Dave & the Shed

Inspired by the freedom convoy, a guy in the trades becomes a livestreamer

Dave, the host of the Live from the Shed YouTube channel - and the person who delivered the brilliant speech discussed here - was interviewed two weeks after being arrested at gunpoint in Ottawa.

In the video below, he explains why he traveled hundreds of miles to be there, why he decided to remain beyond the first weekend, and how he inadvertently ended up as a livestreamer.

Dave became friendly with a trucker whose rig was parked squarely in front of Parliament with a garden shed on the back. Originally, they mounted a webcam for security reasons. Since live streaming devours cellphone data plans, they soon jokingly posted a sign that read “Elon Musk, we need Starlink!” (The US billionaire, who owns that satellite-based Internet service, had previously Tweeted support for the convoy.)

Within an hour or so, a stranger approached them. In a shining example of the generosity, resourcefulness, and community the convoy inspired, he offered to drive a couple of hours into the nearby province of Quebec to fetch his own Starlink dish (worth approximately $1,000). By the end of the day, it was installed on The Shed. Relying on portable generators, Dave attempted to broadcast 24/7 (camera malfunctions due to the harsh winter conditions notwithstanding).

Sometimes he slept in The Shed, sometimes he got a hotel room. Alone in The Shed one night, unable to sleep, he says "I got bored, so I turned the microphone on.” As he began providing live commentary, viewers “seemed really interested, and they were asking all these questions." His transition from observer/recorder to an on-air YouTube personality had begun.

The interview with Dave, conducted by the marvelous Viva Frei, begins at 9:28 minutes and ends around 36 minutes:

It can also be viewed on YouTube here.