Martin (YouTuber)

Martin
馬田
Martin in a YouTube vlog on 6 July 2019
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2014–present
Genres
  • Cooking
  • lifestyle
  • travelling
Subscribers1.11 million (Dim Cook Guide)
1.32 million (Gao Shen Ma)
Total views206 million (Dim Cook Guide)
402 million (Gao Shen Ma)
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese馬田
Simplified Chinese马田
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMǎtián
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingMaa5tin4
Last updated: 17 June 2023

Martin (traditional Chinese: 馬田; simplified Chinese: 马田) is a Hong Kong YouTuber, television personality, and author. He created the YouTube cooking channel Dim Cook Guide (traditional Chinese: 點 Cook Guide; simplified Chinese: 点 Cook Guide) on 21 February 2014, growing it to be ranked third by number of subscribers for Hong Kong YouTube channels in 2021.

On Dim Cook Guide, Martin posts videos about how to cook food in different ways, aiming to showcase the most popular dishes that are available in local eateries. Martin posts travel vlogs and conducts food and product reviews. Martin co-created the YouTube channel Gao Shen Ma [zh] (Chinese: 搞神馬) with Taiwanese gaming YouTuber Ashan Kouki [zh]. The channel features mo lei tau humour as well as entertainment, lifestyle, kuso, Internet challenges, and unboxing content. It reached 1.3 million subscribers by the end of 2022.

Martin authored two cookbooks and started Delicious Cow Shop (Chinese: 牛旨商店), a hot pot online store that mostly sells Japanese ingredients. He competed on the ViuTV cooking reality competition show Kick Hall  [zh; zh-yue] in 2020 and guest starred on the 2022 HOY TV cooking show Cooking in Pandemic  [zh; zh-yue]. With Sammie Yu [zh-yue], he co-hosted the television programme Farmer Martin  [zh-yue], which featured the duo visiting Hong Kong farms, fisheries, and factories in search of food and special ingredients.

YouTube channel

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Martin (right) in a 6 July 2019 video with fellow Hong Kong YouTuber Mira. The duo discuss what Hong Kong people like about Taiwan.

Before becoming a YouTuber, Martin was employed at a production company where his work involved taking photographs and film videos.[1][2] Without any formal instruction on cooking food, he self-learned cooking during his spare time.[2] On 21 February 2014, Martin started the YouTube channel Dim Cook Guide (Chinese: 點 Cook Guide).[3] The channel grew to over 100,000 subscribers by 2015, which the magazine New Monday  [zh] attributed to its "exquisite and simple" cooking videos.[2] In an interview with the magazine, Martin attributed his success to prioritising "laziness". With his audience primarily being young people, he aimed to present dishes that were the most popular and available in local eateries. After researching recipes on the Internet, he modified their steps and their ingredients so that the ingredients could be purchased at supermarkets instead of specialty stores. For the Portuguese dish Serradura, he streamlined the ingredients to be Oreos and whipped cream, omitting typical ingredients like vanilla extract, sugar, and condensed milk.[2] For over three years, Martin worked full-time at a production company and part-time as a YouTuber.[1]

Martin's viewers call him Nam Tin (Chinese: 腩田; lit. 'Tenderloin Field').[4] In 2015, he collaborated with Cherry, a fellow YouTuber, to make videos on Dim Cook Guide.[5] He recruited her to the channel with two aims. The first was to enable him to converse with another person in the videos about cooking. The second was to give viewers a woman's perspective about the dishes such as what she would give to her spouse or family during various festivals.[2] The duo started a new channel called "Click Here Dim Click" (Chinese: Click Here點Click).[5] To make a cooking video, they repeated takes of the video when the lighting was inadequate or the steps were not followed properly such as the butter's being insufficiently stirred or an extraneous gram of salt being added to the dish.[5] Although initial videos took Martin 10 to 20 takes, by 2015 he was able to make videos in three to five takes.[2] Martin makes videos about how to cook food in different ways.[6] Martin's Dim Cook Guide cooking videos include sausage rolls made in the Hong Kong way, strawberry pork ribs, a barbecue platter, Shaoxing wine chicken, Korean fried chicken, and baked curry cottage loaf.[a] Desserts showcased in Martin's cooking videos include pancakes, Japanese cheesecakes, and put chai ko.[5]

On his YouTube channel, Martin posts travel vlogs to Japan, Taiwan, and other places.[3] He conducts reviews of food and products and posts videos of his trying different kinds of alcohol.[7] Martin collaborated with the YouTube channel Corrupt the Youth [zh] (Chinese: 好青年荼毒室) on the video series "Philosophy can make a living" (Chinese: 哲學有飯開).[3] He collaborated with the singer and actor Ronald Cheng's YouTube channel Running Team [zh] on a 2021 video showing Martin using a washing machine to make soup.[8] In 2015, Martin and Cherry created a sponsored video for Nestlé about the company's tofu product which played in supermarkets whenever customers scanned the QR code.[2] In 2017, Martin partnered with Coca-Cola and Le Creuset to use the companies' soda and cookware, respectively, to make three dishes.[9] When Martin considers requests from companies to advertise in his videos, he assesses how the companies' reputation will affect his reputation. His income is unstable. With a limited number of companies to select from to do sponsored videos, Martin sometimes fails to receive sponsorship revenue that month.[10] His YouTube channel has three membership tiers that in 2022 cost HK$25 (US$3), HK$100 (US$13), and HK$200 (US$26). The lowest tier gave members priority purchasing of his products and allowed for emoji stickers; the middle tier allowed members to receive discounts on products; and the highest tier included the members' names in a thank you at the end of his videos.[11]

In 2017, Martin started the YouTube channel Gao Shen Ma [zh] (Chinese: 搞神馬) with Ashan Kouki [zh] (Chinese: 阿神), a Taiwanese YouTuber who has the largest gaming channel in Taiwan.[6][12] The channel reached one million subscribers in two years.[12] According to Yahoo! News, through its mo lei tau humour and rapport between the creators, the channel accrued 1.3 million subscribers by the end of 2022. Gao Shen Ma features entertainment, lifestyle, kuso, Internet challenges, and unboxing content.[6][12] Chinese Television System said that netizens are entertained through the chemistry between the duo formed from their cultural and language differences and their pleasant, sweet, and humorous interactions.[13]

Oriental Daily in 2015 lauded Dim Cook Guide for its "fresh and lively teaching videos", while Time Out's Jenny Leung in 2020 praised Dim Cook Guide for having "a whole library of fun recipes that will keep your hands busy and stomachs full".[5][7] By the end of 2021, Dim Cook Guide was ranked third by number of subscribers for Hong Kong YouTube channels.[14] By the end of 2022, Dim Cook Guide had 1.1 million subscribers. Martin said in a YouTube video at the end of 2022 that he was making preparations for starting a restaurant in 2023. He planned to gradually cut back on making YouTube videos, explaining that he had shared almost everything he wanted to film as he had been a content creator for eight years.[10]

Business and writing career

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Martin founded Delicious Cow Shop (Chinese: 牛旨商店), a hot pot online store.[10] It primarily sells Japanese ingredients.[3] He wrote two cookbooks: Dim Cook Guide—Hell Chef's Turnaround Gift (Chinese: 點Cook Guide──地獄廚神翻身恩物) and Martin Takes You to Deconstruct Desserts: From Entry to Advanced, a Book to Learn Professional-level Baking Techniques (Chinese: 馬田帶你解構甜點：從入門到進階，一本學會職人級烘焙技法). HK01 described both books as selling well.[10]

Television career

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Martin competed in the eighth episode of the ViuTV cooking reality competition show Kick Hall  [zh; zh-yue] which aired on 16 September 2020. In the episode, Martin went to Sham Shui Po to challenge the owner of the dai pai dong Glorious Cuisine (Chinese: 輝大排檔) on who could make a more superior version of the golden shrimp dish (Chinese: 黃金蝦). Although Martin lost the competition, the two judges and the mentor Jacques Kagi praised him for his creativity and efforts.[3]

He was a guest star on the 2022 cooking show Cooking in Pandemic  [zh; zh-yue] from the free-to-air Hong Kong television channel HOY TV.[15][16] Martin cohosted the television programme Farmer Martin  [zh-yue] with Sammie Yu [zh-yue]. The show aired its first episode on 26 September 2022 on HOY TV. Searching for special ingredients and food, the duo featured Hong Kong farms, fisheries, and factories.[17][18]

Bibliography

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  • Martin 馬田 (2019). 點CookGuide──地獄廚神翻身恩物 [Dim Cook Guide—Hell Chef's Turnaround Gift] (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Ming Chuang Publishing Company [zh]. ISBN 978-9-88852-519-5. Retrieved 17 June 2023 – via Google Books.
  • Martin 馬田 (2021). 馬田帶你解構甜點：從入門到進階，一本學會職人級烘焙技法 [Martin Takes You to Deconstruct Desserts: From Entry to Advanced, a Book to Learn Professional-level Baking Techniques] (in Chinese). Taipei: Taiwan Tohan [zh]. ISBN 978-9-86511-675-0. Retrieved 17 June 2023 – via Google Books.

Footnotes

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  1. ^

References

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  1. ^ a b Lee, Ga-sin 李嘉倩 (18 September 2017). "人人想做KOL 網紅YouTuber吸金背後【有片】" [Everyone wants to be a KOL, behind the money-absorbing YouTuber 【There is a film】】]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Jessie (27 May 2015). "《新Monday》獨家教學！ Dim Cook Guide易整七彩米通" ["New Monday" exclusive teaching! Dim Cook Guide's easy rainbow crispy treats]. New Monday [zh] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Chan, Bak-yu 陳栢宇 (24 September 2020). "【踢館】「準百萬YouTuber」馬田挑戰老師傅 吸金力強拍片係副業" [[Kick Hall] "Quasi-million subscriber YouTuber" Martin challenged the master. He attracts money and make videos as a sideline business] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  4. ^ Fennie (19 January 2021). "訂閱多不代表收入高！盤點20位香港YouTuber最高收入 單靠廣告竟然月入20萬！" [More subscribers does not mean higher income! Inventory of the 20 highest-earning YouTubers in Hong Kong who earned HK$200,000 a month from advertising alone!]. TopBeauty HK (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "「點Cook Guide」教你整台式三文治" ["Dim Cook Guide" teaches you how to make Taiwanese sandwiches]. Oriental Daily (in Chinese). 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Jian, Ziqiao 簡子喬 (7 November 2022). "百萬 YouTuber 搞神馬2年8月終於合體！最想對方的瞬間：觀看數一直下降時" [Million-subscribed YouTubers of Gao Shen Ma finally got together after two years and eight months! The moment you miss the other person the most: When the number of views keeps dropping] (in Chinese). Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Leung, Jenny (7 April 2020). "Best YouTube cooking channels for budding chefs in Hong Kong". Time Out. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  8. ^ Chan, Bak-yu 陳栢宇 (9 February 2021). "鄭中基孖馬田講「廚房之匪夷所思」 爆侍應推介周星馳橙汁撈飯" [Ronald Cheng and Martin talked about "The Incredibles of the Kitchen". The waiter recommended mixing Stephen Chow's orange juice with rice] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  9. ^ "可口可樂 x Le Creuset限量廚具 + 可樂豬手食譜" [Coca-Cola x Le Creuset Limited Kitchenware + Coke Pork Knuckle Recipe]. Weekend Weekly [zh] (in Chinese). 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d Yau, Ngoi-lam 邱愛霖 (28 December 2022). "「百萬YouTuber」馬田宣布減產 傳拍片月賺6萬收入高過藝人" ["Million YouTuber" Martin announces production cuts. He makes HK$60,000 a month for filming, which is higher than that of artists] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  11. ^ Lam, Ou-lei 林奧莉 (25 March 2022). "蘇施黃YouTube推800元月費會員 夠睇Netflix或Disney+一年有找" [Suzie Wong's YouTube pushes HK$800 monthly membership, which is enough to watch Netflix or Disney+ for a year.] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Lin, Yanjun 林彥君 (1 July 2021). "260萬網紅阿神「退休狀態」 停更YT3個月...發行周邊秒殺" [2.6 million Internet celebrity Ashan's "retirement status". Stopped updating for YT for 3 months...Issuing peripheral spikes]. ETtoday (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  13. ^ "【網路溫度計】年紀最小才20歲！揭密台灣20大「最具領袖價值」YouTuber" [[Internet Thermometer] The youngest is only 20 years old! Revealing Taiwan's Top 20 "Most Leader-worthy" YouTubers] (in Chinese). Chinese Television System. 30 December 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  14. ^ "【從數據認識經濟】香港前7大Youtuber單月廣告收入有多少？" [[Understanding the economy from data] How much is the monthly advertising revenue of the top 7 YouTubers in Hong Kong?]. Business Digest (in Chinese). 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  15. ^ Chan, Bak-yu 陳栢宇 (4 April 2022). "疫境中的餐桌︱開電視集結大量靚女主持 林泳淘原來唔比名廚弱？" [Cooking in Pandemic︱Turn on the TV and gather a large number of beautiful female hosts. Wingto Lam is not weaker than a famous chef?] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  16. ^ "香港開電視《疫境中的餐桌》陪你煮快靚正家常菜 另推開電視套餐盡享" [Hong Kong TV "Cooking in Pandemic" will accompany you to cook fast and delicious home-cooked dishes. Also launched TV packages to enjoy discounts]. Headline Daily (in Chinese). 13 April 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  17. ^ 余思敏拍飲食節目趁機「搵食」自肥 "【馬田港原味】子女升小學可重拾主持工作 余思敏拍飲食節目趁機「搵食」自肥" [[Farmer Martin] with children going to primary school so she can resume hosting work, Sammie Yu films food and drink program to make a living and fatten herself]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese). 21 September 2022. Archived from 余思敏拍飲食節目趁機「搵食」自肥 the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  18. ^ "香港開電視新節目《馬田港原味》《一公升眼淚》 余思敏遍尋「港」味道曬黑跌磅 林希靈成喊包 感觸良多" [Hong Kong launches new TV programmes "Farmer Martin" and "1 Litre of Tears". Sammie Yu searched for the taste of Hong Kong to tan and lose weight. Agnes Lam is a crybaby, having feelings of being moved a lot]. East Week (in Chinese). 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
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