'Click like and subscribe': Islanders try to carve out careers on YouTube

Not everyone can say that what they do for a living is also how they would spend their spare time. What if you could figure out a way to turn what you really love doing into a job?

Some on southern Vancouver Island are trying to do just that by becoming YouTubers, turning themselves into content creators and chasing those elusive clicks.

“I’m one of those weirdos that turned my hobby into a business,” said Lee Grant, owner of LG Speed & Kustom in Esquimalt.

Grant has had a passion for building hotrods since he began doing it with his father as a teenager, but now he is delving into new territory.

“I’d call it a YouTube start-up,” said Grant.

He has begun posting how-to videos from his hotrod shop and videos about recent road trips he has taken.

“I’ve got 2,203 subscribers as of right now,” said Grant, looking at his channel’s analytics on his phone.

In order to begin to monetize YouTube, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers.

Currently, 3,775 hours of Grant’s content has been viewed. YouTube won’t cut you a cheque until you surpass 4,000 hours. Grant is almost at the point where money will begin to roll in.