The Creative Juice Podcast

Matthew Zanazzo (Immature Gamer)
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Creative Juice is a bi-weekly podcast dedicated to Fortnite Creative and UEFN game development. It brings together game developers, business professionals, and gamers for authentic, casual, and humorous conversations about creativity, industry insights, and real-world success stories. Episodes are recorded with video using tools like Riverside and later distributed as audio on major podcast platforms. Each episode lasts between 30 minutes and 1 hour and features in-depth interviews with top talent and studios—all while keeping the focus on uncovering what fuels each guest’s creative juice.This is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games, Inc. 

  1. APR 29

    Lee Graham: Inside the Epic Layoffs, the List That Helped 1,000 Devs, and Why He Called It a Blessing

    He Got Cut From Epic. What He Built Next Changed Everything. Lee Graham ran the UEFN Accelerator at Epic Games for six and a half years, helping major brands and game IPs enter Fortnite Creative and build for the creator economy. On March 24th, his Slack went down mid-Zoom. Everyone on the call knew what it meant before a word was said. By that afternoon he had been laid off alongside roughly a thousand colleagues. By that evening, he had already built something to help them. This conversation covers what Lee learned at the intersection of brand strategy and UEFN, why he tells every studio entering this space to start small and build for real player feedback before spending serious money, and what Island Transactions mean for the economics of Fortnite Creative. Lee walks through the Awesome People List from the first Google Sheet to a full web app rebuilt in two days, the SVP of Talent at Rockstar who grabbed it the same afternoon to share with all her recruiters, and why Red Storm Entertainment picked up the same model after their own layoffs just days prior. People from the list are already in final rounds at top studios. Lee closes with the story he clearly most wanted to tell. His stepson Noah has spent years learning to draw characters, build in Blender, work in UEFN, and code in Verse alongside him. Together they are building 20 Aliens, a tower defense game. The layoff opened a door neither of them expected: Noah could not publish islands or participate in creator payouts while Lee was at Epic. That changed the afternoon of the layoff. Lee also shares what he would tell anyone navigating a hard career transition right now. It is honest and worth hearing no matter what industry you are in. Lee Graham LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averageguylee/  Discord: averageguylee  Awesome People List: https://awesomepeoplelist.replit.app/?tag=Unreal+Engine+Fortnite  Noah's Studio: https://offthex.io/ | https://www.fortnite.com/@offthex  UGC Playbook: https://www.ugcplaybook.io/ Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    40 min

  2. APR 15

    Brainrot Skins, Brand Deals, and Building a Creator Business in UGC - Brendan Stock (Chartis CEO)

    Brainrot skins hit the Fortnite item shop and a UEFN studio built the deal. Brendan Stock is the CEO of Chartis, the company behind over 45 brand integrations inside UEFN in a single year and the team that drove the Brainrot collab from a TikTok search all the way to the Fortnite item shop. This conversation starts with the thesis Brendan has been building around since day one: help creators go from hobbyist to professional. That vision took shape when he noticed early on that Sony once ran a UGC platform with solid tools and an existing player base and still could not survive because it failed to attract enough builders. In UGC, the real currency is not how many people are playing. It is how many people are building. That single insight shaped everything Chartis has done since, including putting creators on the cap table as actual owners rather than treating them as contractors. Brendan breaks down how brand partnerships inside Fortnite actually work, why most brands come in with the wrong frame, and what the real odds look like for a custom game. He covers the Jason Statham Shelter roguelike built in five weeks over the holidays because the team was trusted to lead the creative, why creators with non-combat UEFN maps are sitting on some of the most brand-ready real estate on the platform, and how the Michael Buble collab became Buble's most viewed Instagram post of the year by turning a Christmas song into a game mechanic players could not stop talking about. He also gets into XP Financial, the service Chartis built to help UGC creators handle taxes and business structure before a surprise IRS bill does it for them. Brendan closes with a bold prediction: Fortnite concurrent users trend upward by the end of 2026, mobile becomes a bigger growth driver than most people in this space are accounting for, and the next Mario or Pokemon level IP is going to come out of Fortnite or Roblox because that is where the attention already lives. Vote in the first ever UEFN Community Awards here: https://www.uefncommunityawards.com/ X: https://x.com/BrendanStock LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanstock/?skipRedirect=true Chartis: https://www.chartis.gg Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    56 min

  3. APR 1

    What It Actually Takes to Build a Sustainable Career in UGC ft. Wertandrew

    Wertandrew is one of the most respected OG creators in Fortnite Creative and UEFN, known for building some of the most ambitious solo experiences in the space including Domus Mortem and Time Skip Chronicles. Matt sits down with Wert to get the unfiltered truth on what actually works in Fortnite Creative in 2026 and why most creators are getting it wrong. In this episode they cover: Why discovery is an amplifier, not a shortcut, and what you actually need before it can help youThe honest breakdown of Fortnite's new monetization systems and the premium model opportunityWhy Verse is still a real barrier for designers and artists and what Epic needs to fixHow to build retention at the creator level instead of just chasing map-level numbersWhat separates creators who ship consistently from those who never finishThe mindset and lifestyle habits behind long-term longevity in UGCWhether you are a Fortnite Creative developer, a UEFN builder, or just trying to figure out how to grow in this space, this one is packed. Follow Wertandrew:  X: https://x.com/Wertandrew  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wertandrew Don't hate, create. Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    53 min

  4. MAR 18

    From Finance to Fortnite's Tycoon King: Sleighted Sloth on Going Full-Time in UEFN

    This week on Creative Juice, I sit down with Sleighted Sloth, one of the most respected tycoon creators in the UEFN space. Jon walked away from a six-year career in credit card app development to go all in on Fortnite Creative in 2024, and what happened next is genuinely impressive. We cover the full journey, from his early days in mobile development to getting invited to a LEGO game jam in Denmark, landing in Epic Picks, and pulling in over 2 million V-bucks in a single picks run through in-island transactions. Jon shares his actual design philosophy behind some of the biggest tycoon maps in UEFN, why the first launch is the only launch that truly matters, how he blends PVP into a traditionally chill genre, and why a 100 V-buck jail mechanic became one of his best selling IAP items. Whether you are building your first UEFN map or trying to figure out how to go full-time as a creator, Jon gives you the real playbook with no fluff. Follow Sleighted Sloth: X: https://x.com/sleightedsloth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sleighted-sloth-a9851831b/ Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    1h 5m

  5. MAR 4

    He Worked Inside Roblox, Epic, and Meta. Here's What They Don't Want You to Know.

    Deepak Nair is one of the only people in the world who has worked inside Roblox, Epic Games (Fortnite Creative), and Meta Horizon Worlds. In this episode, he shares what he learned from all three ecosystems and holds nothing back. We get into what platforms actually prioritize vs. what they tell creators, why most developer feedback never turns into real change, the habits that separate creators who last from creators who burn out, how solo devs can outperform big studios, and why building your own community outside the platform is no longer optional. Deepak also breaks down the real timeline to becoming a top developer (it took roughly 8 years on Roblox), why copying games keeps you behind, and what healthy communication between platforms and creators actually looks like. If you're building games on any UGC platform or thinking about getting started, this is one of the most honest conversations you'll hear about how the industry really works. Follow Deepak:  X/Twitter: https://x.com/brown_lantern  Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePixelPushers  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepaknair3/ Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    55 min

  6. FEB 18

    Why Most UEFN Games Fail (And What AAA Studios Do Differently) | Brian Grayson, Head of Publishing at Ghost Gaming

    Brian Grayson has seen the industry from nearly every angle. He started in law, helped scale Hi-Rez Studios during the growth of Smite and Paladins, led publishing and R&D initiatives, and now applies those lessons inside Fortnite through Ghost Gaming. In this conversation, we unpack what AAA studios understand about live service development that many creators overlook. Brian explains why retention is the core signal of product quality, why Day 1 retention is brutally hard to fix, and how data should guide decisions without being emotional. We also discuss sunk cost fallacy, why copying rarely wins inside the same ecosystem, and how to evaluate real product market fit in UEFN. If you are serious about building sustainable games inside Fortnite or running a studio in today’s market, this episode delivers clear, practical insight from someone who has operated at scale. Guest Links: Brian Grayson X: https://x.com/Lionheart LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsgrayson Ghost Gaming Website: https://ghostgaming.com Discord: https://discord.gg/ghostgaming Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    1h 31m

  7. FEB 4

    Building Worlds and Building a Career with PixelatedDreamz

    PixelatedDreamz is a Fortnite and UEFN environment artist who has quietly built one of the strongest freelance careers in the ecosystem. Starting from Creative 1.0 and early Minecraft builds, he found his niche in environments, landscapes, and materials, and turned that focus into over 110 paid commissions in a single year. In this episode, we talk about the moment that changed his path, why good-looking maps still fail without marketing, how social media became his main source of work, and what new creators misunderstand about getting hired. PixelatedDreamz also shares his approach to learning complex tools, optimizing large environments, building portfolios, and setting boundaries to avoid burnout. This is a grounded conversation about specialization, consistency, and what it actually takes to build a sustainable career inside Fortnite and UEFN. Guest: PixelatedDreamz  https://x.com/PixelatedDreamz Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    44 min

  8. JAN 21

    Graeme Bull: The Truth About Discovery, Scaling, and Building UEFN Games That Last

    If you’ve ever shipped a UEFN map you genuinely believed in, but Discovery never gave it a real shot, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Graeme Bull, one of the most trusted educators in the UEFN and Verse space, to break down what actually holds creators back long term. We talk about the biggest misconception new UEFN developers walk in with, why great games can sit “dead” for months and suddenly pop off, and how to think about discovery, thumbnails, and marketing without spiraling into excuses. We also go deep on scale, why maps often start breaking as they grow, what creators should plan ahead for (and what they shouldn’t), plus Graeme’s advice on learning UEFN without getting overwhelmed. Guest links: Graeme Bull on X: https://x.com/GraemeBullX YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GraemeBull Discord: discord.gg/z8WHrNr8rp Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch) Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts Twitter: https://www.x.com/immaturegamer

    56 min
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About

Creative Juice is a bi-weekly podcast dedicated to Fortnite Creative and UEFN game development. It brings together game developers, business professionals, and gamers for authentic, casual, and humorous conversations about creativity, industry insights, and real-world success stories. Episodes are recorded with video using tools like Riverside and later distributed as audio on major podcast platforms. Each episode lasts between 30 minutes and 1 hour and features in-depth interviews with top talent and studios—all while keeping the focus on uncovering what fuels each guest’s creative juice.This is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games, Inc. 

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Zanazzo (Immature Gamer)
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Creative Juice Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Creative Juice Podcast