Creators talk about the impact of the platform

In the 20 years since its creation, YouTube has grown from humble beginnings to billions of videos being watched every day – but can posting videos on the platform offer a viable career? We spoke to some of South Yorkshire’s favourite creators about how the website changed their lives.

Ruth Amos from Sheffield runs Kids Invent Stuff. The channel has 71,000 followers and has been going since 2015.

Primary school children send in their invention ideas and Ruth and her colleague Shawn bring them to life.

“There’s lots of different ways that you can make money from YouTube, there’s ads, sponsors, collaborators or you can have things like Patreon, where people support the work that you’re doing.

“Quite often, it you’re a content creator you do a lot of those different ways, not just one of those things,” she says.

“When I was growing up you couldn’t watch someone’s channel about robot making or cookery and that’s what’s amazing about YouTube – all of our hobbies have found a home on there as well as some of those viral moments.”

The channel has run collaborations with Channel 4 TV show Taskmaster and had a go at breaking Guinness World Records.

According to Ofcom, more than 80% of three to 17-year-olds use the site. A survey by the Lego Group in 2019 suggested a third of young Britons and Americans wanted to be vloggers.

However, there are more than 100 million channels on the site – some with only a handful of followers or video watches.

Would Ruth recommend the career to the children who send her their invention ideas?

“I think it is a career anyone can do because if you’re interested in creating content, and you’re creative, it’s actually something lots of people can have a go at,” she says.

“If someone wants to be a YouTuber I would also think about your other skills, because some of the most popular channels are channels where people are filming themselves doing something else. So think about your skill.”

Lee Hinchcliffe, from Barnsley, has been filming content for the platform since he was 15.

He began with gaming videos before trying skit videos and then challenge videos.

His channel took off when he started playing McDonald’s Monopoly. He spent hundreds of pounds at the chain trying to win a £10,000 prize ticket.

“I never won it, I lost a lot of money, but people saw that video,” he says.

“I’ve always had the love of creating videos and entertaining all my life, so that’s why I’ve gone at it since school.

“YouTube is my university and I got my degree there, because you can watch back everything I’ve done.”

Off the back of his channel, Lee became a TV presenter with CBBC, starring on screen alongside madcap puppet Hacker T Dog.

He said his YouTube experience had made the switch to television much easier.

“Instead of doing a screen test and auditions, it was like, ‘we’ve seen your videos, here’s your mic, here’s your earpiece, off you pop’,” he says.

“It’s an obsession and it’s grown into a career I’m able to do every day. There’s no switch off because it’s hard to switch off from something you love so much, and it needs constant plate spinning.”

Steve Garbutt, 55, runs Yorkshire Car Restoration in Doncaster with his son Shane.

The pair have been creating YouTube videos for the past five years and their business has boomed.

Steve says they had gone from a 1,000ft warehouse to 10,000ft – and from three or four cars to more than 40.

“You have to put many hours into YouTube, because you not only have to do the work, you’ve got to change camera and lighting, and you’re doubling your work load. Then you’ve got to go home and edit all your footage,” he says.

“I’ve always been a bit of a techy, I like my gadgets and things. My original training when I left school was in computers. And then at 21 I changed careers because I thought there was too many people doing it.”

They began on the platform by offering free car restoration to famous YouTubers such as Mat Armstrong, who has 4.5m followers.

“You’ve got to be very clever, you’ve got to look where the opportunities are. Rather than money it gives you a lot of opportunities.

“Our first opportunities were to restore famous YouTubers’ cars free of charge, in exchange we got them advertising for us and sending us people to watch.”

They have also worked with The Stig from Top Gear, Mike Brewer from Wheeler Dealers and Jonny Smith from The Late Brake Show.

Originally they hoped the channel would make money but they soon found the support they received more rewarding.

“We get so many good comments it makes you want to make another video. Even if the financial reward isn’t there, because unless you’re someone like Mat Armstrong it’s not as profitable as everybody thinks,” Steve says.

“The amount of hours you put in doesn’t warrant that kind of money, you should be paid more. But the reward is massive.

“I would encourage someone not to just do YouTube, to make sure they get a career and base their YouTube on something they love.

“Don’t think your niche is going to explode and make you famous.”