The Vlogger Interviews: So Far

With Zennie62 - Zennie Abraham, I've completed my 20th Vlogger Interview, a project I began last fall with the intention of interviewing a wide cross-section of the  vlogging (video blogging, for those new to the concept) community (here's the full list). I began vlogging myself - on and off at least - since 2010, and I've become fascinated with the concept of vlogging as a new means of expression - even a new art form apart from film and television.

I've discovered, in my effort to demystify vlogging, that searching for precise definitions may be futile. In fact, to paraphrase Margaret Fabrizio (ATree3), it may only be possible to further "mystify" vlogging.  The more vloggers I meet, the more elusive any answer becomes.  The more the community grows and expands, the more it reflects the diversity of people in general.

Age is certainly not a limitation here, (though at times I felt ancient attending Vidcon, the YouTube content creator’s conference).   I've interviewed vloggers ranging in age from 15 to 81 years old.    Discovering the unifying visions that all of these individuals share is one of the more fascinating aspects of this process.

Motivations vary widely.  There are some who vlog simply for self expression, sharing their views or artistic visions.  Others vlog for fame, seeking a YouTube partnership or their own reality show.  Still others have found vlogging as a jumping-off point to bigger and better things.

Andrew Brackin is only seventeen.  His early experience as a vlogger not only introduced him to new friends, but to a world of possibilities already within his reach before he reached his mid-teens.  Today, he's both a high school student on the verge of graduation -  and an veteran web entrepreneur.   I think he could represent the first of a new breed of entrepreneurs combining tech and business savvy with social networking skills that could generate lightning-fast growth and development.

Zennie Abraham, on the other hand, is an entrepreneur who blogged and then vlogged  - first to promote his business.  Then, he realized that vlogging itself could be his business.  He's a good example of someone who thinks outside the box in which so many long-time professionals tend to seal themselves.

Ali Jardine (RogueBlueJay), 20; and Harrison Houde (xTurnipTimex), 15, are young filmmakers that represent the early dawning of a new age of content creators.  As Ali said, the "secret handshake" of Hollywood's filmmakers in the years to come may not be a shared film school, but a shared experience in the wild virtual streets of YouTube.

Harrison Houde, a professional actor (best known so far in a memorable comedic role as  the boy who touched the cheese in the first "Wimpy Kid" movie), is also an aspiring filmmaker, and just may have the ability to merge his two interests – years earlier than generations before him.

The first vlogger I knew was Kenrg, an old high school friend whose online creativity I've followed over the years.  He's always been an early adaptor on the social media front, and was an early vlogger on YouTube.   Looking back, he notes that vlogging and the community interaction it made possible has moved beyond the simpler – and singular - canvas of early YouTube, and now extends across a number of social media platforms.  A vlogger on YouTube may interact with followers through Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs, and countless other sites.

Vloggers are a creative, dynamic group that are effectively state-of-the-art storytellers.   They have an appreciation of the power of self-expression, and lead the way (though they may not recognize it) showing the social media-phobic public the excitement and importance of developing a worldwide community.

I want YOU for a Vlogger Interview!

I’m continuing with the Vlogger Interview project.   I have a long way to go to create an accurate snapshot of the community.   There are still a number of sectors that I've under-represented so far - women, in particular.  I want to maintain and further develop a mix known vloggers, and little-known, new or unknown vloggers.  Together, they all tell a story about the future of media and society as a whole.

I’d also like to do my part to share the richness of this community.  I've made the decision that I'll be publishing an e-book later this year recalling these interviews, exploring some vloggers in more detail, and sharing some interesting parallels with early filmmaking history.

But first – more interviews!  If you're passionate about vlogging, contact me at richcity@rlsventures.com - I'd love to talk to you!

The Vlogger Interviews: Zennie Abraham [Zennie62]

About This Interview:

During the Vlogger Interviews, I've had the opportunity to meet vloggers with a wide range of sometimes overlapping motivations.  Some vloggers simply to express themselves; others for fame, and others for social interaction.  One of the most creative and growing areas in the vlogging community, I feel, is using vlogging as a tool for entrepreneurship.  The same basic rule applies across all vlogs: create quality content that respects your audience.

Zennie Abraham (Zennie62 on YouTube), once a Planner for the City of Oakland, began vlogging as a means to supplement his entrepreneurial efforts.  Sports Business Simulations, for example, allows students to manage sports teams through an online simulation, creating an environment that would allow a team not only to be successful, but profitable as well.   He soon discovered that vlogging itself was something that not only added value to what he was already doing, but could transport him to a host of new opportunities.

Zennie has blogged and vlogged on a wide range of subjects, ranging from sports to entertainment to politics.  He was one of the very first blogger-journalists to be allowed to report online at the 2005 NFL draft - the next year, he had a video camera in hand.

His efforts have earned him appearances on CNN, an early YouTube partnership, and a rare close-up understanding of how vlogging has evolved, where it stands today - and how it can grow in the future.

The Vlogger Interviews: Teen Entrepreneur Andrew Brackin

In a few months, seventeen year-old Andrew Brackin will graduate from high school.  The London, UK resident will have time to pursue the things he loves - and dive full-time into his ambition to be a web entrepreneur.  He's been a part-time entrepreneur for most of his teen years, and has several web-based projects already behind him.

His own journey began when he was just 13, and began vlogging on YouTube - building an audience and making friends across the UK and around the world - and introducing him to the world of entrepreneurship.  He could be called, I suppose, a child of social media, with a network and a sensibility that almost certainly will set his generation apart from those before.

Though he's already achieved modest success, he has no illusions about where's he's at - and where he needs to go, "I don't think I'm anywhere near "there" yet - I feel I'm at step one of many, many steps."

One of earliest projects, tunevibez.com [no longer in operation], evolved out of day-long experiment in music streaming, and evolved into a year long experiment.  After finding that licensing mainstream artists would be too expensive and complicated, he personally contacted hundreds of independent artists and record labels to secure their permission - and created a 24/7 operation that involved more than a dozen DJ's - all friends he'd made through YouTube and other social media (with BillTVMacon providing an automated voice for the station when DJ's weren't available.  Though Tunevibez never made money, "it was great fun," and expanded his community of friends and followers.

Today, he's the co-founder of getdealy.com, a Groupon-like site aimed at a tech-minded audience.  It has eighty thousand members worldwide so far, offering discounts on specialized products like font packs, ftp software, and productivity software.  It's continued to help raise Andrew's profile, generating media interviews - and even a brief mention in the Wall Street Journal's "Marketwatch" column.

As Andrew moves on, he's already giving back to other young entrepreneurs.  He's careful to say he doesn't offer advice - but the benefit of his experience.  He encourages other like-minded teens to "break every rule...failure is good.  I've failed many times."

He also offers a perspective to other teens that might leave some of his older counterparts scratching their heads.  It makes perfect sense, in this author's opinion, if you take into account a teen just beginning to comprehend the possibilities ahead.

"Lots of people talk about business plans, and I just feel like, you know, if you have one set vision, when you write a business plan right at the start of your company, and that's the time when you're company's going to change the most...because you do all this early learning about the market, just naturally, reading about other companies, or contacting your first partners, or customers, you'll learn really big lessons which will change your company and essentially, if you  have a business plan, it's very hard to do that, your mind is set.

"So basically, don't be worried, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and if you work on something long enough and hard enough, and listen to the people around you, you will be able to succeed. "

This year, upon graduation from high school, Andrew's ready to take his ambitions to the next level.  He intends to come to Silicon Valley and work on an as-yet-undisclosed new project.  "I'd like to do something really disruptive," he says.  He hopes, of course, to eventually  pursue start-up and/or venture capital funding, following the path of so many tech entrepreneurs before him.

After chatting with Andrew, however, I can't help but anticipate how his powerfully connected generation might impact the established tech world, as the Gates and Jobs generation shook up the tech world in the 70's.

More on Andrew Brackin:  http://zerply.com/andrew

The Vlogger Interviews: Noah [Knowahsark]

If you really want to understand the massive impact that online video is only beginning to bring to the media industry, it's important to go right to the prime audience - the teens that are not only consuming online entertainment, but creating it as well.

18 year-old Noah is a freshman in college.  He's both an enthusiastic member of the vlogging audience, and an occasional vlogger himself (he's Knowahsark on YouTube).  In many ways he's typical of the more media savvy of  his generation.  Like many of his friends, he's found YouTube content more attractive than typical television fare.  He's also a new perspective that's likely keeping traditional media executives awake at night.

"I definitely think YouTube videos / online media is more appealing," he says, "and that might have to do with growing up with the internet, around the internet. I mean I've been online, on MySpace and Zynga, those sort of things since 5th grade.  And so I think that might play a part, but I think just seeing what other people can create without...big television networks and crews and that sort of thing - people can create their own content, which I find just as, if not more entertaining than what's on TV. For instance, like, I've been watching the VlogBrothers for years now (which sounds really weird to say).  I just find it so much more engaging and interactive and you feel more a part of it, I guess."

The Uncanny Valley of "TinTin"

My latest 5-minute audio podcast - exploring the strange uneasiness I felt while watching "The Adventures of TinTin"

Echoes of Hollywood History: Visiting My Dad's Old Office

A five minute Audio Podcast contemplating a recent visit to what was once my dad's office.



You can check out more of my podcasts at:  http://audioboo.fm/WorldAccordingtoRich

Vlogger Interview: Bill Elder [BillTVMacon]

Today's Vlogger Interview features Bill Elder, known on YouTube as BillTVMacon.  He's based in Macon, Georgia, and has had a long career in broadcast radio - including thirty years as a DJ.  That experience definitely shows.  His vlog is funny, well edited, and responsive to his subscribers the vlogging community around the world.    He has an amazing ability to create content that has an appeal across all age groups on YouTube.  AND, if that isn't enough, he's a nice guy.

Though the Vlogger Interview is usually ten minutes long, I sometimes have great conversations that go on quite a bit longer.  I'm considering an audio podcast that would, among other things, include in-depth interviews with a number of vloggers that's you've met here.  What do you think?