Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 Good morning, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You've tuned in to the Mac city morning show. I'm your host, Elliot Pierre. And we're going to start this show off the same way we start every episode off with a moment of gratitude. I know you could be doing a million other things with your time. So the fact that you're spending with us truly does mean the world to me on that note, Tanner.
Speaker 1 00:00:21 Oh, she caught me, loves near listen to the next <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:00:30 And we are back. Okay. Today's going to be a fun one. The first time this gentleman was here, it was great. It's going to be great this time. As you know, I don't introduce my guests. I let them do that themselves. So on that note, sir, can you please introduce yourself to the people at home? Again,
Speaker 2 00:00:43 My name is Kevin Volkner and I'm back for round two on the max. Any morning show. There we go.
Speaker 0 00:00:48 All right, Kevin. Thanks for showing up again. So big news for you since the last time you're here, you have really turned a corner in your online gaming. I have. Yeah, I have, I saw a post a few days ago about it. So tell us what's going on with the online gaming
Speaker 2 00:01:08 Gaming? Well, so just recently we tuned up, uh, with a couple of people down south, across Alberta, um, a couple of fellow streamers in Alberta, and we're calling ourselves the Canadian mafia streaming team, um, starting to hit it off more or less playing, uh, all types of different games, but the community is growing it's up to about, I would say, close to 70,000 people. So it's, it's, it's become a pretty cool
Speaker 0 00:01:35 That's cool. And you have been making a little bit of passive income off this as well. I have, yeah, I did. I was just like, we got to talk about that. So this is something that like every kid dreams about when their parents are just like, ah, you're wasting your time. Why are you playing video games? You're like, mom, mom, mom, it's good, dad, don't worry about it. I it's throwing your life away. And nowadays you can be playing video games. And I'm not saying that you're becoming rich off it yet. Not yet, not yet, but you're making a dollar or two.
Speaker 2 00:02:07 Absolutely. So it takes time to build a community and have followers and supporters. It just takes so long. When you, when you start streaming, it's not easy. Oughta people think that they can probably get a microphone and a camera and just, you know, it happened and it doesn't, it takes so much hard work, uh, social media networking and getting your name out there and clipping, um, having someone that's able to create, uh, uh, clips. Um, but just recently, so how you get paid is through Twitch, you have two programs, you have affiliate, you have partner, right? Um, affiliate, you have to hit a certain amount of followers, viewers, uh, and streaming time, same with, with partners. So, um, I'm working towards partner, but right now, affiliate is kind of like a 50 50 deal with Twitch, right? Um, anybody that you get 50% of it and they get 50% of it. It has to hit a threshold before you can get paid. And just recently, my first check was just issued out. So I'm not even going to cash it. What I'm gonna do is I'm going to put it in a frame.
Speaker 0 00:03:13 That's awesome. And that's a huge deal.
Speaker 2 00:03:15 Yeah. I was super excited. It's a huge deal.
Speaker 0 00:03:17 And I think like what, you're just saying, a lot of people when they see you tubers or people on Twitch and like, they hear like, oh, you can monetize your views. They figured like, oh yeah, you turn on the camera, you turn on the mic. And then like all of a sudden, YouTube just starts paying you. It's just like, no, not at all. Like it's a lot of work and dedication. And the reason that not a lot of people even make it to a point of getting any money is because they give up. They're just like, this is too hard. I don't want to do it. I thought this was going to happen after like a month of me playing video games that I'd start getting checks. It's like, no, you gotta put like months, years on thousands, tens of thousands of hours in. And he like a lot of work I'm
Speaker 2 00:03:59 Over now, uh, two, um, two plus years. Um, and just that, that exact thing given up, I think it was, uh, last week, the week before my days off that I just said, you know what? I'm giving up. This is becoming too difficult. I'm not getting anywhere with it. And all of a sudden they've seen my paycheck come through. So I had to say, you know what, maybe this is work.
Speaker 0 00:04:22 This is working out when it takes that kind of time, it takes that kind of time. And I think that's a great, a great lesson to be learned. Um, and I'm, I'm, that's why, like, when I knew you were coming, I'm going to bring this up because I know we have young viewers watching this and I know like now I got a story I go in and I talk to, um, high school students and college students about alternative careers here in town. And this is a great story of like a local guy who was doing something alternative on the side. Absolutely. Yeah. And that's, that's the key, don't quit your job and make sure like do it on the side first, build up a profile and like, get it. But like, like you said, two years of a lot of hours,
Speaker 2 00:05:03 Absolutely. It didn't happen overnight hundreds of hours. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:05:07 And people look at this and they're like, like the max any morning show in videos that I used to do in the past. And they're like, oh my God, like, I'm like guys, like the amount of hours that this takes is tremendous, tremendous. And the cost investment is very like, oh, you don't, it doesn't have to be, but like, it can be, it can be high
Speaker 2 00:05:29 To, to, you know, the setup that I have, uh, to make it look as good as it, it does look, um, it takes so much money. That's right. I think I'd say my system cost rate now has ran me about $8,000, right. From top to bottom from the table to the cameras, to the microphones and yeah. And all that kind of stuff. But, uh, honestly in Fort McMurray, I know just recently, um, in the past couple months I've noticed that there is a lot more streamers Fort MacMurray that I didn't know existed
Speaker 0 00:06:04 Because people are getting on it. Yeah. So
Speaker 2 00:06:06 It's really good to create a streamer community. Cause it's not only gaming, but people use it for like painting and, um, different types of projects and, and it really helps them out. And, and Sean's relied on our community more. That's
Speaker 0 00:06:20 Right. That's right. And I'm all for it. And the same thing since I started this, uh, this podcast, like we've had lots of people reach out to us and say, Hey, I want to do a podcast too. And I'm thinking about it. And like my myself and Tanner have been more than open anybody that wants to come to the house. Like, there's, there's no such thing as competition
Speaker 2 00:06:38 When it comes to this, because everybody's
Speaker 0 00:06:40 Going to be different. My story is different from your story. You know what I mean? So we've had lots of people come through and like, we've shown them like, okay, these are the mics that we got. This is the camera. These are the wires. Like, this is the trouble you're going to run into. Don't make the same mistakes. We did. You know what I mean? But I feel like playbook, oh, even if I give them the playbook, you're still gonna, cause like, you think you can go on YouTube and there's a playbook like, oh, buy this mic, buy this camera, set it up like this. And then you do all the things you're supposed to. And it still goes south. You know, absolutely troubleshooting is constant. But it seems like to me that like, I'm not on Twitch. I have to be honest with you, but I will be in the next two weeks after chatting with you about like, learning more about it. Um, I'm all for anybody who wants to do a podcast in Fort McMurray, like it kind of blows my mind and I've said it to the people who've come in and ask me about it. That I'm the only one doing it consistently. There has been people who've done it before. I'm not the first person to do a podcast.
Speaker 2 00:07:36 I can't say I've heard of anybody doing a podcast other than you that's right. Yeah. I
Speaker 0 00:07:42 Hadn't heard of any either, but I have been told and I've seen now that there were people before, the one thing that I recognized what, the ones before, one, a lot of the more, the traditional type of podcasts where it's just the audio, it's not the video
Speaker 2 00:07:58 Component. Absolutely.
Speaker 0 00:08:00 And the other thing that I found out was like that the consistency and that's what it comes down to is like, they're like, oh yeah, I did like them randomly here and there. And I'm like, oh, got
Speaker 2 00:08:10 To stay at it consistently all the time. I'm like, why
Speaker 0 00:08:13 Did you stop? And they were like, cause it was hard. It was like, and it wasn't getting me anything. I'm like, oh, okay. Cause it doesn't like a lot of the time. And for all the viewers at home and I don't mind saying this, I don't make any money off this show. Like nobody pays to be a guest. Like it's not monetized. We're not making that type of view on it. Like this is like a public service that like my company, fortunately enough, like makes enough that I can like do this because I love. But like as Tanner makes money, you can live your dream. We pay Tanner to show up. I don't get paid a cent, but I love doing it. And I have no doubt that down line. And it already has created business opportunities, but like the dream of like monetizing that most people think about monetizing through views. It takes a lot of work. It does what? A little
Speaker 2 00:09:07 Happy. Yeah. It'll happen. It just takes time. I mean, you look at the major streamers that are out there now. Uh, one is Tim the top man. Okay, man, you go back five years. He started with, uh, a crappy, uh, 10 ADP camera. That's all he had. I think it was a seven 20 piece already, not a 80, um, and uh, uh, wild, um, microphone. The whole wasn't very good. And now you look at him. I think his net worth now is 25 million. That's right. Just from gang.
Speaker 0 00:09:39 That's crazy. Yeah. There's tons of stories like that, but you got to put in the time. And the one thing that I, when I talked to the youth, because they're usually younger than myself, is I just tell them, you have to have a passion for it. If you're just doing it. And you're thinking like, this is a job and I'm going to get rich off this. You're probably going to tap out. Absolutely. Because you're not guaranteed that money for one and more often than not, not for everybody, but more often than not, it takes a long time to get to that point. Absolutely. But if you have a passion for it, if you're going to be playing video games anyways, why not record it, record it and throw it out there. You know what I mean? And see what happens. So anyways, I saw that post maybe last week or the week before. And I definitely wanted to say like, congratulations, that's, that's huge. That's a big deal.
Speaker 2 00:10:27 I work tires. Yeah. 200 bucks,
Speaker 0 00:10:32 Eight grand investment for 200 bucks worth every penny. So there's something else I want to talk to you about that we didn't touch on last week. And Tanner we'll probably want to chirp in on this one too or not last week. Last month, whenever we filled last time. Um, you got a lot of tattoos, man. I do. You got lots. I have zero. I don't have a single tattoo. Have you ever thought about get one? Of course, but then like for me, and this is why I don't have a tattoo for everybody at home, two reasons, one, I'm a baby girl. I'm not good with pain. I ain't either not good with pain. And so the thought of like volunteering for pain doesn't seem like something I'm volunteering for. So that's one, the second one. And this is where like, I want to hear like yourself. I can't decide and maybe I'm overthinking it. My brother has tattoos. Maybe I'm overthinking it. I can't ever imagine what I would want on my body forever. Like when I was really thinking about it, I was a teenager and I swear to goodness, I would have had a Nike swoosh somewhere on my body and totally just that's right. And so when it comes to tattoos, like how did you get involved in it? How do you pick what you get? Like, because you have beauty, the thing is with your tattoos is they're gorgeous.
Speaker 2 00:11:49 Um, hardwood say, man, a lot of my tattoos are Frankenstein tattoos. Uh, everything, it wasn't planned. I think I just, you know, decided one day I want one thing and then another thing, and I just continued on to the point where it created a sleeve. Um, but yeah, as for like storytelling, um, really, it goes back to my past life that I lived here in Fort McMurray, fortunately does not exist anymore, but a lot of tattoos, uh, pertained to that, you know, my suggestion suggestion for getting tattoos is find something that you like. Right. Um, and if you're thinking about getting a sleeve, just don't get one piece of it. Um, you know, do half and half. If you're interested in getting half asleep, make sure you create exactly what you want to see on that tattoo instead of just saying, oh, well I liked that. Let's throw that on. And then, you know, two months later say, oh, I really liked that and throw that on because what'll happen is you'll have tattoos like this now. I mean, don't get, don't get me wrong. I love my tattoo. And I do wish I could go back in time and create like an actual sleeve and sit down and put the things that I wanted into it and be creative.
Speaker 0 00:13:10 Like, so obviously you do think that's the route to go down more, a cohesive, like this is a story I'm trying to tell. However, like me, if I was going to start doing it, I think I would do it the way that you decided to do it. I just haven't because I see so many individuals because Fort Macquarie is like tattoo central. Like, cause you could do it in the industries here and you make the money to do it. So it's very prevalent here to see sleeves like me not having, but I find a, and I've seen lots of guys over the years just like, say I want to sleep and I'm doing it and this is what I'm going for. And they just want to fill their arm up as fast as they possibly can. And so when you start thinking like, so what does this mean? Or why does this have that is just like, oh no, I just needed to get this section completed. And that's why it's there. And I'm just like, oh wow.
Speaker 2 00:14:03 I E w one of my pet peeves, I've said this in the past, it's bothered a few people is the there's too much of the socialization with, uh, you know, uh, the way society is. People just want to get, um, a sleeve, like no to sleep just now. Um, and what happens is, you know, they'll end up with a sleep that they don't like after a while, but they just wanted to fit in. So you can go to any burn for McMurry and run into half the bar with one. So even no sleeve on the other, because that is, uh, the star. So if, uh, if you're planning on getting tattoos, my suggestion is just to really sit back, think about what you want, have it created, make it special. Um, something that means something to you and not just a look for others. That's right. That's
Speaker 0 00:15:05 Right. Well, I will begin any, but I did want to touch on that topic and I want to talk about it more, but we're on that time as per usual. So, uh, that's why you're going to be, you're going to be a regular guest on this show. So a Tanner though, this is his segment. You know what it's all about? It's the magic city minute Tanner hit them up with the maximum. All
Speaker 3 00:15:23 Right. Question number one. Why is gaming so important to you? Oh,
Speaker 2 00:15:29 I went through a life change. You're 26 years old. Um, most people know that I don't drink alcohol. I don't go to bars. I don't do anything. Gaming to me was a huge, just escape from reality stress somewhere where you could just relapse and, and stress relief, more or less
Speaker 3 00:15:48 Question number two. What is the best part of having a rescue dog?
Speaker 2 00:15:54 Uh, the love from the dog that they give you? Um, my dad adores me and I couldn't imagine not, uh, not having her around. I know she's getting old and sooner or later she'll pass away, but I think that's the biggest thing for anybody getting a rescue dog, make sure you know what you're doing because it is a lot of work.
Speaker 3 00:16:16 Question number three, what is one video game? You think everyone should try? Tibia. Tibia. Yeah, tibia. It
Speaker 2 00:16:26 Is a 2d game. Role-playing game. I played it from 2002 until 2017. I met a lotta really good people that I'm still friends with today, from all over the world, especially Sweden and Germany. And it's just a good community of people that you get to meet. Actually
Speaker 3 00:16:43 Make friends question number four. What is one non-traditional streamer? You enjoyed a watch.
Speaker 2 00:16:51 I'm traditional streamer that I enjoy to watch. I would say Ash and Steve from Fort McMurray, um, their streams are very creative. Uh, it's fun to watch you feel entertained and fully involved. And so, yeah, Steve Fort McMurray
Speaker 3 00:17:11 And your final question, what is one gaming moment that stands out to you? The most gaming the home and getting paid?
Speaker 2 00:17:21 Definitely. That was the video five questions.
Speaker 0 00:17:24 It's a huge accomplishment, huge accomplishment. Like I can't go. I'm going to brag about you for years to come. You're the first person I know who's got paid period online. It took
Speaker 2 00:17:37 A long, long time, but it happened. Yeah, man, it's real. That's real. That's money from, from nothing. That's right. You know, that's super cool. Super
Speaker 0 00:17:47 Cool, man. Yeah. All right. Well, listen, we're at the end of the show, it's a sin. It's a real sin for the people at home. Cause like we were having some great talks for like the half an hour before this started and we'll probably have some after it ends. So, um, thank you for coming on. Like you need to become like more of a regular, like once a month, come, come tat chat. It's just a good time. Every time he comes. So I appreciate you taking the time and coming out, man. Really cool. All right. Well Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. Thank you very much. This has been another episode of the max city morning show truly does mean the world to me, that you're tuning in. So thank you very much. Hopefully you're having a great day. We'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 4 00:18:46 Talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
