The tech creator and marketing agency owner on paying his own way for new devices, working with brands, and why credibility is the scarcest resource in tech media.
When a new iPhone launches, the internet fills with videos about it within hours. Some are made with units sent by the manufacturer, some with borrowed devices, and some with products the creator bought on launch day. Viewers rarely know which is which. Luciano Galvez has a clear view on the question. He goes out and buys products himself, and he believes that choice still matters in a media landscape where trust is hard to earn.
The Launch-Day Approach
Galvez covers tech news and product launches, and when something major arrives, he often purchases it himself. The new iPhones are his example. Instead of waiting for a review unit, he buys the device and makes content from his own experience of it.
Paying for a product changes the relationship between creator and subject. There is no obligation to a manufacturer and no expectation attached to the unit. The creator answers only to the audience, which is why many viewers regard self-purchased coverage as a baseline of honesty. For a creator who is building his reputation, it is a straightforward way to show that his opinions belong to him.
Where Brand Partnerships Fit
Buying his own gear does not mean Galvez avoids brand work. He also works with companies directly, and his most recent partnership was with Nothing, the consumer technology brand known for its headphones and phones, which sent him a pair to create content around. His media kit lists work with TONOR as well, and he has collaborated with a range of brands in the camera and tech space.
He sees the two kinds of content as complementary. Independent coverage builds the audience’s trust, and partnerships give brands a way to reach that audience. The balance between them is what makes a creator’s work sustainable, and managing it well is a skill in itself.
That balance is a familiar problem in his other line of work. Running a marketing agency for five years has shown him how companies think about creator content, and he knows that a brand gets the most value from a creator whose audience believes what he says. A partnership only works if the viewer still trusts the person on screen, which gives creators a strong reason to protect their independence.
Why Trust Is the Scarce Resource
Galvez is blunt about what he thinks many tech creators are missing. Audiences are plentiful, he suggests, but credibility is harder to come by. Few creators have outside validation showing that they are who they say they are, and that gap is part of why he is investing in building his personal brand through press coverage.
The issue goes beyond any one creator. Viewers have learned to be skeptical of reviews that feel too enthusiastic or too similar to a company’s own messaging. A creator who can demonstrate a track record of independent coverage, supported by real experience in the industry, stands out in that environment. For brands, working with such a person is worth more than buying reach, because the audience has a reason to listen.
Experience as Proof
Galvez’s own credibility rests on more than his purchasing habits. He has spent five years running a business that produces content for major clients, including Amazon and Hilton, and before that he built a following of roughly 143,000 on TikTok through gaming content. Those years gave him hands-on knowledge of what works, what holds attention and what a professional standard looks like.
That experience feeds directly into how he covers products. He knows how to present a device clearly and how to make it look good on camera, and he understands what companies hope to see. Combined with his habit of buying and testing products himself, it gives viewers and brands two reasons to take his opinions seriously.
A Family Man’s Practical Test
There is another side to buying things with his own money, and it comes from his life as a father. Galvez wants to involve his family in his content, and he lives the same budget decisions as his viewers. When a device costs real money, he has a stake in whether it is worth it.
That practical perspective can be reassuring to an audience deciding where to spend. A creator who treats a purchase the way a household would tends to ask the questions viewers are asking, such as whether it will last, whether it fits into daily life and whether the price is justified.
What Independent Coverage Means for the Future
As the creator economy matures, the line between independent and sponsored content will keep drawing attention. Brands, platforms and audiences are all paying closer attention to disclosure and authenticity, and creators who build their reputations on transparency will be better placed for the long run.
Galvez is betting on that future. He is working to get noticed by the tech brands he admires, and he intends to do it without giving up the habits that make his coverage worth watching. For a creator in his position, the strategy is simple to state. Buy the products, form real opinions, partner openly with the brands that fit, and let the track record speak.
If that approach pays off, Luciano Galvez will have shown that independence and brand partnerships do not have to compete. They can build on each other, with trust as the foundation for both.
