There are no limits right now for local comedic super-duo, The Inspired Unemployed, when it comes to the future they are making for themselves.

Jack Steele and Matt Ford are the self-proclaimed battlers behind The Inspired Unemployed and if you don’t know there work, you soon will. Think of the relatable, larrikin charm of an early Paul Hogan, but in an age where you can create your own media channels.

Their take on the real estate boom

Since their first Instagram video in 2019, they have taken social media by storm with their short skits building up over 1 million Instagram followers and 441,000 YouTube subscribers. Have a look at their Instagram here. With much of their work filmed in Kiama, the region is getting promoted each week to a growing audience for free, while other brands are paying to be associated with their popularity.

“I was in year 7 and Jack was in year 8 when we first met on the Kiama High snow trip,” says Matt.

“We became mates but we weren’t that close until about year 10 or 11 and then once we left school, we became really good mates.”

With no formal experience in acting, dance or entertainment, the boys worked on various videos with other mates once they were out of high school and posted them to their early Instagram account, Pine Tree TV.

“We have never trained or had any experience for this,” says Matt.

“The most training we’ve had was from our early high school drama class, going to festivals and annoying our sisters.”

After Pine Tree TV came to an end, Jack and Matt thought it was time to reignite their creativity but under a new alias.

“We were older and more mature and we thought it was time to give it a crack and try to kickstart a career in entertainment,” says Jack.

“We didn’t know whether you could really make anything from this, but thought we should see how far we could go and how many followers we could get.

“No one around home was doing anything similar, so we gave it a go.”

Checkout their dance moves

Their comedy was original and they became more popular with every video. Soon enough, their tradie day jobs seemed less inviting as more and more entertainment opportunities came their way.

“I think it was at the end of 2019 when we realised, we could make something out of it,” says Matt.

“We started getting a lot of enquiries about shooting up in Sydney and were taking heaps of days off work so we quit our jobs. It was a pretty big risk but we wanted to work hard at it and have the time to make the videos. We haven’t gone back to our old jobs since, although who knows, we might have to be back there next week.”

Creating content for their Instagram and YouTube accounts has become their full time job now.

Internationally known brands like Gucci and Virgin have looked to leverage off their popularity and they have modeled for the likes of David Jones, Vogue, GQ and The Iconic. Such is their fame, The Bugle had to stand in line behind the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Weekend and 60 Minutes to have a chat.

Jack and Matt at the GQ Men of the Year Awards

“It’s never-ending work, we finish one video and we are straight onto the next one. You get like one night to relax and then you’re busy again,” says Matt.

“We still pinch ourselves about what is going on but it’s good fun doing it and it’s so different to our normal life.”

The future is bright for the duo with plenty of opportunities for work coming from their popularity, but they are firm about only taking those that suit the true Inspired Unemployed essence.

“We are definitely very conscious about keeping things authentic and original, and in this world it can be very easy to get drawn to the side of that, but our friends and family always keep us very humble,” says Jack.

“We are thinking about starting a podcast and doing TV which has always been a goal.

“We’ve had TV opportunities already but we had to turn them down because we weren’t ready and the timing wasn’t right.

“So for now, it’s about expanding and still having fun with what we do.

“We might also have a beer coming out this year as well. We’re stoked about it all.”