He shared stories from his home life, and slowly began to invite fans into it, broadcasting from his apartment, from a cousin’s wedding, while driving in his car or getting a haircut. If a customer was in on the joke, Abuhamdeh would banter with them a bit. People would walk up and pay, he would ring them up, and then as they left, nail them with a zinger spoken to the camera. I started to act like people were there watching, and that’s when they showed up.”Ībuhamdeh’s routine was subtle. “Eventually I started opening up, saying random things, telling jokes and laughing at my own jokes. It was weird.” After a few weeks of broadcasting he began to find his rhythm. But I was nervous, I felt like there were people watching. “I was talking to myself at first,” he says. In June of last year, on a whim and mostly out of boredom, Abuhamdeh mounted his phone next to the register and began to broadcast his day on YouNow, a live streaming service. He works behind the counter at a deli in Brooklyn, a small shop that does a brisk business in snacks, coffee, and cigarettes. Tayser Abuhamdeh doesn’t have what most people would call an exciting job.