Meet the young Malaysian who’s built up a profitable empire on YouTube

For the last half decade, 21-year-old Mohd Syafiq Aiman Sharulfizam has been fiercely building up a little empire.

The gamer and social influencer from Bandar Sri Damansara, Selangor, has amassed over 1.2 million followers on his eponymous YouTube channel (Syafiq Aiman), which has earned him a Gold Play Button Award and provides him with a tidy five-figure salary.

The words “Grind Till Achieve” – printed in Pricedown font, a slogan he coined using the GTA acrostic – are plastered on a poster that hangs on a wall in his office at 8trium Tower.

The poster that hangs on a wall in his office at 8trium Tower.

It’s a nod to the game that jump-started his career as a content creator and brought him the success he enjoys today: Grand Theft Auto.

Grinding, for the uninitiated, is a term used in video game culture to refer to the act of repeating an action or set of actions to achieve a desired result. And grind he most certainly does!

Every day for the last six years, Syafiq Aiman and his band of merry men – video editor Muhammad Harraz, storyliner Muhammad Elham (aka ElhamTheInk) and gaming partner Daniel Shafiq (aka DanielZombie) – have been churning out videos non-stop.

“We might have slowed down a little these days, but back during the PKP,” Syafiq Aiman says, referring to the movement control order during the Covid-19 pandemic, “we were producing two videos every day.”

Featuring over 1,200 videos, Syafiq Aiman’s YouTube channel consists of gaming, vlogging, unboxing, reviews and challenge videos, some spontaneous, some scripted, and some written as short stories.

In an interview with LevelUp, the young content creator talked about how he sort of fell into this line of work.

“I started YouTubing while I was in Form 3. It was in December, after the PT3 exams. You might assume that I wanted to be an influencer and worked towards that goal, but it wasn’t anything like that,” he says.

At that time, he was one of the few among his group of friends at SMK Bandar Sri Damansara 1 who had a PlayStation 4 console at home.

“Back then, I was always playing Grand Theft Auto and because only one or two of my classmates had access to a PS4 or the game, they would ask me to record the games so they could get a feel for what it was all about. I happily agreed and began capturing clips for them to watch,” says the avid gamer.

“At the same time, there was a teacher at school who would always ask me to edit content videos for school (kerja kursus) and he would guide me along the way.

“This really piqued my interest in video editing, but I didn’t have enough content to work with. So when my friends asked me to make game videos, it sort of became my plan not just to record my gameplay but to start editing them into watchable videos as well so that I could brush up on my editing skills.

“It then just made sense to upload these videos on YouTube so it would be easy for them to watch.”

According to Syafiq Aiman, at the time, there were very few Malaysian gaming influencers on YouTube.

“I was recording, editing, and posting. I was lucky because PlayStation had introduced a feature that allowed players to record their games, so it made it easy for me, and I would post at least two of these recordings a day … it was after exams, after all!”

During the school holidays that year, one of his schoolmates, Azim Irfan, suggested he make a video called Kembali Ke Sekolah (youtu.be/taILazdWMgY), which would be a fun outing about preparing to go back to school.

“It was very random,” Syafiq Aiman says. “I didn’t have a storyline or script. Just boom! I started recording … and today the views for that video stand at 1.2 million!”

Every day for the last six years, Syafiq Aiman and his band of merry men (all of whom are former schoolmates), have been churning out videos non-stop.

Syafiq Aiman explains that before this pivotal video, hardly anyone was really watching the videos he posted, just a small bunch of kids at school.

“Then suddenly, after Kembali Ke Sekolah, my views started shooting up. From hundreds to thousands of views. It was mind-blowing. Who were these people? I was completely bowled over!”

Kembali Ke Sekolah uses the GTA sets and scenes but features Syafiq Aiman choosing his outfit (secondary school green trousers and white shirt) and getting ready for school, then deciding on his mode of transport … a Ferrari, of course! IRL, Syafiq Aiman loves cars and, incidentally, was able to buy his first one when he was just in Form 5 – a Honda Civic FE.

“Online, it was like a whole new world was opening up for me and all I needed was my imagination to take me places.

“I could pretend that I had a lot of money and access to things I didn’t have in real life. It was fun and spontaneous, and there were no rules. I just went in head-on,” he says.

Watching the Kembali Ke Sekolah video today, Syafiq Aiman is a little sheepish.

“I have not changed anything on that video since it was made in December 2018 for posterity’s sake.

“So you know, the video quality is not too good, the mic quality is not too good, I just used whatever I could get my hands on.

“I didn’t even know how to speak properly then. I was just 15 and if you listen to it, there wasn’t much energy and enthusiasm!” he critiques himself.

However, it was after that video that Syafiq Aiman decided he wanted to create content seriously.

“If anything interesting happened at school or to one of my friends, I would use those ideas to create new stories.

“My buddy Mohamad Elham was also always coming up with ideas. He would develop storylines and we would act them out within the GTA framework; you can watch some of them like Dugaan Untuk Pulang Beraya, a GTA 5 Raya Special, or Sekolah Baru Aku Berhantu.

“If a new movie was released, we’d hop onto that as well, like say Polis Evo, which spawned numerous videos for us, including Tangkap Orang Langgar PKP Pakai Evo 100HP: Forza Horizon 4.

“Each ‘episode’ would last for about 20 minutes or so and feature me solo, with a friend, or with a bunch of friends.”

The chatty young man says that usually gaming and recording take about three hours and are the simplest parts of the whole process.

“Most people think I am gaming all day, but this is not the case at all. The longest and toughest process is the editing work.”

Apart from the gaming videos that Syafiq Aiman mostly collaborates on with this team (all of whom are former schoolmates), he also does several unboxing videos and gadget reviews, as well as vlogs for which he often partners up with his dad.

“My dad loves shopping and is a fan of Hypebeast, he loves watches too. So every time he’s out shopping, I usually tag along and vlog. My dad and I have a very close relationship. I enjoy sharing with others what my life is like.”

Syafiq Aiman says that his father has been supportive of his choices.

“I remember in my early YouTubing days, I once asked him if he would buy me a better microphone, and once he learnt what it was for, he was happy to support me.

“The first mic I bought was a Blue Yeti for RM600, sponsored by my dad, of course. Later, I asked for a computer, and he got me a Macbook Pro.

“If he hadn’t done those things, I am not sure if I would be where I am today. We are not a super rich family, but my dad has always been willing to support me, encourage me, give me ideas, as well as caution and correct me whenever I make mistakes,” says the middle child of three children.

Another one of Syafiq Aiman’s passions, apart from games, gadgets and cars is travel, and he has started to include travel videos on his YouTube channel.

“I have made four or five trips to Japan, and it’s great because I get to go to car shows, look for the latest toys and gadgets, as well as start working on my travel vlogging skills.

“What’s more is that my followers, who are mostly from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, seem to be interested in everything I do. Three years ago, I went to Japan and bought some Beyblade toys, and that video raked in two million views!”

Featuring over 1,200 videos, Syafiq Aiman’s YouTube channel consists of gaming, vlogging, unboxing, reviews and challenge videos, some spontaneous, some scripted, and some written as short stories.

As for challenges, Syafiq Aiman says coming up with fresh ideas and content can be difficult.

“After making so many videos, it gets a little tough because you can’t repeat any of that content. I never really thought about that when I started.

“I also had to learn by trial and error about editing and posting. You know, things like copyright issues. There was no one to guide me, so I had to learn everything on my own. But it’s been good for me because I have improved along the way.”

Syafiq Aiman shares, for example, that initially there were no filters when it came to language.

“Me and my friends were ad-libbing and speaking how we normally would speak at school or when we hang out.

“But as a content creator and influencer, I came to understand that my words carried a lot of sway with my audience and I shouldn’t be careless in my speech.

“Many of my viewers are young schoolchildren, after all. So since I became aware of this, and it was early on in my career, I have been self-censoring to ensure that the videos are okay for all ages to watch.”

And this has sort of transferred into real life as well.

“Once I walk out the door every morning, I put on my ‘work hat’ and I am on my best behaviour, smiling and being my best self with people I meet.”

Syafiq Aiman says one also needs a lot of mental stamina to be in this line of business.

“My life these days is directed by numbers. Every morning, I look at my subscribers and views. My struggle is maintaining these numbers.

“There are often dips, but then they do skyrocket too. That’s normal. The challenge is to be steadfast despite the ups and downs. To just keep going.”

Syafiq is proud to be a PlayStation Ambassador.

He says that once he stopped for a week, and soon after, his followers started asking where he was and what had happened to the content that they were anticipating.

“It was obvious to me then that I couldn’t afford to slack off or have creative ‘burnouts’!”

One of the happy things that happened along the way was that Syafiq Aiman managed to attract the attention of Sony, which approached him to become one of its PlayStation ambassadors.

“I have been a PlayStation fan since I was a kid, you know. PSP, PS2, PS3, PS4 – I had them all and I love them so much. When I started my YouTube channel, I was using a PS4.

“When the PS5 came out two years ago, I was one of those people waiting in line. I think I was one of the first few to get the PS5 in the country – number eight, if memory serves me right.

“Of course, I couldn’t wait to make an unboxing video and soon after that home-made video was published, Aku Orang Yang Bertuah Dapat Beli PS5 + Full Set Accessories!, a marketing representative from Sony contacted me to ask if I would like to do a promo video for the open-world action adventure Ghost Of Tsushima.

“Needless to say, I was thrilled. Imagine the people from PlayStation calling me!”

Since then Syafiq Aiman has done a bunch of videos for PlayStation, including reviews, unboxing videos and even event launches.

“It is such a thrill for me to represent them. I am so proud and happy. And when I say I am excited about something in those videos, you can really take my word for it – I truly am!”

Syafiq Aiman says that he was blessed with the gift of the gab from a young age and that he hopes to one day have a show of his own like Steve Harvey’s Steve TV Show.

He laughs and says: “My mother would get a lot of complaints from school when I was a kid because I just would not stop talking. Bising sangat, the teachers would say. Who would have thought that the non-stop chatter would turn out to be my bread and butter!”

LevelUp with Syafiq Aiman

Q: How can one succeed as a content creator?

If you want to be a content creator, don’t let money be your incentive. Because if you go in with the mindset that you are going to make money and you don’t hit the bullseye, you are likely to get deflated and leave prematurely.

But if you do it because you are passionate about creating content and offering something to your fans, you have a much better chance of succeeding.

You can definitely sustain a stable income and build a career by being an influencer. I have not only done so, but I am also able to share my earnings with my friends.

While my career initially took off on YouTube, I now have subsidiary avenues of income as well. But we work hard for it every day, my team and I.

Q: What are some of your favourite games?

Grand Theft Auto 5, Forza Horizon, Need For Speed and Roblox.

Q: What equipment do you use?

For gaming, I’m either on the PS5 or PC. For recording, I have two cameras: a Sony A6600 and a Sony ZV-E10. I also use Shure and Rode microphones and a Macbook Pro for editing.