This Gamer Dropped Out Of School Twice & Is Now A YouTuber With Over 12 Million Subscribers
"It is kind of just a dream come true."
This article is part of Narcity's biweekly Millennial Money Makers series, which profiles young Canadians who are making money in "new" — and often surprising — ways. Have a story to tell? Get in touch with sarah.rohoman@narcity.com.
Dropping out of school against the advice of your parents can be a risky move, but for Andre Robelo, known as Typical Gamer on YouTube, it's led him to success.
The 29-year-old Toronto native currently has over 12 million subscribers on his channel and has worked with huge brands such as Disney, so it's safe to say his decision was a good one.
Robelo spoke to Narcity about how he got into the industry, his advice for anyone getting started, and the best and worst parts of the job.
How and why did you get into your industry?
"I just started streaming for fun back in 2009, I think," Robelo told Narcity from Vancouver, saying that he and his brother were just trying things out.
The YouTuber said that he dropped out of college twice and before deciding to give YouTube a go, which his parents were not too happy about.
"They thought I should keep going to school, but in my head, I'm like, 'I could stop going to school right now, try this out, and if things don't pan out at all, I can just go back next semester or next year."
"I feel like there's a lot more lose if I don't try to take this opportunity right now where it stands," he said of the situation at the time.
Since then, things have steamrolled along to the point where he currently has over 12 million subscribers.
What does your day look like?
"I was never really great with schedules," he said. "But I've kind of learned to cope with that."
From the time he wakes up, it's all about answering any business emails, taking meetings with his teams, planning and organizing videos for the day as well as future videos and future streams and sponsorships.
"And then it comes down to recording the videos streaming, which takes four to five hours a day. And then finding time to eat and do other things like that."
Although it sounds like a long day, Robelo said that he genuinely enjoys it.
"I love playing games, like with my whole heart. Even when I finish streaming, I'll play games after that, too. So it's my passion."
How much money are you making?
Robelo said that he makes over six figures, but that's about all he's willing to share on the subject.
"I don't really like to disclose specifics. But I'm quite comfortable," he revealed.
What sort of money can be expected for someone entering this industry?
"It's a loaded question, because there's a lot to it, and there's no guarantee of success," he said.
"So you could make $0. You could try your hardest and you can make $0. So it really depends on you, what type of content you're doing. It's like a very specific situational type of question."
Do you have any advice for anyone getting into the industry?
"I've kind of always come down to these three points: be consistent, do what you love, and always seek to improve," he shared.
"That last one is super important just because if you work on anything, if you continuously work on it, see what you're doing wrong, or see what you can improve on and keep improving on that every day, I think at some point in time, you're going to get to a gold standard for yourself."
What are the best and worst parts of your job?
"The best part of the job is doing what I love every day for sure," he said. He also loves meeting new people and working with companies that he had only "dreamed" of partnering with.
"We've worked with Disney before and other companies like that. It's kind of insane that as an independent business, we're working with the big companies like that."
Robelo also loves that he's built a space where "everyone feels safe and happy to talk to each other" and said that people have told him that they've met some of their best friends through the community.
"That just warms my heart," he said.
"In terms of worse things... Honestly, I can't come up with any right now," he admitted. "I genuinely can't. I think what I do, and the way I've kind of formatted it is kind of just a dream come true. So there's no hate on my end."
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.