How Do You Do? with David Bennett

How Alex Ball writes music for TV and adverts • How Do You Do ep.8

Alex Ball is a professional TV composer and also a YouTuber who makes videos about vintage synthesizers! He is the composer for BBC children's TV show Supertato, and his music has also appeared in Stranger Things. So today we discuss how Alex broke his way into the world of TV music and also how he gained over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube playing with old synths! Check out Alex's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexBallMusic Welcome to How Do You Do, the podcast where I chat to successful creatives about how they do what they do! You can watch on YouTube and Spotify and also listen wherever you get your podcasts.

How David Hartley’s music history videos blew up! • How Do You Do ep.7

David Hartley has earned 250 million subscribers with his music documentaries on YouTube. He also was previously the editor for my own YouTube channel and one of our favourite things to do is discuss YouTube! So today I'm asking David about his success on YouTube and we drill into the nature of the platform and also its future.Check out David Hartley's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@davidhartley94Welcome to How Do You Do, the podcast where I chat to successful creatives about how they do what they do! You can watch on YouTube and Spotify and also listen wherever you get your podcasts.

How David Bruce composes classical music for world class venues • How Do You Do ep.6

David Bruce is both a very successful classical composer and a YouTube! Today we learn about the business of being a classical composer in the 21st century including how David gets commissioned to write music and also his side hustles including YouTube and his sheet music website 8notes.com. Check out David Bruce's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DBruceWelcome to How Do You Do, the podcast where I chat to successful creatives about how they do what they do! You can watch on YouTube and Spotify and also listen wherever you get your podcasts. (00:00) Introduction (00:51) Making Money as a Classical Composer (07:18) Writing for Instruments You Don't Play (18:30) Composing Operas (21:00) Challenging Ensembles to Write For (24:00) Nurture Relationships With Performers (29:00) Film Composing vs. Classical Composing (30:53) YouTube (38:28) Side Hustles (46:45) Has YouTube Culture Changed? (49:04) Advice for Aspiring Composers

How Half-Asleep Chris got over 1 Billion views • How Do You Do ep.5

Half-Asleep Chris has amassed over 4 million subscribers and over 1 billion views with his super creative videos. Along with his beloved feline co-stars he has created all manner of wonderful contraptions, but the topics of his videos really know no bounds. So today I'm learning how Chris approaches making YouTube videos and asking him for any advice he'd have for aspiring YouTubers.Check out Chris' channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HalfAsleepChrisWelcome to How Do You Do, the podcast where I chat to successful creatives about how they do what they do! You can watch on YouTube and Spotify and also listen wherever you get your podcasts. (00:00) Introduction (01:56) Finishing Big Projects On YouTube (07:31) How Often To Upload (11:28) Attention To Detail In Videos (16:53) Motivation To Start The Channel (19:40) Barrier For Entry For YouTube (22:01) Viral Success (24:00) Evolving The Content You Make (27:15) YouTube Kids (36:07) Tom Scott's Best Video (38:11) YouTube Won The Streaming Wars (42:16) Other People Copying Video Ideas (44:25) Dealing With Comments (46:04) What Would You Change About YouTube? (48:04) Advice For Aspiring YouTubers (53:39) Why Is Chris Half-Asleep?

How Mary Spender earned 1000 true fans • How Do You Do ep.4

Mary Spender is a singer-songwriter who has built a career with her YouTube following. She has toured her original music, released various albums and made hundreds of YouTube videos all thanks to nurturing her fanbase and avoiding getting hung up on the old record label model. Today Mary and I chat about how musicians can use YouTube to launch their career, how to deal with the threat of AI and how to really connect with your fans.Check out Mary's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MarySpenderWelcome to How Do You Do, the podcast where I chat to successful creatives about how they do what they do! You can watch on YouTube and Spotify and also listen wherever you get your podcasts. (0:00) Introduction (2:00) Starting YouTube (6:10) Record label is no longer the way (8:28) Nurturing 1000 true fans (18:10) Live shows (22:50) The YouTuber workflow (34:04) Starting side channels (37:57) AI Music & how to survive (50:35) Meeting Mark Ronson and travel (56:30) New music in 2026 (1:00:00) Advice for aspiring musicians