The Optimistic Operator

There’s a corner of the internet where you’ll find “positivity and happiness,” along with Georgia Southern University graduate Hannah Bryan (‘18) living out her dream. 

With an internet search of “NoisyButters,” the bubbly alumna, a YouTuber, streamer and gamer, appears with this alternate moniker. 

She’s been building her brand as NoisyButters since 2011 by playing video games (gaming) and uploading videos to her YouTube channel, but she began uploading videos consistently in 2015 while she was enrolled as a student at Georgia Southern. To date, she’s amassed 1.25 million subscribers on YouTube, and more than half a million followers combined on her other social media channels, allowing her to make it her full-time job. 

“It is the most wonderful job in the world,” Bryan said. “I wake up every single day feeling so unbelievably lucky to be able to do something that I genuinely love, and I am just so happy to make money doing it. I love gaming. I’ve been gaming since before I could even walk. I couldn’t ask for a better setup, honestly.”

Bryan has had a passion for gaming from a young age, and deep down knew she’d one day be working in the industry. 

“Gaming is a way to transport yourself into another world,” she said. “It’s a way to keep your hands busy. It keeps your brain busy. It’s such a broad world with so many different worlds inside of it, and I’ve always enjoyed playing games and putting myself in those worlds, locking in for hours at a time. It is truly where I feel the happiest.

Most known for playing Call of Duty and her catchphrase of  “Positivity and Happiness” on the internet, Bryan is passionate about creating an uplifting place where everyone is welcome.

“The intro to every single one of my videos is ‘Hey y’all, it’s Butters, welcome back to my channel. Hope you guys are having an absolutelyfantastic day full of positivity and happiness as always, hehe.’ I have to include the ‘hehe’ or people get mad if I don’t,” she said with a laugh.

It was around 2016 when she began using the phrase, which stood out among the “rough and tough” realm of Call of Duty, she said. 

“Call of Duty has a very rugged fan base, and positivity and happiness and sparkles and rainbows don’t really align with Call of Duty, but I make it work,” she said. “I play Call of Duty and I am happy while doing it. I always want to remind people even if you’re playing a game like Call of Duty or something super competitive that you can be happy and you can be positive.” 

Another combination that has helped Bryan stand out is her undergraduate experience at Georgia Southern. Her time at the University allowed her to combine her interests in information technology (IT) and public relations (PR), which she believes makes a “killer combination.” 

“It has definitely helped with my career in regards to building PCs,” Bryan said. “I have a good knowledge of network security. I have a good understanding of how computers and technology work and how they communicate with each other.”

That knowledge has helped Bryan build her own PCs, which landed her partnerships with big-name tech companies like Intel to help build and showcase products. 

“In 2018, I built my original gaming PC and then it just kind of took off from there,” she recalled. “I think also, having worked as a student technician on campus, I naturally had an interest in building PCs and hardware in general. I followed that passion, and it seems to never fail me if I follow what I’m passionate about.” 

Bryan has been able to use PR skills she learned at Georgia Southern to build upon her brand, even working with clothing company Champion to launch “Positivity and Happiness” merch. 

“I am a very positive and happy person, and I feel PR and positivity go hand in hand,” she said. “It just came very naturally for me.”

Highlights of her gaming career have been partnerships with energy drink brand G FUEL to create her own NoisyButters-inspired “Star Fruit” flavor and with Atlanta-based SCUF Gaming to create a custom-designed NoisyButters remote controller. Both products feature a drawing of her. 

“It makes me feel so iconic and like I’ve made it,” she said with a laugh. “It’s fun to be able to do campaigns for things I’m really passionate about.” 

Another highlight of Bryan’s career was joining Atlanta FaZe, Atlanta’s professional Call of Duty gaming league, for three years. 

“Being able to represent Atlanta, Georgia, on a professional Call of Duty team was awesome,” Bryan said, noting she’s still involved in the gaming community in Atlanta and supports the team when she can.

She also works routinely with the developers at the Call of Duty franchise to test and showcase game updates. And in a pinch-me moment, she met the actor behind the main character from Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare 2019. 

“His name is Barry Sloane,” she recalled. “It was so exciting because there is a popular piece of artwork on the internet that has me and Captain Price illustrated next to each other.”

Bryan is also passionate about Georgia Southern and fondly remembers her time as a student at the University. She was president of the Geeks N’ Gamers Club (formerly Battle Frontier) and a student worker in the IT Services department.  

“As a gamer and president of a club, I felt extremely seen and heard by Georgia Southern,” she said. “I felt very at home. I loved the weather. I loved the IT building — it was my sanctuary.” 

Associate Professor Chris Kadlec, Ph.D., and former Associate Professor Russell Thackston, Ph.D., offered mentorship that exceeded her expectations.

“Georgia Southern gives back to the gamers and gives back to students, and I felt very loved and appreciated and I learned a lot,” she said. “I know I am talking about all the extracurriculars, but the curricular classes as well. I felt very appreciated. I learned a bunch, and I felt very able to talk to professors and ask questions. I genuinely loved my experience at Georgia Southern.” 

Fulfilled and optimistic, Bryan isn’t afraid to aim for the stars.

“I’m very happy that I’m able to dip my toes into a couple of different realms here and there,” she said. “Maybe one day I’ll have a custom headset, or custom mouse and keyboard. Maybe one day I’ll have a custom PC. Maybe one day I’ll have a custom, I don’t know, statue outside of an Esports Arena. Who knows? Hey, the sky’s the limit, and it’s really not.”  — Crissie Elrick Bath