A new duo is entering the YouTube space! Entertainment talent and brand manager John Panichella and actor Christopher Pawl are teaming up for their brand-new series, Big Bro / Lil Bro, officially launching today (October 23).
Panichella, the founder of John Panichella Public Relations, has built a career working with some of the biggest names in entertainment, fashion, and digital media, collaborating with brands including Amazon, TikTok, Coach, and Fashion Nova. Meanwhile, Pawl continues to make strides in his acting career, most recently appearing in a campaign for SKIMS and DoorDash.
Now, the longtime best friends are stepping in front of the camera together, blending their professional experiences with the friendship they’ve shared for more than a decade.
The series offers viewers an unfiltered look at the duo’s dynamic as they navigate everything from pop culture and personal experiences to the entertainment industry and beyond. Featuring candid conversations, playful banter, and occasional special guests, Big Bro / Lil Bro is less about following a traditional podcast format and more about inviting audiences into the conversations that happen when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Ahead of the premiere, Celeb Secrets caught up with the duo to discuss how the project came together, their decade-long friendship, what audiences can expect, and more.
Big Bro / Lil Bro premieres Friday, October 23, on YouTube. Keep reading for our exclusive Q&A with Panichella and Pawl!
https://youtu.be/6wEucojHDgE?si=YOz9Ts4jG3PKAE_y
Celeb Secrets: For those discovering Big Bro / Lil Bro for the first time, how would you describe the series, and what can viewers expect?
JP: “Big Bro / Lil Bro is basically Chris and I navigating life, friendship, and working together in Hollywood. Chris is an actor and I’m his manager and somehow we’ve managed to mix our personal and professional lives without ruining either one. It’s a look into our dynamic, from the entertainment industry and our every day lives to random conversations and disagreements that come along with that. It’s funny, honest, and a little bit unhinged.”
CP: “Imagine two idiots that don’t need opinions on things, who are best friends and professionals working together, hanging out and talking about stuff. We want it to feel like you’re a fly on the wall and also somehow part of the friendship. There’s fun banter, some really interesting guests, and overall we just want it to feel like hanging out.”
CS: What inspired you two to launch a YouTube series together, and how did the concept originally come about?
JP: “Chris will say I forced him into this but that isn’t true. Honestly this came about because when we play Fortnite we clip each other and the ridiculous things we say and we would always talk about turning it into a podcast or some sort of content series. Eventually we sat down in front of a camera and gave it a shot.”
CP: “Honestly, and John will deny this, I was not seeing the vision at first. I’d throw out ideas while we were gaming, but I wasn’t convinced anyone needed to see our dynamic outside of the two of us. John clearly disagreed. I’ve since gotten more comfortable with it and I’m excited to see where it goes. At the end of the day, I’ve been having fun with it and think we have some cool episodes coming soon.”
CS: How did you two first meet, and how has your friendship evolved over the years?
JP: “We first met a little over 10 years ago when a mutual friend introduced us. We’ve been friends ever since and our friendship evolved into the dynamic that you see on camera. We’ve always supported each other’s careers but over the past year we decided to actually work together officially and it’s been pretty cool so far.”
CP: “Check out the series to get a more in-depth look, but essentially we met through a mutual friend over 10 years ago when I visited LA. About a year later, I moved to LA from NYC and stayed on John’s couch for a couple days and the rest was history.”
CS: You have a unique relationship as both best friends and professional collaborators. How do you balance those two dynamics, and has working together strengthened your friendship?
JP: “Honestly I’m still figuring out how to balance that dynamic and that’s kind of what Big Bro / Lil Bro is. It follows us navigating an industry that we are both super familiar with, but with an added layer of unfamiliarity from working with a friend. Tbd on if it’s strengthened our friendship. Let’s check back in a year (laughs).”
CP: “Ha! If I was drinking something while reading that question, I would have done a spit take. It’s definitely had its ups and downs over the past year! You’re bound to butt heads when you work with friends, but I think as long as we keep an open dialogue, everything can be sorted out. It’s strengthened the friendship for sure.”
CS: What’s been the funniest or most memorable moment from filming Big Bro / Lil Bro so far, and what can viewers look forward to in future episodes?
JP: “I think the funniest moment is the fact that the first time we tried to film this series we ended up getting into an argument that was all caught on camera and realized that maybe we shouldn’t publish the footage. We ended up scrapping it completely and filming the following week, which is what you see as episode 1. We have some fun episodes in the future. We’ve done some brand partnerships already that are coming out later, and we have some fun guests like 2x Super Bowl Champion Logan Ryan, who happens to also be my cousin. We’ve got a lot of cool things planned. This is really just the beginning of what we can do with this series.”
CP: “I really loved filming with his cousin, Logan Ryan. He’s someone that John’s been mentioning for years and is a huge part of his life, and to finally meet him was really special. Logan is professional, fun and very generous with his involvement on the show. We even set up a physical challenge that was really fun to film.”
CS: Celeb Secrets is all about uncovering what people don’t already know. What’s one thing about your friendship that might surprise people?
JP: “The running joke here of Big Bro / Lil Bro is that Chris is ‘Big Bro’ and I’m ‘Lil Bro’ but I’m actually 4 years older than Chris.”
CP: “John and I actually went through a bit of a rough patch a few years ago. Life happened, we weren’t as close for a while. Eventually we talked it through and I think our friendship is stronger because of it!”
