free music license from.[44] He was aware of potential negative aspects of vlogging, such as showcasing "drinking and partying", although wished to remain as authentic as possible online.[17][40][42]

Audience and reception edit

Cassell set goals for himself for content creation, which included channel viewership and subscriber milestones.[42] In an interview with the BBC, Cassell said that he did not intend to target a specific audience but "would not advise a 10-year-old to watch [his] videos". He described the demographics of his audience as "60% Americans, Canadians and [others] scattered around rest of the world".[40][17][42] The initial purpose of Cassell's videos was to sustain an audience to work at a video game company.[13] His goal changed towards engaging people and making them feel involved.[14] Will Porter of Eurogamer described him as a "cool older brother" and "the kid everyone wanted to be friends with at school".[3]

Other ventures edit

Inspired by a trip to the US in 2011,[14] Cassell co-founded a clothing company operated by his sister and his mother.[9] Cassell was given the role as a judge at the British Academy Games Awards,[3] and was featured in the mobile game Zombie Killer Squad.[14][12] Released in November 2013, it was the first mobile game developed by 3BlackDot's game development branch.[46][23][21] Within nine days of release, the game had accumulated 1 million downloads and saw 2.6 million by July 2014. Stepleton believed that the success of the game was primarily due to fans of Cassell, as they "put zero promotional dollars behind traditional user acquisition".[22] Cassell voiced Loki in the mobile game Marvel Avengers Academy and was featured in the feature-length documentary film Minecraft: Into the Nether.[18][47]

Cassell was a guest star at the premiere of the Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015) Zombies map "Shadows of Evil" at San Diego Comic-Con 2015.[48] He raised £75,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in two weeks,[9] and created the gaming fundraiser "GameStars" for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he supported critically ill children through gaming events at the Science and Industry Museum.[49] In May 2016, he produced the compilation album Sounds of Syndication through record label Heard Well. The album is composed of 12 tracks of various artists, including electronic trio Klaypex and Lisa Mitchell.[29][50] He initially contacted the record label at a charity event to produce the album.[44]

Personal life edit

Cassell owns a home constructed and designed by him and his father. He successfully became a homeowner at the age of 19, and said that he prefers to be near his hometown. Inspiration for the purchase came from his fascination with the British television series Grand Designs, and he reconstructed the home in favor of creating a space designed for gaming.[3] BBC North West Tonight described his residence as a "£1 million house",[9] and Eurogamer reported that fans have traced his place of residence though Cassell's college route and Google Street View. In 2012, Cassell dated social media influencer Kaitlin Witcher, known online as Piddleass.[7][51][52] In June 2020, Cassell was accused of sexual assault as part of the MeToo movement by Witcher and controversial internet personality Natalie Casanova, a.k.a. ZombiUnicorn, the "most visible spokesperson" of short-lived anti-harassment campaign "Bully Hunters" until the discovery of her abusive tweets and video clips involving homophobic slurs and misogynistic terms employed against women, which resulted in the cancellation of the project.[53][54] Cassell denied the allegations, describing the situation as a "character assassination by social media".[7][55]

In July 2023, Cassell announced that he and his long-term partner, Lydia Hewitt-Lee, were expecting their first child together.[56] On 4 November 2023, their son Alfie Cassell was born.

Awards and nominations edit

Awards and nominations received by Tom Cassell
Award Year Category Result Ref.
BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards 2014 Best British Vlogger Nominated [57]
Forbes 2017 Top Influencers: Gaming Won [58]
Golden Joystick Awards 2012 YouTube Gamer Nominated [3]
Guinness World Records 2014 First person to reach one million followers on Twitch Won [25]
2015 Most goals scored in a game of Rocket League by a team of 2 Won [59][b]
2016 Highest score in offline Team Deathmatch using only the knife and combat axe on Call of Duty: Black Ops III (team of two) Won [60][c]
Most followed Twitch channel Won [61]
Shorty Awards 2017 Gaming Nominated [18][62]
SXSW Gaming Awards 2015 Most Valuable Online Channel Nominated [63][64]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Cassell did not receive his Diamond Creator Award until 2021.[5]
  2. ^ Shared with Daniel Middleton
  3. ^ Shared with Alastair Aiken

References edit

  1. ^ a b "About Syndicate". YouTube.
  2. ^ . SocialBlade. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Porter, Will (11 October 2012). "An audience with Syndicate". Eurogamer. from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  4. ^ a b Jaworski, Michelle (12 June 2012). "TheSyndicateProject hits 1 million YouTube subscribers". The Daily Dot. from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  5. ^ Cassell, Thomas (24 October 2021). I've been waiting 5 Years for this Award! (Video). Life of Tom. from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ Cassell, Thomas [@Syndicate] (23 November 2018). "So I Thomas George Cassell, hereby stand down as Team Leader of 'Team Tom', because I think i'm great and officially appoint Miss Vixen as team leader! 🤣" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 February 2022 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ a b c "YouTuber Syndicate denies sexual assault claims". BBC News. 25 June 2020. from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021. Manchester-born Cassell
  8. ^ Cassell, Thomas [@Syndicate] (23 June 2018). "Here's to starting @YouTube at 17! 🍻 And heres to turning 25 today! 😆 🎉" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 February 2020 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ a b c d e f TheSyndicateProject on the BBC (Video). BBC North West Tonight. 10 February 2015. from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  10. ^ a b Beresford, Trilby (1 April 2021). "Digital Studio 3BlackDot Inks Deal With Management Firm BavaMedia (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022. Thomas 'Syndicate' Cassell
  11. ^ "YouTube Star Treats Students to Surprise Visit". Tameside College. 24 October 2016. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  12. ^ a b . Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College. 3 December 2013. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Ouimet, Maeghan (November 2015). "Meet Syndicate, the YouTube Star Behind the Gameplay Boom". Wired. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Gutelle, Sam (22 November 2013). "YouTube Billionaires: Syndicate Feels Like Fans Are Family". Tubefilter. from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Waugh, Rob (16 January 2014). "How I got six million viewers on YouTube – and turned it into a full-time job". Yahoo News. from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  16. ^ a b Clark, Travis (17 August 2018). "The 9 most popular Twitch streamers in the world, one of whom makes an estimated $560,000 a month playing video games". Insider. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Powell, Steffan (8 April 2016). "Syndicate: I won't change my vlogs for anyone". BBC News. from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "The Syndicate Project – Gaming – The Shorty Awards". Shorty Awards. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  19. ^ Seppala, Timothy (17 October 2015). "This is what success looks like on Twitch". Engadget. from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  20. ^ Dowling, Kevin (17 June 2012). "Got up, played, went to zoo, banked £60,000". The Sunday Times. from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014. (Subscription required.)
  21. ^ a b c Spangler, Todd (27 January 2016). "Legendary Entertainment Acquires Stake in Digital Startup 3BlackDot (Exclusive)". Variety. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  22. ^ a b c Bloom, David (22 July 2014). "3BlackDot Hybrid Firm Emerges From Stealth Mode With Ex-'Duck Dynasty', Machinima Execs, Top YouTubers". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  23. ^ a b Nutt, Christian (31 July 2014). "Startup puts YouTubers at its center, and that changes everything". Gamasutra. from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  24. ^ Nutt, Christian (31 July 2014). "Gamasutra Explains: The YouTuber Phenomenon". Gamasutra. from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  25. ^ a b "First person to reach one million followers on Twitch". Guinness World Records. 14 August 2014. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  26. ^ a b Hilliard, Kyle (6 October 2014). "Streaming Tips From Twitch's Most Followed User, Syndicate". Game Informer. from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  27. ^ Hern, Alex (26 August 2014). "Amazon's $1bn deal for video streaming site Twitch is latest battle with Google". The Guardian. from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  28. ^ Ellingson, Annlee (6 November 2014). "Ex-Machinima execs launch boutique MCN Jetpak". L.A. Biz. from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  29. ^ a b Weiss, Geoff (6 May 2016). "Syndicate, Twitch's Most-Followed Streamer, Releases Album Through Connor Franta's Heard Well Label". Tubefilter. from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  30. ^ Wawro, Alex (19 August 2015). "Dead Realm publisher disregards FTC disclosure guidelines for YouTubers". Gamasutra. UBM plc. from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  31. ^ Crecente, Brian (7 July 2016). "CSGO Lotto and owners sued over 'illegal gambling' allegations". Polygon. from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  32. ^ Grayson, Nathan (7 July 2016). "YouTubers Behind Counter-Strike Gambling Scandal Get Sued". Kotaku. from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  33. ^ "YouTube gamers caught in gambling row". BBC News. 5 July 2016. from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  34. ^ Phillips, Tom (4 July 2016). "Steam warns users against gambling site after YouTube stars discovered as owners". Eurogamer. from the original on 4 July 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  35. ^ Cullins, Ashley (4 October 2017). "Feds Crack Down on Social Media "Influencers" Over Instagram Plugs". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  36. ^ Crecente, Brian (7 September 2017). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  37. ^ Phillips, Tom (8 September 2017). "YouTubers escape fine for promoting CSGO Lotto site they secretly owned". Eurogamer. from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  38. ^ Roberts, Hannah (24 November 2016). "The 19 biggest British YouTube stars". Insider. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  39. ^ Katzowitz, Josh (17 August 2018). "YouTube star shoots his Elon Musk flamethrower, police pay him a visit". The Daily Dot. from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  40. ^ a b c Asher, Viraj (29 October 2018). "Interview: YouTube Star Syndicate on Middle East, Gaming and Live Streaming". Dubailad. from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  41. ^ Jones, Camden (11 July 2019). "Modern Warfare multiplayer stream coming soon, new Gunfight mode revealed on Twitch". GameRevolution. from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  42. ^ a b c d e Syndicate and Swanny – Newsbeat Gaming Show Episode 4 (Video). BBC Newsbeat. 8 April 2016. from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  43. ^ Syndicate talks Xbox One vs PS4 (Video). BBC Newsround. 1 October 2013. from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  44. ^ a b c Furino, Giaco (6 May 2016). "Twitch Streamer Curates Album for Millions". Vice. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  45. ^ Grayson, Nathan (16 August 2018). "Cops Show Up At Popular YouTuber's Door Looking For His Elon Musk Flamethrower". Kotaku. from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  46. ^ Yang, Melissah (6 November 2014). "3BlackDot Launches Multichannel Network". Los Angeles Business Journal. from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  47. ^ Votta, Rae (15 January 2015). "Learn about Minecraft's community and celebrity players in this new documentary". The Daily Dot. from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  48. ^ Hannley, Steve (9 July 2015). "Call of Duty: Black Ops III Shadows of Evil Zombies Co-Op Mode Detailed, Screenshots and Trailer Released". Hardcore Gamer. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  49. ^ Bailey, Dustin (20 February 2020). "Make-A-Wish launches a gaming-focused fundraising effort with Syndicate". PCGamesN. from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  50. ^ "Vlogger Syndicate, Tom Cassell, releases his first 12-track compilation album". BBC News. 6 May 2016. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  51. ^ "Twitch streamer KaitlinWitcher baffled after seriously odd DMCA ban". 18 March 2021.
  52. ^ "Twitch".
  53. ^ "Bully Hunters organizers shut down campaign after disastrous first stream". Polygon. 16 April 2018.
  54. ^ Chalk, Andy (16 April 2018). "Bully Hunters anti-harassment campaign shuts down as criticism mounts". PC Gamer.
  55. ^ Alford, Aaron (24 June 2020). "Syndicate denies he sexually assaulted 2 women". Dot Esports. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  56. ^ Cassell, Thomas (4 July 2023). We're having a Baby! (Video). Life of Tom. Retrieved 6 July 2023 – via YouTube.
  57. ^ "BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards Winners 2014". BBC Radio 1. from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  58. ^ "Top Influencers of 2017: Gaming". Forbes. from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  59. ^ Daultrey, Stephen (9 September 2015). "Minecraft and Rocket League records smashed at Legends of Gaming event in London". Guinness World Records. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  60. ^ Lynch, Kevin (24 August 2016). "Video: Watch Legends of Gaming stars Ali-A and Syndicate battle for Call of Duty world record". Guinness World Records. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  61. ^ Swatman, Rachel (14 September 2016). "World records broken at Legends of Gaming Live and YouTuber Syndicate receives certificate". Guinness World Records. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  62. ^ Lee, Ashley (17 January 2017). "Shorty Awards Nominees Include Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Bell, Leslie Jones (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  63. ^ "Second-Annual SXSW Gaming Awards Announces Finalists in 21 Categories" (PDF). South by Southwest. (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  64. ^ Renovitch, James (23 January 2015). "SXSW Gaming Finalists Announced". The Austin Chronicle. from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

External links edit

  • Syndicate's channel on YouTube
  • Syndicate's vlogging channel on YouTube
  • Syndicate's channel on Twitch

syndicate, internet, personality, thomas, george, cassell, born, june, 1993, known, online, syndicate, english, youtuber, twitch, streamer, regarded, earlier, known, gaming, personalities, videography, consists, play, videos, call, duty, minecraft, born, manch. Thomas George Cassell born 23 June 1993 known online as Syndicate is an English YouTuber and Twitch streamer Regarded as one of the earlier known gaming personalities his videography consists of Let s Play videos on Call of Duty and Minecraft Born in Manchester Cassell had passion for a career in the gaming industry which he started by purchasing gaming equipment using his money from McDonald s On 3 September 2010 Cassell registered his gaming channel TheSyndicateProject where he found success and an online community His prominence online was recognized by Call of Duty publisher Activision and multi channel network MCN Machinima where he signed to the network to monetize his content Cassell s channel achieved substantial growth passing one million subscribers in June 2012 and one billion views in late 2013 He further expanded his career into livestreaming on Twitch hosting the same commentary over his gameplays His Twitch channel became the first to reach one million followers in August 2014 SyndicateCassell in August 2018BornThomas George Cassell 1993 06 23 23 June 1993 age 30 Manchester EnglandOther namesTom CassellOccupationsYouTuber Twitch streamerYears active2010 presentPartnerLydia Hewitt Lee 2016 present Children1YouTube informationChannelsSyndicate Life of TomGenresGaming vloggingSubscribers9 65 million Syndicate 2 58 million Life of Tom 1 Total views2 1 billion Syndicate 643 million Life of Tom 1 Associated actsVanossGaming SeaNanners CaptainSparklezCreator Awards100 000 subscribers2011 2 1 000 000 subscribers2012 3 4 10 000 000 subscribers2016 a Last updated 3 July 2023Twitch informationChannelSyndicateGenreGamingFollowers3 1 millionLast updated 5 August 2022Websitesyndicateoriginal wbr comSignatureCassell s YouTube content began to shift into vlogging where his prominence in the genre took place from his life between Los Angeles and the UK Back in England Cassell and his father designed his own home purchasing a nearby property and renovating it into an extensive gaming area Cassell has co founded a range of businesses one of which failed to comply with Federal Trade Commission FTC advertising guidelines He co founded the entertainment company 3BlackDot along with Evan Fong and Adam Montoya and became featured in other media spanning from a mobile game to a 12 track compilation album Cassell was nominated for YouTube Gamer in 2012 at the Golden Joystick Awards and was nominated as best in Gaming at the 9th Shorty Awards He was also nominated as Best British Vlogger in 2014 at the BBC Radio 1 s Teen Awards and in 2017 was recognized by Forbes as one of the top gaming influencers As of 29 May 2023 update his gaming YouTube channel has over nine million subscribers and 2 1 billion views and his Twitch channel has over three million followers Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Internet career 2 1 2008 2012 Online beginnings and corporate recognition 2 2 2013 present Vlogging ventures and advertising violations 3 Content 3 1 Online content 3 2 Audience and reception 4 Other ventures 5 Personal life 6 Awards and nominations 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksEarly life and education edit nbsp Cassell attended the Blue Coat school at Oldham Thomas George Cassell was born on 23 June 1993 in Manchester England and is the brother of Alice Cassell 6 7 8 His father worked in construction as a project manager and his mother Karen Cassell worked as a children s day care worker 9 10 Cassell was educated at the Blue Coat school in nearby Oldham and sold drinks at school to purchase a 42 inch plasma TV at the age of 15 as his father wanted him to work and pay for the items he wanted to get during the time 3 11 He attended Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College in Ashton under Lyne and studied software development and video game design in 2010 12 13 After leaving college he briefly worked at McDonald s to purchase gaming equipment to record YouTube videos 14 3 Internet career edit2008 2012 Online beginnings and corporate recognition edit Before the start of his YouTube career Cassell uploaded commentary videos on various channels for three years 15 9 He started filming his gaming commentaries with his father s camera and fashioned it with video game cases to point it at the TV 15 He then acquired a capture card in 2008 to record his gameplay in which he was inspired by video compilations of no scope sniper kills on Call of Duty from a friend 15 13 In regards to limited advances in technology Cassell elaborated that video capturing content for YouTube was expensive He admired the use of both commentary and gameplay in videos as he was inspired by YouTuber Shaun Hutchinson 3 13 Cassell registered his gaming YouTube channel under the name TheSyndicateProject renamed as Syndicate on 3 September 2010 3 On YouTube he uploaded Let s Play videos on the video game franchises Halo Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty 15 16 17 He came to prominence with his videos on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 2009 and the Call of Duty Black Ops 2010 Zombies mode 13 18 Cassell had amassed around 300 000 views on his Call of Duty gameplays when he received a contract offer from multi channel network MCN Machinima He described this offer as the start of his full time career as a gaming YouTuber 15 After passing 500 000 subscribers his content featured Minecraft gameplay for the first time His Minecraft Let s Play series included The Minecraft Project Trinity Island 14 9 and Mianite where Cassell forms a storyline through the game with fellow streamers on Twitch such as Jordan Maron and Sonja Reid 3 18 19 In October 2012 Eurogamer reported that Cassell had attracted the attention Call of Duty publisher Activision during a 2011 GameCity convention At the convention Cassell drew video game journalists attention to the YouTube gaming community and said that endorsement from a prominent company is the best thing ever 3 His channel reached one million subscribers and over 370 million views in June 2012 4 Kevin Dowling of The Sunday Times recognized him as the UK s most popular gamer and estimated that he earned 700 000 a year or 60 000 a month Dowling said that the engagement Cassell attracted was because he led an exciting life beyond his gaming videos 20 2013 present Vlogging ventures and advertising violations edit Cassell co founded the entertainment company 3BlackDot with YouTubers Evan Fong and Adam Montoya in 2013 10 21 along with former Machinima executives Angelo Pullen and Luke Stepleton 22 23 Cassell reached one billion views on his gaming channel in late 2013 14 Rob Waugh of Yahoo News commented on Cassell s viewership as having more viewers than hit TV shows such as EastEnders In January 2014 Cassell s gaming channel reached 6 7 million subscribers He began to vlog on his Life of Tom channel between his residences in Los Angeles and the UK the start of which he began to receive sponsorships 18 15 In July Cassell s gaming channel reached 7 6 million subscribers and Gamasutra had listed it as the 6th most subscribed gaming channel on YouTube 22 24 nbsp Cassell in a vlog from YouTuber MuzzaFuzza in 2014Cassell s Twitch channel became the first to reach one million followers on 17 August before Riot Games passed the milestone 25 26 On Twitch Cassell reached 120 000 concurrent viewers on a Call of Duty livestream on 24 August 27 In November Cassell signed to 3BlackDot s MCN Jetpak as the service went live for a better payment model 28 29 Gamasutra later reported that Cassell uploaded Let s Play videos of 3BlackDot s game Dead Realm 21 which failed to comply with FTC guidelines regarding a disclosure of a sponsorship 30 In November 2015 his gaming channel was nearly at 10 million subscribers Wired estimated Cassell s earnings to be US 1 million a year 13 Cassell attracted media attention in July 2016 when he promoted the skin gambling website CSGO Lotto along with Trevor Martin without disclosing a conflict of interest as vice president of the company in conflict with FTC regulations 31 32 In his videos promoting the site Cassell had disclosed the endorsements in their descriptions 33 and responded that he would be more transparent about these disclosures in the future 34 The FTC later reached a settlement agreement with Martin and Cassell in September 2017 for disclosing their legal relations and sponsorship deals with companies 35 There were no financial charges held against Cassell 36 37 In 2016 Cassell s gaming and vlogging channel reached 10 and 2 million subscribers respectively 18 38 and in August 2018 his Twitch channel accumulated 2 6 million followers 39 Throughout his vlogging career Cassell had travelled to Abu Dhabi and the Acropolis of Athens 40 and received further recognition for his livestreams as Insider ranked Cassell as the 7th most popular Twitch streamer worldwide 16 Activision then collaborated with Cassell to showcase and stream the Gunfight multiplayer mode in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019 on Twitch 41 Content editOnline content edit nbsp Cassell at the i60 Insomnia Gaming FestivalCassell maintained his schedule of two gaming videos daily 42 He described himself as a PC gamer and said that Minecraft had been the most popular game on his channel having an interest in sandbox styled video games 43 He advised others that consistency and quality was necessary for success 26 Regarding content he wanted gaming to be more of an adventure and liked the rapid use of social interaction in livestreams 14 13 44 After gaming Cassell s YouTube content shifted to vlogging as he wanted his audience to know him outside of the genre 42 Kotaku described him as a daily vlogger 45 He has frequently played Lisa Mitchell s song Neopolitan Dreams as it was one of the first tracks he received a free music license from 44 He was aware of potential negative aspects of vlogging such as showcasing drinking and partying although wished to remain as authentic as possible online 17 40 42 Audience and reception edit Cassell set goals for himself for content creation which included channel viewership and subscriber milestones 42 In an interview with the BBC Cassell said that he did not intend to target a specific audience but would not advise a 10 year old to watch his videos He described the demographics of his audience as 60 Americans Canadians and others scattered around rest of the world 40 17 42 The initial purpose of Cassell s videos was to sustain an audience to work at a video game company 13 His goal changed towards engaging people and making them feel involved 14 Will Porter of Eurogamer described him as a cool older brother and the kid everyone wanted to be friends with at school 3 Other ventures editInspired by a trip to the US in 2011 14 Cassell co founded a clothing company operated by his sister and his mother 9 Cassell was given the role as a judge at the British Academy Games Awards 3 and was featured in the mobile game Zombie Killer Squad 14 12 Released in November 2013 it was the first mobile game developed by 3BlackDot s game development branch 46 23 21 Within nine days of release the game had accumulated 1 million downloads and saw 2 6 million by July 2014 Stepleton believed that the success of the game was primarily due to fans of Cassell as they put zero promotional dollars behind traditional user acquisition 22 Cassell voiced Loki in the mobile game Marvel Avengers Academy and was featured in the feature length documentary film Minecraft Into the Nether 18 47 Cassell was a guest star at the premiere of the Call of Duty Black Ops III 2015 Zombies map Shadows of Evil at San Diego Comic Con 2015 48 He raised 75 000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in two weeks 9 and created the gaming fundraiser GameStars for the Make A Wish Foundation where he supported critically ill children through gaming events at the Science and Industry Museum 49 In May 2016 he produced the compilation album Sounds of Syndication through record label Heard Well The album is composed of 12 tracks of various artists including electronic trio Klaypex and Lisa Mitchell 29 50 He initially contacted the record label at a charity event to produce the album 44 Personal life editCassell owns a home constructed and designed by him and his father He successfully became a homeowner at the age of 19 and said that he prefers to be near his hometown Inspiration for the purchase came from his fascination with the British television series Grand Designs and he reconstructed the home in favor of creating a space designed for gaming 3 BBC North West Tonight described his residence as a 1 million house 9 and Eurogamer reported that fans have traced his place of residence though Cassell s college route and Google Street View In 2012 Cassell dated social media influencer Kaitlin Witcher known online as Piddleass 7 51 52 In June 2020 Cassell was accused of sexual assault as part of the MeToo movement by Witcher and controversial internet personality Natalie Casanova a k a ZombiUnicorn the most visible spokesperson of short lived anti harassment campaign Bully Hunters until the discovery of her abusive tweets and video clips involving homophobic slurs and misogynistic terms employed against women which resulted in the cancellation of the project 53 54 Cassell denied the allegations describing the situation as a character assassination by social media 7 55 In July 2023 Cassell announced that he and his long term partner Lydia Hewitt Lee were expecting their first child together 56 On 4 November 2023 their son Alfie Cassell was born Awards and nominations editAwards and nominations received by Tom Cassell Award Year Category Result Ref BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards 2014 Best British Vlogger Nominated 57 Forbes 2017 Top Influencers Gaming Won 58 Golden Joystick Awards 2012 YouTube Gamer Nominated 3 Guinness World Records 2014 First person to reach one million followers on Twitch Won 25 2015 Most goals scored in a game of Rocket League by a team of 2 Won 59 b 2016 Highest score in offline Team Deathmatch using only the knife and combat axe on Call of Duty Black Ops III team of two Won 60 c Most followed Twitch channel Won 61 Shorty Awards 2017 Gaming Nominated 18 62 SXSW Gaming Awards 2015 Most Valuable Online Channel Nominated 63 64 See also editList of YouTubers List of people from ManchesterNotes edit Cassell did not receive his Diamond Creator Award until 2021 5 Shared with Daniel Middleton Shared with Alastair AikenReferences edit a b About Syndicate YouTube TheSyndicateProject s YouTube Stats SocialBlade Archived from the original on 22 November 2012 Retrieved 22 August 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k Porter Will 11 October 2012 An audience with Syndicate Eurogamer Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b Jaworski Michelle 12 June 2012 TheSyndicateProject hits 1 million YouTube subscribers The Daily Dot Archived from the original on 12 August 2022 Retrieved 13 August 2022 Cassell Thomas 24 October 2021 I ve been waiting 5 Years for this Award Video Life of Tom Archived from the original on 24 October 2021 Retrieved 16 December 2021 via YouTube Cassell Thomas Syndicate 23 November 2018 So I Thomas George Cassell hereby stand down as Team Leader of Team Tom because I think i m great and officially appoint Miss Vixen as team leader Tweet Retrieved 18 February 2022 via Twitter a b c YouTuber Syndicate denies sexual assault claims BBC News 25 June 2020 Archived from the original on 10 May 2021 Retrieved 20 January 2021 Manchester born Cassell Cassell Thomas Syndicate 23 June 2018 Here s to starting YouTube at 17 And heres to turning 25 today Tweet Retrieved 6 February 2020 via Twitter a b c d e f TheSyndicateProject on the BBC Video BBC North West Tonight 10 February 2015 Archived from the original on 21 March 2022 Retrieved 20 March 2022 a b Beresford Trilby 1 April 2021 Digital Studio 3BlackDot Inks Deal With Management Firm BavaMedia Exclusive The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on 8 August 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Thomas Syndicate Cassell YouTube Star Treats Students to Surprise Visit Tameside College 24 October 2016 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 21 August 2022 a b Tutor inspires YouTube sensation Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College 3 December 2013 Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b c d e f g Ouimet Maeghan November 2015 Meet Syndicate the YouTube Star Behind the Gameplay Boom Wired Archived from the original on 19 April 2022 Retrieved 4 August 2022 a b c d e f g Gutelle Sam 22 November 2013 YouTube Billionaires Syndicate Feels Like Fans Are Family Tubefilter Archived from the original on 14 August 2022 Retrieved 31 July 2022 a b c d e f Waugh Rob 16 January 2014 How I got six million viewers on YouTube and turned it into a full time job Yahoo News Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b Clark Travis 17 August 2018 The 9 most popular Twitch streamers in the world one of whom makes an estimated 560 000 a month playing video games Insider Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 16 August 2022 a b c Powell Steffan 8 April 2016 Syndicate I won t change my vlogs for anyone BBC News Archived from the original on 16 February 2022 Retrieved 15 February 2022 a b c d e f The Syndicate Project Gaming The Shorty Awards Shorty Awards Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 Retrieved 1 January 2022 Seppala Timothy 17 October 2015 This is what success looks like on Twitch Engadget Archived from the original on 2 February 2022 Retrieved 16 August 2022 Dowling Kevin 17 June 2012 Got up played went to zoo banked 60 000 The Sunday Times Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 Subscription required a b c Spangler Todd 27 January 2016 Legendary Entertainment Acquires Stake in Digital Startup 3BlackDot Exclusive Variety Archived from the original on 19 April 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 a b c Bloom David 22 July 2014 3BlackDot Hybrid Firm Emerges From Stealth Mode With Ex Duck Dynasty Machinima Execs Top YouTubers Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b Nutt Christian 31 July 2014 Startup puts YouTubers at its center and that changes everything Gamasutra Archived from the original on 2 May 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Nutt Christian 31 July 2014 Gamasutra Explains The YouTuber Phenomenon Gamasutra Archived from the original on 13 June 2022 Retrieved 15 September 2022 a b First person to reach one million followers on Twitch Guinness World Records 14 August 2014 Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 Retrieved 1 January 2022 a b Hilliard Kyle 6 October 2014 Streaming Tips From Twitch s Most Followed User Syndicate Game Informer Archived from the original on 28 October 2014 Retrieved 1 August 2022 Hern Alex 26 August 2014 Amazon s 1bn deal for video streaming site Twitch is latest battle with Google The Guardian Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 2 August 2022 Ellingson Annlee 6 November 2014 Ex Machinima execs launch boutique MCN Jetpak L A Biz Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b Weiss Geoff 6 May 2016 Syndicate Twitch s Most Followed Streamer Releases Album Through Connor Franta s Heard Well Label Tubefilter Archived from the original on 10 May 2021 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Wawro Alex 19 August 2015 Dead Realm publisher disregards FTC disclosure guidelines for YouTubers Gamasutra UBM plc Archived from the original on 20 August 2015 Retrieved 21 August 2015 Crecente Brian 7 July 2016 CSGO Lotto and owners sued over illegal gambling allegations Polygon Archived from the original on 8 July 2016 Retrieved 9 July 2016 Grayson Nathan 7 July 2016 YouTubers Behind Counter Strike Gambling Scandal Get Sued Kotaku Archived from the original on 6 August 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 YouTube gamers caught in gambling row BBC News 5 July 2016 Archived from the original on 19 March 2022 Retrieved 19 March 2022 Phillips Tom 4 July 2016 Steam warns users against gambling site after YouTube stars discovered as owners Eurogamer Archived from the original on 4 July 2016 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Cullins Ashley 4 October 2017 Feds Crack Down on Social Media Influencers Over Instagram Plugs The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on 19 March 2022 Retrieved 19 March 2022 Crecente Brian 7 September 2017 Video Game Influencers Settle FTC Complaint Over Endorsement of CSGOLotto Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 19 November 2017 Retrieved 26 June 2023 Phillips Tom 8 September 2017 YouTubers escape fine for promoting CSGO Lotto site they secretly owned Eurogamer Archived from the original on 6 August 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Roberts Hannah 24 November 2016 The 19 biggest British YouTube stars Insider Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 21 August 2022 Katzowitz Josh 17 August 2018 YouTube star shoots his Elon Musk flamethrower police pay him a visit The Daily Dot Archived from the original on 19 June 2021 Retrieved 4 August 2022 a b c Asher Viraj 29 October 2018 Interview YouTube Star Syndicate on Middle East Gaming and Live Streaming Dubailad Archived from the original on 28 July 2021 Retrieved 12 August 2022 Jones Camden 11 July 2019 Modern Warfare multiplayer stream coming soon new Gunfight mode revealed on Twitch GameRevolution Archived from the original on 12 August 2022 Retrieved 15 September 2022 a b c d e Syndicate and Swanny Newsbeat Gaming Show Episode 4 Video BBC Newsbeat 8 April 2016 Archived from the original on 16 February 2022 Retrieved 21 August 2022 Syndicate talks Xbox One vs PS4 Video BBC Newsround 1 October 2013 Archived from the original on 14 February 2015 Retrieved 17 August 2022 a b c Furino Giaco 6 May 2016 Twitch Streamer Curates Album for Millions Vice Archived from the original on 19 April 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Grayson Nathan 16 August 2018 Cops Show Up At Popular YouTuber s Door Looking For His Elon Musk Flamethrower Kotaku Archived from the original on 5 August 2022 Retrieved 4 August 2022 Yang Melissah 6 November 2014 3BlackDot Launches Multichannel Network Los Angeles Business Journal Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 Votta Rae 15 January 2015 Learn about Minecraft s community and celebrity players in this new documentary The Daily Dot Archived from the original on 4 August 2021 Retrieved 13 August 2022 Hannley Steve 9 July 2015 Call of Duty Black Ops III Shadows of Evil Zombies Co Op Mode Detailed Screenshots and Trailer Released Hardcore Gamer Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 15 September 2022 Bailey Dustin 20 February 2020 Make A Wish launches a gaming focused fundraising effort with Syndicate PCGamesN Archived from the original on 12 August 2022 Retrieved 25 August 2022 Vlogger Syndicate Tom Cassell releases his first 12 track compilation album BBC News 6 May 2016 Archived from the original on 19 April 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Twitch streamer KaitlinWitcher baffled after seriously odd DMCA ban 18 March 2021 Twitch Bully Hunters organizers shut down campaign after disastrous first stream Polygon 16 April 2018 Chalk Andy 16 April 2018 Bully Hunters anti harassment campaign shuts down as criticism mounts PC Gamer Alford Aaron 24 June 2020 Syndicate denies he sexually assaulted 2 women Dot Esports Archived from the original on 19 April 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Cassell Thomas 4 July 2023 We re having a Baby Video Life of Tom Retrieved 6 July 2023 via YouTube BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards Winners 2014 BBC Radio 1 Archived from the original on 19 October 2021 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Top Influencers of 2017 Gaming Forbes Archived from the original on 8 August 2017 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Daultrey Stephen 9 September 2015 Minecraft and Rocket League records smashed at Legends of Gaming event in London Guinness World Records Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 Retrieved 1 January 2022 Lynch Kevin 24 August 2016 Video Watch Legends of Gaming stars Ali A and Syndicate battle for Call of Duty world record Guinness World Records Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 Retrieved 1 January 2022 Swatman Rachel 14 September 2016 World records broken at Legends of Gaming Live and YouTuber Syndicate receives certificate Guinness World Records Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 Retrieved 1 January 2022 Lee Ashley 17 January 2017 Shorty Awards Nominees Include Ryan Reynolds Kristen Bell Leslie Jones Exclusive The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Second Annual SXSW Gaming Awards Announces Finalists in 21 Categories PDF South by Southwest Archived PDF from the original on 4 July 2020 Retrieved 12 August 2022 Renovitch James 23 January 2015 SXSW Gaming Finalists Announced The Austin Chronicle Archived from the original on 12 August 2022 Retrieved 12 August 2022 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom Cassell Syndicate s channel on YouTube Syndicate s vlogging channel on YouTube Syndicate s channel on TwitchPortals nbsp Biography nbsp Internet nbsp Gaming nbsp England nbsp Greater Manchester Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Syndicate Internet personality amp oldid 1218260693, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.