MonRae Mail #3: The 5ive Guys Trial Series
Welcome to the third edition of MonRae Mail! We'll be sharing news from the digital world, shining a spotlight on our talent network and giving our best content/random recommendations.
Hello from the frontlines of the Easter holidays! For anyone else juggling their way through countless Easter egg hunts/spending £40 on boutique chocolate eggs after their child knocked over a display (JUST ME??)/desperately trying to make a visit to the local library fill an entire 8 hours, I salute you. It’s not easy doing this whilst also trying to jump in and out of email chains and contracts. BUT the sun is out, everyone at MonRae is happily munching on afore mentioned broken boutique chocolate eggs and a 4 day weekend is upcoming!
I first met Louis and Milo from 5ive Guys FC around 2 and a half years ago as we both live in the same North London postcode. To be able to sign them officially and work so brilliantly and collaboratively with them has been a real joy. Below, their direct manager Des, highlights some of their recent wins.
With love, Elspeth x
Time flies and somehow we are halfway through April and 5ive Guys FC are already setting the pace. It’s fast.
The 5ive Guys FC trial series came to a conclusion 3 weeks ago and, blimey, what a series it was! What started as an idea and an application form posted on their Instagram page last summer, turned into thousands of applicants from across the UK vying to become the newest member of YouTube’s favourite football team.
Five episodes and over two million views (and counting) later, 5ive Guys have a new player, a new fan favourite series and one very happy brand - FotMob, an app built for football fans, who were the ideal partner for the series. In partnership with FotMob, 5ive Guys gave their fans the chance to vote for their favourite trialist. With over 34,000 votes, they made their voices heard. It’s the sort of engagement that brands dream of. Not only did FotMob get significant visibility in each episode but they became a part of the story.
The key to this engagement? 5ive Guys know their audience. Of course, the audience is invested in the high quality football on show, but that’s not all. They gravitate towards the friendships, the humour and the entertainment that flows throughout each episode. Audiences know authenticity when they see it and they want to be a part of it. At MonRae, we want to tell stories that brands want to be a part of; our ultimate goal is to work with our talent to create their own sustainable IP.
The 5ive Guys Trial series is a perfect example of this. It’s original content that can continue to grow in the future. Instead of waiting for briefs from brands and agencies, we can approach brands with hard data and a proven concept. This gives our talent the ability to re-invest, creating more IP for their platforms and other aspects of their business. From our perspective, it’s very exciting to work on new creative projects like this, that are commercially viable.
We’re all very proud of the team and everything that they have achieved on and off the pitch. They’re not just footballers, they’re storytellers too. So, what’s next for 5ive Guys? The 2025 Division 1 series launches at the end of April as they take on the best 7 a side teams that London has to offer. Last season, 5ive Guys finished second in the Division. Who knows? Maybe with their newest player, they will go one step further. That sounds like a pretty good story to me.
Things we’ve got our eye on…
MonRae have been working with Mojang and Warner Brothers for over a year- getting DanTDM and LDShadow Lady out to New Zealand to cameo in the film; Yammy and DanTDM out to Sweden to the Mojang Studios and TommyInnit live streaming from the premiere. The film is amazing and already one of the biggest game/film releases ever. Nice.
Oliver Bonas launched their new spring range and Anniki popped down to enjoy it all. we particularly like these paint splattered champagne glasses. Bubbles for everyone!
TommyInnit has had a very BUSY month. Opening his sell-out UK show ‘The Survival Tour’, playing the Palladium on his 21st birthday and becoming a Sunday Times bestseller the next day with his 2nd book “TommyInnit’s Guide to Survival”. Exhausting! He’s also been interviewed by The Times Magazine out this weekend….enjoy.
Twiggy Jalloh, our resident beauty and wellness Queen, worked with La Roche Posay showcasing their gorgeous Effaclar A.Z. Gel Cream. Beautiful skin and beautiful woman inside and out.
It’s a skincare time it appears. Nicole Vignola, our Madeira-based neuroscientist, worked with Revive Collagen, spending a day filming with the brand advising their followers on how to level up their wellness game.
Adam Savage and his eldest son had the BEST time down at the Nintendo Switch 2 event, trying out the new console at the Excel Centre. Valdie in our office shed a tear as he was unable to go.
Digital-first talent that we love- either on MonRae’s roster or in our network
Jelly- An OG gamer of YouTube, Jelly has appeared in several of MonRae’s TV shows including Let’s Game and Worldbuilders for Sky Kids. One of the smiliest men on YouTube, he also stars in CBBC’s Game on Grandparents.
LDShadow Lady- The always lovely Lizzie has also worked with MonRae off and on for years, appearing in our shows as well as headed to New Zealand with DanTDM for The Minecraft Movie. With 7.5 millions subs on Instagram she’s one of the UK’s leading female gamers.
Jack Manifold- Jack Manifold, part of the DreamSMP and one of TommyInnit’s best mates. Jack is one half of Shut Up I’m Talking, the massively successful podcast he makes with Tom Simons and a very funny man.
Thanks for reading! Keep an eye on your inbox for updates, interviews and yet more top talent recommendations.
All the love,
Elspeth & Bronagh x
Co-founders of MonRae