Greek Cypriot vlogger fast becoming an internet sensation!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you would have heard about or seen a clip of ‘Georgiou’s World’. The man behind the camera is Stevie Georgiou, a 24-year-old Birmingham-born Greek Cypriot who now resides in Cyprus; his satirical video blogs about growing up Cypriot literally have me in stitches and I was eager to catch up with him to find out how the craze started…
Stevie, let’s begin with you telling us a bit about yourself.
Hello there! The name’s Stevie Georgiou, that unusual specimen behind the World of Georgiou as you may know. As you can tell, I was born in Brummie Land back in 1992 and grew up in an area called Hodge Hill; it was a little grim but I have to say I love it to bits – you know grey clouds and all that mouldy brick work. Now when I was 11 years old, my parents wanted to move to Larnaca, off we popped and I’ve been there ever since…13 years in counting, from city to village.
How did the idea for ‘Georgiou’s World’ come about?
Well the whole idea of Georgiou’s World came about in a casino, believe it or not. I moved back to the UK to find a job in TV, but it turned very, very sour after quite a positive start. I did about 80 quid that night on a slot machine and just thought to myself, surely there’s something that can be done without applying for a job or relying on someone else…and BANG, the birth of the world began.
What made you touch on Cypriot comedy?
I never wanted to go near Cypriot comedy believe it or not. I actually started out doing more British related videos, but one day I thought I’d give it a crack…next thing you know, BOOM…it all kinda exploded out of nowhere, you know like when you accidentally sit on a packet of crisps and the bag goes pop, a little unexpected. I do enjoy making them! Sometimes I do feel a little restricted, so it’s nice to bring in the Britishness also.
Is there a particular person who inspires the ideas for each video?
Ooooo there’s a couple actually! My Yiayia is the standard victim here; she’s been one hell of an inspiration for these videos. I would say my mother helps me out a lot as well, you know people that we hear and listen to on a daily basis. But living in Cyprus in general gives you SO much more content, living with constant clowns, it’s never ending!
One of my favourite videos is the one on the ‘Gringlish’ dictionary. Do you think it’s important that people can relate to the subjects you cover?
I’m super chuffed you enjoyed the Gringlish Dictionary, that thing is absolutely gold! Between me and you, I’ve delayed it for quite a while as it could have gotten quite tedious very easily…Part. 4 will be out very soon! In terms of relating to the public, that will forever be my number one aim. If I didn’t relate to the public, I probably wouldn’t have got very far with this whole thing. Relating to the general normal public is key in my eyes and will always be my first priority! The amount of videos I’ve made and haven’t released because they simply are not relatable are unreal, people must feel the video.
Is your main fan base in the UK or do Cypriots in Cyprus also ‘get’ your videos?
London will always be my favourite fan base! They are the ones that literally live these videos on a hardcore daily basis. In terms of Cypriots, they are slowly starting to catch on, but only the open minded ones as many think that I’m a disgrace to this race believe it or not. Oh well, their brains just work differently I guess. Also, Australians love the vlogs too! Not forgetting the odd South African here and there, and maybe the odd American…not bad! Oh yeah, and a couple of Canadians!
Which other topics have proved popular with viewers?
The “Growing up Cypriot” series is something that I’m currently working on. People will definitely relate to them ones, I’ve launched two up to now and they’ve done pretty well! You know, just life situations that we all kind of go through when we get up and go to work. Even the ‘Living in Cyprus’ videos prove to be pretty popular as I feel it gives people a sense of being back there whilst being in another country around the world…comforting you may say!
Have you done any other comedy prior to ‘Georgiou’s World’?
I haven’t believe it or not! Just that class clown that everybody got on with, apart from the odd idiot who hated me with an extreme passion. I’ve had a lot of radio presenting experience as it was something I’ve studied but in terms of previous comedy experience, nothing at all!
You have over 5000 Facebook likes – did you expect such success?
I literally didn’t expect it to do that well so quickly. It’s only been about 12 months and I feel like it’s got to quite a big stage already, which is a good thing if you think about it, as it gives you more ambition, drive and even the willpower to know you can do even better!
Do you have any plans in the pipeline? Is stand-up comedy something you would consider doing as a career?
I’d love to do a bit of stand-up, but it’s one of them things where I’d have no clue on how to go about it. We’ll see! You never know it could happen one day or even very, very soon. There’s a lot currently brewing at the moment! I can’t say what exactly as I prefer my actions to do the talking, but be patient as there’s a lot heading your way!
What advice would you give to potential vloggers?
The best advice I could give is to never be embarrassed! Do your thing and don’t worry about criticism, it’s going to happen! You can’t avoid nasty comments, it’s like trying to avoid getting wet in the rain, it’s physically impossible. If you have an idea, get working on it and keep your gob shut! Do not tell anyone your ideas, do not tell anyone what you’re thinking of doing and bring your colourful thoughts to life; don’t speak too much, just do it – listen to Nike.
Finally, where can fans follow you and view your latest videos?
Fans can follow me on all types of social media! Apart from my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiousWorld, I’ve started to put the vlogs on YouTube now as it might be easier to find that specific video you’re looking for, or if you prefer to follow me on a more personal level, I’ll let you guys in! Instagram: Stevie_georgiou92
