Nearly 5 years ago now I was sat in the pub with a friend. As you know all the best ideas start in the pub around beer, that’s just a fact and in not in dispute, mostly… okay so maybe that’s not a fact but in this case, for once, the idea that we had drunkenly over beers was an idea that eventually lead to the creation of Sci-Trek… your sci-fi TV and Movie channel!
So what was this marvellous idea? Well first I have to say it was a plan that failed in almost ever way so don’t get too excited but we decided, over beer, to create a YouTube channel talking about mysteries and conspiracies. Now this is a subject I have always loved, now I’m not really a conspiracy nut honest but I love stories, always have, and say what you like about conspiracy theorists they know how to tell a good story. Now there are lots of conspiracy channels and we knew we had to do something different so we decided to do “A brief History of Mystery” (catchy title huh?) and actually chronicle mysteries in order through time! It was an epic task and required mind boggling research and thought.. as it turned out way too much research and thought and after about 10 videos it got too confusing and to be honest a little boring to produce. So we switched to just doing videos and talked everything from ghosts and aliens to 9/11 and Atlantis.
And… no one watched! 🤣
After 3 years we barely monetised the channel and we getting maybe 100 views a video.
But I learned a lot from this channel, I learned how to talk in camera, it’s really not as easy as it looks! I learned how to edit videos, that’s really really not as easy as it looks. To be honest I’d never even really watched YouTube before trying this so to say it was a steep learning curve is not an exaggeration.
So why did I do it? Simple answer is I enjoyed it but there was more. I was going through a lot with my father and the channel and all the hard work if needed was a distraction. My job at the time meant I did 12 hour days 3 days a week and I was home a lot on my own. I had too much time to think about all the things in my life that were not great and it was driving me mad… so a Brief History of Mystery saved me in many ways.
But this failed channel gave me more than just tens of views and some experience at YouTubing… I made a few friends. The channel Aliens and Stuff was one of the first connections I made. A channel made up of total geeks for Trek and we often talked about Aliens but after the shows we’d always end up talking Star Trek.
I made other friends too, Steve from ‘Stranger Times’, a true believer and Dave from ‘Darius Lives’ a fanatic with encyclopedic knowledge. We did brilliant weekly live videos that I’m still really proud of. But then I met the guy you know and love.
I did several videos on aliens and a few talking about someone that in my opinion is not someone to trust, Dr Steven Greer… And I started getting comments from another channel… Sci-Worx. The comments were intelligent and thought through and always cheeky and fun. We talked more and more. Eventually I begged him to do a live video and eventually he did and the ‘Resident American’ was unleashed. Stormy Bear is his actual name for one thing. Honestly. He has some Native American in his family. He is an honest to goodness Professor.. he has worked in movies.. he bet Brandon Lee before his tragic death and also met Captain Kirk Chris Pine over wine just before that Star Trek series was announced… And now he builds space ships himself. To say the least Stormy is a fascinating man.
So there we were doing live videos talking mysteries etc with Stormy and Spensor from ‘Aliens and Stuff’ and as always after the live show we got talking Star Trek as usual. One one occasion there had obviously been beer involved as during the chat we had another brilliant idea… we should do a sci-fi channel! Now I’m not sure if you appreciate just how much time. YouTube channel takes up.. ask my wife.. it’s a lot! When we first talked about doing a sci-fi channel we hoped to maybe do it together as a team but it just seemed too difficult to plan, so I did what I always do and just decided to crack on and get it done.
I obviously had 3 years of the mystery channel, now called the ‘Mystery Machine’ to fall back on but this was a whole other beast. I quickly fell on the name Sci-Trek because we planned to talk Star Trek together and I think I accidentally stole from Stormy and his channel name Sci-Worx. I honestly didn’t do that on purpose and didn’t realise until after but thinking back? Yer I stole it! Spensor and Stormy said they’d help where they could but Spensor was getting busier and busier with work coming out of the pandemic so sadly he quickly stepped back from the channel.. I miss him.
Stormy though kept going and not long after the channel started we began our weekly Sci-Trek Sunday live shows.
At first the channel did okay, no explosion of views but okay… but then Stormy sent me a link to a story about my favourite show, a show I love even more than Trek… Stargate! So I did a video on the story. Now as it turned out this story was only kind of true (Dam you Giant Freakin’ Robot!) but the video got 100k views. After that we haven’t looked back. I monetised Scitrek in 6 weeks from starting it. Took me 3 years first time around.
I quickly learned I had to improve my picture quality and sound now people were actually watching and it took ages to get a set up that actually worked. Go back and watch old videos if you don’t believe me.
The really lucky bit was that thanks to that incorrect but popular video I started to make contacts in MGM. It started with a message. A message saying that the story was kind of true but way out of date. A message that was so Confident and knowledgeable I had to follow up. A conversation started. Eventually they told me who they were and why they knew what they knew. A friendship blossomed and more importantly so did Trust. This person slowly introduced me, mostly via email and WhatsApp, to others, Gater’s and sci-fi fans who work in the industry. Many of them talked to me during the MGM take over simply because they were angry at the way they felt the company was going and they wanted to get the word out but in the process they were willing to tell me what was going on behind closed doors.
And so Sci-Trek was born!
Eventually I met Matt who is now my loyal underling! My Jaffa servant to kick around as I please.. SHUT UP MATT! A servant of the channel who is brilliant with a computer thankfully.. a servant who is funny, insightful and who I now call friend.
We then met Harris… he is too young and too handsome with way too much hair for me and Stormy’s liking but he is a creative and brilliant young man and we are so pleased he finds time to join us on the channel.
I still do some ‘Mystery Machine’ videos on the Sci-Trek Sides channel. I still go to my roots. I still talk about the things I’m passionate even if that upsets some people sometimes. I adore the community we are building though and I’m so grateful for you all. We have some amazing chats and even though we don’t always agree many subscribers have changed my mind in things and I hope I’ve influenced a few along the way positively too. Because that is why I have lived my YouTube experience.. I don’t do it for clicks or money or attention! I do it because I love the community, the friends I’ve made and the fun we have!
My life is now much better than it was when I started the channel… I no longer NEED the distraction… but I will keep going because it’s so much fun!
Thank you Matt, Stormy, Harris.. your my Sci-Trek family… but I’m the Daddy and don’t forget it 😉
Great to find out how it all began. Let’s hope it keeps going from strength to strength.
Great insight on how it all started, Stargate was my hook into the channel as Star Trek isn’t and has never been my cup of tea.
Please don’t take this as criticism, as I love the channel as it is, but I’ve been hoping you’ll find a female YouTuber in a suitable time zone to join you and the boys for your live shows. There’s plenty of female Stargate fans and women can have a have a different perspective to men and take the conversation in new and interesting directions.
I always watch a particular Doctor Who YouTube channel who have a few women that join them so the majority of the time there is a least one in the discussion. It notices when none of them are available as the discussion seems a bit more limited.
I agree completely with Stephanie B!
Although I think that the absence of a female presenter has more to do with finding a female presenter who is willing to sign up with this wonderful lot. Not with the current founders barring any female representation.
if we ever found someone who was willing to come on with us,we would have them in a heartbeat! 😀