BEHIND THE TAG - CODENAMEPIZZA
If you haven't guessed it already, The zombie slaying content creator CodeNamePizza enjoys, well.. pizza! As an expert on the matter he is quick to dismiss pineapple as a topping, instead opting for pepperoni, mushroom, jalape and onions. Combining the cryptic “Codename” with the long lasting love for the delicious food item made the iconic channel what it is today with over 773k subs. He is one of the few go-to creators for AAA zombie content and so DRKN wanted to check in with with him and find out what's up!
Hi Pizza, Can you tell us about yourself?
"I'm CodeNamePizza,mostly referred to as "Pizza" or "CNP" in the gaming world.
I'm a 26 year old UK born and raised Gamer/Content Creator.
What is your favorite game?
In the content creation world I'm mostly known for playing the Call of Duty games. But what most might not know is that my love of gaming is what it is today due to my original gaming console "Super Nintendo" And my favourite game of all time is on that console! It's called "Super Metroid".
Metroid is legend, what makes it so special to you?
You’re right!! Metroid is a legend! The game is so special to me mainly because it was something I was just blown away by as a kid! The game is so large and at that time in gaming most games were very linear! I actually love Metroid so much I have a Samus tattoo on my left leg.
How did you start gaming/creating? what set it off?
I've been on the Youtube platform since 2005 (When the site first launched) Mainly posting dumb videos I recorded with my friends. We would do silly stunts or challenges and post them online. Along with those I also posted some music that I remixed which somehow ended up getting some attention and the channel I had at the time managed to become the 99th Most Subscribe Channel on Youtube in the "Musician" category (Remember this was the early days of Youtube so that was only around 3500 Subscribers)
Did you keep the music career up at all? Do you still make music?
No unfortunately I have not continued my career in music, the last song I produced was around 2012. I wish I had the time to create music though because I love it but I’m too busy with Youtube.
Very interesting to see that you have been on youtube since the beginning, what has changed since then and what is the same you think?
Youtube has changed so much since the beginning, one thing I remember that I wish was back on the platform was Youtube Page Awards. If you had a video that did really well or you grew really fast one month you would get a special icon on your Youtube page telling everyone that you are the #1 most subscribed YouTuber of that month or you had the #1 most watched video that month! (I managed to get a few of those awards on my page at the time) unfortunately non of my old content remains on Youtube, with CodeNamePizza I wanted a fresh start with content and made sure there was nothing left.
When did you realise gaming was your thing?
I've always had a love for gaming and content creation so back in 2012 when I first launched CodeNamePizza my idea was to mold the 2 hobbies I had into a Gaming Content Creation channel. It was a perfect combination of the hobbies I had and I honestly wish I would have started it earlier.
Tell us the story about your gaming tag?
The origins for the name "CodeNamePizza" stems from a couple of things. The "CodeName" part is due to the game I play (Call of Duty: Zombies). The storyline in Zombies is very complex and has lots of mystery surrounding it. Therefore I wanted to incorporate a cryptic type of name. The "Pizza" part of the name is due to my love of pizza (It's my favourite food!) Also the channel was made when I was on vacation in Orlando and both my brother and myself were attempting to find the best pizza place by eating pizza everyday.
Lets talk pizza. You say it's your favourite food but pizza comes in oh so many delicious varieties. What is your favourite pizza and where can one get it?
The best pizza I have ever had in my life is at a place called Johns of Bleecker in New York! It is fantastic! I also love a place called Giordano's who are famous for stuffed deep dish pizzas. If I could only have one pizza for the rest of my life I would honestly have to go with the classic cheese but one of my favourite combinations is Pepperoni, Mushroom, jalapeño, onion.
Finally on the pizza topic, where do you stand on the pineapple issue, does it go on pizza?
Pineapple should never be placed on a pizza! I stand by the rule that it should be left in the fruit bowl!
What is your best gaming memory?
I have lots of gaming memories. I always love looking
back at my childhood at how much fun I had with friends and family.
But the memory that stands out the most is when I had been practising speedrunning one of the Zombies maps for months for a upcoming competition and on the day, In front of not just a live crowd and online watchers but also against a further 16 competitors I managed to not just win the speedrun race but also achieve my personal best time on the run too!
What is your worst gaming memory?
I don't have many bad memories with gaming. The only thing I can think of is being addicted to playing Call of Duty: 4 during the Summer of 2008 and I broke my wrist while I was at the skatepark. I had to try and learn to play with 1 hand for 4 weeks which gave my friends the upper hand on winning games for the first time.
Are there any other hobbies that you are passionate about?
I love travelling! I always have my next trip booked. My main passion with travelling is theme parks! I love Disney and Universal theme parks and I along with my wife have traveled most of the globe to check out everything they have to offer.
Very nice to hear about your love of traveling. Do you have a favourite destination out of all the places you have seen?
Travelling is what I love most, My favourite place to visit is Orlando, Florida. I’ve been going to Walt Disney World for my entire life and it’s a magical place to relax and have fun and most of all let myself be a kid again!
Any place you have not yet been to but dream of seeing?
I would love to visit Italy where I would hope to find the best pizzas around but as of right now the best pizzas I’ve ever had are in America.
What motivates you to keep creating and pushing yourself?
Playing video games and content creation is my true passion and it always has been so I find it quite easy to motivate myself to constantly create new content.
I always think when it comes to content creation that you should stick to what you enjoy and not what is popular. But I also massively believe that verity is the spice of life! So I like to come up with unique videos and live streams with zombies included so my audience enjoys the content and I enjoy making it too!
Do you have times in your career where you feel less motivated and want a break, or it it always fun?
I try and have at least a few holidays every year and most of the time that is to Orlando but I feel like looking after your mental state by having little breaks is very important when it comes to keeping your motivation alive in content creation.
What advice would you give to young creators starting out?
My advice to young creators would be to have fun! Don't set out to make content creation your job, do what makes you happy and if it works out then it's a bonus! Also if you want to make it on Youtube or any type of content creation here is your 3 steps to make it. 1: Be passionate about what you're doing! Don't just set out with the idea of making it big because something is popular at the time, Do something because you enjoy it! If I didn't love Zombies as much as I do I would be burnt out by now but Zombies is my favourite thing to do so I still enjoy it! 2: Always be interactable! No one wants to watch a screen with nothing special happening or with you in a webcam box not talking to the audience if that was the case then the viewer may aswell play the game for themselves or watch raw gameplay. Engage with your audience! 3: Be unique! Don't try and imitate someone else on Youtube, Be yourself! Only you can be you! Let your personalty shine through and you will succeed!
A a proper Zombie guy - what can you tell us about the next iteration of Zombies? What does the Zombie community want and what are you hoping for personally?
I’m hoping the next iteration of Zombies is what everyone wants. Black Ops 4 seemed to be a very 2 sided piece of zombies history. People either really enjoyed Black Ops 4 Zombies or hated it. Black Ops 3 Zombies for me was the greatest Zombies experience we have ever been given and I hope the team over at Treyarch bring back some of that Black Ops 3 Zombies magic with the new iteration in late 2020. I want the game to be full of Easter Eggs! Along with a fantastic story and bringing back some great elements from old Zombie games.
What are you up to right now? What's going on and how can people follow you?
Right now I'm Live Streaming alot on Youtube and creating entertaining videos for everyone to enjoy.
I'm also patiently waiting for Call of Duty 2020 to be announced and be released with the next iteration of Zombies!
You can find me on Youtuber/Twitter/Instagram under the name "CodeNamePizza" or just click the links below to subscribe to the cheesiest zombie channel out there!
https://www.youtube.com/user/CodeNamePizza
https://www.instagram.com/codenamepizza/
https://twitter.com/CodeNamePizza
Use “codenamepizza” with your order here at drkn.com for a 10% discount and don’t forget to add the pizza patch to show your support!
You can also get your own personal patch to tell your own story using the patch creator here!