Meet the Sarnia guitarist who quit his day job and earned 1 million YouTube subscribers
Cole Rolland's recent decision to leave his job in Sarnia's Chemical Valley is paying off
After years of working in Sarnia's Chemical Valley by day and burning the midnight oil as a musician at night, Cole Rolland recently did what all aspiring musicians dream of: he quit his dayjob.
After putting in his last shift at Nova Chemicals last October, the 26-year-old guitarist and YouTuber reached a number of milestones in his musical career.
His YouTube channel, which features Rolland's rock, metal and classical covers and originals, recently surpassed one million subscribers and 150 million views.
To top it off, the California-based guitar manufacturer Kiesel is set to release the "Cole Rolland DC600C Midnight" on October 26, making Rolland a YouTuber with his own signature guitar.
Guitar hero
"I never knew that I would be able to make anything out of music, but I knew at such a young age that I wanted to," said Rolland. "I knew that it would be the dream job to really strive for. And I'm thankful to be able to say that it's my job now."
Rolland spoke to CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive about building his musical career on YouTube, and how it all started with his first video - a performance of a song from the Guitar Hero videogame series - when he was 15.
Have a listen below:
