One Month on YouTube | The Journey Has Begun

Exactly one month ago, I pressed "Publish" on my very first YouTube video.

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect.

This channel has never been about chasing algorithms or trying to become an overnight success. It's about documenting the creative journey as honestly as I can, whether that's talking about my past, building new worlds, writing novels, creating graphic novels, or simply sharing the films and stories that have shaped me.

Looking back over this first month, I'm genuinely grateful for how it's begun.

I launched the channel with a four-part introduction to my story, beginning with I Played Aragorn in The Hunt for Gollum. It Was the Worst Time of My Life. That video has now been viewed more than 5,000 times, and reading so many thoughtful comments from people who connected with the honesty behind it has made the whole experience worthwhile.

Alongside that were three companion videos: Before Aragorn, Making The Hunt for Gollum, and Why I Can't Watch Movies Anymore. Together they formed a small introduction to who I am, where I've come from, and why I'm so passionate about storytelling.

Since then, the channel has started to grow in different directions.

One of the newest playlists is Stories That Shaped Me, beginning with my love of James Cameron's Aliens (1986). It's a series I've wanted to make for a long time because every writer is shaped by the stories they grow up with, and I'd love to share more of those influences over the coming months.

I also stepped well outside my comfort zone and filmed my very first reaction video, watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for the first time.

That turned out to be far more technically challenging than I expected! Learning OBS, synchronising the footage, and navigating YouTube's copyright system was a steep learning curve. In fact, the original upload was blocked before I finally found a layout that satisfied YouTube's Content ID system. It was frustrating at the time, but every challenge teaches you something for the next video.

Following suggestions from viewers, I also released a tour of my website to show everyone where these projects are heading and how they all connect together.

Perhaps the project I'm most excited about, though, is the launch of Building Incursion: Earth.

Every Friday evening at 8:00pm, I'm reading three pages from the opening chapter of my sci-fi novel before opening the floor to your comments and suggestions. It's become a genuine Writer's Room, where readers can help shape the rewrite of the novel as it develops.

Episode Two premieres tonight Friday 24th July 2026 at 8pm, and Episode Three is already scheduled for Friday 31st July at 8:00pm.

It's an experiment I've never really seen attempted before, and I'm fascinated to see how the story evolves with community feedback along the way.

Outside of YouTube, there are plenty of exciting things happening too.

I'm hoping to attend Creed Conventions Comic Con in Sheffield this September, where I'm looking forward to meeting fellow sci-fi and fantasy fans, talking about films, books, storytelling and, hopefully, introducing more people to Incursion: Earth and John Commando.

Behind the scenes, I'm also putting the finishing touches to my Patreon page, where supporters will be able to follow the development of these projects in much greater depth through production journals, concept artwork and exclusive behind-the-scenes material.

I'll share much more about that in my next update.

For now, I simply want to say thank you.

Whether you've watched one video or every upload so far, left a comment, shared a link with a friend, or simply subscribed, you're helping build this community from the very beginning.

We're only one month in.

It already feels like the start of something really special.

See you tonight at 8:00pm for Episode Two of Building Incursion: Earth.

— Adrian