Danny Malin: 'What it’s really like being a full-time food reviewer - and why it’s not all free meals!'

My daughter turns three this week, and I can already see her following in my footsteps.

While she loves showing off a 'cheese pull' for photos, telling jokes, and singing "cheese me, cheese me...", it made me think about what having my job actually takes.

The word "influencer" gets a bad rap, but for most of us who create content full-time, it’s certainly more than just posing for a camera.

I use the term "full-time" when referring to my profession reviewing food on my Danny Vs Food YouTube channel - but the truth is, it’s a lot more hours than any standard 9-to-5 job.

Granted, I know I’ve got one of the absolute best jobs in the world, despite it not being as easy as it might look from the outside.

I love the fact that I get to try amazing food right across the country and beyond, but my day-to-day life is much more than just rocking up in Leeds city centre, trying a burger, and chatting to passers-by.

When I’m not in front of the camera, I’m constantly researching, planning, and running meetings to keep the whole operation moving.

Part of that is managing the finances for the channel.

People assume everything is handed to us, but not only do we pay for the food I review, but we’ve got travel costs, staff wages, accommodation, and thousands of pounds in camera equipment to cover.

Social media is 24/7 - there’s no real break. If you’re not making content, you’re planning it, promoting it, or consuming it.

Platforms like YouTube are effectively TV stations in their own right now, meaning there’s endless editing, graphic design, and promotional work behind every single upload.

That’s on top of dealing with business enquiries, travelling up and down the country to locations, appearing at events, and managing the inevitable wave of criticism and trolling that comes with putting yourself out there online.

Like most creators, I’ve got a few different strings to my bow: alongside the food reviews, I run three other channels, including Mr and Mrs Yorkshire, Danny & Gary, and our Aye Up Listen 'ere podcast.

On the business side, I manage the Packhorse Kitchen food court through my company Danny’s Collective, and I’m a joint-owner of Merlin’s Magic shop in Wakefield as well as a couple of local bars.

While it’s brilliant to see the younger generation aspiring to become content creators, you really do need an extremely thick skin - and you have to be prepared to work all hours to make it happen.

Follow Danny between columns by visiting his official Instagram page, or follow Mr and Mrs Yorkshire on Instagram for more in and around the region.