There are many ways to describe Christian Hull. Wife and mother. Teacher. Nurse. Man about town. For these are just a few of the characters – he's not afraid of donning a crazy wig – in his hit YouTube videos, many of which have gone viral, including his satirical series Growing Up In (take your pick from most of our capital cities, and regional centres such as Newcastle). "Australians love to laugh at themselves," says Hull. "Even where they live."
Christian Hull says he earns "between 30-40% of a liveable full-time wage" from his YouTube channel.
Photo: Simon Schluter
Hull, a full-time video producer on the national radio show Carrie & Tommy (starring The Project's Carrie Bickmore and comedian Tommy Little), shoots his videos after hours in his tiny rented apartment in inner-city Melbourne at the rate of two or three a week.
"I'm a hermit," says the 31-year-old, laughing. "The only thing that will get me out is a sit-down dinner. I don't drink, don't do parties – so producing these YouTube videos is my entertainment."
In case you've been living off-grid for the past decade, YouTube is the largest video sharing site in the world, with 1.57 billion active monthly users and 300 hours of video footage uploaded every minute, according to digital marketing agency Omnicore. "The best thing about YouTube," observes Hull, "is that you can be whoever you want, do whatever you want." He's now earning "between 30 and 40 per cent of a liveable full-time wage" from his channel. Before you ask, video creators receive an income from YouTube once they crack certain subscriber numbers.
Hull, who has younger brother triplets ("they're all taller and much better looking than me"), grew up in Sydney, but insists his adopted city of Melbourne is now his favourite, because of "the number of good coffees per square kilometre, the black clothes, the hook turn, which terrifies Sydneysiders, and the fact that if you're silly enough to have a wedding on [AFL] grand final day, no one will turn up".
Most of his ideas are sent in by fans or come from overhearing conversations on the bus or in the street. The secret to making a hit video? "Don't wait until you're 'ready'," advises Hull, who would like to write comedy for television. "The mantra is 'upload, upload, upload', and you'll start to develop."
