A man from Bristol has started up his own online community streaming to nearly 200 people a day, in an attempt to spread positivity and 'bring people together.
Bram Whitford, 29, from Bradley Stoke, runs the Top Hatters online community through the mediums of YouTube, Twitter and streaming platform Twitch, where he merges his two loves: video gaming and art work.
Each day, 9-5, Bram runs a live stream to around 200 people who dictate his decisions in video games such as Rocket League.
Bram - who goes by the name 'Makarimorph' - says the purpose of the community is to give people a place to “escape their daily lives” and “relax in a place of safety and community.”
He says his live streams have become more popular during the pandemic, and says they attract a lot of people who “don’t talk much” but enjoy listening “as if it were a podcast.”
It’s something that has become a full-time job for Bram, who earnt enough money through his live streaming and art commissions to quit University in 2017 and continue doing what he loves.
“I use Twitch mostly,” he says. “Twitch is primarily profitised from direct donations, and I also get donations for my artwork.”
The 29-year-old also makes his money through advertisements on Twitch, and company sponsorships which he has been offered. “I don’t rely on purely Twitch though,” he says. “I integrate my art, too.”
Bram - who studied at Plymouth College of Art - also works as an illustrator on a commission basis.
“I have an incentive, so people watching the live stream can have an illustration.
“I make [the art] my unique selling point.”
He also runs charity events, drawing sketches via Twitch to raise money for good causes. Recently he raised over £6,000 for Bristol Zoo when he hosted a live stream for over 20 hours.
“I stream daily on twitch to around 200 or so people who join me through the games I play and the events I host.
“As a content creator I have a fun loving and energetic personality which helps compliment the type of content I make and positive messages I push, we even host charity events on a frequent basis, even recently raising £6250 for Bristol zoo.
“We’re a community trying to bring positivity to people in these trying times.”
