Frankston teen builds a profile on YouTube

Currently hosting more subscribers on his YouTube channel than high-profile companies including McDonald’s Australia, Seven Network and The Australian, Frankston student Tyler James is soaring to success on the popular video-sharing platform. Last March before his 16th birthday, subscriptions to Tyler’s channel YesLucid passed the 100,000 mark.

Fewer than 0.5 per cent of channels worldwide have 100,000 subscribers, and in acknowledgment of the milestone, Tyler received a personal letter and plaque – the Silver Play Button – from the headquarters of YouTube. A benchmark that can take YouTubers a decade or longer to reach has taken the teenager only two years.

While his channel has focused on Minecraft, Tyler doesn’t consider himself a gamer. The subject of his videos isn’t the focus for Tyler. “I don't relate my channel to gaming or Minecraft; I relate it towards business and engaging audiences.” With business acumen ahead of his years, Tyler recently scored a generous sponsorship deal of more than $20,000 for videos currently in production, supplementary to his paid per view income.

“I wake up at 5am typically because I prefer mornings and my work ethic is much higher at that time than after school,” he said. “In the three hours before I leave for school, I go to the gym and spend the remainder of my time working on my YouTube channel. I'm also pretty quick at finishing my school work, so I squeeze in about two hours of my homework at school.” Dux of his Year 6 class, with academic awards every year since, Tyler has also topped NAPLAN results for his year level. Managing to still make time for socialising, his friends and family are his biggest supporters.

In contrast to many of his counterparts who loudly narrate their videos to generate hype, Tyler’s kid-friendly commentary is measured and calm. With videos earning up to two million views, his superior editing skills and world-building have been widely hailed by followers worldwide as some of the best they have encountered. Visit @yeslucid on YouTube and see for yourself.