Christian Tierney was 11 when he first started recording videos, using a camcorder his father got on loan from work. Almost 10 years on, the videographer has interviewed some of the top names in music and has almost 9m views on his YouTube channel.

Christian set up his channel at the age of 15, hosting the first-ever recording of James’ Bay’s Let It Go, which went on to become a global hit. He also interviewed US musician Macklemore and Ryan Lewis before they hit fame.

“I’ve been really lucky to work with my favourite acts and acts that I like and listen to a lot. I haven’t had any bad experiences; most of them have been really good. I’m just grateful to work with good people all the time,” he says.

Christian, who is now 20 years old, has gone on to create content for Conor McGregor’s website, shoot music videos for Irish singer Gavin James, and work as a photographer at music festivals such as Electric Picnic, as well as winning numerous awards for his work.

On a roll

So how did a teenager from Dublin manage to land interviews with some of the top recording artists in the world?

“In the beginning, it was completely me just reaching out to people. I used to go on the MCD website and look at the listings to see who was coming to Dublin on tour. I’d go through every single act and try to find an address for their management and just send out hundreds of emails,” he says.

“Eventually, I’d get one and make one video. It kind of snowballed. Now I’m being asked to film and I’m doing less chasing, which is nice.”

By the time he finished school, Christian was already earning money as a videographer and decided to take a year out to focus on filming, eventually passing up the chance of further study.

“I was looking into going to Dún Laoghaire to study film, a four-year course. At the time I was finishing school, I was getting opportunities that people who would have been finishing the course would have wanted,” he says.

“I could have spent four years turning them down or go ahead and see how it goes. I took the course and deferred it for a year to see how it would go, and I ended up not taking it in the end.

“Creative industries – like film and photography – are purely based on how much you practise and I felt that at the time, college just wasn’t for me.”

Sharing stories

Christian is now hoping to impart some of his knowledge for the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest campaign. The Story of Your Stuff is a nationwide video competition for secondary school students, who are being asked to create a 90-second video on any object. The winner receives €500 for themselves, their school, and a film-making workshop with Christian.

“The idea for the videos is quite different from the normal work I do, so I saw it as a bit of a challenge,” he says.

“I think when young people are taught about the environment in school, it probably goes over their heads, but this is a more fun way. It will incentivise young people to think about where their stuff comes from. Hopefully, it won’t feel like schoolwork. It should be something they want to do rather than something they have to do in school.”

Work to your strengths

Christian has sage advice for anyone hoping to work in the creative world. “So many people want exceptional things in life, but won’t put the work in to get something exceptional,” he says.

“I think self-awareness is a massive thing. That’s probably the most important trait anyone can have, just being honest with yourself about things and yourself and thinking about what you really want in life and working to your strengths and not your weaknesses,” he adds.

“I have a few friends who I know wanted to work in the creative industry but ended up doing law or science, being pushed into something they don’t enjoy as much. You can try to do a safer career, but why not go 100% into what you want to do?”

Enter

Visit www.thestory ofyourstuff.ie for an application form for the competition.