Ahead of Father's Day, we sat down with YouTube sensation 'Angry Dad' (a.k.a. Mark Orval). As well as being a part of his son's hugely popular web series, Mark is the owner of the start-up for citizen journalists, Newzbid.

Crossing all manner of subjects from entrpreneurship to viral media to footy, as well as what it means to be almost constantly ambushed by your own kids, Mark had plenty to say.

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How the hell did all of this begin?

Aw, to be honest it’s being going on for years. The little pricks are constantly trying to fire me up. They started filming it and putting it on Snapchat for their mates, and then somehow decided they deserved a wider audience. Apparently YouTube was the best way to build viewers.

 

Tell us about Newzbid.

A few years ago I was looking across media outlets and a lot of them were starting to use amateur footage that was shot on smartphones. It got me thinking that, even if it was for just $10.00, that there would be a bunch of people looking for more of a reward than just Facebook likes for their content. It could also work as a platform to launch citizen journalists in the same way that YouTube does for singers or performers.

 

 

How do you manage the social media strategy of Newzbid given you're trying to direct content to your platform?

It’s a really tricky one. Newzbid is trying to bypass social media and capture that content to the betterment of the creator, however, it’s logical to use social media – including Facebook and Twitter – to talk to the audience that is already involved in that space.

The key challenge is to get potential Newzbid contributors to recognise the size of the audience outside of their own social media networks.

 

Where does the content marketing cross-over? I notice the promotion of LKI clothing via Angry Dad’s Facebook…

Yeah, the boys get a lot of stuff sent to them given the size of their audience and the potential for marketing. Every now and then they’ll flick me a XXXL t-shirt and ask me to pose for a photo. I’m happy to do it…. It’s a pretty cheap way too get a t-shirt!

 

 

The genesis of Angry Dad is an interesting one. It’s certainly authentic.

It really is. A lot of people think it’s staged, but God, I can promise you those little bastards take every opportunity they can to get me started. Anyone who knows our family and know what we’re like can confirm that there’s nothing made up about what goes on in our household.

Don’t worry… I’m as much of a sceptic as anyone else about it. If I get home and the boys are being nice to me, I become immediately suspicious.

 

We were talking this morning about Justine Stacco. She was a victim off online aggression, but as Angry Dad, you have the ultimate character to strike back. Do you use it?

The boys run the Facebook page, and they do (hit back) to a degree. My eldest son, Dylan, plays for Collingwood VFL side and a lot of the boys’ mates also play footy. As a result, they are very aware of what happens in social media, and how to deal with trolls and other idiots who want to have a go.

They could go harder at some of the commenters, but there’s no need to upset people too much.

 

 

True. A lot of people tend to jump on them anyway – the Facebook followers defend you on your behalf without being asked.

I know! It’s pretty amazing. They clearly like Angry Dad!

 

How can the Angry Dad project evolve?

Yeah – that’s going to be a real challenge for Dylan and Mitchell. The key to its success is its realness, but it might just die a natural death. As much as I’d like to no longer be a prisoner in my own home, I really hope it leads to something else for the boys.

 

 

Father’s Day is coming up. What’s the best or (even better) the worst Father’s Day gift you’ve received.

I don’t really look at it in terms of material objects. I’m just grateful that I’ve got healthy kids. Mitchell and Dylan drive me crazy, but their mates are my mates and th as much as they piss me of 80% of the time we’re a great team and there’s a lot of happiness in the house.

Anyway, karma’s a bitch… and I got the boys good last week. Probably the best Father’s Day present is getting to serve it up to them for a change. I got them big time, so check out the Facebook and YouTube pages on Friday to see how it played out.

 

Any advice for parents of the Mitchells and Dylans of the world?

Use contraception. This shit lasts for years.

 

 

What is your ideal Father’s Day?

Having a day where the kids want to spend time with you is the greatest gift you can get. So long as that happens I’ll be a happy Angry Dad.

 

Your favourite footy team, Collingwood, play their last match for the season this weekend. Any advice for Eddie McGuire or Nathan Buckley?

Just play your best team. Other than that, I’ve accepted I’ll have to wait until next year for something good to happen.

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If you're looking for a laugh, head on over to the (NSFW) Angry Dad YouTube page.