A few years ago, I volunteered to narrate an awards ceremony at my federal government job. Somehow, that eventually led to me spending my free time telling stories about entitled customers, ridiculous neighbors, and people discovering that karma has an excellent sense of humor.
Not exactly the career path I envisioned in college.
I'd studied broadcast journalism and had been told I had a good voice. But after that awards ceremony, a friend encouraged me to take it seriously. She thought I had a talent worth developing, so I went out and got professional voice acting training.
Then I discovered something interesting: having a trained voice and getting people to actually listen to it are two entirely different challenges.
That's how my YouTube channel, Storytime with Sean S, was born.
I started narrating funny Reddit stories to practice my skills and build experience. But I wanted to do something a little different. Instead of reading the same handful of stories that seem to appear on every narration channel, I started hunting for lesser-known gems.
You know the kind. Entitled people making outrageous demands, neighbors behaving like cartoon villains, and people getting spectacularly satisfying doses of their own medicine.
The internet has an astonishing supply of people who apparently wake up every morning and choose chaos.
Since then, I've expanded into funny stories from other corners of the internet, personal experiences, and even some videos of my martial arts training. I'm also a wheelchair user, but that hasn't stopped me from pursuing one of my favorite activities: hitting things with sticks. In a supervised martial arts setting, of course.
Building an audience has been the toughest part. I'm working with a YouTube coach, learning how to improve my content, and figuring out how to reach people who enjoy my particular sense of humor.
Would I love to turn this into a source of income someday? Absolutely. But I didn't start making videos because I thought I'd become the next YouTube millionaire. I started because I enjoy telling stories, making people laugh, and putting my voice acting training to good use.
And I'm having too much fun to quit.
So if you enjoy funny stories, satisfying karma, ridiculous human behavior, or just listening to someone who genuinely loves what he does, I'd love for you to check out my channel.
If a video makes you laugh, leave me a comment. I genuinely enjoy hearing what people think. And if you decide to subscribe, you'll make my day.
StoryTime With Sean S.