YouTube in Southern & South East England

SJ Strum

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SJ Strum started her channel back in 2011, and through her popular baby names video series, has become known as YouTube’s ‘baby names expert’. Her inspiring 'Baby Name Mondays' showcases thousands of original names each week for a worldwide audience. Her series has brought thousands of new parents onto the platform for the first time and built a positive and supportive community around the world. She has even been asked to name followers’ babies and comment on celebrity and Royal names for media networks around the globe. As a mum herself, SJ also shares her aspirational lifestyle including Gentle Parenting, Boho Interiors and Vintage Hauls plus Vegan Recipes with her 100,000 plus followers.

Motherhood is my passion and I've captured memories and shared unfiltered stories of the good and bad times on YouTube. The platform has meant I’ve been able to launch my career as the world’s top baby names expert. As a busy mum of three, YouTube has been more than a social network – it’s been my support network. Whatever parenting throws at you, there's always another mum out there on YouTube who gets it.

Robin Clevett

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Robin’s channel is the place to go for all things carpentry, joinery and fine building works. He makes videos on anything from how to fit joists, to stone cutting, building decking, inserting steel beams and adding hinges - great for those who are looking to carry out some home improvements during lockdown. Robin’s calm teaching style means even beginners can learn new skills. He started his channel in 2009 and now has over 42,000 subscribers. Robin provides skilled advice and years of industry knowledge on a real craft skill. Robin has big plans, and would eventually like to use his channel to teach a full range of carpentry and joinery techniques to anyone anywhere.

I have been a carpenter and joiner all my working life, and at the same time have always taught the craft. I’ve always used photography to keep a record of my work, and a few years ago I decided to begin filming to share my work with others. My subscribers and viewers are amazing. I regularly meet people who have watched my channel and this gives me an enormous sense of pride and fuels my desire to keep sharing my knowledge and encourage others to do the same. The simplicity of YouTube and its amazing analytic capacity has made the whole process even more fun and worthwhile.

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard

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Jessica Kellgren-Fozard is on a mission to transform the way that people perceive disabled and LGBTQ+ communities. Passionate about raising awareness, she works to open viewers' eyes by creating historical content on topics often missed at school in a fun and uplifting way. Jessica provides subscribers with an eclectic range of videos, uploaded weekly. Whether she’s exploring the sexist history of medicine, entering baking challenges with her wife, or discussing the prospect of parenthood, Jessica’s videos are always underpinned by warmth and humour. Jessica has previously worked as a presenter and broadcaster for a Brighton local TV station and is now a full-time YouTuber and social media star. Her combined following across all platforms totals more than 1 million users. Her videos are continually praised by viewers, who often tell her that their perspective has changed thanks to her.

I love YouTube because it allows me to live my dream of telling stories and being creative in video form whilst also giving me the flexibility to work within the limitations of my disability. A traditional media job would be hard for me to manage with my poor health but on YouTube I can be my own boss, build a community and provide the much needed representation that's missing from older visual formats.

The Humble Penny

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Mary and Ken launched The Humble Penny in 2017 to help families and professionals achieve financial independence. And now, with over 45,000 subscribers, they are doing just that! With high quality, fun and educational content, the channel relates to the everyday person and makes the often daunting topics of investing, saving, and money management entirely digestible. Away from YouTube, the likes of the BBC, ITV and the Financial Times have all recognised the channel’s website, TheHumblePenny.com, and it's associated ‘Academy’ which offers users various courses on financial independence. The Humble Penny has been a benefit to thousands of families across the country and it continues to thrive and help families create financial joy.

As a young Black family with immigrant roots in the UK, we were unable to find any content which reflected us on the subject of money and personal finance. The YouTube platform was a game changer because it has made our voice as a Black family heard. It has helped us to tell our story and create content that is helping to take other people along their own money journeys. In short, it has helped us to believe that we have significant power as creators to change the lives of others for the better!