Tag Archives: minutes

More Tips on YouTube Marathon

What’s it take to sustain as a YouTube weblebrity? Going viral is a sprint, but staying vibrant is a marathon.

  1. In part one we heard from BrittaniLouiseTaylor about passion, RhettandLink about the power of two, and CharlesTrippy about community.
  2. In part two we heard from Michael Buckley, VenetianPrincess, MysteryGuitarman and Happyslip.
Hank Green, with his brother John, are the Vlogbrothers and more.

As VidCon2011 approaches, it’s time for some thoughts from Hank Green, one of the event’s founders… inspired by something beyond the fame and money, the Green brothers have sustained long beyond their 15 minutes.

Says Hank: “I actually just wrote an article on motivation and success. I think everyone is motivated by different things, but the trick is actually believing in it, either because you think a little more money, a little more fame, a little more recognition really will make you a happier / more satisfied / more important person.

I’ve had different motivations throughout the process, from getting views to getting subscribers, to being recognized by other youtubers, to being recognized by YouTube, to feeling obligated to our community, to feeling like we actually have an opportunity to do good things, to feeling like we have an opportunity to do big things, to actually believing in what we do as a force for cultural change.

All of those things motivate in different ways and they all overlap. I we didn’t have all of them, I don’t know if we could do it.

Only because we have all of those different bits of motivation, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to spend eight hours a day developing ideas for videos, interacting with our community, or whatever else we’re up to at the moment. I pour pretty much all of my creative juices into our videos now (or on projects that relate to our videos.) And that’s only OK because I actually believe in it. If I didn’t have all of those various sources of motivation, I’d go get a real job.”

Hank, my friend… you do have a real job.

Another Film About YouTube, But I’m Not In It. So Skip It.

Another film about YouTube and its community. But I’m not in it. So skip it, and see “I Want My 3 Minutes Backinstead (see article and high-definition trailer).

Just kidding. Maybe. Butterflies is a movie about the YouTube people and community, and its trailer features Renetto… So, yeah, they’ve probably been working for years on it.

There’s your standard-issue MrSafety and WhatTheBuck quotes. Your basic LisaNova interview. DaveDays smiling about the mulah. I would have thought ShayCarl’s fame hit after post-production, but it didn’t stop him from sneaking his way into the stills. Shay, you’re the Michael Cain of YouTube.

But best of all, you get to see Xgobobeanx cry. Because comments can hurt. Funny how both films dealt with that issue. My favorite is still “I want to shit in your mouth.”

Hurt me in the comments section below. Hurt me!

Here’s the PopTub interview with Chuck Potter about “I Want My 3 Minutes Back.”

YouTube Documentary: “I Want My Three Minutes Back”

youtube film by chuck potterNewTeeVee teased us last month about first-time director Chuck Potter (thirdcareerfilms) and his new YouTube documentary, “I Want My Three Minutes Back.” Now the film has a website with a blog, the trailer and some more information about Potter’s efforts to get the new film into film festivals.

While it’s true there’s only a niche of people that even know what a YouTube weblebrity is (I’ve only been recognized once at LAX), the story is deeper. It’s about the struggles of amateurs who have “overnight success,” and their years of effort to turn online-videos into a passion-filled career.

I missed the debut this month in California, but I’m looking forward to seeing how Chuck tells this story.

New Book: “15 Minutes of Fame: Becoming a Star in the YouTube Revolution”

youtube bookI thought I knew my fellow YouTubers well, but I learned some interesting facts about some of my favorites in a new book by Frederick Levy (see his YouTube channel). Levy covers some famous YouTubers, and me too. There’s a Q&A and some coverage about the NAPPY campaign I had almost supressed.

Worth a read for those interested in the culture beyond the “cat videos,” or for those already steeped in the social aspect of YouTube. Of course I haven’t read a book completely in about a decade, so I’ll have to trust the book cover. Link below to Amazon if you want your own copy.

  • An explanation of how to take advantage of YouTube’s far-reaching
    resources and potential
  • Expert advice on how to get your video seen
  • Insightful strategies on how to make your video stand out from the
    crowd
  • Instruction on uploading videos from a mobile phone
  • Simple ways to capture video directly to YouTube from a webcam
  • Tips on embedding videos into personal webpages or blogs