The Task Everyone Undervalues That Made Her Essential at MKBHD

Gimbal Podcast

— 2 min read
The Task Everyone Undervalues That Made Her Essential at MKBHD

When Harper Makowsky joined MKBHD, her job was calendar management. Within months, she became the most informed person in the studio.

The Central Node Method

Most people avoid operational tasks because they seem "assistant-y." Harper did the opposite. She leaned into the one task that touched everything: managing Marques's schedule.

Here's why it worked:

The bottleneck reveals the system. Marques stars in every video, writes every script, and edits most of them. He's also needed by the art team, sponsors, Studio shoots, Waveform, and Autofocus. His calendar is the constraint. Whoever manages that constraint sees everything.

Check-ins create information flow. Harper checked in morning and night about script progress and next-day plans, then communicated outward. This made her the central hub—not because of her title, but because of her position in the information flow.

Access compounds. The more she asked for access (scripts, rooms, feedback loops), the more she got. She eventually asked to change her title from "Main Channel Producer" to "Head of Production", a request that changed her entire scope.

The insight: operational tasks that connect all the pieces aren't grunt work. They're strategic infrastructure.

How to Use This

  1. Identify the bottleneck person or process. Who or what does everything flow through? That's your entry point.
  2. Take the task that touches everything. Calendar, project management, QA—these roles see across silos. Don't avoid them.
  3. Create a check-in cadence. Morning and evening check-ins with key people make you the information hub, not just a task-doer.
  4. Ask for access before you need it. Scripts, meetings, feedback sessions—request to be included. In startups, no one will advocate for you but you.
  5. Upgrade your title when you've outgrown it. Your title defines your permission set. If you're doing Head of Production work, ask for the title.

What Else Harper Revealed

  • The LinkedIn strategy that got her recruited by both MrBeast and MKBHD (it's simpler than you'd think)
  • Why MKBHD will never take a phone company as a main channel sponsor—and where they draw the line
  • The "meta chasing" trap that erodes channel identity (and how to spot it in yourself)
  • What script supervising actually looks like when your host doesn't use a teleprompter

Watch the Full Episode

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