The Architecture
of Scale

Operator behind social platforms that have generated more than 120 billion views.

A career built inside fast-growing media companies, evolving from hands-on publishing operations into designing systems that power large-scale social platforms.

Matthew Cunnelly

Executive Portrait

The Manchester Foundation

My career began in Manchester during the early expansion of digital publishing. I worked on the growth of UNILAD as it evolved from a rapidly growing social brand into one of the most viewed entertainment publishers in the world.

During this period, I helped lead the strategy, growth, and monetisation of UNILAD’s core channels, contributing to a publishing ecosystem that generated more than forty billion video views during its peak growth years. This period also included the acquisition of UNILAD by LADbible Group, where I helped ensure the continued growth and identity of the brand as part of the combined organisation.

Operating in this environment taught the most important lesson about scale. Viral content may start the momentum, but sustainable growth requires structured systems, disciplined publishing workflows, and teams that can perform consistently under pressure.

Building Operational Systems

Following LADbible, I joined NewGen to establish and scale the company’s social media capability across clients operating in gaming and youth culture. At the time, social support was largely fragmented across individual account teams, with only a handful of managers embedded across different clients.

My focus was to build a dedicated social department, introducing structured workflows, expanding the team, and integrating social strategy more closely with NewGen’s existing influencer amplification model. This included onboarding new clients, supporting business development, and developing the operational systems required to deliver consistently at scale.

Over time, the department grew from a small number of embedded managers into a structured team of more than twenty specialists, establishing social media as a core capability within the agency.

The Dubai Expansion

In 2021, I relocated to Dubai to join SB Media Group during a pivotal stage in the company’s evolution. The business was transitioning from a creator-led brand centred around Supercar Blondie into a global digital publisher capable of operating at scale.

My role was to build the operational foundation behind that transition. This included expanding editorial and production teams, establishing structured publishing workflows, and launching new platform channels that significantly expanded the company’s distribution across Snapchat, YouTube, and other major platforms.

By introducing structured publishing systems and operational discipline, the business evolved from a personality-driven brand into a scalable media operation capable of sustaining global growth. During this period, the publishing network scaled to more than sixty billion cumulative views across platforms.

Creator Ecosystems

After leaving SB Media Group, I began working closely with Julius Dein on the operational and strategic development of his media business.

The focus was on building the infrastructure required to support a creator ecosystem operating at a global scale. This meant moving beyond daily content production and building a business capable of sustaining long-term growth through new teams, structured publishing systems, and diversified revenue streams.

This work included developing Snapchat Shows into a multi-million-dollar annual revenue stream while expanding the broader media ecosystem around Julius Dein’s platforms, which grew to more than twenty-seven billion cumulative views.

Founding NBK

After years of operating inside some of the world’s largest social media ecosystems, I founded NBK in Dubai to apply those systems across a wider range of organisations.

Dubai quickly became the natural base for this work. The city’s ambition, international outlook, and commitment to innovation make it one of the most exciting environments in the world for building modern media businesses.

NBK focuses on helping brands, creators, and organisations design the operational foundations required for long-term success on social platforms. The work combines platform strategy, publishing systems, workflow design, and the infrastructure required to support high-volume creative output.

Drawing on experience across global publishers, creator ecosystems, and media companies that have collectively generated more than one hundred billion views, NBK works with organisations that want to move beyond unpredictable viral moments and build structured media platforms capable of sustaining long-term growth.

NBK is built from Dubai and works with organisations globally.

Career Milestones

2023 - Present

NBK

Founder & Lead Operator

2023 - 2025

JD Studios

General Manager, Social Media & Operations

2021 - 2023

SB Media Group

Head of Social Media

2020 - 2021

NewGen

Head of Social Media

2015 - 2020

LADbible Group / UNILAD

Content & Channel Leadership

Principles of Scalable Media

The industry obsesses over content. I focus on the systems that allow great content to exist
consistently. The difference between a viral moment and sustained growth is rarely creativity
alone. It is operational design.

1. Remove Friction

Creative energy is limited. Operational complexity drains it. Systems must remove unnecessary decisions, streamline production, and allow teams to focus entirely on producing high-quality work.

2. Build Feedback Loops

Data should guide production in real time, not simply measure performance afterwards. Strong systems create continuous feedback loops between audience behaviour and content output.

3. Design For Scale

Growth places pressure on systems. Robust infrastructure anticipates that pressure, ensuring publishing operations remain stable as volume and reach increase.

The Architecture of Scale