Wannabe YouTubers must be motivated by ‘passion’ for making videos, says DanTDM

YouTube gamer DanTDM said those hoping to emulate his success need to be motivated by “a passion for making videos” and be realistic about their chances of making it into a full-time career.

DanTDM, real name Dan Middleton, is one of the world’s most successful YouTube gamers with three channels totalling more than 32 million subscribers, garnering more than 20 billion views, and a Twitch channel with more than one million followers.

Dan, whose original gaming channel name was The Diamond Minecart, was named the most watched YouTuber in the world in 2017 and this year’s Sunday Times Rich List estimated his wealth to be £40 million.

Becoming a YouTuber is now one of the most common career aspirations for children in the UK but Dan, 33, said while it is “tough” to become successful enough to make a full-time living, making videos can be a lot of fun and teach transferable skills.

“I would say it’s tough. It’s really hard to get into in general but now even more so because anyone can do it or has the chance to do it,” the British YouTuber told the PA news agency.

“If you have a passion for making videos that’s the most important thing, the main reason you should do it is because you love making videos because if you don’t then why are you doing it?

“You’ll lose the passion for it quite quickly because it’s going to take a long time to build something that’s tangible or you might never be able to turn it into a full-time job and that’s OK if you are enjoying what you are doing.”

Dan initially ran his YouTube channel while studying music production at the University of Northampton and working weekends at Tesco.

He focused on his love of Pokemon cards before moving on to videos of himself playing Minecraft and Fortnite.

“You should always treat it as a side gig, I did full-time uni, part-time job and YouTube as my third thing and then I was lucky enough to turn it into my job,” he told PA.

“So if you have always got it on your mind as something you do for fun that you could eventually turn into something, it’s fine but always be aware that there’s a huge chance that it might not work out.

“And, again, that’s OK if you are enjoying it.”

He added: “There are lots of skills you can use, self taught. If I didn’t do what I do now, I have learned so much about video editing and Photoshop that I probably could apply it to a different career path as well.

“There’s lots to learn from trying to make videos, for sure.”

Dan, who also enjoys writing music, drawing and has created a successful graphic novel, said he loves being creative and seeing what works and what can be improved, depending on the reaction.

“I’ve learned a lot of self discipline because I’ve managed to be able to create for so long and keep it up,” he said.

“You never know what’s going to be posted about you or in comments. So you learn to have a pretty thick skin, it just doesn’t bother me at all.”

There are drawbacks to worldwide success but Dan, who has two sons with wife Jemma, said maintaining the family’s privacy has helped.

“We had to move house because I lived in a smallish town and as soon as word got round, it got round pretty quickly and I lived on a regular street so people could just turn up, so that’s a downside.”

One of the positives for Asher, four, and Miles, who will be two on Friday, is the indoor playground at their home which Dan said is one of the best things he has been able to buy.

“I would say that is top. My wife has quite a big family and my boys have four other boys as cousins so they come round and just go mental in there every now and then,” he said.

Dan said he is careful about privacy and considers if it is helpful for him or his fans before he shares something online.

In the past, fans would know something was wrong if he didn’t upload regularly so it was better to be honest, he said.

“Now it helps me to process whatever I’m going through by talking about it and, if I post online, usually there’s people who can relate to it as well so if I can turn something like talking about my experience with depression or grief or anything like that, if I can help someone relate or maybe understand or be like ‘oh he feels that too’ then I feel like it’s a positive to put it online.”

When he first became successful, Dan posted two videos a day: “I thought if I slowed down somebody would replace me and everything will disappear which is kind of crazy, you can’t live like that.

“I felt like I was getting in a position where I was recording things for the sake of it.”

Now he has taken a deliberate decision to create less content and is able to spend more time on each video: “I’m in quite a lucky position where it’s so big and I’ve got a loyal chunk of followers that I can take big breaks, whereas if you are a year or two into it and you’ve just made it your full-time job and you rely on it, maybe pay cheque to pay cheque, it is even more pressure.”

He said YouTube was his “main concern” before he became a father.

“When he (Asher) came along, it just flips, there’s now a new number one in your life so I started to slow down on the videos and get to a point where I stopped doing two a day, went down to one and then went down to a couple of times a week, and, now I’ve got the two boys, just as and when I can really.

A lot of Dan’s followers are children and he said: “I’ve always been really family friendly.

“I need to think carefully about what I record, how I record it and what I say.

“That’s just in my nature as well. I always thought ‘if this does well, what if I show my nan and there’s loads of swearing in it?’

“I just wouldn’t want to show her it so why would I do it?

“Now my son can watch my videos whereas if I hadn’t been as conscious of that I wouldn’t be able to show him what I do but now I can.”

He said it would be impossible for YouTube to be responsible for every piece of content that is uploaded so parents need to take an interest in what their children are watching.

“So my biggest piece of advice, and something that I do, is have input on what they are watching and watch it with them as well.”

Dan also limits his children’s screen and gaming time.

“My oldest, he’s almost five. He’s always around it. There’s gaming stuff all around the house. He knows what I do as a job.”

He added: “He loves it so we are trying to keep the screen time not to zero but as controlled as it can be.”

Asked why watching someone else playing a game online is so popular, Dan said: “I’ve always thought it’s like being in a room with your friend playing a game together if that makes sense. I’ve always gone for that vibe with my videos.”

Success brings lots of opportunities but Dan said he is “picky” about who he partners with, making sure it “is aligned with my own values” or something he has already played or used in a video.

In September, he criticised the launch of the Lunchly snack box by YouTubers MrBeast, KSI, and Logan Paul, posting on X: “This is selling stuff for the sake of making money, simple. How does this benefit their fans?”

He told PA: “It’s a product which is eaten so you’re affecting someone’s nutrition which is something I’ve never really aligned with or had an idea about before so that was where that comment came from. And it was marketed towards kids so I think there was a potential line that was being crossed.”

He has also worked with charities Make-A-Wish UK, BBC Children in Need and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, recently donating £310,000 to fund specialist gaming equipment for seriously ill children undergoing treatment at the London hospital.

“Sometimes with this job what’s cool is you don’t know what is going to come next,” he said.