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Jimmy Broadbent is a sim racing streamer and content creator on YouTube. We sat down and asked him a few questions about his journey to become one of the top sim racing creators on YouTube.
Jimmy: Hey guys, my name is Jimmy Broadbent and I have been a full-time content creator and streamer over on Youtube for the last two and a half years.
Streamlabs: What type of content do you usually stream?
Jimmy: So for those who don’t know my content, I am essentially a racing game, content creator, mainly sim racing. So I’ll take part in simulated events such as the iRacing 24 hours of Le Mans where me and a team will essentially do just that, drive for 24 hours to try and beat the other guys. That’s racing. Right?
Streamlabs: How did you first get involved in content creation and the world of YouTube?
Jimmy: I first seriously became involved in content creation for YouTube properly back at the end of 2016 where I was currently unemployed and actually suffering from some mental illness at the time. So I thought, you know what, I’m going to just try and be productive and do something with my day as opposed to just lay in bed and made a little pact with myself that I would make a video a day just to keep myself occupied.
Streamlabs: What was the hardest thing about creating content and streaming on YouTube when you first started?
Jimmy: The hardest thing about starting out, creating content from YouTube was firstly keeping motivation. Of course, when you first start on any platform doing anything, there are not a lot of eyes on you. I remember doing a live stream to about four or five people right at the very start and that can be quite disheartening. But I think the idea and the motivation you have to try and carry forward is that if you keep doing it, then maybe one of those five people will come back and then maybe two of the five people will come back and just keep making progress and not really aim to be a hit straight away.
Streamlabs: Do you have any advice for people just starting out?
Jimmy: My advice to people just starting off would be to make sure you’re enjoying your time when you’re making videos and streaming. I think a lot of people don’t understand the amount of time and effort that goes into actually making a video or streaming for four or five hours. If it’s something to do with the racing it is actually quite physically demanding, especially with this direct drive wheel here. So make sure you’re enjoying what you do. If you’re doing it just to make money or just to become a influencer or whatever the hell you want to call it, then you probably won’t get very far. It’s got to be a passion project.
Streamlabs: Were there other YouTubers/Content Creators that inspired you to start making content on YouTube?
Jimmy: So I have two YouTubers who serve as my main inspiration for my channel. One of them is a fellow named Empty Box who used to be the go-to guy for sim racing about four or five years ago. I haven’t seen much content from him recently, which a real shame beause I used to really enjoy his videos and the other person’s a little bit unlikely. It’s a fellow named Chuggaaconroy who does Nintendo lets plays. He’s got a hell of a lot of subscribers doing it and I always just loved his enthusiasm and passion for the games he was playing. And I wanted to try and infuse my videos with some of that. So I’d say those are probably my two main influences.
Streamlabs: Did you ever think you’d be creating content full-time?
Jimmy: I think if you ask anyone that question who does YouTube or Twitch or whatever, if they think they’ll ever get to do it full time, they’ll probably say no. It’s one of those really, um, I wouldn’t say accidents because you kind of work towards it, but it’s a very happy thing when you sit there and realize, wait a minute, I can do this as a job now because the reality of it is I’m my own boss. I can start and end whenever I like. Of course, I do have some guidelines to stay to otherwise you ended up just not making anything. And I have the absolute pleasure and the honor to get to do something you enjoy every day. I used to have a job as like a phone salesman a long time ago and I had to wake up dreading going to work. Now I wake up and I just can’t wait to get started. I’m very lucky.
Streamlabs: What are some other goals or aspirations you’d like to achieve in 2019?
I am one of those weird people that don’t really like setting goals, especially for YouTube because I like to live in the moment and enjoy what I have now. As I’ve said before, I’m very fortunate to be in this position where I get to have the opportunity to interact with so many unique and interesting people in my streams and through YouTube and the comments through my discord server. So I’m really happy just to be in that position. If the channel died tomorrow, which is always a possibility on YouTube, then I’d be happy for the time that I’ve had. I’m just happy to stay where I am and continue having this great experience.
If I had to pick something that I was aiming for, I would love to get into a real-life racing series. Of course, it’s all well and good doing the pretend racing at home in the comfort of your bedroom or wherever, but I’d love to go do it for real. There’s no substitution for the real thing.
Streamlabs: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Jimmy: You know, I’m going to give you a very sad answer and say, usually I sit and watch stuff to do with motorsport. I am a die hard motorsport enthusiast. You kind of have to be as sim racer.
I love watching motorsport. I also like playing more casual games. I’ve been really into Mario maker recently despite being terrible at it. And if I have the opportunity, I love to go and drive one of my cars around. I’m very fortunate to own a couple of cars. I really enjoy. I have a, I’m an R32 GTR. I have a 350Z and there’s a little Mazda with a big turbo in it. So if I have any time, I’d love to spend some time just like fettering on the cars and making sure everything’s as it should be. Either that or get drunk with friends.
Streamlabs: Has making content on YouTube opened up doors or opportunities you weren’t expecting?
Jimmy: YouTube has a hundred percent open doors for me that I wouldn’t think would ever be possible. As well as being a, I guess a sim racing Youtuber, I’m also a bit of a commentator. I love doing commentary for races and I’ve also been a sim racing commentator for about as long as I’ve been a sim racing YouTuber and I recently, as in last year, had the opportunity to go and do some commentary for Grand Turismo over at the Nurburgring, which then evolved into me being one of the official commentators for that FIA GT sport world tour events, which is absolutely a massive honor. And to see myself doing that is very strange. Because there’s so much production around it and you’re just standing up there if your shirt and mic and you’re in the headphones there, it’s a very weird sensation for someone who came from essentially just shouting a Webcam in a shed a couple of years ago. But I’m very grateful that I’ve had those opportunities.
Also I’ve had the opportunity to drive real racing cars. I’ve driven the McLaren 570S GT4 car and TCR car, both of which were just incredible fun. And when you’re in the driving and the car, you can’t help but have a massive grin on your face the entire time because I know I’ve said it already, but just being a massive racing nerd and enthusiast, getting the opportunity to actually go and do it in real life, It’s one of those life-changing experiences. I’m definitely not going to forget.
Jimmy: Once again, my name is Jimmy Broadbent and if you want to see more of my content you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/user/jimski10