Hannah “Harto” Hart started vlogging back in March of this year – and it was a vlog niche that no one had yet mastered – drunk cooking. Her comedic and inebriated approach to cooking got popular and 9 episodes later, she’s built up a large community of fans. Crazy story, I know! We thought we’d ask her a few (sober) questions about her My Drunk Kitchen t-shirt shop, marketing and other shirt related stuff. Here’s what she had to say:
What inspired or motivated you to open a shop and how long have you run the shop?
I started a YouTube series called “My Drunk Kitchen” and fans of it started asking me to make t-shirts. So I made a design available and was planning on doing all the shipping on my own but then..
How did you learn about Spreadshirt?
…Spreadshirt contacted me and asked if I wanted to use their site instead!
How did you come up with the idea of doing your own “kitchen show”?
Well, I was apartment-sitting for my older sister and talking with my old roommate over video chat. I found a bottle of wine (which my sister likes to tell me “was not free, just not paid for by you…”) and decided to make a cooking show for former roommie. I made it, posted it online, and then…well, then all this wonderful stuff started happening!
How many videos do you create per month? Do you always design t-shirts according to each video?
I try to make 1-2 episodes a month. I like to design the t-shirts after people start telling me what their favorite parts of the video are. 🙂
How much time do you invest in your shop?
Quite a bit! It’s a way to show the fans of the show that I’m listening and that I care. I’ve been really pleased with Spreadshirt’s quality and service. So have they.
Do you create designs yourself? How do you generate ideas for your shirt-designs?
I have a friend who helps me design the logos, and the ideas for the shirt designs all come from the videos.
Where and how do you market your shop and make it well-known? If you market it on YouTube, how and how successful is that?
I market it on Facebook, my website, and my Twitter account. I have links at the bottom of my YouTube videos…I have no idea how successful that part is though… I just try and make it as available and as public as possible!
Who do you think your customers are?
I think that they are fans of My Drunk Kitchen. All ages, races, creeds, and kin!
If you think back from the “opening” of your shop up to now, what would be the the most important insight that you would give a newcomer?
Be sure to ask a lot of questions! It’s the best way to learn. Also, I would tell them that the staff of Spreadshirt is both friendly and informative.
What was your biggest achievement up to now (with or without Spreadshirt)?
I got featured in an article on TIME’s online site! I was very pleased with that. 🙂
Have you ever seen someone you don’t know walking around with your t-shirt on?
Not yet…but fans send me pictures of them wearing the gear. They seem to love it!
What do you do for a living, or better said: what do you do when you are not creating videos or cool t-shirts?
I have a day job as a proofreader for a translation company. It’s a bit like whitecollar mining….
If you were a t-shirt, what would you look like?
I would be a totally sweet unisex v-neck with a bird on it.
Which question have you always wanted to be asked and what is the answer?
I have always wanted people to ask me: If you could be any type of fruit, what would you be and why? My answer would be the Taco, because it’s a most versatile fruit. (Ref. MDK7)
