Michaël | HouseStationLive.com<p>INSIDE THE SMALLEST TV STUDIO IN THE WORLD<br>May 18, 2025</p><p>My YouTube studio is just 21.5 m². No depth of field. No room to move. But enough to frame a shot and stay credible. We spent a full year designing this setup — not for style, but for survival. Because when you're on welfare, you can’t afford a real set. You have to build one. It’s probably the smallest WebTV studio ever. And I pay for it alone.<br>¯</p><p>_<br>WHEN YOUR YOUTUBE SET HAS LESS SPACE THAN A STUDENT ROOM — BUT COSTS MORE</p><p>If I rent a space, it’s not for comfort. It’s because, in 2025, you can’t run a video channel from a bed. You need a fixed lighting setup. A non-changing background. A framing area that doesn’t shift every time someone opens a door. But when you’re on welfare, every square meter is a luxury.<br>¯</p><p>_<br>21.5 M² — AND THAT’S ALL</p><p>My studio — which also doubles as my office, sound booth, set, and storage — is just 21.5 square meters. There’s barely enough room to walk around a desk. No real space to pull back the camera. No proper depth of field. And yet, this space is the bare minimum to install a tripod, a softbox, a table, and sit in frame. Based on my research, this might be the smallest WebTV studio in the world. And it wasn’t improvised.<br>¯</p><p>_<br>ONE YEAR OF SKETCHING, JUST TO SAVE MONEY</p><p>This setup took over a year of planning. I made floor plans. I calculated camera angles. I tested lighting placement with tape on the floor. I optimized furniture depth, desk alignment, and sound bounce — all just to squeeze a functional broadcast space into 21.5 m², without losing credibility on screen. We weren’t designing for comfort. We were designing for output — on €0 of income.<br>¯</p><p>_<br>RENT IN MARSEILLE</p><p>Even a small space like this costs real money in a city like Marseille. Not because you live in it — but because you shoot in it. There’s no sofa. No TV. No storage. Just walls, gear, and a hope that the framing looks professional enough to convince someone you’re worth watching. We’re not selling views. We’re selling credibility.<br>¯</p><p>_<br>FINAL WORDS</p><p>In 2025, even after cutting every non-essential tool, my business expenses still exceed €2,600 per year. In 2024, before trimming everything, I was spending over €4,300 a year — for €0 revenue. All while living on €500/month in welfare. That’s €6,000/year just to survive — and €4,000+ out of pocket just to try and exist online. This isn’t a hobby. It’s not a whim. It’s not even a gamble. It’s simply the cost of existing as an independent creator — in a world where every tool is privatized, every pixel monetized, and every outsider is treated as a glitch to be corrected.<br>¯</p><p>_<br>||<a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/HSLdiary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HSLdiary</span></a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/HSLmichael" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HSLmichael</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/SmallStudio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SmallStudio</span></a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/DIYSetup" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DIYSetup</span></a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/LowBudget" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LowBudget</span></a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/VideoProduction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>VideoProduction</span></a> <a href="https://hear-me.social/tags/IndieVideo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>IndieVideo</span></a></p>