The Man Behind The Curtain
The world of content creation is one of spotless production, carefully crafted narratives and polished personas. But James Bennett, known as JHBTeam online, tosses those notions to the side with his relatable cringiness and humor that many love him for.
Bennett has seemingly redefined what it means to be a personality in the content creation sphere. His blend of awkward humor and genuine personality has become a face of sorts to the gaming and lifestyle brand “100Thieves”. The organization, often known for their talented gaming rosters and streetwear collabs, is seen as one of the most forward thinking entities in the online and gaming zeitgeist.
With partners ranging from Lexus, AT&T, Heineken and Adidas, the brand is ubiquitous in gaming while amassing millions of followers over various social media platforms and fostering professional rosters in video games such as Valorant, Call of Duty and League of Legends.
Somewhere in between all of that is a sarcastic, lanky kid from Los Angeles that just wanted to help some friends out with editing. Yet slowly but surely, turned into something that Bennett never would think was possible, accumulating over 11.6 million views for the 100Thieves YouTube channel with his show TBH w/ JHB.
“I grew up always watching channels like Smosh, Vanoss and stuff like that. I knew one day that I wanted to create something that was entertaining for people, but I didn’t expect it to blow up as much as it did,” Bennett said.
Bennett’s path to 100Thieves started when he was 16 when he began to edit for a content group known as The Mob that themselves had a stint in 100Thieves. From there, Bennett landed an internship at the organization where he’s remained since April 2020.
The opportunity to edit for a group in 100Thieves while cutting his teeth in the streaming world and gaining traction on social media was huge for him.
“When it got to the point of [The Mob] joining 100Thieves, I started to grow my own brand online as well by creating my own content that I thought people would enjoy,” Bennett said.
Bennett recalls when he stepped back and realized just how much recognition he was getting from his work. “In December of 2019 I had about 20,000 followers on X (formally Twitter) and to me that was an insane number that I couldn’t even fathom at the time, because it’s such an odd feeling that so many people would pay attention to what I have to say or even tweet. Anyways, in that same month I somehow managed to gain 50,000 more followers because of the content I was making. That was a complete shock for me,” Bennett said.
The New Wave for Entertainment
When watching one of Bennett’s episodes for TBH w/ JHB on YouTube, or one of his streams on Twitch, his comedic style that can only be described as awkward takes centerstage. “I honestly don’t know where my humor came from. It’s such a weird thing to describe, but I’ve always had fun either poking jokes at myself or just being able to be awkward and not have to worry about being judged by others,” Bennett said.
On his show that has garnered millions of views solely on YouTube, many guests have been featured such as rapper Gunna and content creators that included Hasan Piker, Vinnie Hacker, Ninja, Emma Langevin, Valkyrae and CouRageJD. Even with these seemingly high profile guests, Bennett’s humor remains the same throughout, causing his invitees to have an uncomfortable yet hilarious experience that is enjoyed by many.
“I feel like fans connect strongly with the awkward persona, because they can see a little bit of themselves in me. Imagine yourself being put in front of a camera and not knowing what to say, that’s exactly how my presence online is. Although it’s awkward, I think we can all feel sympathy or relate to the person on camera. It’s also fun because it feels like you’re cheering for someone on the screen who is in a completely different and uncomfortable position than usual,” Bennett said.
Even with 38 episodes of Bennett’s flagship creation, TBH w/ JHB, Bennett does have a favorite episode. “My favorite episode is probably with [livestreamers] Kyedae and TenZ. They’re both Valorant content creators, but I’ve known Kyedae for about 3 years now, and she’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. She’s always been genuine and cares about people, and I’ll always appreciate her for who she is,” Bennett said. On why that episode specifically Bennett replied, “I guess just being able to watch both of them have insane growth and success has also made me feel like a proud father in a way. The episode also gained a million views and that also made me very happy.”
Seemingly having a heavy foot in the door of the esports and content creation world does come with challenges however. Bennett discussed some of the issues such as balancing his online persona with his personal life, dealing with imposter syndrome and overthinking. All of which are issues that have arisen with garnering attention from the internet. “I’m often referred to as ‘JHB’ from people I knew from high school, and although it’s cool, I definitely see people that I never talked with try to become very close with me as time passes. It feels very weird, because I can never tell when someone really wants to be my friend or is just getting close with me to hopefully gain connections. There have been cases where that has happened, and it’s made me very nervous about who I interact with or get close with. It could just be me overthinking, but it’s something that has made interacting with people very difficult throughout the last few years. I can never tell if someone is serious or not, or even sarcastic in some cases. It’s weird,” Bennett said.
On feeling like an imposter and overthinking Bennett shared, “In 2023, I’d say that I experienced heavy imposter syndrome for myself when it came to appearing in content or even watching myself. I would watch myself and not see myself in that person on the screen. I would even be embarrassed at the fact that that’s who I was, and I used to wish that I wasn’t on camera at all because of how awkward I would act, and how people were perceiving me.”
“Overthinking is one of my biggest problems, even in real life situations. It’s very bad. I did tons of things to keep my mind off of it, such as driving far distances or just going out with my friends. I had a lot of distractions in my life to help keep my mind off of making content, as it just became such a big problem for me. Whenever I saw my following count go down even slightly, it just ate me alive. I used to check on my analytics every 10 minutes, just hoping that the numbers were in the green. It was such an unhealthy routine, so being able to distract myself from doing such a thing has helped so much,” he added.
What is Content Creation All About
Looking ahead, Bennett shared the importance of staying true to yourself as a person and as a content creator, “You know, I think it’s very important to create what YOU want to make, don’t let people force you into doing stuff that’ll either make you feel uncomfortable, or overall an idea that you don’t feel confident in.”
On reflecting on the success of the show on 100Thieves Bennett said, ”It’s amazing to see how much success the show has had. You never really know what to expect when you’re making content and what the growth will look like, but the fact that I was able to have a show with my name attached to it, and also to create an audience for not only 100Thieves but also myself. It’s awesome to think about.”
Bennett’s story beginning as a troll on X, to interning at 100Thieves, and now having his own show with almost 40 episodes is a testament to the power of the ever so rare authenticity in a world obsessed with perfection. In embracing his quirks and connecting with fans on a personal level, Bennett has shown that sometimes, being awkward is the best way to stand out.
“You don’t need the whole world to praise you,” Bennett says. “Just keep being yourself, and you’ll see why people want to support you.”
