Gabriel Yorke began creating content at age eight, posting Minecraft videos on YouTube. More than a decade later, he became a familiar face around Carleton University through his popular social media videos about student life, things to do in Ottawa, and navigating university.
After graduating from Carleton this spring with a Bachelor of Commerce with a concentration in marketing, Yorke is entering a new chapter. He is heading to Algonquin College for pre-service firefighter training while continuing to pursue content creation and considering a future master’s degree that he said would involve artificial intelligence.
The Charlatan spoke with Yorke about his time at Carleton, what’s next for his content, and where life after graduation is taking him.
The Charlatan (TC): How did you enjoy your time at Carleton? What was your experience like?
Gabriel Yorke (GY): My university experience was really good because of the friends I made. I don’t think it has anything to do with Carleton itself. I think if you were to put me and the group of friends I met together, I would have had a great time, because all my friends were so nice. I am really thankful that I met all the people that I did because I think they really made my university experience what it was.
TC: How did being a Carleton student influence your content creation?
GY: Going into Carleton, I thought I would stop content creation because doing videos has only ever been a hobby, and I wanted to keep it that way. Because I enjoy making videos, and that’s why I make videos. Some people like scrapbooking, some people like painting; I like making these videos.
I had been making a few videos and posting them online, and I thought that when I got to Carleton, the videos were going to stop because I wouldn’t have enough time. I was going into engineering, and when you’re in high school, university seems like a big thing; you think you’re not going to have any free time, then you come to realize you have way more free time than you did in high school.
I got to Carleton and after about two weeks I switched out of engineering and went into business. I met some of my core friends and one day I was sitting in class, writing down videos, and thought ‘Hey, I got one for Carleton.’ It was something along the lines of ‘I’ve been going to Carleton for one week, here’s everything I noticed.’
When that video did pretty well, I realized I don’t have to stop making videos; I can do them here. Then,from first to second year, I posted about a video a week, and eventually it became what it is today.
TC: Do you plan on continuing content creation post-graduation?
GY: I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus lately because making videos has felt like a job, and I do not want it to feel like a job; it’s just a hobby.
Now that I’ve applied to all these master’s programs, I see how making these videos can be seen more as an asset. I just applied to work for the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year as the content manager. I saw in that application how doing my videos can make me more of an asset.
Post-grad, I will try to keep doing these videos because it’s fun, and can help with my career.
TC: What are you planning on doing for your master’s?
GY: I am planning on doing something AI-related. There’s a school in Spain — IE Business School — that I really want to go to. When I did my exchange, I lived next to it and had some friends that went there. They have a program that focuses on AI application for businesses, and it would be really useful.
I got in this past year, but did not get enough for a scholarship, so I am studying pre-service firefighter education and training at Algonquin College, and going to re-apply for IE.
TC: Do you have any goals for the coming year?
GY: Right now, I am planning on doing the program at Algonquin College, and I have two goals for the upcoming year: one to get into IE for the AI program, and secondly, to become a firefighter, so I want to do as much volunteering and exercising as possible.
I am training to do another Hyrox Race. I did one in Barcelona, which was really fun. I do a lot of community work and as much extra work as I can, because IE really values community and being involved. For firefighting as well, community service is really important.
TC: Do you have an idea of what you want to do with your degree with AI post-graduation?
GY: Not exactly. I do think it will be incredibly useful, and I would love to start my own business and use it to apply it to that. I feel that as long as I find meaning in my work, for example, I can branch AI usage into firefighting.
Once I start studying it and getting used to the program, I will have a clearer idea of what I want to do afterwards.
TC: Do you plan to continue content creation with your friend, Salmaan, who often appeared in your videos?
GY: I hope so. Whenever we make videos together, it’s really just an excuse to hang out, I really enjoy spending time with him. It’s been difficult to see each other lately; he’s working a full-time job, and I am working two jobs. But I would really like to, because he’s a great guy, and I really enjoy spending time with him.
This article has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image by Simon McKeown/the Charlatan.
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