HIBT Lab! Hevesh5: Lily Hevesh

0:00Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to How I Built This Early Early and Ad Free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcast. Listening on Audible helps your imagination soar. Whether you listen to stories, motivation, expert advice, any genre you love, you can be inspired to imagine new worlds, new possibilities, new ways of thinking. Audible has an incredible selection with over 1 million audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible originals, all in one easy app. Find the genres you love and discover new ones. explore bestsellers new releases plus thousands of included audiobooks podcasts and originals that members can listen to all they want with more added all the time enjoy audible anytime while doing other things household chores exercising on the road commuting you name it audible makes it easy to be inspired and entertained as part of your everyday routine without needing to set aside extra time there's more to imagine when you listen.

1:06Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.com slash built. I've stayed in awesome homes on Airbnb in places like Athens and Berlin and Rome, and each time these places have given our family a chance to feel like locals. It's the best way to travel. Picture this. You're spending a cozy evening out of town in a home you booked on Airbnb. The space is thoughtfully designed and you think, I bet I could host my own home on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. If you're waiting for your AI to turn into ROI, maybe you need to do more than wait.

1:51Any business can use AI. IBM helps you use AI to change how you do business. Let's create smarter business, IBM.

2:27out, Will Smith looks like an amazing domino artist. Anyway, Lily's also built a pretty significant business around her work. And she started all of this when she was just nine years old. So I was adopted from China when I was one and grew up in New Hampshire. I have a brother, a sister, and my parents. We all lived in one place. And it was kind of a rural area, you know, not really much going on. There was like one small pizza shop in the whole town. And, you know, I was a kid that just really loved building things. I loved using my hands and creating whatever I could, whether it was with Legos or, you know, ticker toys or just crafting things out of paper and gluing stuff together.

3:13I was really into just being creative and, you know, it really spurred from there. Yeah. So when you were a kid, you'd build like elaborate Lego villages or like, did you ever do Lincoln Logs? Is that still true? Oh yeah. I totally, I did all of that. I have like even the large like Lego Duplos when I was like super young and then graduated to the smaller Legos and I just make the most elaborate things with it. Yeah. I, you know, I was looking through like a photo album of myself and, and when I was a kid and I used to build these elaborate Lincoln Log and Lego Villages. And the thing is, is that I just didn't have the patience for like building it according to the kits.

3:53Yeah. You know, I relate to that. Like I didn't really follow a ton of directions. I'm the kind of person that likes to just kind of form my own thing. And if you give me the materials and like, I'll kind of just figure out a way to use it and sometimes even go off how you're supposed to use the structures or the bricks, because I just find it more fun to kind of experiment. And I think that's how you learn the most, just kind of learning on your own. Yeah. All right. So you were like a builder and you'd make Lego villages or Lego buildings and Lincoln Logs and other things. And eventually, which I think is a natural progression, you came across the dominoes.

4:38And they're those dominoes that I think most people think of for the games, like with the dots on them, right? And did you have a set of those dominoes at home? So I did. And the way it started is I was at my grandparents' house and everyone really has the small 28 dotted domino pack. And one day I was super bored. So I was like, oh, I'm just going to set up these dominoes for fun, knock them down. And I really loved watching them fall. It was just like super satisfying to see them like go in a chain reaction. Like it actually did something. And that led me to go onto YouTube. This was like 2008, I think, way back in the day.

5:21I was nine. I was a very young child. This was when YouTube was pretty new. And I just searched dominoes because I was like, you know, if I really love watching dominoes fall, maybe there's some videos that I could see. Yeah. And I found the most amazing community of domino builders who like all around the world were making thousands upon thousands of dominoes and knocking them down and beautiful structures. Like I remember watching one video, it was the Mona Lisa in dominoes in like 4 ,000 pieces and it completely blew my mind. Like I had no idea that you could even build dominoes in this way.

6:03Like this was truly an art form in the sense that you can make designs, you can make different pictures, you could even stack them to make towers and structures. And from my knowledge, like at that time, I only thought you could make a domino line. So to see all of these like different tricks and just ways you could topple dominoes, just completely blew my mind. And I was like, oh my gosh, I need to try this. I need to get dominoes. So like immediately from there, I got all the dominoes that I had in my house and just started setting them up and, you know, copying some of the tricks that I saw online.

6:41And like at the time people didn't really have a lot of tutorials. So I remember I'd have to like zoom in on screenshots of videos and like look at how people were building these structures and try to copy that to see if I can make a 2D pyramid or a large structure. And it just really became an obsession for me. So most people think of dominoes as these things with the dots on them, but there are these brands that make these specialized dominoes for toppling. And I guess when you were like nine or 10, you asked for one of these professional domino brands. Yeah, so as I got into dominoes, I noticed like regular toppling dominoes weren't as suitable for toppling, you know, just because the corners were kind of rounded, which didn't make it as stable for setting up structures.

7:35And, you know, other types of dominoes were better for actually toppling. They were designed with the right surface, the right texture, the right dimensions and weight in order to topple in a perfect chain reaction. So, all right. So you get this first set of dominoes and these a lot of these companies were making them in like in like Germany. They're like precision crafted dominoes. And so I guess you start to what just experiment even more with building these elaborate domino chain reaction type things. Yeah, so getting more dominoes opened a whole new avenue for making things like giant 3D pyramids, or, you know, I'd even make logos or people's faces out of dominoes and spell out different types of words.

8:25And with traditional dominoes with the dots, they typically only come in one or two colors, or it could be wooden. But with toppling dominoes, I had a whole color palette. So it was really like I was painting, but with dominoes. And that allowed for so many different combinations and color patterns and, you know, different types of shapes. It's really something that I never could have imagined was possible. But I kind of fell into this new form of art. And it just completely captivated me. All right. You posted your first video to YouTube in 2009. I've seen the video. You were 10 years old. Just do it.

9:07Wow. What are you saying on my phone right, Mom? Go. Oh, that was cool. And this was a very, these were very basic kind of like domino toppling videos. And at that point, I mean, it was, I mean, I'm assuming you were just kind of doing it for fun. You were, I mean, you were so little, you weren't thinking necessarily, I'm going to start a YouTube channel. Oh, when I first started YouTube, I had no idea what it would turn into. I was just a kid posting Domino videos for fun because I saw other people posting videos and I was like, you know, I want to be part of that. I want to be part of this community and share what I've learned.

9:47And, you know, maybe people will watch it. If not, that's also cool. But I'm having fun, so might as well just post stuff. All right. So you start posting videos and making more of these videos. And I guess at a certain point, you start to get inquiries from businesses who want to work with you. Yeah, I remember my first business inquiry was when I was 13 years old. It was a spec commercial for Campbell's Soup, and they wanted me to build the soup can out of Domino's. And, you know, at the time, I'm 13 years old, and I'm getting this job offer. So my dad takes a look at it and now, you know, he's my chief operating officer now, but it started as like a parent helping in when I was 13.

10:34He would screen all the emails, make sure it's legit and get on phone calls. And we talked to them to make sure that we'd get the design right. And it was really quite a learning curve because I did not expect any of this to turn into something more than just for fun as like just a hobbyist YouTuber, right? A YouTuber didn't even exist at that point. And at this point, I was a teenager and people started contacting me now to make commercials or do things for TV and film. and after a couple of videos went viral on YouTube, just so many people had eyeballs on my work and it just snowballed into more and more opportunities.

11:19Yeah, I mean, it makes so much sense. Like if you had a sort of an elaborate domino setup that people are gonna wanna see that. And so if it's a video, a music video or an advertisement, like it makes sense that brands and individuals would wanna work with you because it gets attention. I mean, some of your videos have like 180 million views. Yeah. The thing about dominoes is that once you see it fall, it's like you have to watch it till the end. Yeah. Right. You can't just like drop off in the middle of thousands of pieces falling down. It's just it's too satisfying and too addicting. Yeah. The first video that kind of went viral was it's called Insane Domino Tricks.

11:57Really cool. It got posted to the front page of Reddit. This is in 2013 in November. And in like the first couple of days, it got three million views. But you were not in any of your videos initially. It was just videos of the dominoes. That's correct. Yeah, I was anonymous for about six and a half years. I didn't show my face. I didn't speak. And that was largely because I was still a kid back then, and I didn't really feel super comfortable showing my face. And I didn't honestly think it was necessary to be in my videos when I wanted to just showcase my domino art. But then as I was watching YouTube videos and the landscape of social media, I realized that a lot of channels who showed their face and who were personalities had really high engagement.

12:47Like the amount of comments they'd get, the amount of views per their subscriber ratio was really high. And I started to see this trend that being alive, like living human in your videos, could have this great impact. But not just that, like I really, after a while, was starting to feel like not being in my videos was limiting, and that I couldn't talk to my audience. I couldn't share tutorials with them. I couldn't really interact with them. And so finally, after so many years of hiding myself, I decided to do this big grand reveal by doing what's called the Draw My Life video. Essentially, you narrate over whiteboard drawings the story of your life.

13:35But instead of my life, I told my domino and YouTube story. It's been six and a half years of me posting videos anonymously. And well, it's time to change that. And then at the very end of it, I look at the camera and I say, I am Hevesh 5. And it's this big reveal. And I remember like when that video came out, I was almost in tears from the reaction. Like people, first of all, most people assume that I was like some middle-aged guy just like setting up dominoes in the basement. But then they see I'm just this young teenage girl who just loves dominoes. And, you know, the support that I got in the comments was really overwhelming and I was really happy to finally just share who I am and be able to talk to my viewers.

14:30I think that decision alone was one of the greatest things I've done for the channel. Like just having a face that people can see and people know like, oh, Lily is behind Heavish 5. We're going to take a short break, but when we come back, more from Lily Heavish on her journey from casual domino hobbyist to one of the best known domino artists in the world. Stay with us. I'm Guy Raz, and you're listening to How I Built This Lab.

15:00This past summer, I took my family to Athens, and it was unforgettable. We wandered through placas, winding streets, hiked up to the Hill of the Muses at sunset, and spent hours exploring the National Archaeological Museum, standing inches away from artifacts that have shaped the world. But one of the things that made the trip truly special was the place we booked on Airbnb. It was tucked just off a quiet street in Kukaki with a terrace that looked out over the Acropolis. Every morning, we'd sit outside with Greek coffee and fresh bugazza from the bakery downstairs, watching the city wake up. If you ever get a chance to go, I cannot recommend it enough.

15:41It's one of those cities that stays with you long after you leave. Your own vacations can be the perfect opportunity to host your home on Airbnb. The character of your space, your art, your kitchen gear, the details that make it uniquely yours could help another traveler feel instantly grounded. And with the earnings from hosting, you gain an additional stream of income that can lighten or even cover the cost of your future trips. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. You know, one of the most surprising things about how I built this is just how many pitches we get every year.

16:22Tens of thousands of businesses reach out hoping to tell their story. Now, while we do try to read most of those pitches, we can't possibly read all, but we choose most of our guests through our own deep research. And that means my team and I spend hundreds of hours digging into companies, what they make, who's behind them, and whether their journey can inspire you. And that's exactly where Claude has become such an incredible thinking partner in my creative process. Claude is the AI for minds that don't stop at good enough, the thinking partner that works with you to explore the things that fascinate you.

17:00Whether you're researching late-night curiosity spirals or working through complex creative challenges, Claude extends your thinking to tackle the problems together. For example, imagine I'm about to sit down with a founder of a snack company. I'll want to know what products they've released, how they've evolved, and which competitors they're up against. In the past, it could take hours to track down reliable details. We'd search articles, databases, reports. Now, Claude can give me a clear answer in seconds, and then I can decide what to dig into further. It doesn't replace my process, but it sharpens it.

17:36And that means I can spend more time doing what I love most, focusing on the human stories, the lessons, the decisions, and the struggles behind the businesses you hear on this show. Experience what collaborative thinking feels like at claude.ai.hibt and see why the world's best problem solvers choose Claude as their thinking partner. This show is brought to you by American Express. Running a business means making countless choices every day, some small and some that can change everything. The business owners who thrive are the ones who are ready for whatever comes next. And having the right support behind those decisions can make all the difference.

18:22That's why so many business owners I talk to choose the American Express Business Platinum Card. It's built to help them move quickly and take their business further. And with five times membership rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amextravel.com, you can turn any business trip into a chance to earn more and invest in your business's future. Plus, you get a flexible spending limit that changes as your business does, adapting to where you are and where you're headed next. Because when it comes to growing your business, there's truly nothing like Business Platinum. Not all purchases will be approved.

19:03Terms apply. Learn more at go.amex.com. One more thing before we get back to the show. please make sure to click the follow button on your podcast app so you never miss a new episode of the show. It's usually just at the top of the app and it's totally free.

19:30Welcome back to How I Built This Lab. I'm Guy Raz. My guest today is Lily Hevesh, the creator behind the popular domino art YouTube channel, Hevesh5. Really, you have to see these videos. Anyone listening needs to go and just find your videos and watch them because they're incredible. But let me talk about the mechanics of it. Firstly, the filming of them. When you started out, how did you film them? I mean, did you just use like an iPhone initially? So when I first started, I filmed on a really crappy point and shoot camera. I honestly think it was like 12 and a half frames per second or something.

20:05And you would just follow the dominoes as they fell? Yeah, I would just click record and follow it with my camera. At first, it was pretty shaky. I didn't really know what I was doing. And it was definitely a learning process as I was building Domino's, learning how to, you know, record my videos, how to edit them, how to put together the video. And that just came from practice, you know, watching videos and starting on Windows Movie Maker and then working my way up to different types of software. But I learned that filmmaking is actually a really great hobby for me as well. Like in addition to the dominoes, it's something that I kind of fell in love with and wanted to learn more.

20:48So that in turn helped with the YouTube videos. So as these domino setups got more and more elaborate, were you starting to design them like on a computer first? Like, is that how the process starts? Yeah. So sometimes I will use a computer to design the projects. There's a couple of programs, one on Excel and a couple that are coded by Domino Builders, like from scratch, where essentially you can insert an image and that will transform it into a pixelated version of what you're trying to build. And that'll be based off of like all of your domino colors. So if you enter in, like you have 400 white, 400 black, 300 red, for example, it'll take what your inventory is and you'll be able to convert that image into the exact size that you want, almost like a pixel art grid.

21:43And then you can like change the colors, you can do manual designs, you can do it all from scratch. It's like very flexible. So tell me about the process, like bring me into the process of making your videos. I mean, do you have a crew that helps you set them up? I mean, if you're doing like, I don't know, tens of thousands of dominoes, is it just you? I'd say for most of my videos, it is just me. But there are events here and there where I'll get together with builders all around the world. and we'll set up hundreds of thousands of dominoes with 20 builders. Those are only a couple of times a year, but I have a home studio.

22:25I live and work in the same place. So we've kind of just, you know, taken out all the furniture and I've used that to build dominoes. And I'd say it's pretty chill where I am right now. Like I'm filming it all. I'm doing domino building. Occasionally, I'll have a friend come over and, you know, set up another camera. But it's mostly just myself right now. And, I mean, presumably there are multiple cameras. Like, do you have them up set up on rigs, you know, or on tripods that are different parts of the setup? Yeah, I film with between six and seven cameras. I got one GoPro camera on the overhead, lots of different tripod stationary cameras.

23:10and I'll also be following it handheld. So you also walk along as they're toppling. Yeah, I think it's really important to have at least one handheld camera if it's a big project, just because it feels more dynamic as you're watching the movement. So and then you can edit it all together in the end and make sure that every single part of that toppling can be seen. Exactly. Yeah, stitching it together is something that I think about even before I'm filming. As I'm building the setup, I'll even build in spots to put cameras or I'll build it in a way that I know it's facing camera. So it'll be really easy for the viewers to see it topple.

23:51Do you ever have to redo them? Yeah, plenty of times, actually. I mean, what happens if you spend like 20, 30 hours building something and you have to redo it? Yeah, it's really sad. It's happened quite a lot of times, but it's just part of the process with building. I learned that really early on too. I used to set up maybe like 50 dominoes and would knock over by accident. I'd get so upset, I'd have to take breaks in between and come back to it later. But now it's happened so many times. I kind of just, you know, take a moment, take a deep breath and do something else for an hour and then, you know, come back when I feel ready.

24:38And I kind of see it as like, even though it's a failure, I can rebuild it. Like at the end of the day, it's dominoes. This is all fun. Like I can set it up again. I can set it up in a better way the next time and use that kind of as like an opportunity to learn, you know, even though there's a lot of failure involved. I try to see it as something that will get me better. You know, maybe I'll learn how to set up the Domino's better or prevent fails by making safety gaps and all that kind of stuff. I think one of the I mean, you've now worked with tons of celebrities. We'll get to that in a moment.

25:15But I think the first kind of big turning point was in 2016, the producers of the film Collateral Beauty reached out to have you set up dominoes for the film's opening credit scene, which is it's awesome. Will Smith like sets off the dominoes and they go off. And so do you remember when they contacted you and were you like, wait, what? You want me to work on a movie with Will Smith and all these people? Oh, yeah, it was wild. I remember I was a senior in high school and they contacted me. I believe it was Warner Bros. And essentially they wanted me to be on set for two weeks setting up these elaborate domino projects for Will Smith and kind of teach him how to build dominoes and have him go in and pretend to knock them down.

26:03And it was such a big project that I actually had to hire some of my friends who are also domino builders to help out and build these domino projects. And I remember literally taking off two weeks of school in the middle of senior year to just be on a movie set. No big deal. But it was the most incredible experience. I had never been on a Hollywood film set. And everyone there was so nice. We got to see all the behind the scenes of how they put together the film. And one thing you might not even see in the movie is we had to make props by gluing together domino structures piece by piece so they could bring them in and then take them out when they needed it so we didn't have to rebuild it each time.

26:51Oh, wow. Oh, so you it's like you had to sort of build that what it looked like, but it was glued together just so they could have it while they were filming, because if they toppled it over, you'd have to redo it. Yeah. So there was a glued version and then we did it for real. Wow. All right. You get into college after high school, Rensley Polytechnic Institute, really great school. You're there and you're in your first year and you decide after your first year that you really – this isn't making sense because you're getting all these inquiries and partnership inquiries and you can't run the channel and build dominoes and I guess be a student as well.

27:33So you decide to leave school. Right. It was pretty quickly, actually, within a couple of months of being in college. I was like, why am I here? Like, I'm passing up all these opportunities to do projects for companies and people wanted me to do different events. And, you know, being in school, while I did really enjoy it, I was studying design and product design. It just didn't feel like what I was meant to do. And prior to going to college, I actually took a gap year to just make as many videos as possible so that when I did go to college, I'd have a backlog to post. And during my gap year, that was kind of like my taste of what it would be like to do domino art and YouTube full time.

28:22So I rented out a studio and made as many domino projects as possible. And I absolutely enjoyed that year so much, was able to accomplish a lot. And when I went to college, I really miss kind of having that lifestyle and just being creative. So very quickly, I called my dad. I was like, I think I want to do dominoes. And my dad was actually like, yeah, there's no way you're going back to school, like in a fun way, like, he was pretty supportive. And my mom, while she was sad that I wouldn't be staying for all four years, she totally saw it coming. And, you know, she didn't want me to pass up this opportunity of, you know, pursuing my dream and becoming a full-time Domino artist.