The OTK IRL streamer shares her best advice on making IRL content, her life as a streamer and more.
It is no secret that the life of a Twitch streamer is a feat many strive for. Getting paid to play video games in front of a live audience is the dream. For one streamer, entertaining people with just video games was not enough.
Having been nominated for 2022's "Best IRL Streamer" in the recent Streamer Awards, ExtraEmily has proven time and time again that she goes above and beyond when it comes to streaming on Twitch.
But how exactly did ExtraEmily get her start as an "IRL" streamer?
ExtraEmily on what inspired her to become an IRL streamer
IRL streaming, or in-real-life streaming, is a type of entertainment where someone will stream anything and everything outside of gaming. This can range from workouts, interviews and even just your everyday routine.
ExtraEmily, who has been an IRL streamer since 2021, did not start out her career on the IRL side of Twitch.
"When I first started Twitch in May of 2020, I was playing video games," said ExtraEmily in an exclusive interview.
Although she made have gotten Twitch Partner when she was still a video game streamer, it was not until the middle of 2021 that ExtraEmily decided to explore new paths of entertainment.
"I lived in New York City at the time," said ExtraEmily. "It was the perfect spot for IRL content, so one day I decided to just try it out."
Living in such a large city has its perks for creators. There is always content just asking to be filmed.
The beginning: ExtraEmily starts off her official IRL streaming career
For some, playing video games and not having to actually speak to face with people is ideal. Not for ExtraEmily.
"For my first IRL stream, I decided to take my chat to a random museum," said ExtraEmily. "It was so interesting. I realized how much I truly enjoy meeting new people and talking to strangers."
"It was so interesting. I realized how much I truly enjoy meeting new people and talking to strangers."
You never know what others will say, giving viewers a fun and exciting experience when watching an IRL stream.
"I realized after that day that I am pretty good at this. I am very outgoing in general when I do IRL streams."
From then on, IRL streaming became a staple for ExtraEmily, pushing her to stream in every city she visited or lived in.
"Every time I am in a new city, I have to squeeze out as much content juice as possible from my surroundings. I always try to stream in every city I visit."
Every city and every town holds an adventure and ExtraEmily is itching to explore it.
ExtraEmily taped herself to a wall for 13 hours in a recent subathon
In the past, we have seen countless streamers go above and beyond with crazy incentives whenever they host subathons. From chat picking tattoos to wearing outlandish cosplays, subathons never seem to disappoint.
ExtraEmily decided to live up to this notion in a unique way that Twitch has never seen before.
In the streamers recent subathon, she fully taped herself to a wall for 13 hours. Yes, you heard that right; 13 hours.
"Someone in my discord brought up the idea of taping myself to a tree," said ExtraEmily when discussing how she got the inspiration for this tactic. "They told me to just do four hours, but I knew it needed to be longer."
And longer is precisely what ExtraEmily did.
"I wanted to make the content as long as possible. I was taped to the wall from around 1pm to 2am. We started out using four rolls of Gorilla Duct Tape, but ended up having to buy a lot more."
Not only did she get held up by copious amounts of tape for 13 hours, but the stream was able gift subs for items to be thrown at her.
"For five subs, I would have my friends throw water balloons at me," said ExtraEmily. "For 10 subs, I would have them throw eggs at me."
A unique way to keep her community engaged to say the least. Emily ended up finishing the stream with around 2,000 new subs from her community.
ExtraEmily's advice for those trying to dive into IRL streaming
IRL streaming is not nearly as common as playing video games on Twitch. Though, with more and more entertainers such as ExtraEmily surfacing, we are seeing more creators take a crack at it.
"You have to start simple," said ExtraEmily when asked what her best advice was for those looking to try IRL streaming. "Just go out and have fun. That is how you get really good content; just by having fun."
"Just go out and have fun. That is how you get really good content; just by having fun."
With streaming becoming one of the most longed for careers in 2023, it is no question that more and more people will follow in the shoes of someone like ExtraEmily.
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