The rise of YouTube as Full-time Career in Ghana; Kwadwo Sheldon sheds light on trend
Over the years, the acceptance of YouTube created content in Ghana has been on the rise. Various television and radio stations are now penetrating the YouTube space.
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In the past, YouTube in Ghana was ideally recognized as the hub for music videos and short scenes from movies.
Some may argue that big organisations and broadcasting networks have hopped on the platform mainly because of its enormous usage by netizens or essentially to generate extra revenue from the views accrued.
Another interesting observation is the number of Ghanaians creating personalised content on the platform.
YouTube has moved from a place where netizens visit to watch music videos and movies to a free space for creativity.
YouTube is an American video-sharing platform that has its headquarters in San Bruno, California.
It was started by former employees of Paypal known as Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim and Steve Chen in February 2005.
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Google took ownership of the site in November 2006 for $1.65 billion after attempts to launch their video service, Google Video, failed.
The original concept was to make the platform a dating site with the name 'Tune In, Hook up', but that eventually changed.
YouTube was introduced in Ghana on June 5, 2012.
"We are thrilled to be launching YouTube in Ghana today. It is an ideal platform for Ghanaian local video content to be more easily discovered both in Ghana and around the world. With a new local version of YouTube, it has become much easier for Ghanaians to connect with a worldwide audience", Google Ghana's Country Manager shared, according to Modern Ghana.
YouTube monetization and content type
The monetization of videos on YouTube was rolled out in 2008 and saw many creatives signing onto the platform.
The general content consumed on Youtube includes; music videos, documentaries, news, live streams, educational videos, movie trailers, TV shows, audio recording, reactions and video blogging.
Ghanaian content creators
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Content creation in Ghana has been on the rise for some time now.
Ghanaian YouTubers, both locally and in the diaspora, have ventured into various niches such as cooking, make-up, personality interviews, campus-based content, couple channels, health and fitness, finance, among others.
Some YouTubers have opened up about pursuing content creation as full-time jobs in videos on their channels, and some have revealed they create content alongside their full-time jobs.
A few of the well-known Youtubers in Ghana are Wode Maya, Jasmine Ama and Kwadwo Sheldon.
Why one may pursue YouTube full-time
There are several reasons why an individual would want to become a full-time content creator on YouTube.
YEN.com.gh has highlighted three of such reasons below;
Passion
YouTube serves as an outlet for creativity and allows individuals to pursue their passion. Therefore, one may choose to fully dedicate their time to content creation in a quest to invest in something that fulfils them and sparks joy in their lives.
Earn more
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A desire to earn more money may be a significant reason to venture into YouTube full time.
Google pays content creators based on the views accrued from videos. As a result, creators may choose to dedicate all their time to making content if they have a high performing channel which translates to more views.
The Luxury of time
Becoming a full-time YouTuber means being one's own boss. You get to work at your own pace with no one instructing you. Being a YouTuber means you decide on what and when to work.
Therefore, an individual would like to pursue YouTube full-time because of the control they would have on their time.
Popular Ghanaian YouTuber, Kwadwo Sheldon, legally known as Bernard Kwadwo Amoafo, in an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, opened up about his own YouTube journey thus far.
How was the transition to the YouTube space?
The transition was smooth because prior to venturing into the space, I worked with a digital media platform and knew more about creating long form content so it was easy.
How long did it take to make good income from YouTube given all your investments?
It took me a very long time to start earning from YouTube. You need to put in the work to acquire audience because that’s what you can monetize but once you put in the effort and get the attention, monetization is easy.
How many Ghanaian YouTubers do you personally know to be doing it full-time?
Very few. Some are doing it for fun. Some don’t get the whole concept of YouTube but gradually we will get there
Would you advise one to pursue Youtube full-time from the get-go?
Why not? It could be a career path if taken seriously so I wouldn’t mind encouraging people to explore.
What courses would you advise an SHS graduate who plans on entering the YouTube space to pursue at the university?
I don’t think our system have such courses but you could learn on how to create content on YouTube by watching materials on that topic on YouTube so you can use YouTube to learn how to make it on YouTube. That’s how I did it..
Are you pursuing YouTube full time now or there are other engagements?
YouTube is an aspect of what I do but I own a digital media brand. We create content for brands and other platforms
Starting a YouTube channel
Before starting a channel, some questions need to be answered; what will be your niche, channel name, channel theme etc.
Having settled on a concept for the channel, the next step is to set up the channel using the steps below;
- Create a Gmail
- Download the YouTube App from PlayStore or AppStore
- Sign up on YouTube with a Gmail address
- Input Channel name
- Upload YouTube Icon
- Upload a channel banner
- Fill out channel description
- Record and upload first video
Getting monetized
For a channel to be monetized, 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours must be acquired within a year.
Source: YEN.com.gh
