DEADLY HEADLEY
What’s a portfolio these days without a passion project?
In 2023 I decided to try my hand at making YouTube content. I have a journalism degree and a love for gaming, so one day I decided to take the leap, buy a mic and start learning how to use Adobe Premiere Pro.
summary:
I love video games. I love playing them, talking about them, and discussing the wider gaming industry - in particular, the platform I find most interesting: Xbox.
Turns out, I’m quite good at content creation, amassing almost 2,000 subscribers since I first started dabbling with YouTube.
Honestly…? Boredom. I love making stuff - and I’ve really enjoyed creating as part of my day-to-day life and career, but I had this urge to make something for myself for a long time.
I have a degree in Music Journalism and Broadcasting, a genuine love for tech/games journalism and I’ve listened to gaming podcasts and YouTube content for well over a decade.
In 2023, I decided to take the leap and try my hand at actually doing it myself.
I write, plan, shoot and edit content with the aim of informing, entertaining and just being able to express myself creatively in a space that feels like it’s for me, rather than a client.
Why did I start creating content?
The RESPONSE
My content’s reception from the Xbox and wider gaming communities has been overwhelmingly positive!
I average a 95% like vs dislike ratio per video, with my most viewed video going semi-viral and making actual news headlines!
It also prompted a response directly from Xbox, and follows on social media platforms from Phil Spencer (Head of Xbox) and Stein, Xbox’s social/community manager.
The video broke down Xbox’s most recent marketing campaign from the perspective of somebody who works in advertising.
First and foremost, it’s made me WAY more confident as a creative. As a writer, and an editor - as well as just giving me something that I can own, that sits outside of the stuff I’m paid to own.
And more importantly, it’s helped me develop a really useful skill - video editing. Not just the process of editing a video itself, but actually think about mood, tone, timing and execution.
After my A-Levels (which I failed miserably, by the way), I went to a college to study Music Production, Performance and Industry. Following that I picked up a lot of multimedia modules at Uni, so the foundation for everything I’d need for making a decent YouTube channel was already there.
Getting my head into Premiere Pro, as well as just encouraging myself to be more expressive and learn a new skill has been mentally rewarding.
How it’s developed me as a creative
actual journalism
Through YouTube, I met the guys who run an online publication called XboxEra. They’re entirely community funded, and after my Xbox Ad Explained video blew up, they invited me to join their team as a regular contributor.
My time commitment to XboxEra is fairly minimal, because I actually struggle to fit content for my own content into my life, juggling a full-time job, a chronic pain condition, a dog, relationship and (as of January 2026) a child!
I do, however, get the odd game review code - this one was a delight to make. I captured all the footage, wrote the review and edited the video for XboxEra to publish.