For years, the conversation around hip-hop media power has revolved around the United States and the United Kingdom. But far from those expected centers, one of the fastest-rising independent entertainment platforms in the culture is being built out of Ireland and it’s being led by Olly Gazal.
Gazal is the founder of Ollys TV, a culture-driven digital media platform that has grown from a grassroots YouTube channel into one of the most watched independent entertainment brands in Europe. What separates Ollys TV from traditional music outlets is not just its scale, but its cinematic approach to storytelling, blending hip-hop culture with film-level visual editing and algorithm-native distribution.
That approach has produced staggering results. Over the past 12 months, Ollys TV generated 1.6 billion views, including 260 million views in a single month, driven by content that moves seamlessly between music, interviews, documentaries, and short-form visual edits. The platform currently sits at over 500,000 YouTube subscribers and is rapidly approaching the one-million-subscriber milestone, placing it in rare company among independently owned entertainment platforms.
Gazal’s background as a visual editor plays a defining role in the brand’s identity. Rather than treating uploads as disposable content, he approaches each release like a scene in a film — focusing on pacing, mood, tension, and emotional payoff. The result is a platform that feels less like a channel and more like an ongoing cultural narrative, resonating deeply with Gen-Z and millennial audiences across Ireland, the UK, Europe, Africa, and North America.
That cinematic vision has begun to draw attention well beyond social media. Major industry players, including Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures and ODEON & Cineworld Cinemas, have acknowledged Gazal’s work, recognizing his ability to translate film-level storytelling into digital-first formats that travel at scale.
His influence has been amplified further through viral cinematic edits that have circulated widely on Instagram. A dramatic Sinners edit and a high-impact visual inspired by Stranger Things each amassed millions of views, reinforcing Gazal’s reputation not only as a media founder, but as a visual storyteller shaping how modern audiences experience culture online.
What makes Ollys TV’s rise particularly notable is how it was built. Gazal did not rely on major labels, traditional media institutions, or external backing. Instead, he focused on mastering distribution — understanding algorithms, short-form dynamics, and audience behavior — and pairing that technical knowledge with strong visual identity. The result is a platform that consistently delivers visibility for artists, breaks emerging talent, and commands hundreds of millions of impressions each month.
As a Black African entrepreneur operating at this level in Ireland, Gazal’s success represents a shift in where media power lives and who gets to own it. Ollys TV is now widely regarded as the most subscribed entertainment channel in Ireland owned by a Black African, and one of the country’s most influential youth-culture platforms overall.
With that influence, Gazal is now preparing his next move. Alongside the continued growth of Ollys TV, he is developing a mentorship-focused e-book aimed at creators, artists, and young entrepreneurs. Drawing directly from documented results, the project is designed to teach how attention is built, how distribution is controlled, and how culture and visuals can be turned into sustainable business.
As Ollys TV edges closer to one million subscribers and global recognition continues to build, Gazal’s rise no longer looks like a viral moment. It looks like the emergence of a new kind of media executive — one who understands that in today’s entertainment economy, those who control storytelling and distribution control the future.
And by all indications, this is only the beginning of the story.
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