Since I started blogging I’ve begun to scour the media for interesting articles. I have a whole new outlook on books I read, the radio conversations I hear and the inserts inside the newspapers.
Today I’ve come across an article by Sarah Rainey in the weekend section of the Saturday Telegraph. It describes the success of teenager twins Jack and Finn Harries. “JacksGap” began as a series of videos on the YouTube channel documenting Jack’s Gap year. 14 months later he has 190000 subscribers and his 28 home videos have been watched more than 8 million times.
Jack has a partnership with YouTube and earns money every time anyone clicks on his channel. He has used the money to finance new camera equipment and to pay for his travel for his entire gap year. The twin factor has made “JacksGap” a money-spinner, combined with the fact that both boys are good-looking and have been described as Justin-Bieber-alikes. They have tapped into the Bieber fan base. 88 per cent of their subscribers are female aged between 14 and 17.
They love the fact that they control the content of their Youtube website entirely, without the need for the expense of a professionally built site. A YouTube channel can be a lucrative business, boasting 800 million unique users a month, who watch more than 3 Billion hours of video. It now has 30000 partners in 27 countries. The partner programme allows the YouTubers to take a cut of the money their videos earn. When “JacksGap” reached 10000 subscribers they were allowed to be a part of Google Adsense, a programme to allow users to make money from online advertisements.
“JacksGap” is not alone, a new generation of “Vloggers” is growing, fulfilling the needs of those wanting accessible online media.
The twins now face a dilemma, their Gap year is at an end, University looms offering education and student debt, whilst the Youtube channel offers money, they have two weeks left to decide their future paths.
Rosie Amber 