Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Jemel Williams

Jemel Williams, better known as Jemel One Five, has a career unthinkable only a few years ago. He makes videos about his life, posts them to YouTube and watches the views come rolling in. Cat Marshall meets the man whose most popular video on YouTube has been seen more than half a million times.

If you’ve ever been approached by someone claiming to be the rapper Stormzy or footballer Daniel Sturridge attempting to pick up girls in full Liverpool kit on the streets of Bristol, then it’s likely that you’ve met YouTuber Jemel Williams, aka Jemel One Five.

Dressed in his signature ‘JOF’ branded t-shirt, I recognise Jemel instantly from his YouTube videos as he sits in the window of our chosen meeting place, Boston Tea Party on Whiteladies Road – close to where he recently filmed a video about slang to help promote the release of the film Brotherhood on DVD.

After deciding that it’s never too early for cake, we order a slab of carrot cake and a brownie and take a seat. As we chat, the usually hyperactive Jemel seems nervous. I realise that he’s usually the one doing the interviewing, not being interviewed.

“I’m quite quiet, very low key,” he admits. “My videos are me, it’s me expressing myself. You know how people can write music and they’ll just put everything on the guitar or whatever, me doing the videos is that and once I’ve put it into a video then it’s like a release.

“People go to the gym for a release after a stressful day, I put it through my videos. So when I’m not making videos I’m very laid back. I go to the cinema by myself, I go and spend time with my family or close friends and play FIFA.”

This quiet side to Jemel is very different from the cheeky, confident and dynamic 25-year-old in his videos. Best known for his interviews with the public, on camera his ability to speak to anyone about anything has earnt him more than 100,000 followers on his YouTube account, Jemel One Five.

“My dad gave me the idea years ago to do them but I ignored it and thought no one would be interested. But years later I started doing it,” he laughs.

“I’m like a job gypsy. I move from job to job. I was working at an energy company and I walked out. The following weekend me and my cousin made our first video and it got a really good response.”

Jemel made his video in 2014 when he ventured out on a Saturday night in the city centre and asked people about their favourite chat-up lines. The responses and the success of the video led to a series of similar skits with the Bristol public. 

Recently, he has started to integrate his love of football into his channel. Football has always been a big part of his life and at one point was even a possible career option. One YouTube video from last year shows him nonchalantly hitting the crossbar on the volley from the halfway line.

“I stopped playing football when I was 21 to pursue YouTube. I was in and out of football academies but it wasn’t like I got injured and couldn’t go pro. I just gave up.”

He pauses to reflect and take a bite of his carrot cake. “I think when I was younger as well my attitude was a little different, I think my mindset’s a lot better now and giving up that made me realise how much harder I needed to work with the YouTube thing to make it work.”

After maxing out a credit card to buy his filming equipment and then working to pay it off, he has definitely worked hard to further his YouTube career. But as I speak to him, I sense that with this change of mindset, Jemel is searching for a bigger change.

He still lives with his family in Fishponds, but he hopes to find more independence as his channel continues to grow.

“In 2017 the goal is to have my own place or shared accommodation with my little brother or cousin, something like that. Being here for such a long time I feel like there’s more to the world I need to explore, I need to grow up and move somewhere else.

“Bristol always seemed like things were going on in different places and we were kind of just spectating. Then it got to an age where I started doing videos and I just wanted to do something for myself and prove at the same time that something can happen here. It’s not just a city where it’s nice but there’s nothing else going on.”

Bristol could well feel like a small place when working with a global platform such as YouTube, and. Jemel’s future aspirations expand beyond his home town and even beyond YouTube.

“I wouldn’t want YouTube to be my main thing, I just want to keep interacting and expanding,” he tells me.

“In the future I want to do something that involves interviewing people and using interviews to inspire other people. Maybe presenting or acting or something, I don’t want to rely on YouTube but it’s a great platform and great portfolio. The more followers I get the more doors will open.”

Boston Tea Party, 97 Whiteladies Road, BS8 2NT 

1 x Carrot cake £2.95
1 x Brownie £2.75

Total: £5.70

Illustration by Anna Higgie: www.annahiggie.co.uk

Read more: Breakfast with Bristol 24/7: Chris Daniels