If you bumped into Hinds in the street, you’d most likely recognise him. He has presented on TV shows like Hectic Nine-9, Tech Report and Expresso and has written for top publications like GQ and Men’s Health for the past seven years. As a result, he has established himself as South Africa’s go-to gaming and tech consultant.

Hinds made his break into the television industry while storyboarding for a local agency for a cartoon show. “One day they came up to me out of the blue and said: ‘Hey, do you want to review this game?’.” And despite the fact that he had never presented on TV before nor did he own the console that the game was meant for, Hinds did not shy away from the challenge. “There were a lot of things standing in the way of doing it,” he says, “But I just did it anyway.”

This has been Hinds’ philosophy throughout his career. “I’m very much a believer that if something is cool, you do it.” Whenever he is presented with an opportunity, he goes for it full-force. “If I find it cool, other people are bound to think so too. And it’ll probably go in a cool direction.”

For Hinds, 2015 has been the year when everything changed. Although he has had his own YouTube channel for a couple of years, he has never had the time to pay it much attention. “I kind of dabbled in YouTube for a bit and then dropped out, mainly because I had to pay bills,” he recalls.

This year, Hinds decided to leave most of his presenting and writing gigs behind in order to focus all of his energy into his YouTube channel. “It’s been about putting it into sixth gear and making it happen. And it’s paid off.”

Hinds now publishes three gaming videos per week on his channel. This is no easy feat. Especially considering that he still presents a segment on Hectic Nine-9 once a week and spends about two days per month filming for Tech Report. “It’s hard work and it’s long hours, but I like doing it,” says Hinds, “I’m very passionate about creating things.”

There is nothing negative about Hinds’ decision to leave TV, print and radio. “It’s been a good Golden Age in my life,” he says. “But I think digital video is going to be an exciting new phase for me, where I get to be more creative and more in control, while still using the things I learned in television.” His previous work experience has taught him the importance of creating quality content as well has how to handle the technical side of video production.

Right now, Hinds is working on “having the same mentality as the platform”. As he explains, YouTube is an agile platform that is always open to suggestions from their audience and is forever evolving. “And it’s the same with my channel,” he says, “It’s an evolving media form.”

“I’m learning from my audience, I’m learning from the platform and I’m learning from other creators who are successful and who are doing well for themselves,” he says.

And if you think that Hinds is in the YouTube game for the fame, you’re wrong. “People know you on the street because they’ve seen you on TV,” he says. “But that’s not as exciting for me as creating is.”

He does it for the love of gaming, his passion for creating and because … well … he’s a total geek. Which is pretty darn cool.

For more information, visit Grant Hinds’ YouTube channel. Alternatively, connect with him via Facebook or on Twitter.