What if your side hobby could land you on the set of How to Train Your Dragon or in the same room as Timothée Chalamet?
That’s the wild reality for Lachlan and Austin Macfarlane – aka the Macfarlane Brothers – two self-taught filmmakers whose short-form videos have clocked more than 500 million views online. Starting with a childhood curiosity and a second-hand camera, they’ve grown into full-time content creators, directors, and award-winning storytellers for global brands like Warner Bros., Netflix, and Universal Pictures.
In this episode, they unpack the creative process behind their viral videos, how they turn 15 seconds into a storytelling masterclass, and what it really takes to build an audience that sticks around. Plus, they share what goes into landing brand deals, writing sponsored content that doesn’t suck, and why they’re aiming to direct feature films next.
Whether you're a marketer, copywriter, or creator at heart – this one’s packed with practical gold.
In this episode, we cover how to:
- Create viral video content with low-budget tools
- Master the first 5 seconds of any video to stop the scroll
- Turn a niche interest into a loyal fanbase
- Understand the difference between fans and followers (and why it matters)
- Repurpose comment suggestions into fresh content ideas
- Work with creative briefs and brand partnerships
- Reach out to brands – even with a small audience
- Juggle short-form success with long-form ambitions
- Monetise through sponsorships, YouTube ads, and freelance gigs
- Build a content pipeline without burning out
- Use retention data to shape stronger storytelling
- Grow your team and step out from in front of the camera.
Bio:
Lachlan & Austin Macfarlane are multi-disciplined filmmakers and content creators, whose creative work has amassed over 500 million views online.
Following their film studies, Austin worked as an assistant editor/online editor at a post-production company, and Lachlan worked as an in-house editor at an advertising agency. They have translated their industry experience in traditional media to social media with engaging and shareable content.
Now they work full-time as content creators and directors. The brothers have travelled the world working with brands such as Warner Bros, Universal Pictures and Netflix, represented Australia at Cannes after winning the Cannes Young Lions Film category and were awarded Most Influential 2023 Creator by the Australian Influencer Marketing Council Awards.
In the commercial space, the Macfarlane Brothers are on Haven’t You Done Well Productions’ directing roster. They are currently working on a web series funded by Screen Australia.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Macfarlane Brothers on Instagram
- Macfarlane Brothers Website
- Macfarlane Brothers on YouTube
- Macfarlane Brothers on TikTok
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