James “The Hacksmith” Hobson, a Canadian YouTube creator, recently achieved the 10 million subscriber mark milestone for a good reason. Hobson, who has a degree in engineering, brings device concepts from make-believe worlds to real life with his team’s help.
In an interview, Hobson revealed how he makes science even more cold-blooded than how people think through his “Make it Real” series.
The Beginning of the Hacksmith
James Hobson created his YouTube channel in 2006. Back then, he shared parkour videos and backflipped tutorials with his high school friends.
Fast-forward to 2015. He decided that he would quit his corporate job as a mechanical engineer. His reason is that he wanted to devote his 100 percent to YouTube as the Hacksmith.
According to Hobson, in 2014, they had their first viral video– the Elysium exoskeleton video. That video gave him enough confidence that there was an appetite online for various inventions based on the movies.
After the said video went viral, Hobson continued working on projects while also working at his full-time job. However, he got to the point where he felt like he was burning the candle at both its ends. For this reason, he decided that the only way that he can get rid of that feeling as if he tried to give his 100 percent to his YouTube channel.
The Real Hacksmith Was Increasing His YouTube Views
The Hacksmith’s YouTube channel has a mission statement saying that they take fictional ideas from comics, video games, and movies and make them real working prototypes. However, there are so many make-believe worlds and devices to choose from, so it is kind of hard to decide which one to recreate. When asked about this, Hodson said that they typically go for and try the popular ones.
Besides, Hodson and his team try to schedule some of the projects they do around blockbuster movie releases. But the global COVID-19 pandemic has limited those movie releases in recent months. Yet, Hodson and his team found out that it is relatively easy to capitalize on the Hollywood studios’ millions of dollars of marketing budgets that are already up to promote those movies. This helps push their potential viewers on YouTube as well.
However, the content creator admitted that there are still many questions, such as “What do I build?” and “What am I excited about?” for him and his team. He added that it is vital for him to feel excited about what he is doing. When he feels enthusiastic about something that he is building, it shows in the video. That way, the tape tends to do better and get more YouTube views organically.
James Hudson’s Comparison to Tony Stark
Hudson has already created some prototypes of elements from Iron Man’s suit, such as his repulsors. This is the reason why many of his works are dangerous. For this reason, he gets the question of whether he sees himself as a bit of a stuntman.
To that, Hudson answered that they do amp up the danger factor in their videos. However, that does not necessarily mean that what they do is dangerous. Instead, they are very good at making things seem more dangerous than they are.
Moreover, the YouTuber added that their team has a safety committee and that they plan everything out. They also try to think of the worst things that could happen and how they can prevent that. Hudson is quite careful, but he said that he could consider himself as a stuntman, too.
Is The Hacksmith’s Secret Weapon Buying YouTube Views?
Also, Hudson is a bit of a teacher. While he probably didn’t bother buying YouTube views on his viral YouTube channel; He is very open about his hope of making science a relaxed and inspiring thing to consider for children in the STEM fields. But with all the time that children spend on cellphones, video games, computers, and other technologies, it still seems so hard to get them interested in it for their careers. According to Hudson, the problem is the method used to teach science and engineering currently. There are not enough real-world and real-life examples of what children can do in these fields and careers.
The astonishing thing that Hudson’s YouTube channel does is that they make things from video games that kids know and enjoy and from movies that they look up to. For this reason, Hudson and his team were able to see that if there is an element of familiarity, children will become interested. When they see someone who is making it in real life and find out that it is possible through education and engineering, they may find out that engineering and science are exciting careers to take. For Hudson, this is an excellent way to inspire the youth as they can connect with them through popular culture.
Hudson Gets Many Offers to Create Far-Fetched Ideas
When Hudson and his team started The Hacksmith, they already assumed that there’s got to be some eccentric millionaires who would offer them to make something cool. However, they are yet to meet one.
Still, they do get an endless supply of requests with messages such as “I have this amazing idea, and I want you to make it.” Hudson said that the problem is people have the mindset that an idea is all you need. However, the reality is that the concept is the easiest part of inventing something. The real challenge is how you will bring that idea to life. Hudson added that the majority of the requests that they receive are either too far-fetched or downright ridiculous. Some people are even asking them to do everything for them at no cost.
Hudson and his team have incredible minds that can turn things from make-believe worlds into real-life inventions. But apart from that, what stands out to their viewers is their passion for science and engineering;
Date: January 27, 2021 / Categories: News, / Author: Joy P
