How it started vs How it's going

The subscribers that were with us from Day One will know that Mr H and Friends was quite different back then from how it is today, even Mrs H looked quite different back then (scroll down for serious facial hair!!)

We thought we'd take a look back with you on our journey to the channel of how it is today.

H is for History

Back in his school days Mr H would borrow the school's video camera and make videos of his shenanigans with friends. He has always loved making memories and knew that in time photos and videos would be a great thing to look back on. We now know he got that from his Mum as we have had the pleasure of looking back on many old family home videos that she painstakingly filmed and restored over the years. There wasn't a platform like YouTube back then for Mr H to publish any videos on, and probably a good job too. In a way I am glad I did not get to watch some of those early videos as some of them did sound a bit odd as I found out in Mr H's best man's speech at our wedding!

We first met at a trade show in 2006 when I joined the industry that Mr H had been working in. I worked for a distributor and he worked for a manufacture who supplied us when our main supplier let us down. I should have seen the signs back then that he was someone you could rely on, and who would always help you out.

A couple of years later Mr H joined the company that I worked for and we got to know each other quite well. He always had a way of making the work day fun and time seemed to go quicker, with silly jokes and pranks, or just being a positive energy to be around. We honestly had such fun working together, there was never a dull moment, and despite having such good times we did a hell of a lot of work.

I've digressed but the reason I am telling you this is because this is an insight to Mr H's personality and how the channel started. When Covid hit and we were put in lockdown Mr H created a facebook group called 'Light relief' with the idea to give people some relief from the craziness going on around us and a chance of some escapism. He wanted to make sure people had an outlet and somewhere they could have a giggle. When our English lockdown got tougher and there were more restrictions, and less work, Mr H was put on furlough where he was still employed but did not work. He basically was given a year's vacation (but one where you couldn't leave your house). That time gave him the chance to create the Mr H and Friends YouTube channel.

How it Started

The initial Mr H and Friends (MHAF) YouTube channel was an extension of that Facebook group where Mr H could hopefully make more people laugh. It started with jokes and pranks, and with Mr H creating multiple personalities. I often worried which crazy person I'd be stuck in a house with from one day to the next.

Mrs H's first appearance!

The channel then evolved into Mr H taking on various challenges - The Carolina Reaper challenge, The Cinnamon challenge, The 100 layers of foundation challenge to name a few. I needn't be concerned about his personalities anymore, I was more concerned for his health with some of these things.

I'd be busy working from home and Mr H would rock up into the office wearing mascara, or be in the bathroom which was the room next to my office, submerged in water, holding his breath for a "challenge".

100 Layers of Foundation Challenge

Luckily the craziness stopped and he started doing reaction videos to American things. Anything from Geography, Nature, Military to Food. That is when the channel took off and got momentum and which gave it the grounding it has today. It was a natural transition as we have both always loved America, and Mr H's sister has lived over the pond in various States for the last 20 years. It was somewhere where Mr H vacationed each year to spend time with family, and then when we became a couple, we vacationed together there. The natural direction the channel took delighted us, as we have a genuine interest in The USA, so it was a lot of fun filming.

The birth of the food monster (not Elana)

When MHAF started growing a following, Mr H started getting mail and parcels. It was great to have the two way interaction from people outside of the comments and emails. Quite often people would send American food to try and this excited us. I don't consider us to be "foodies" but we love to eat good food, and lots of it. Experiencing a bite of America here in the UK was amazing and got us filming more original content and the chance to be creative through taste tests, and then the first 'Cooking with H'. That in turn gave me anxiety again as I witnessed the chaos Mr H created in the kitchen. That man cooks a good steak but the mess he makes with some of your American dishes is obscene.

The first time making something American

As time has gone on we have gotten more adventurous with our cooking and happy to take on the cooking challenges that you give us in recreating your dishes. We are all thoroughly enjoying trying your food, most of which is amazing, but some dishes don't always hit the H spot!

Elana is going to grow up with quite an eclectic palette, which is a good thing for her, but maybe not for us as her personal chefs. The good thing about cooking and the taste tests is that it brings us as a family together, and brings us together with you. When we were doing reaction videos we couldn't always do it with Elana as she was either not interested in the subject, or it wasn't appropriate, or she just wanted to be a kid and not sit still. Although it is a lot more time consuming through planning, prep, filming, and editing, we absolutely love bringing you our own original content, and we thank you for watching our videos and allowing us to do what we love.

How's it going

We are loving being on this adventure with you and enjoy everything you share with us too. I know we post the videos that you support us in watching, but without all the interaction that you give us such as suggestions, hints and tips, we wouldn't be able to make the videos.

We've gone through a bit of a rollercoaster 3-4 months, which I don't think we are at the end of yet but we are going to try to continue to bring you at least two videos a week on Thursdays and Sundays. We'd love to bring you more content, but at the moment it isn't feasible with Mr H working full time and often travelling. Where we can get the bonus videos and Live streams in we will do. I'm trying to work on my editing skills to take some of the pressure off Mr H, so if you see a poorly edited video, blame me!

Hitting 100K subscribers was a dream come true for Mr H. I cannot tell you it was a dream of mine too, as YouTube wasn't my dream, it was his. I didn't feel comfortable being on camera and whilst working Full Time I didn't have the time to even consider it. However all this changed once I had Elana and wasn't working full time anymore. Something struck me the first time I made Biscuits and Gravy for the channel. I think my whole perception of American food changed. I became a lot more invested in the cooking and how this could help with the channel. We are both probably too invested in this channel as it's all we talk about at home. We are like that boring couple you meet at a party that you cannot get away from, and they bore you death with their only topic of conversation.

The first Biscuits and Gravy attempt

On a serious note we both care so much about this channel and how it grows, and we need you to continue to help us in growing the channel through your suggestions and ideas of what to do next.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this blog or what you want to see next on MHAF in the comments.