Cody Kolodziejzyk

Cody Michael Kolodziejzyk ( , Polish: ; born November 22, 1990), better known online as Cody Ko, is a Canadian YouTuber, comedian, podcaster and rapper. Kolodziejzyk first became popular on Vine in 2014, before becoming a commentary YouTuber on internet culture. His style of content is often crudely comedic and profane.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Kolodziejzyk graduated from Duke University with a degree in computer science. After his mobile app I'd Cap That became top of the App Store, he worked as an iOS developer at Fullscreen, but quit in 2016 to focus on his internet career full-time. He had around two million followers before Vine's discontinuation.

After Vine was shut down, Kolodziejzyk shifted to YouTube commentary. With fellow YouTuber Noel Miller, Kolodziejzyk co-hosts the Tiny Meat Gang Podcast. This later became the flagship podcast of their podcast network TMG Studios, which they co-founded in October 2021. He and Miller also comprise the comedy rap duo of the same name. TMG has featured guests such as MrBeast and Post Malone, and won the 11th Shorty Awards for Best Podcast. In a widely criticized 2019 video, YouTuber Jake Paul accused Kolodziejzyk of being a "cyberbully" for his commentary ridiculing Paul and other YouTubers, inadvertently causing his following to grow. , Kolodziejzyk has nearly six million subscribers on his main YouTube channel.

Early life and education

Cody Michael Kolodziejzyk was born on November 22, 1990, in Calgary, Alberta, to Greg and Helen Kolodziejzyk. Both his parents competed in athletic competitions, and his father is a cyclist who holds several world records. He has one sister, Krista. Kolodziejzyk attended Springbank Community High School before attending Duke University in the U.S. state of North Carolina after being recruited on their swimming and diving team following a meet in Montreal.

At Duke, he lived in Edens Quad at the Duke University West Campus. He joined a fraternity, pursued a degree in computer science and a certificate in markets and management, and eventually became captain of the varsity team. He eventually came to regret some parts of his time in a fraternity. Kolodziejzyk majored in computer science. He graduated from Duke University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts. The same year, he moved to Silicon Valley.

Career

''I'd Cap That'', computer engineering and Vine (2012–2016)

In March 2012, while a senior at Duke, Kolodziejzyk began to develop the photo-sharing mobile app I'd Cap That, which automatically added meme-like captions to images. It went viral and was the App Store's Free iOS App Of The Week in May, amassing over four million users in four months. Kolodziejzyk wanted to join a startup and continue developing apps. I'd Cap That was acquired several months later by a startup called Iddiction, which launched I’d Cap That+, adding additional features. Kolodziejzyk worked there on the app for two years before quitting in 2014. He moved to San Francisco for his job.

Kolodziejzyk first began uploading to Vine, a six-second video platform, in 2013. He partnered with the now-defunct multi-channel network Fullscreen, with Mahzad Babayan becoming his full-time talent manager. He credited the network and his background in computer engineering for his early success. In May 2014, Kolodziejzyk and his friend Devon Townsend left on an eight-month backpacking trip around Asia. Throughout the trip, the pair created Vines and started several side projects for ad revenue and experience creating apps with other technologies such as Node.js. The videos were unexpectedly viral and Kolodziejzyk became a popular figure on Vine. He had amassed over 290 thousand followers by July.

In January 2015, the two returned to the United States. They traveled to Los Angeles, where Kolodziejzyk now lives, looking for work while continuing to make Vines. Kolodziejzyk collaborated with comedian Hannibal Buress to promote Buress' Comedy Central show ''Why? with Hannibal Buress'' (2015). '' People'' described Kolodziejzyk's Vines as "goofy, relatable ndoften profane". Kolodziejzyk said that his Vines were often spontaneous and advised other Viners against "trying too hard." By November 2015, Kolodziejzyk had almost two million followers on the platform.

Kolodziejzyk worked for the company Victorious for eight months and had less time to create content. However, he frequently had to leave midday for auditions, to the company's annoyance. His manager gave him a job as a senior iOS developer at her employer Fullscreen, where they would be more relaxed about him leaving midday for content creation as a social media company. Kolodziejzyk contributed to the code for Fullscreen's subscription service. At Fullscreen, Kolodziejzyk also met Noel Miller, a web designer from marketing and fellow Viner, by chance after they had previously talked online. The pair became close and often created internet content on their lunch breaks.

In June 2016, Kolodziejzyk starred in the Vine-produced series Camp Unplug alongside twelve other Viners. He quit his job at Fullscreen the next month, deciding that he could support himself on sponsorships alone.

YouTube commentary, music, and podcasts (2016–2019)

Kolodziejzyk joined YouTube on May 30, 2014. After Vine was discontinued, he shifted to YouTube content. He and Miller became popular on YouTube with their series ''That's Cringe'', hosted on Kolodziejzyk's channel, where the two react to and joke about internet content which they consider to be "cringe". ''That's Cringe'' has over 153 million combined views and makes up most of his channel's most popular videos. An episode on controversial YouTuber Jake Paul in October 2017 amassed over seventeen million views. Another episode on the Christian lifestyle channel Girl Defined spurred viral TikTok memes mocking Girl Defined and their videos' themes of extended chastity.

Kolodziejzyk's other content focuses on internet culture, such as criticism of internet personalities, NFTs or ASMR videos involving dangerous acts. He and other commentary YouTubers have been described as "media critics" for an online millennial audience. '' Vulture'' said that his videos helped bring attention to YouTube commentary and help it grow from a subsection of reaction videos. Kolodziejzyk is also part of the cast of Jimmy Tatro's web series '' The Real Bros of Simi Valley'', which airs on Facebook Watch. He used to edit his videos himself, but began to hire outside editors and a production team.

Kolodziejzyk and Miller have made satirical rap songs together as Tiny Meat Gang (TMG) since 2017. They came up with the name for a song making fun of Jake Paul—Miller dubbed the pair "Tiny Meat Gang" after joking about "the weird idea of an 'unborn child as an ' posing in a sonogram". However, the two began considering music earnestly after they were contacted by producer Diamond Pistols and released their first extended play ''Bangers & Ass'' the same year.

After struggling with repeated demonetization, Kolodziejzyk and Miller began the Tiny Meat Gang Podcast in October 2017 to make up for losses. The podcast is funded solely by their Patreon supporters, with each hour-long episode discussing various topics related to pop and internet culture. Kolodziejzyk also hosts the podcast ''Insanely Chill.''

In 2018, Kolodziejzyk and Miller went on tour and reached one million subscribers on his main channel in June. In an interview with '' Tubefilter'', Kolodziejzyk attributed his success to "ripping on the Paul brothers." The same year, Post Malone was featured in an episode of their podcast and Tiny Meat Gang released their second EP, ''Locals Only''.

Jake Paul and continued growth (2019–2022)

In early 2019, Tiny Meat Gang won Best Podcast at the 11th Shorty Awards. Kolodziejzyk and Miller also appeared in a sold-out live comedy tour across the United States as Tiny Meat Gang.

After Jake Paul released a vlog confronting Kolodziejzyk, who he called a ' cyberbully', in person on Jeff Wittek's podcast, it was widely criticized online and received over 800 thousand dislikes. '' The Washington Post'' described it as an example of celebrities dismissing genuine criticism as hate. Kolodziejzyk later said the experience was extremely uncomfortable. However, he gained around 140 thousand subscribers directly after the incident and surpassed four million by late 2019.

Tiny Meat Gang collaborated with Blackbear for the single "short kings anthem". In October, they signed with Arista Records and announced a new EP. On November 22, Kolodziejzyk partnered with Killer Merch, which also handled Tiny Meat Gang's tour merchandising and commerce, and artist Dan Taylor to launch a merchandise collection. Tiny Meat Gang rescheduled their next tour to the second half of 2020.

In October 2020, Kolodziejzyk hosted an eight-episode podcast on iHeartRadio titled ''The Pleasure is Ours'', with guest stars such as Drew Gooden and Emma Chamberlain, in which they discuss truisms and popular sayings. He frequently appeared in college webinars during quarantine.

Adlan Jackson of '' The New York Times Magazine'' noted that as Kolodziejzyk and Miller rose in popularity, many of the figures they have mocked appeared in their videos. After criticizing Dhar Mann for his formulaic videos, Kolodziejzyk produced one of his videos and shifted his opinion, saying they were made that way so that his audience, mainly foreigners and children, could understand. Controversial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk also appeared in a 2021 episode of Tiny Meat Gang. Due to this, some fans began to worry about a potential conflict of interest and that the two "would e incentivizedto pull their punches."

Kolodziejzyk has had numerous angel investments, including bitcoin startup Lolli and JuneShine. He and Townsend started an investment vehicle called Dumb Money Capital, which has invested in Liquid Death, the NFT platform Autograph and Moment House. In February 2022, he invested in the gaming startup Metafy.

Tiny Meat Gang Studios (2021–present)

In a June 2021 interview, Kolodziejzyk said he intended to develop a media network from the Tiny Meat Gang Podcast. He and Miller co-founded Tiny Meat Gang Studios, a comedy podcast network, in October 2021. They are represented by United Talent Agency, who have assisted in TMG Studios' expansion. The company currently employs twelve full-time employees and has seven original podcasts, including the flagship Tiny Meat Gang Podcast and ''Insanely Chill''. The Tiny Meat Gang Podcast is now divided into two one-hour segments, with the first free and the second available only to subscribers. It had over 200 million downloads in 2022. An October 2022 episode featuring the YouTuber MrBeast became one of the most-viewed episodes of the podcast.

Personal life

Kolodziejzyk lives in Los Angeles. In 2020, he bought his first home for $3.8 million, a three-story compound in the neighborhood of Venice Beach. In 2022, he bought a beachfront unit near the Ventura County Line for $3.7 million. He lived in Australia for several months. Kolodziejzyk is engaged to Kelsey Kreppel, a preschool teacher and influencer who occasionally appears in his videos.

According to Kolodziejzyk, his surname is Polish. He abbreviated it to "Ko" online due to its length and difficulty to spell.

Discography

Solo discography

Singles

TMG discography

As Tiny Meat Gang with Noel Miller.

Extended plays

Singles

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

Official channel

Official website

Official TMG Studios website
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Living people
1990 births
Canadian YouTubers
21st-century Canadian rappers
Canadian people of Polish descent
Canadian male web series actors
Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Duke Blue Devils men's divers
Male actors from Calgary
Canadian male comedians
Canadian podcasters
Canadian male rappers
Musicians from Calgary
21st-century Canadian comedians
21st-century Canadian male actors
Commentary YouTubers
Comedy YouTubers
YouTube channels launched in 2013
Twitch (service) streamers
Patreon creators
Vine (service) celebrities
Comedians from Alberta
21st-century Canadian male musicians
Canadian male YouTubers