Written by Kerrie Alexander
From being a chef in various Fraser Coast restaurants to becoming a famed YouTube content creator – William Jonas is living proof that big dreams can become reality.
The former Aldridge High student graduated in 2011 with the idea of making a living as a chef but the ultimate goal of combining his passion for gaming into a career simply took over.
It started with playing video games and trying his hand at content creating, editing, and drawing inspiration from the likes of his favourite content creator at the time, PewDiePie, who was named in the world’s 100 most influential people in 2016.
Now, after six years of trial and error, the 27-year-old Adelaide resident has made it big in the world of gaming with 5.5 million subscribers on his ‘Mully’ YouTube channel.
“I just loved playing games when I was young and seeing the cool moments that happened … I just enjoyed watching other people make videos and just decided to do it,” William said.
“I was always seeing PewDie Pie videos where they went on trips and got sponsorships and I just thought that was really cool.
“That’s really how it all happened.”
But, he said, you must love what you do to succeed in the industry.
The passion comes first and the money, if you’re lucky, comes later.
“You have to have a passion for it,” he said.
“If you’re doing it for money then you will fizzle out straight away.
“I made videos for three years before I made any money. You have to sit down for 10 hours a day and edit videos.
“I taught myself how to do it, there’s no big manual for it, you just figure it out as you go along.
“Sponsorships are just a bonus! They come along as you get the views, but you definitely have to like doing it. If you get into it for the money, you won’t have success.”
The Mully Channel is famous for its huge variety of Virtual Reality (VR) videos, with an audience of anyone from 10 years old to 60 tuning in.
The content creators we see on our screens always make the job look so effortless, especially William who often collaborates with his fellow creators, JoshDub, EddieVR and Juicy, to make the magic happen.
However, as the subscribers grow, the behind-the-scenes work becomes intricate, with a huge amount of planning going into each video.
“There’s more people watching but, in comparison to a normal job, there’s more stress because the videos have to be consistently good,” William said.
“You have to be on all the time … you can just get to 5pm and be finished.
“People think we just play games for a living and that is so far from the truth.
“You have to study trends and see what’s popular on other apps like TikTok and figure out what game to play and what skits to do; there’s a lot that goes into a 10-minute video.
“We play a game that might take two hours to record but it takes 15 hours of production to turn it into a video with editing, getting someone to make a thumbnail and all that sort of stuff.”
William is in his element being a creator in a quiet room behind a computer, letting his creative juices flow, no matter what the hours.
And as the VR videos took off about two years ago and the money started rolling in, William said it was important to him to remain that same guy, staying grounded and just continuing to do what he loves.
The added bonus, he said, was now being able to help family and friends financially.
“I didn’t think I would make as much as I have … I remember making a few thousand a month and thinking, yesss, I don’t have to work in the kitchen anymore,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s been a big accomplishment to help other people and now I’m in the process of buying a place of my own.”
William now has his sights set on reaching 10 million subscribers and receiving the prestigious Diamond Play Button.
So, what’s William’s advice for those starting out?
“Just do it and don’t care what anyone says!
“You’ll never start if you listen to other people. You have to go into it with the mindset that you’re doing it because you love it!
“You also have to learn to adapt. I’ve been doing it for six years and I’m learning new stuff all the time.
“The internet is constantly evolving and changing. It can’t be taught. You have to just do it to figure it out.
“Just have some confidence in yourself and give it a try.”
Head on over to YouTube and check out the Mully Channel, like and subscribe.
You can also follow Mully at twitter.com/mully and instagram.com/sleepymully/