Garn Comedy: Townsville brothers open up about unexpected viral success

The Townsville brothers behind the viral Garn comedy series have revealed how they went from making videos just for fun as kids to building a cult following online with millions of viewers.

The Townsville brothers behind the viral Garn comedy series have revealed how they went from making videos just for fun as kids to building a cult following online.

Connor and Declan Evanson launched their YouTube channel Garn Comedy in 2020 and have gone on to build a massive following with more than 320,000 people subscribing to watch their monthly video series revolving around the pillars of Aussie culture from tradies to posties and servo workers.

Connor, who plays the series’ star character Murph, was working as an electrician for six years before their videos started taking off.

He was recently able to quit to focus on producing content for Garn full-time with his brother from a workshop in Garbutt.

“It’s only been over the last few years that we’ve been serious about buckling down to do this, but we’ve been making videos together since we were kids,” he said.

Comedy filmmaking duo Connor and Declan Evanson. Picture: Evan Morgan

“You know how growing up, everyone has a YouTube channel? You can find videos of us from 11 years ago doing the exact same style of stuff, but we’re like 12, and they suck, but that was the seed of all this.

“Back in the day, Declan would make jokes and write stuff and point the camera at me and tell me to say it.

“It’s just that now we’re adults, and it’s not cringe; it’s actually funny.”

Declan, the writer, director, editor and creative powerhouse behind Garn, said he had been producing content for a different YouTube channel about four-wheel-driving a couple of years ago when he got the idea to start something up on his own with his brother.

“I was prepared to do this for 10 years before things took off, but the first video we did about the Dan Murphy’s water swap took off in like a day, and before you knew it we almost had a million views,” he said.

“You have goals that seem so unattainable, and then you get there, and it’s like, now what do we do next?”

“There’s no how-to guide to on what to do in our situation.

“All we can do is look at Aunty Donna and Super Wog and see the road they’ve taken and look for opportunities to go beyond YouTube one day.”

Declan said Garn’s gradual climb over the last two years had been surreal.

He said they began with the hopes of gaining a small following in Townsville, but their audience grew when their first video went viral, and now there’s a demand for Garn merchandise not only in Australia but also overseas.

As the face of the channel, Connor said he’s constantly getting recognised from their videos.

“I can’t walk to my car without getting yelled at these days,” he said.

“They either yell out Garn, or aren’t you the guy from TikTok, brah?

“It’s obvious that our videos have branched out more because I bump into people in Townsville all the time that have no idea that I’m from here and it blows their minds.

“I appreciate it. If you’ve taken the time to watch our videos, I’ve got all the time in the world for you because you’re allowing us to do what we want to do with our lives.”

Originally published as Garn Comedy: Townsville brothers open up about unexpected viral success