He established Upshot Entertainment, focusing on the production of short films and comedy sketches, and started distributing his self-produced videos on YouTube.

His early projects garnered attention, notably receiving recognition from Richard Branson, who highlighted Thiel as a Virgin Media Pioneer.

[1] By 2012, Thiel earned a spot on the Evening Standard's list of the Top 25 under 25 most influential Londoners[2] and his short film Illegal Activity secured the Screen Nation Digital award.

Collaborating with Entrepreneur Paul Lindley OBE and Musician Emmanuel Jal, Thiel worked on a documentary focusing on social entrepreneurship in Kenya, which was featured at One Young World.

[10] In his TedxTalks ,[11] Thiel discusses the role of entertainment in societal change, emphasizing the importance of conscientious content creation, particularly in filmmaking, with a focus on supporting disenfranchised youth.