Before the YouTuber and podcaster JaackMaate, there was the affable class clown, Jack Dean, back in his hometown of Norwich, in Norfolk.
A natural joker with plenty of charm, Jack was tailor-made for YouTube, where he launched his channel ‘JaackMaate’ in 2008.
The teenager who felt like an outcast at school before discovering his own kind, faced his fair share of challenges growing up, but quickly garnered a following by filming reaction videos in his uncle’s box room.
He would spend hours immersed in virtual worlds, honing his skills and developing a competitive edge. But it wasn’t until 2017 that JaackMaate experienced his first taste of viral success. His video imitating beauty vlogger Zoë ‘Zoella’ Sugg’s £50 advent calendar struck a chord with viewers, and his combination of skill and wit catapulted him to fame, gaining over one million subscribers and a dedicated fanbase. This kickstarted a career that has turned JaackMaate, now 32, into an all-conquering multimedia mogul.
If the YouTube venture made sense, then so did his next move, when he released JaackMaate’s Happy Hour Podcast in 2018, and he would soon become one of the most famous podcasters in the United Kingdom.
Fast forward to 2025, and JaackMaate has interviewed over 250 of the internet’s best celebrities across over 550 episodes, has sold out arenas, having taken his podcast on tour across the country in the last two years, and saw Happy Hour rank in the top one percent of Spotify’s most listened-to podcasts in 2024.
And what’s more, he’s a die-hard West Ham United fan…
Jack, where did it all begin for you as a YouTuber, then?
I started my YouTube channel when I was like 16. I hit a bit of a crossroads in my life at 18 or 19 and realised I needed to take it a bit more seriously. I was plugging away doing two videos a week for seven years in my uncle’s box room before I even made a penny. Things took off in 2017 when I did a video about an advent calendar, and that changed everything for me pretty much overnight.
The video before I went viral got 8,000 views, and I told myself YouTube was not a viable career and was honestly ready to quit. I showed my mates this soon-to-be viral video in the pub, and they were in hysterics. That was the first time I had really made them laugh, so I posted it and woke up the next morning to see it was at half a million views, and I went from 300,000 subscribers to about 900,000.
The truth of the matter is that I’m very lucky, and anyone who’s made it has also been very lucky. I’m so grateful for the stuff I’ve done in my life and the opportunities that have come my way. It’s been special.
How did you end up creating and hosting JaackMaate’s Happy Hour - an award-winning smash-hit podcast?
I’ve always wanted to interview people. I studied interview techniques at college around 12 years ago, so in 2018 I decided to create Happy Hour with a few of my mates.
We started getting guests on, interviewing people, and soon found the love for YouTube again, which I’d lost for a few years.
The defining moment for the podcast came when I got Ricky Gervais on as one of our first guests, so I owe a lot to him, which is weird to say because he’s my comedy hero.
I genuinely don’t believe the podcast would have been as successful as it has been had he not given me the chance, and once you get a big name like Ricky Gervais on the podcast, the other names sort of follow suit.
In 2023, I think we were the most listened-to podcast on UK Spotify and we were part of Spotify’s top one percent of most listened-to podcasts in 2024. We’ve also taken the podcast on the road across the UK over the last two years, which was an incredible experience.
I’ve now got a life-changing multi-year Spotify podcast deal, and for someone who always wanted to sit down and chat with some of the most interesting people in the world, it has been a dream come true, and I’m incredibly grateful.
You have released over 550 episodes and had over 250 guests on your podcast. Have you got a favourite?
The number one that is head and shoulders above the rest is Mr West Ham, Mark Noble. It was one of the best moments of my life. He’s above all the A-Star guests.
I remember watching him against Preston North End in the 2005 [EFL] Championship Play-Off final. He took his top off at full-time, and he put it on round the wrong way so he had his name on show. I remember me and my Dad saying that he’s got a bit about him, and he subsequently rose through the ranks and became a West Ham legend.
I was there when he retired against Manchester City, and then a month later he was sitting across from me on my podcast. That’s more than I could ever have dreamed of.
You’ve also worked with the Club on multiple occasions, including presenting our pre-season tour in Australia in 2023. How special was that for you?
It was the best thing I’ve done in my life. Nothing will beat it or come close to it. It’ll always be number one. It doesn’t feel like you’re working - it’s like living a childhood dream.
We did a series called Snack Wars, where we put players’ home cuisines up against each other, and then going on our pre-season tour of Australia in 2023 was mind-blowing. I had to pinch myself a few times.
Of course you need to be professional because some of the players don’t know who you are, but deep down, I’m always that 12-year-old at Upton Park, seeing them for the first time, and I’m not sure that novelty will ever wear off.
Tell us about your West Ham allegiance, then?
I’m from Norwich, but my Dad’s from Bromley and is a West Ham fan. He put me in a West Ham beanie hat when I was two weeks old, so I never had a choice, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
He took me to my first game against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup in 2006. I remember opening my birthday card, and two tickets for the game fell out. I just burst into tears.
Fast forward so many years, and I got to treat my Dad with a ticket to the [UEFA Europa] Conference League final in Prague. You couldn’t write Jarrod Bowen scoring a last-minute winner. I’ve seen my Dad cry twice, and one of them was in Prague.
That’s what West Ham United means to people and what it means to my family.
Click HERE to check out JaackMaate’s Happy Hour Podcast.
