“I don’t want to be presenting in pyjamas, with bear hair”

QMedia barons are wealthy people. Is that why you started 6 News? If you asked me that as a kid, four years ago, I would have said: “Yeah. I would love the money.” I do it because I am passionate about it. I have been called the next Rupert Murdoch, but I couldn’t make that comparison. It is something that I genuinely love, which is a weird thing to say when my family has zero investment in the media.

How did the notion arise?

I wanted to do it as a young kid in primary school. I thought of it as a passion project. I was in Year 6 in 2019, and I’m now in Year 9. It started on YouTube, and then the pandemic started. Around March-April we launched accounts on most social media platforms and have grown since then. It will continue to grow, I might add.

How did you set it up?

It comes partly from equipment we already had. My dad had a green screen and box lights. My studio is in a warehouse that we rent, the desk is an old table and the chair is from home.

What is your biggest scoop?

Interviews with three prime ministers – Kevin Rudd last year, Scott Morrison when he was prime minister and the current prime minister, Anthony Albanese. They were in-depth, unedited and proper conversations. We made sure to ask tough questions. Kevin Rudd pushed a strong position on Murdoch – he wanted a royal commission. We pushed him on that, including factual inaccuracies. We will continue doing that. Another big story was calling there would be another Covid lockdown in Melbourne. We were spot on.

During the campaign the press was accused of being partisan. Should reporting always be fair and balanced?

We aim to be impartial. The only time we might take an editorial line might be when a matter directly concerns us, like press freedom. We have a follower base and subscriber base from all spectrums – rusted-on Labor supporters, die-hard Liberal voters, Green supporters, some socialists. We are about as impartial as we can get. We have been accused of being pro every single label under the sun. Our record shows we are impartial.

How do you fund it?

Most of it is through donations – $4 a month through Patreon. Our viewers can sign up and get exclusive benefits. We also get income from YouTube advertising, but that is small because when you cover news you can’t monetise your videos. We are almost fully funded these days. We have a sustainable business model.

How many reporters do you have?

They keep expanding, but it’s roughly 10, including myself. That includes on-air and off-air right across the country and a US correspondent, Jackson Gosnell. It is expanding, and all we ask is that people take us seriously. The team could carry on without me. I have been to two school camps, and during the last one the fifth Victorian lockdown was announced, but I didn’t have any (equipment). The team covered it, and I was blissfully unaware what was happening.

What would you be if not a media owner or journalist?

Maybe a politician. Maybe I could run for the seat of Kooyong, where I live, one day. There’s nothing else I can see myself doing. I can’t thank our viewers enough.

You look very professional. You have a great suit.

You should have seen some of my early bulletins. My hair was a mess. I have watched the news from a young age, so I don’t want to be presenting in pyjamas, with bear hair. I now talk in this news tone every day. It has become my voice!