From Stalking Elon Musk to Entering the EU Parliament

Most call him a menace.

Some call him a genius.

But now, he’s a European Lawmaker.

On 09th June 2024, Fidias Panayiotou changed the future of politics.

With zero experience as a politician.

With no political affiliations.

Not a dime spent on paid media.

He became the first YouTuber to enter the European Parliament.

All he did was create content, tell stories, and leverage the internet to become a politician.

Let’s talk about his story…

The Journey

Fidias first started posting videos in 2019.

He was posting random videos "Worst Uber Experience Ever," "Who Are Your Friends," and "Giving Away 100 Euros to Strangers."

They were a mix of cool, cringy, and creative but they marked the beginning of his journey.

In 2021, he flew across the world from Cyprus to Los Angeles to meet Airrack another YouTuber.

At that time Airrack was on a quest to reach 10 million subscribers by the end of the year.

They hit it off instantly and became good friends.

Fidias started appearing in several of Airrack’s videos like…

To top it all off, he got invited to be in one of Mr. Beast’s videos and ended up winning a Lamborghini 🤯.

After that he wanted to go even ballsy and set out on a mission to hug 100 celebrities, including Elon Musk who was his role model.

He stalked Elon Musk for over 3 months, but eventually ended up hugging him…

Most called him irresponsible and stupid but his tenacity and creativity caught the public’s eye.

I might be reading too far into this but those moments where he showed a desire to achieve the impossible showcases his qualities - qualities that leaders need.

From YouTube to Politics

Early 2024 comes…

Fidias has continued to make YouTube videos like most content creators.

But one day, he gets a call from a local politician in Cyprus inviting him to run for the European Parliament elections.

Initially, he took it as a “fun challenge” he could do as a YouTuber.

But after he started researching and talking to other politicians, they said it was impossible for him to get elected, so he took it as a challenge.

He made his first national TV appearance in a jumper and three ties.

While everyone laughed, he was taking it seriously - his creator brain was working, because he knew it was a great way to gain attention 🧠.

The Campaign Begins

Despite being told it was impossible to become an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) as an independent candidate, the 24-year-old persisted.

When major political parties rejected him, he turned to his audience on TikTok, who overwhelmingly voted for him to run independently.

Fidias started a podcast called "Fidias Cyprus," where he interviewed politicians and educated people about elections in Cyprus.

His honesty and relatability won the public.

Unlike traditional politicians, he spoke in the local dialect of Cyprus making him be seen as the "Robin Hood" of Cyprus.

Some of the key moments from his campaign

Running a Marathon Across Cyprus: Fidias ran a marathon across the country to get people to register to vote, setting a record and registering over 26,000 new voters.

Honest Interviews: In political debates, he openly admitted his lack of knowledge about the EU Parliament, promising to learn, which built trust among voters.

Relatable Language: Speaking in a specific Greek dialect connected to Cyprus, Fidias connected more with the people, leading other politicians to follow his example.

Leveraging Content: Fidias live-streamed his speeches and was able to reach thousands of people online and he used clips of his opponent politicians criticising him to garner the support of the people through social media.

The Result

Fidias became the third most-voted candidate in his country, surpassing long-established political parties.

He made people who hadn't voted in decades want to vote again.

His success proved that content creation is a powerful tool in today's world, capable of achieving fame, power, and influence.

🎬 He made a video about the entire journey, go check it out if you want to learn more:

The Takeaway

Fidias’s journey from a YouTuber to a European Parliament member shows the power of content creation.

In this digital age, content creation can help you achieve anything - fame, power, money, friends and more.

It can be through YouTube, blogs, podcasts, short films, or anything that can get you attention and exposure on the internet.

Creating content is a path to success in the modern world.

Like what you learned this week? Share it with a creator friend 💚 

Until next week ✌️

-Amaanath

Written with 💚 by: Amaanath & Kavinka