Quitting your job and getting paid to do whatever you like does not sound like much of a reality, but it is for this man.
Key points:
- Brodie Moss recently quit his job to make adventure videos for his YouTube channel
- He is now earning more then he ever did as an electrician
- Moss shares videos about his life as he goes diving, fishing and camping around WA
West Australian Brodie Moss, better known as Youngbloods to his 1 million YouTube fans, recently quit his job as an electrician to focus purely on making videos.
Fortunately for Moss people love to watch his enthusiasm about his hobbies — camping, fishing, and diving for big fish along WA's coast.
It is his outgoing, loud personality that draws the attention, along with the passion he has for the ocean and wildlife.
With such a large following it is no surprise some of his videos rake up 5 million views.
He is now making more money as a YouTuber then he did as a qualified electrician.
Making a living with YouTube adventure videos
Six months ago, making adventure videos was something Moss did in his spare time, but as more and more money trickled in from advertising revenue, he realised he could make it a career.
"I started making enough money to cover my bills and in the end, my full-time job as an electrician was getting in the way of being a YouTuber," he said.
Moss was one of 40 so-called 'social media influencers' invited to Broome, in WA's Kimberley region, in a bid to boost the region's tourism.
Resigning from work and turning to vlogging was a frightening thought for Moss, who had been an electrician for 10 years and had a lot of financial responsibilities.
"[Quitting] was kind of spooky. I had bills to pay, I had a mortgage and a full-time job," he said.
"I was pretty narrow-minded, I thought that I had to have a full-time job, that there wasn't much money to make on social media."
After Moss' three-month service leave was knocked back by his workplace he realised he had to choose, and decided to follow his passion in film-making.
As he said in one of his online videos: "I can literally do anything and everything right now!"
Content creators changing the face of media
Curtin University digital anthropologist, Crystal Abidin, said the rise of content creators like Moss was an example of how media was becoming more accessible.
With the growth of social media and ready access to content creation tools like cameras, editing software, and social media platforms, it is no surprise that a growing number of social media influencers are coming into the spotlight.
With 24-hour news at our fingertips, a topic or something trendy can quickly become irrelevant.
"The speed and pace of what we can respond to, the immediate reaction on social media, the cycle is a lot shorter and the pace a lot quicker," Dr Abidin said.
She understands that people would be dubious about making a living from social media, but said the money being offered was bountiful.
"There is an assumption that the social media industry should not warrant equal pay," she said.
Dr Abidin said it made sense that the pay being offered to influencers was high, considering the amount of work in filming and creating videos.
"Video production skills, recording, being able to afford these things to film, it makes sense that the conversion of your skills from offscreen to on-screen has more continuity," she said.
Risky business of virality
Dr Abidin said Moss's success could be put down to his unique niche as he spends his time in the ocean and with wildlife.
Although the fame and fortune may hold, Dr Abidin warned it may not stick around forever.
"This industry is extremely volatile, there are so many case studies — people may have gone viral and received money from the press and interviews," Dr Abidin said.
"But you're not sure about the longevity and shelf life of your popularity. The overnight virality might be attractive … but it may not last.
"Brodie's brand on YouTube is very recognisable, there's a great social justice and environmental ethic attached to it."
Livin' the dream
Now with his mammoth fanbase bringing in a reliable income, Moss can shoot and upload videos whenever he likes.
"It's opened up so many opportunities for me financially, for me to explore as my own boss," he said.
"To be able to just wake up in the morning and go, 'Brodie what do you want to do today? You're the boss, do you want to go out on the boat or jet ski?'"
Through sponsors, Moss is supplied with equipment and other tools to help him grow his YouTube channel, and was even gifted a boat.
"[This lifestyle] is something you dream about as a kid," he said.
"It's hard to put into words how I feel. It is what I love to do — it's a pretty good feeling."
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'Hours and hours behind the scenes'
Although life for an influencer can look paradisiacal, Moss said it required a lot of work.
"I do put in hours and hours in front of the computer [and] behind the scenes, it takes me up to 20 hours to edit one video," he said.
"It looks like I got successful overnight, but it took me 10 years of working in the background, paying my mortgage, to build the profile and get my lucky break."
His advice to anyone hoping to achieve social media success is to have a good foundation first.
"I finished school, I got my apprenticeship, and I worked hard while I was doing my hobby," Moss said.
"It's very important to have those fundamentals down, to create yourself an opportunity — it doesn't just happen."
