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YouTube success just a laugh for Dundee’s Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas.
Mark Thomas.

A Dundee man is one of the most successful stars in the city and you will not even know his name.

Mark Thomas, 21, from Fintry is fast approaching 100,000 views on his YouTube channel, with people from across the globe watching his videos.

Since he started uploading his videos to the site in 2011, he has gained more than 40,000 followers on Twitter and has thousands of subscribers to his channel.

Mark admits that it is a surreal experience to have an online following but hopes it can propel him into other avenues.

He admits he would like to follow in the steps of his namesake into the world of comedy, with English stand-up Mark Thomas famed for his political satire show.

He said: “It is a bit weird to think of all the people that have watched my channel. I can check what my demographic is and who is watching my videos.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmEC5PLchI

“There have been people from Brazil, Iraq and China. I’m pretty sure YouTube is banned in China, but someone there has watched my videos.

“It gives me a chance to practice little comedy sketches, Twitter is really good for that.

“I can post a joke and see how good a response it gets from favourites and retweets.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hOzMZs22YQc

“It can be hard to get booked at comedy clubs and with Twitter and YouTube you get an immediate response.”

“Vlogging” video blogging has become a profession for some people.

Scottish comedian Limmy’s online audience led to him gaining his own show on the BBC, while Swedish gamer Felix Kjellberg, known as PewdiePie, has turned his YouTube into a business which sees him make more than £4 million a year.

British online personalities have also used their fame to move into other platforms.

Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes, who have nearly 10 million subscribers between them, both announced book deals earlier this year.

Scotland even has its own online star, with beauty guru and vlogger Katie Johnson, from Glasgow, racking up nearly 100,000 subscribers.

However, Mark sees his YouTube channel as something of a pastime that goes alongside his course in visual communications at Abertay University and thinks his future is in that industry.

He said: “I see it as more of a hobby. It goes alongside my university studies.

“I’ve already learned how to edit and how to write a script, so being on YouTube has helped me that way.

“Having YouTube has got me into lots of different things, and helps me get a better knowledge of media and advertising.”