Creator Amanda Golka joins us on Close-Up Culture to chat about her work on Swell Entertainment and her exciting future projects.
Hi Amanda, how would you describe Swell Entertainment to someone who has never encountered it before?
Swell Entertainment is a Youtube channel where I cover and break down niche social media-based topics and review products, media, and all kinds of events from Formula 1 race weekends to Bigfoot research conferences.
How do you reflect on your journey with Swell Entertainment and the success you’ve had?
I’m really grateful for past “me,” but also for the slow growth I had with Swell Entertainment for years…I’m celebrating eleven years of Swell Entertainment in October, and it only became sustainable in 2020. I’m very thankful for the early years where I got to play around– and not just figure out what I wanted Swell Entertainment to be, but also what I liked doing. The success I have had now would never have happened without those slow years of putting in the work with little to no pay off– simply because I loved creating.
What is your vision for the future of Swell Entertainment?
I really want to turn Swell Entertainment into a legitimate production company in the future. I am mostly a one woman show now but I want to help get original stories made for TV and film.
I understand you’re currently working on a book. What can you reveal about that?
I’m technically working on about three books because I’m all over the place, but I am mostly working on a book about not waiting on others to live your life –which I’m very passionate about. One of the most rewarding things about Swell Entertainment is the emails and messages I have gotten from viewers saying my videos encouraged them to go to a concert alone or start solo traveling, and I want to explore that more.
And a screenplay too! What was your inspiration for that?
I’m always writing and exploring media so I always have like five to six ideas bopping around at any given time. Pretty much all my screenplays are in the horror genre currently because I’m a big horror nut.
You’re up to so much at the moment. How do you juggle all these endeavours?
I’m a control freak who probably has undiagnosed ADHD. I would love to tell you it’s time blocking and delating but my digital assistant will tell you I am not good at either of those things. I just am highly motivated to do the things I want to do and unfortunately, I want to do everything, see everything, and learn everything which makes me a bit of a tornado with a bad sleep schedule. But it is also shockingly productive.
What other ambitions and plans do you have for the future?
Oh gosh so much. I want to get into race car driving. I want to do voice acting. I want to do more hosting work and interviews with interesting people. I want to do it all and thankfully Swell Entertainment has so much wiggle room to let me do it all.
Photos by Ben Cope