Hasan Piker

First moment for first revelation was I walk into I think it was like Buffalo Trading Co or whatever. It was like a secondhand thrift store. This is like 2016, 2017. I walk in, I'm doing these videos on the Young Turks and these videos are getting like 30 million views a week because the Facebook video faucet had opened up at that time.

It like literally made and then broke a lot of media companies like Upworthy. Right. You know, So at that time, I'm doing these Facebook videos, and they're getting 30 million views, and I'm like, I don't know if this is real or not. Is this real? Is there real motion here? Are people actually watching this, or is it just fake?

It like literally made and then broke a lot of media companies like Upworthy. Right. You know, So at that time, I'm doing these Facebook videos, and they're getting 30 million views, and I'm like, I don't know if this is real or not. Is this real? Is there real motion here? Are people actually watching this, or is it just fake?

I walk in, and this dude is on the phone talking to their friend, completely oblivious that I'm there, about the video that they've watched, the last video that I put out about Tommy Lauren. That's when I was like, damn. It was kismet. It was luck.

I walk in, and this dude is on the phone talking to their friend, completely oblivious that I'm there, about the video that they've watched, the last video that I put out about Tommy Lauren. That's when I was like, damn. It was kismet. It was luck.

you know but this is actually penetrating public consciousness like this is something that people are that are interested in uh so that was my first like moment where i was like oh my god people actually do care about what i have to say this is crazy and then the the second thing was when i went full-time on my own in 2020 and i think like

you know but this is actually penetrating public consciousness like this is something that people are that are interested in uh so that was my first like moment where i was like oh my god people actually do care about what i have to say this is crazy and then the the second thing was when i went full-time on my own in 2020 and i think like

while the George Floyd protests were taking place and everyone was at home and stuck and they were all looking for exactly what I'm doing, basically a sense of a place for a community of like minded individuals that are constantly going to keep you informed

while the George Floyd protests were taking place and everyone was at home and stuck and they were all looking for exactly what I'm doing, basically a sense of a place for a community of like minded individuals that are constantly going to keep you informed

And when my community just exploded in size in that process, that's when I was like, oh, okay, this is beyond what I have ever imagined what my career would look like or even have a real career in this.

And when my community just exploded in size in that process, that's when I was like, oh, okay, this is beyond what I have ever imagined what my career would look like or even have a real career in this.

Parasocial, but in both ways, where I'm parasocial with them as well as they are parasocial with me. It's definitely unhealthy. Because I talked about this in COVID, like my dog died during COVID in the first couple of months and I was alone. I was in my one bedroom apartment by myself and I had nowhere to go. Couldn't go to the gym. You know, demons start creeping in.

Parasocial, but in both ways, where I'm parasocial with them as well as they are parasocial with me. It's definitely unhealthy. Because I talked about this in COVID, like my dog died during COVID in the first couple of months and I was alone. I was in my one bedroom apartment by myself and I had nowhere to go. Couldn't go to the gym. You know, demons start creeping in.

I'm like, I got nothing going on. So I just poured myself into my work. 14 hour streams every day. The year of 2020, I streamed 42% of the entire year. 42% of the entire year, not like 42% of, like I was on camera for almost half of the entire year.

I'm like, I got nothing going on. So I just poured myself into my work. 14 hour streams every day. The year of 2020, I streamed 42% of the entire year. 42% of the entire year, not like 42% of, like I was on camera for almost half of the entire year.

Yeah, but I was doing that because I just didn't want to focus on how shitty everything was. Like, I wanted a community. I wanted to hang out with people. So that's why I did it. And it was, you know, it was fairly successful. But it certainly helped me as well. I mean, I've dialed a bag. I do like 38% of the year now, right? It's not 42%. It's fine. I'm moving in the opposite direction.

Yeah, but I was doing that because I just didn't want to focus on how shitty everything was. Like, I wanted a community. I wanted to hang out with people. So that's why I did it. And it was, you know, it was fairly successful. But it certainly helped me as well. I mean, I've dialed a bag. I do like 38% of the year now, right? It's not 42%. It's fine. I'm moving in the opposite direction.

I'm moving in the opposite direction.

I'm moving in the opposite direction.

To a certain degree, for sure. I think, you know, I don't know them. I don't know them like that. They're anonymous, right? And they don't know me, but they think they do. I do put myself out there. Like, I am very... I'm very honest about... about who I am and how I feel, maybe to a fault, I should be able to hide it a little bit better.