141. The Dark Side of Being a Successful YouTuber ft. Chris Hau

What’s up Rock Nation, today we’ve got the legend Chris Hau on the pod! Chris is a filmmaker, photographer, and entrepreneur who’s completely flipped the script on how creators work with brands. After building a 600K-subscriber YouTube channel and crushing it on social media, Chris realized that all the views, likes, and followers didn’t actually bring him happiness. Instead, he stepped back, redefined his goals, and went all-in on his production company, proving you don’t need massive teams to make massive moves. Chris loves to work with Travel and Tech brands like DJI, Fairmont, and One-Plus, and leverages his personal brand into six-figure production deals. Chris is all about creating meaningful projects, building community, and helping other creators find success while staying true to themselves. This episode is Chris like you've never heard him before.Check out Chris here:https://www.youtube.com/@UCRte954rw0oeMWFroy_ClAw https://www.instagram.com/thechrishau/https://thechrishau.com/SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: https://the505podcast.ac-page.com/rock-reportThe Creator Pricing Guide - The No BS Guide to Pricing Your Creative ServicesCoupon Code: ROCKNATION10 gets you $10 off at checkout for the bouldershttps://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/pricing-guideJoin our Discord! https://discord.gg/xgEAzkqAvsLightroom Presets:https://www.kostasgarcia.com/store-1/p/kglightroompresetsCOP THE BFIGGY "ESSENTIALS" SFX PACK HERE: https://courses.thecreatorcoach.com/BFIGGYSFXPACKKostas’ Amazon Storefront:https://amzn.to/3GhId2515% OFF Prism Lens FX with code: KOSTAS15https://bit.ly/42sNdejCollab with Artlist and get 2 extra months for free here:https://artlist.io/artlist-70446?artlist_aid=the505podcast_2970&utm_source=affiliate_p&utm_medium=the505podcast_2970&utm_campaign=the505podcast_2970Chase’s Totality LUT pack:https://www.chasealexanderfilm.com/color/totalitylutpackTimestamps: 0:00 - Trailer0:41 - Intro2:18 - One Handed Crack3:50 - Taking a step back from YouTube6:05 - Working with small vs big crews7:52 - The ideal team size for Chris’ production shoots10:10 - How Chris builds out his crew11:15 - Why Chris hated big production crews13:00 - Chris’ hiring process15:19 - How Chris educates clients on the unique value of his production company17:48 - Finding the white space in a saturated industry19:29 - How Chris leverages his personal brand20:45 - Working with Fairmont on Lake Louise22:40 - Navigating sales calls with potential new clients24:48 - Communicating your value to clients26:50 - Leveraging Chris’ positioning for 6 figure paydays28:36 - How Chris double dips on partnerships29:36 - Working with tourism boards31:27 - Where Chris sees his production company going34:15 - Spec ads Chris is working on35:29 - Travel changes you40:38 - The importance of creating spec ads43:53 - Chris’ journey to overcome people-pleasing49:19 - How Chris’ relationship with YouTube has changed (move this earlier in the convo?)52:43 - Reframing a toxic mindset59:29 - Reading vs. listening to books1:00:39 - The pressure to create on YouTube1:06:01 - Aspirational lifestyle1:07:49 - Chris’ YouTube creation process1:10:19 - What Chris would do differently if starting YouTube today1:12:56 - Reframing his identity as a photographer1:18:31 - Chris’ love for teaching1:20:59 - Hosting live events1:26:45 - Advice to your 18-year-old selfIf you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/ Chase: https://www.instagram.com/chaseronii/ TikTok:Bfiggy: https://www.tiktok.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.tiktok.com/kostasgarcia/