Abel Mutua: “YouTube Doesn’t Pay Me, But It’s My Most Valuable Asset”

Published By TSM Editor For The Statesman Digital
1 year ago

Veteran actor turned digital content creator, and an all-round movie and cinema guru Abel Mutua is yet to enjoy a single shilling from his YouTube channel, years after launching it.

Abel, famously known to most as Mkurugenzi or just Mkuru for short, is a prolific storyteller. He has a way with words, intonations, pace... he's just incredibly good at what he does. And once he figured this out, he decided to do what any bright man would, capitalize on it!

Hence the birth of his YouTube channel which now boasts over 701, 000 subscribers! With an estimate of about 150,000 views per video and you know he's putting out videos back-to-back.

But even with all these numbers and insane popularity, the father of one is yet to enjoy the fruits of all his hard work.

Abel Mutua on stage after a successful stand-up comedy show

Mkuru reveals he's never pocketed any money from YouTube, despite forking out about Sh.200k for a single video shoot which takes about 2 to 3 days to wrap up.

But why is that? Yet we have creators with far less numbers and reach as compared to the father of one raking in hundreds of thousands.

Well, his channel is a full-time business with a little over a dozen employees and as the boss, the 38-year-old award winning film director and producer has to make the choice, pocket the money or keep the business afloat?

Although he doesn't make much off the video sharing app, Abel notes it's enough to pay his workers.

“Let me shock you, the money I get from YouTube is not bad, but my staff is huge. I have a payroll of fourteen guys from YouTube, I don’t stay with anything made from YouTube, but it is enough to ensure that everybody has been fed (paid)” Mkuru shares.

Mkuru in costume disguised as an old man

Does this sometimes fail to sit right with him? Does he have regrets or wish he'd do things differently or have less staff members?

The answer is a resounding no!

Being a creative, and not just by name, he understands the industry and what it does for young guys with huge aspirations to have a share of the pie. After all, it's not as if YouTube is his only source of income.

Expounding on why not pocketing these earnings doesn't bother him, the talented scriptwriter notes, “And that’s because I know that YouTube is what is building this ecosystem that is supporting my creative enterprise.

Our last movie 'Makosa Ni Yangu,' cost us Sh12 million to produce. We only raised half of the amount with the other half being funded by this ecosystem (through crowdfunding) that I am talking about,"

Wrapping up, Abel notes in retrospect he does sort of earn from YouTube.

According to the veteran actor, the immense views he boasts on his channel bring in clients who wish to advertise with his brand as they feel Mkuru's audience is the right target market for them. And this is where he gets his share of the pie from.

So, at the end of the day, it is a win-win situation as he is still doing what he loves dearly... storytelling.

“With this ecosystem, so now when AbSA Bank or DSTV comes, now that’s the money I take to the bank. For me, YouTube is a tool where I invest heavily, do it right by producing quality content because I know it will attract other income sources,” Mkuru states.

Abel, who studied Journalism in University back in 2023 noted, "Journalism haingenipeleka anywhere. Nothing!

Mimi ni mtu wa cinema, I grew up with Van Damme and Chuck Norris, I am a creative! Sasa broadcast niende nikafanye nini? Niende nikaokote news?" As he celebrated his journey and growth in the entertainment industry