With the growing trend for electricians sharing their experiences, advice and work through social media channels, we take a look at some of the YouTube stars and podcast hosts that are making industry waves.
Adam Stears, Managing Director of SOTA Electrical, is making a name for himself with a growing YouTube channel and community of followers.
His background in the electrical industry is an interesting one. Adam originally carried out a four-year JIB apprenticeship with Lorne Stewart – a large electrical/ mechanical firm – winning an award for Electrical Apprentice of the Year for Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight along the way.
The work was mainly commercial/light industrial, ranging from new build university and military accommodation, new prison wings (Winchester Prison) and other military contracts that Lorne Stewart was involved with at the time.
Once he completed his apprenticeship, Adam stayed with Lorne Stewart for a further three years before landing a job in the HV sector where he basically began a new apprenticeship as a HV technician – a completely different and new field in the electrical world.
Much of the work involved private HV networks up to 11 KV installing new substations, HV switchgear and general HV maintenance. He also found that there was a lot of LV work involved in the job, giving him the opportunity to experience large building supplies, working with 240 4 core SWA and singles up to 600 mm. He also learned the skill of HV and LV cable jointing, which he really enjoyed.
After five years of operating in this field, Adam took the plunge and decided to work for himself by launching SOTA Electrical.
He says: “I was keen to work outside still and saw that there was an opportunity for more specialists in EV chargepoint installations – an area that I currently specialise in. I’ve worked for myself for seven years now and absolutely love it.”
A library of videos
Through Adam’s SOTA Electrical YouTube channel, you’ll find a whole library of useful videos with the main bulk of content involving the review and installation of various EV chargepoint solutions, with installation tips and tricks for followers to glean. It doesn’t just stop with EV, however, as he also reviews and installs various electrical tools and other useful products.
Explaining more about the reasons behind the launch of the channel, Adam says: “I decided to produce my YouTube channel as I discovered that the general public had very little knowledge of EV chargepoints and what’s involved in their installation. When I was originally receiving enquiries, customers generally thought it would be a simple installation such as spurring off a socket, which obviously is not the case.
“It’s now become an extremely involved process with different energy tariffs available, chargers that integrate with these and those that don’t, cars that integrate with tariffs and those that don’t, renewable energy integration, looped supply issues etc. I’m constantly updating my audience on all of these issues which in turn has resulted in my channel growing at a steady pace.”
So, does Adam still like the process of creating content or is the task of keeping his followers updated regularly proving to be a grind over time? He answers: “I really enjoy it. As a result of producing a decent amount of social media content across all platforms, creating videos and editing has become something of a hobby for me. Because of that, the additional pressure I’ve put on my shoulders to create content is very rewarding in itself.”
Look out for Adam’s content on YouTube – @sotaelectrical, Facebook – @sotaelectrical, TikTok – @sotaelectrical and Instagram – @sota.electrical
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