His first name is inseparable from the word Youtubeur.
Cyprien, whose real name is Cyprien Lov, 31, was one of the pioneers of the genre.
It started in 2007 under the name Monsieurdream and on Dailymotion.
For 13 years, his sketches have made him an Internet star.
The figures are a bit dizzy.
His YouTube channel has just passed the milestone of ... 14 million subscribers and has more than 2.5 billion views.
Success, a rather rare thing, he also knows in bookstores with his comic strip “Roger and his humans”, the 3rd volume of which has just been released in bookstores.
The first two had sold 320,000 copies in total.
Its faithful animated series adaptation, also broadcast on YouTube, is reaching 15 million views.
On this news, on his career on YouTube, on his desires, Cyprien, rather rare in the media, agreed to answer us.
Did you expect the success of your comic book?
CYPRIEN.
When the first book came out in 2015, it was my first time signing something unrelated to YouTube.
I admit I was a little afraid of the reception.
Especially since I did not want to do merchandising, do sketches or Cyprien's life in comics.
It's a real story.
The success has been inversely proportional to my fears.
It gave me confidence to do other things, like short films.
Do you feel like a comic book author today?
I love comics.
I am an avid reader, especially manga.
So I would be very honored to be recognized as an author.
Let's say that, after three albums, we can consider that technically I am one ...
Your readers are mostly your YouTube subscribers, right?
For the first volume, it's obvious.
It was mostly a young audience who knew me.
Today, at signings, I often see older people who tell me that they don't know the YouTube channel but love comics.
I believe the animated series is also watched by people who don't know who I am.
Why are so many Youtubers turning to comics?
I cannot answer for them.
Me, in any case, I did not do it in the spirit of "derivative product" simply to benefit financially from my visibility.
I really wanted to make an original creation, with real characters, a script.
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When you're a Youtubeur, do you absolutely have to diversify?
It depends on temperaments.
What I like is creation.
If I was doing sketches on YouTube, and I still do, it's because it was easy to do, especially on my own.
But to be able to create something else, bigger, I was just waiting for that.
It's central to me.
You started 13 years ago.
Do you see yourself aging Youtubeur?
No !
I also have the impression that I am already a dinosaur.
The Internet is changing very quickly.
What I do, sketches, is not fashionable at all.
It's a bit like Père Castor on YouTube.
Today, what pleases are the challenges, the challenges.
The videos without a scenario in which the Internet user has the impression of finding himself with a bunch of friends who are messing around ... But hey, what I'm doing still pleases a little since my number of subscribers continues to increase.
No doubt my audience ages at the same time as me.
Would you say Youtubeur is a profession?
Yes, in the sense that you create your own job and that you create others as well: cameramen, editors… But not many of us make a living from it.
Are you making a good living?
I make a very good living.
Fortunately, with 14 million subscribers ...
Wouldn't you prefer to be talked about as an artist?
I would be very happy to be considered as such.
But the term Youtubeur is fine with me.
I'm not going to spit in the soup.
That said, when I look at my schedule, between video game production, comic book scripts, short films, YouTube only takes up a small part of my time.
In 2018, “Le Parisien” revealed testimonies of teens harassed by Youtubers.
Did you know these actions?
I had heard noises from the corridors, especially at Youtubers conventions.
But when it came out, I was like everyone else: I was wondering who?
Afterwards, if you ask me if it exists, I think so.
Unscrupulous guys who abuse their power, there must be some among Youtubers, as in the cinema or in music.
It is very good that it has been put on the table.
It's an opportunity to warn fans and tell them "be careful".
