Hiltz says brand growing ‘hand over fist’ through daily hour show, social postsPublished Apr 10, 2025 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 7 minute readJolene MacIntyre and Chad Hiltz, a.k.a. Bad Chad, with a table full of mail and packages they’ve received over the past few months from fans around the world. They occasionally open it on their YouTube channel to respond and give shout outs and thanks. Photo by KIRK STARRATT /PostmediaSocial media has taken the place of a hit TV show in fueling the international success of Bad Chad’s custom car brand.Chad Hiltz, a.k.a. Bad Chad, and partner Jolene MacIntyre have taken a new approach to reaching fans around the world from the Hiltz Auto Company’s shop on Highway 358, north of Canning.In 2019, the first season of Discovery Channel’s Bad Chad Customs aired internationally to an audience of millions. A second season was produced, which aired in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production of season three. The original plan was to produce five seasons, but Hiltz and MacIntyre decided to go on their own after production of the third season was delayed.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentRecommended from Editorial ‘Inspiration’ the name of the game as Nova Scotian star of Bad Chad Customs reflects on TV success VIDEO: No dream too big: ‘Bad Chad’ teaches life lessons while building custom cars Rad Rides: Custom shop in rural Nova Scotia shows the world how it’s done Hiltz said usually TV is the pinnacle, but in terms of monetizing the brand, since focusing on social media, they’re enjoying more financial success and viewers than ever.“We’ve turned a TV proposition into a multi-million-dollar YouTube channel,” Hiltz said.He said they had to turn away several customers during the two years when their focus was on the TV show. After he turned down the TV contract, they really had nowhere to go and had to come up with something. MacIntyre had noticed a spike in their YouTube views while the second season was airing, brought on by people Googling “Bad Chad” and finding their YouTube channel.“It was kind of like the stars aligned in terms of the timing of everything,” MacIntyre said.Article content Colton Hiltz, left, Chad Hiltz (a.k.a. Bad Chad), and Jolene MacIntyre with the latest creation of the Hiltz Auto Company, a customized 1960 Pontiac Strato Chief. Chad says they’re always trying to make something that stands out. Photo by KIRK STARRATT /PostmediaReaching millionsShe said they’ve “got the gas pedal down” as they’ve been focusing on building the Bad Chad brand through their YouTube channel and Facebook page. Using only an iPhone and microphone, she produces one hour of video content daily featuring Hiltz chopping cars. They show it on their YouTube channel at 6 p.m. Atlantic time, reaching up to 100,000 viewers, the equivalent of filling a stadium every day.They rarely make edits, preferring to show the video raw, which helps save time on postproduction and makes producing a daily one-hour show more sustainable.MacIntyre takes shorter vignettes from the one-hour recording to post on their Facebook page, where they currently have about 1.6 million followers and reach as many as 2 million viewers a day. She said that across both platforms, they’re getting about 70 million views a month and are generating about $2 million a year.She said they received a seven-figure offer from someone who wanted to buy into the YouTube channel, but the couple decided to decline it and continue on their own.Article contentMacIntyre said the YouTube content is like the TV show in the sense that people get to watch a custom car being built. However, the TV show featured a different build every episode and the presentation was much more condensed compared to their YouTube content.“It’s very raw and authentic, and I feel like that is our competitive advantage over other YouTube channels,” MacIntyre said. “They don’t show the real deal, where we show the real process from start to finish.”She said viewers get to enjoy the content for free and don’t have to subscribe. Essentially, the more views their videos get, the greater the advertising revenue that is generated. Chad Hiltz, a.k.a. Bad Chad, spends a lot of time welding in his shop on Highway 358. Photo by FILE PHOTO /PostmediaHiltz aims to inspireHiltz said the fact that they’ve built an empire through a phone bill and working consistently should be inspirational to any young person.“How many people in the world can say that they can make it from a phone bill?”He said that like chopping cars, it’s really all about creativity. His main goal for the TV show was to inspire viewers, and this hasn’t changed now that their focus is on YouTube and Facebook. He said that because they are on every day, it’s easy for audience members to engage and get hooked.Article contentMacIntyre calls it an “automotive soap opera” because viewers get drawn into a project and come back every day to see the next installment of the drama unfold. She said Hiltz can hold the audience’s attention as he takes them through each step of customizing a car and keeps them coming back for more.“I’m the Bob Ross of car building; I can paint a picture in an hour,” Hiltz said.He said not every YouTube channel offers fresh content every day, and “the sky’s the limit” in terms of growing the audience. Hiltz said that while it’s a business and it’s about making money, his goal is to see how big the brand can get.They believe one reason why they’ve been able to captivate such an audience is that Hiltz takes an unconventional approach to customizing cars. He’s known for improvising and often makes the parts he needs. MacIntyre said Hiltz thinks outside the box and his designs can be somewhat controversial. She leans into the fact that the content sparks conversations and can be polarizing for viewers.Article contentHiltz said they “get a lot of hate” but it doesn’t worry him because “that’s how we know how famous we are.”However, they have many more fans than detractors. Pointing to a table overflowing with fan mail and packages, Hiltz said people usually don’t send well wishes and gifts if they aren’t appreciative or haven’t been inspired. During a recent visit to California, Chad Hiltz, a.k.a. Bad Chad, left, got to meet and hang out with Barry Weiss, a star of the hit A&E TV show Storage Wars. Weiss has an extensive custom vehicle collection. Photo by CONTRIBUTEDBusiness has changedHiltz said the business of chopping cars has changed for him in the sense that video of him working on projects has become the main product opposed to the finished car. It’s difficult to follow through with all the mechanics and wiring involved in finishing a project on the YouTube channel because people really want to see the chopping part. By keeping a close eye on metrics, they’ve been able to zone in on what keeps audience numbers up.They’ve been travelling more in recent years, whether as paid appearances or to attend custom car conventions and events. They’ve made two trips to Australia, have been to Finland, and are soon heading to Sweden. Hiltz said no matter where they visit, they get recognized by fans.Article contentThey visit California quite frequently, most recently for the Grand National Roadster Show, the Superbowl of custom cars. Such trips are a way to make connections and find inspiration while providing unique opportunities for creating content.Hiltz said their YouTube channel affords them opportunities to help promote friends in the custom car industry. They’ve matched up with a California company, Ace of Shades Paints, which will be travelling to Nova Scotia to paint a custom car for him to help promote their brand.While in California, they met up with Barry Weiss of the hit A&E TV show Storage Wars, who has an extensive collection of custom vehicles. Hiltz said Weiss “is the character you see on TV. He’s exactly that guy.”Hiltz said they were fortunate to get to hang out with Weiss a couple of times and asked if he would be on their YouTube show. Weiss obliged, and MacIntyre said that episode served to boost the Bad Chad audience. Chad Hiltz, a.k.a. Bad Chad, and partner Jolene MacIntyre are customizing a 1959 Volvo 544 in the Hiltz Auto Company shop on Highway 358. This is among the projects currently being featured on the Bad Chad YouTube channel. Photo by CONTRIBUTEDEnjoying successArticle contentThey recently had a new, 60-by-100-foot metal clad structure built to hold Hiltz’s auto projects, and they have a barn with similar dimensions they’re renovating and using for storage further down the road. MacIntyre said they plan to open the new building to the public at some point to showcase finished cars and give fans a place to visit.Hiltz said they did well financially off the TV show but it’s their more recent success on social media platforms that paid for the new building. The brand has grown “hand over fist.”MacIntyre said she finds that Bad Chad is becoming a household name. Part of that is because they’ve been disciplined enough to continue working, producing daily content for nearly five years now.Hiltz said that while some people who build custom cars don’t want to show others how they do it, he isn’t scared to and does so every day.MacIntyre said they’re getting sponsorships, which provide another revenue stream. For example, there is a Turkish company that wants to give Hiltz hair transplant surgery. Hiltz said he’s willing to do it, and it would make for great content. They also have an online store where fans can buy Bad Chad merchandise.Hiltz said his son, Colton, who was part of the TV show, has returned from hiatus and rejoined him on the YouTube channel. This has created a new dynamic as their interactions bring in new audience members and differing opinions. Chad Hiltz, a.k.a. Bad Chad, works on transforming a 1940 Ford Tudor into a replica of his favourite childhood Hot Wheels car. Photo by CONTRIBUTEDGo onlineTo watch the Bad Chad YouTube channel, visit www.youtube.com/badchad. To see Bad Chad on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/badchadcustoms. For more information, visit www.hiltzautoco.com. This image shows one of Bad Chad’s latest projects featured on YouTube, customizing a 1950 Ford Shoebox. Photo by CONTRIBUTEDArticle content
Bad Chads custom car videos reaching millions on YouTube, Facebook
