Harrison

The growth of the esport industry and gaming content on YouTube is showing no signs of slowing. So, when the opportunity came up to intern with esports organisation, PWR, Harrison decided to put his passion for film to unconventional use.

‘It's all about having an unspoken connection with your teammates, and I think that’s a valuable skill to take into any industry.’

PWR, led by YouTube celebrity Lachlan Power, decided to take on an intern to help produce content for their two million subscribers. A YouTube creator himself, Harrison was the perfect candidate.

‘When I first met Lachy, he said that everyone in the office had just watched my YouTube channel for like an hour. The whole gang just sat down and clicked play,’ Harrison said.

A shoo-in before even meeting his future boss, Harrison fit into the team seamlessly.

His first day learning the ropes was on shoot in John Cain Arena during the Australian Open. From then on, he became a seriously involved part of production – concepting, shooting and editing videos featuring gamers with fanbases in the multimillions.

‘I've definitely improved my production quality … just seeing behind the scenes about how much work actually goes into producing a video; it's really eye-opening to what it takes to go viral online.’

And the pressure only intensified. One of Harrison’s toughest days on set had him in charge of holding the camera on Fortnite youtuber, Lazarbeam (whose following is only a not-at-all intimidating 22 million), for the two-hour shoot.

Thanks to his studies in film and television, he’s been able to make his mark on the company. When PWR needed a more stylistically traditional commercial to promote a merchandise sale, they called on Harrison to lead production.

‘They hadn't had a lot of experience coming from such a non-traditional space.
So having someone who has learned how to do lighting [and] how to use the expensive equipment was very valuable to them… that was really a big step for me,’ Harrison said.

Now, with the recent launch of PWR’s paid members-only content, Harrison’s gone from intern to invaluable asset, securing a position in the production team before he’s even graduated. You can find some of his recent work as creative director and cinematographer on YouTube in PWR’s ‘Behind the Scenes’ membership series.