Resources
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: there may be a few links on this page that, at no cost to you, will earn me a commission if you choose to click them and make a purchase. Don’t worry – I only ever promote things that have genuinely helped me!
CAMERA: SONY A7S III
A very popular camera and one that I personally use to record my videos. Although it’s on the expensive side, if you want to really invest in some high-quality gear, then I’d definitely recommend.
LENS: SONY FE 24mm f/1.4 GM
I use this lens for talking-head videos where the subject is close to the camera. It’s an incredible lens, which combined with the Sony A7S iii makes for sublime quality in your videos.
TRIPODS:
NEEWER MINI TRIPOD
Tripods are a necessity for me. I use two primary tripods that are incredibly strong and stable, but also versatile.
This tripod is shorter and great for placing on a table or other raised surface. I use this tripod for most of my videos when I am sitting down.
K&F CONCEPT TRIPOD
This tripod is for situations where you have no surface and really need the height on the tripod, it’s of the same make as the previous one, and it’s just as great!
FIELD MONITOR:
FEELWORD 7″ ULTRA BRIGHT
The problem with using cameras is it’s sometimes hard to tell how the footage looks while recording because of the small camera screens — that’s where field monitors come in.
I use this field monitor which attaches to my Sony camera with an HDMI cable and it does the job. It can get a little hot if it’s used for too long so I tend to just use it to get an idea of what I look like as I’m recording, and then disconnect it a little later.
LIGHTING:
NEEWER PRO SOFTBOX
Getting good lighting was a big game-changer for me – relying on the sun just isn’t fun.
I use this key light — which is just a light that is like a replacement for the sun. It’s a powerful light that can be used directly on your subject, and it comes with two-in-one at a bargain of a price:
GERTONG RING LIGHT
I also use this ring light – if you can’t afford the previous light, then a ring light can be a great substitute (I use both!). This ring light also has the added benefit of adjusting colours to add a certain “mood” to your lighting if you so wish:
CPU: AMD RYZEN THREADRIPPER
GPU: NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3090
MOTHERBOARD: MSI CREATOR TRX40
RAM: G.SKILL 16GB x2 (I have 64Gb in total)
STORAGE:
SABRENT 2TB ROCKET PCIe
SAMSUNG 870 QVO 4TB SSD
MONITOR:
VIEWSONIC 4K 32″ (x2)
MONITOR ARM: PUTORSEN DUAL PC ARM
I absolutely love having a wireless setup when I’m working and so a lot of my PC accessories are wireless — it’s a great feeling to not have a desk crowded with wires all over the place.
With that being said, here are the PC accessories that I use:
HEADPHONES: STEELSERIES ARCTIS 7
I’ve been using the SteelSeries Arctis 7 headphones for a long while now, and although battery life gets depleted over time, the quality of the headphones are great, they fit comfortably – and best of all: they’re wireless.
They’re on the expensive side (as you can tell, I tend to go all out with my PC gear), but if you can afford it, do check them out!
COMPUTER MOUSE: RAZER PRO CLICK
COMPUTER KEYBOARD: IQUNIX F96 KAT
NOTION
Since discovering Notion in early 2020 I’ve been using it for almost everything.
Goal setting, habit tracking, project managment, taking notes, you name it…
Notion is an incredibly powerful app & software that can literally act as a second brain – I highly reccomend checking it out whether you’re a small business, or just a student in school. There’s a reason this app has a ton of raving customers.
TUBEBUDDY
TubeBuddy is perhaps one of the best tools for gathering YouTube data & SEO out there – I’ve been using it since the start of my channel.
The amount of features TubeBuddy has is absolutely insane, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is thinking or has already started their own YouTube channel:
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD
When it comes to video editing I use: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator – but you can get all of these in one with Adobe Creative Cloud.
These are incredible industry-standard programmes that can be used to not only make basic edits, but for motion graphics, graphic design, audio engineering, and the list goes on. Your creativity is the only limit to what you can do.
EPIDEMIC SOUND
I get my music from Epidemic Sound using their monthly subscription.
Epidemic is brilliant! They have music from all sorts of genres and it’s genuinely high-quality stuff.
Been using their music and service since my very first video.
SKILLSHARE
Skillshare is what you get if you mix Netflix with online courses.
There are tons of classes on Skillshare, including classes that I personally took to help me with video editing, branding, productivity, and a whole lot more.
I’ve been using Skillshare since early 2020. It is very inexpensive when compared to alternative options out there, it’s constantly updated with new premium classes.
You can grab yourself two free weeks of Skillshare with my link below and try it out for yourself:
I’m a huge reader — I can credit reading quality books to so much of what I know today. Keyword being “good” books. It goes without saying that I’ve read a lot of garbage too – especially when it comes to the self-help genre.
Here I’ll list some of the best books that I’ve read and why (this list gets updated as I continue reading more stuff).
BOOK: BY MJ DEMARCO
MILLIONAIRE FASTLANE
UNSCRIPTED
As someone who was introduced to the world of entrepreneurship through flashy Instagram pages, “get-rich-quick” gurus on YouTube, and terrible advice – this book was a massive wake-up call.
If you are like me before I picked up this book: inexperienced, naive about entrepreneurship and “building wealth” – then this is a must-read.
If you can get past the sleazy title and the ranting, M.J Demarco’s book provide great practical advice for finding business ideas, how to assess those ideas, and a completely different worldview on wealth creation.
Both The Millionaire Fastlane & Unscripted cover similar territory, with Unscripted being mostly an expanded version of the former.
BOOK: ERIC REIS
THE LEAN STARTUP
A well-known book in the startup world, but truthfully it provides insanely useful advice applicable to many areas of creative work as well (including running a YouTube channel).
This is a practical book that wastes no time in detailing the biggest downfalls a startup will face, and how to increase the odds of creating a successful company.
BOOK: DALE CARNEGIE
HOW TO WIN FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE
I am very careful with recommending self-help books because of how much fluff exists in that space.
How to Win Friends & Influence People was the first book I read in the genre, and after reading so many other books, it’s perhaps the one that has stood the test of time for me personally.
I don’t know much about Carnegie, his credentials, or his past, but there are still many principles and ideas that I’ve used in this book that have been incredibly helpful to me.
At its core, it’s a book about communication and how to effectively communicate with others – and it does a really good job of explaining it.
If, like me, you are introverted or get social anxiety often: this book can be a monumental help.
AUDIBLE
First, if you really want to read more but never find the time – do yourself a favour and get audible. Seriously, audiobooks are a fantastic compromise for anyone that prefers listening to things.
I believe audiobooks are better than podcasts when it comes to learning. A podcast is a weekly show. An audiobook is a bunch of information from potentially years condensed into a listening experience.
Check it out:
