How did you get started creating and livestreaming?
I originally got into video creation because I was randomly assigned to my freshman roommate who would later become Markiplier. We just became friends and gamed together. When he started making Youtube videos and started charity streams, he invited me and other friends to participate. It was fun! It was what I had always dreamed about doing as a kid; playing video games as a job. He taught me how to edit videos. He taught me how to set up a gaming computer. He taught me lots of things. He got me started on making my own content. It’s mostly thanks to Mark.
What is your motivation behind streaming?
The thing that really keeps me interested in streaming and really gets me excited is my community. I’ve been a part of several wedding proposals from people who met from my streams. They met the person that they wanted to marry and they wanted us to be a part of that. Some of them were on stage are at conventions. One of them was live on stream, during a community gaming night. The other side of that is the power that a community can build. I do a lot of charity streams. When my viewers and I get together and we pick an organization that’s meaningful and has a good cause. My community will rally like crazy. They will donate way more generously than I expected. It’s incredible to see the connections and the power that communities can have online these days.
Where do you see this going in the next 5 to 10 years?
I really don’t see streaming or YouTube or any sort of content creation as my lifelong career. It’s been a really fun way to build a network of people. I’ve got to know people in the tech and gaming industry, as well as in the charity sphere through different charitable fundraising. Since I was in college, I’ve always dreamed of operating my own or working for a really great nonprofit. There are a lot of different missions that I could see myself getting behind. I’m very passionate about education or medical research. I see myself using this as a platform to get into that sphere and to use the skills that I’ve learned from streaming and creating content to go into one of these organizations to help them leverage online communities.
© Carlo Palacios
What do you enjoy doing when you are not live?
Honestly, a lot of what I do is still video games. My wife and I game together a fair amount. We will play farming simulators and fun casual games. But aside from that, I pretty much spend time with my wife and dog. We’re new to California. It’s new for us, but it is beautiful here. It gets pretty hot, but in the morning and the evenings when the temperature is nice, there are just so many fantastic parks and paths. We will take the dog on a walk or whatever. It’s beautiful. So gaming and being outdoors as much as possible.
©Carlo Palacios
What has been the highlight of your streaming career?
The event I’m the most proud of and one of the things that I had the most fun planning and participating in, was a charity stream that was my wife’s idea. We hosted a huge weekend of custom PUBG custom matches, shoutcasting it like it was a big esports event. Community members played in teams of 4 in all of these crazy game modes and we got to make up the game modes and do all of the giveaways. It was a great event, both because we had a lot of people participate, but also because we ended up raising 28 thousand dollars in one weekend for the Able Gamers charity. We got to raise money, playing a game that we love, for a cause that is really important and meaningful to us.
Any tips for aspiring content creators?
The tip I would give to someone is, make sure that you are streaming because you like streaming and you have a good time doing it. Going into streaming to be famous or to make money or to be the next ninja is like playing high school basketball in order to be an NBA star. It’s entirely possible that you’re the next huge streamer, but it's way more likely that you won’t be famous or be a millionaire. But if you have fun doing it, streaming is a really great hobby. It’s a great way to meet friends; it’s a great way to build a community. That’s why it’s not a chore to stream. It’s always a joy to go live and hang out.
©Carlo Palacios