Thomas Rowsell worked as an international model before he finished a BA in media and film making in Brighton in 2007, then completed an MA in medieval history in 2012. He has worked on a number of music videos and documentaries, including his own Boobs and Revolution (2010) concerning breast surgery in revolutionary Venezuela. Comfortable on both sides of the camera, Rowsell used his knowledge of history to direct and star in his first feature length film, From Runes to Ruins (2014). Most of Rowsell's subsequent work has consisted of short YouTube documentaries on various historical subjects for his YouTube channel Survive the Jive.