TikTok Star Bran Flakezz Says Transparency Is 'Really Critical,' but Admits It Gets 'More Difficult' as His Career Grows (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereSun, June 7, 2026 at 5:58 PM UTC

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Bran FlakezzCredit: Bran Flakezz/Instagram -

Brandon Edelman, known as Bran Flakezz online, built his platform by sharing personal stories and promoting authenticity with his audience

He says balancing transparency has become more challenging as his platform grows and he works with larger teams and brands

Edelman reflects on his journey from working retail to building a thriving career as a content creator, helping his family and community

Brandon Edelman — or Bran Flakezz as he's known online — has learned a lot about the importance of transparency after three years as a content creator.

The 29-year-old has built a brand online by discussing everything from recommendations in his native Philadelphia to finances and his relationship. While speaking with PEOPLE, Edelman emphasizes that "vulnerability and authenticity are part of my brand."

"I will always share personal life stories, and I think that's really critical," he says.

However, he admits that "being transparent gets more difficult as your career grows in a sense because you have a bigger team, you have bigger brand partnerships and you have more eyes on you."

The content creator, who now boasts over 1.3 million followers on TikTok, says that a "bigger evolving platform" comes with "a little bit of red tape."

Bran FlakezzCredit: Bran Flakezz/Instagram

"Now I have a PR team, now I have an agent team, I'm not just Bran from three years ago who was kind of just rocking with a sidewalk street manager that I found just doing what I wanted, you know?" he says. "You have a lot more people not telling you what to do, but telling you the impacts of what you are doing."

He reaffirms that the "transparency will always be there," but in "ways that are probably a little more buttoned up than they would have been in 2022 when I first started my transparency series."

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Like most of his content, Edelman's transparency series is humor-driven, but it also pulls back the curtain on influencer marketing. In the videos, he has shared exactly how much money he makes per video, what really goes on during brand trips and more.

He says that "people just love to hear realness, and they love to be educated," and it's important to post things that "make your audience feel like, 'Wow, I'm learning something right now,' or 'Oh, this is interesting. I didn't know this kind of stuff.' "

Bran FlakezzCredit: Bran Flakezz/Instagram

"A lot of my videos about being a content creator, I'll get comments like, 'Do I have any interest in being a content creator? No. Did I watch this video all the way through? Yes.' I love that because people are interested, no matter what, because it is just such an interesting topic."

At the end of the day, however, creating content and building a community is Edelman's favorite thing about having a large platform.

He also notes that "seeing the little kid in me, who didn't really have a lot of confidence, seeing that come to the forefront," has been incredibly fulfilling.

"Ten years ago, I was working the fitting room at Forever 21, making $8.25 an hour. Now being able to afford a place in Los Angeles, a place in Philly, helping my parents out, doing things that I never imagined I'd be able to do, that has been incredible and rewarding," he tells PEOPLE.

Being where he is now, he says, feels "really full circle and really sometimes just unbelievable, and sometimes I just have to take a second, and I'm just like, 'Wow, you did this. You didn't have a stepping stone, you did this all on your own.' "

"I have to remind myself of that when I'm having a tough day and be like, 'No, be proud of yourself,' " Edelman adds.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”