When people used to ask me what I did for a living, I always had a hard time coming up with a good, succinct answer.
What label do you pick when your work includes speaking, writing, recording podcasts, filming videos, web development, bookkeeping, “business-ing” (yes that’s a word I made up, and yes I’m going to continue using it), and a dozen other things?
Entrepreneur? Too broad, too nondescript. Blogger? I used to say I was a blogger, but it no longer fit. Blogger/podcaster/speaker/author/entrepreneur? Takes too long to say, and the guy who asked me just fell asleep face-first in his tomato soup.
These days, things are a bit easier. Today, when someone asks me what I do, I simply tell them,
“I’m a YouTuber.”
I came to realize that I could confidently use this term to describe myself after I saw Casey Neistat’s Twitter bio, which pretty much says that same thing. Despite the fact that Casey does many other things, he describes himself as a YouTuber because making and sharing videos is what he loves to do most.
After a little over two years of creating my own videos on a regular basis, I’ve come to realize that Casey and I share the same passion. While I still love writing and podcasting, I’m never more excited about my work than when I’m about to publish a video I’m really proud of.
Even if the thing I’m proud of is a transition that involves a horse farting a rainbow.
Additionally, YouTube has become – by far – the biggest driver of College Info Geek’s growth. Altogether, the videos on my channel are viewed more than 3x a many times per month than are the articles and pages on this website.
So, while I will continue to produce content of all types on this sites (and push myself to try new things in the future), I’m a YouTuber.
Want to know how I got to this point? If so, today’s episode is for you.
After Martin and I recorded the episodes on how to start a blog and how to start a podcast, we got a lot of requests to follow those episodes up with one on how to build a YouTube channel. Here it is.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
Why I started creating YouTube videos in the first place
Which elements of video/audio quality you should focus on first
Gear recommendations for beginning video producers
Editing tricks that can save you a ton of time
Tips for making your channel stand out and get subscribers
And, with this episode now out, the College Info Geek Podcast now contains what amounts to an entire series on how to become a media mogul. So, you know, if you wanna do that, you can follow this episode up with the rest:
How to start a blog
How to start a podcast
How to become a published author
How to become a professional speaker
Things mentioned in this episode:
How to Start Your Own Podcast (Ep. 133
How to Produce High Quality Videos for Under $1,000
Fizzle
Lynda.com
Thomas Frank – Video Production Shortcuts – How to Make Great Videos in Less Time (from FinCon)
How To Actually Stop Wasting Time On The Internet
Cold Turkey Writer: An App that Forces You to Write by Blocking All Distractions
Sony NEX–5N
Sony Alpha a6000
Bokeh
Wistia
Wistia DIY Lighting
A 4-Step Process For Making Every Day Productive
Caddicarus on YouTube
JonTronShow on YouTube
SpaceHamsterGames on YouTube
Is College Worth It? Use The Tony Hawk Method To Find Out
How To Use Habitica (Formerly HabitRPG) To Build Strong Habits And Hack Your Motivation
Stop Saying, “I Don’t Feel Like It.”
Sean McCabe video that mentions audio vs video quality
Jenny Nicholson – Suicide Squad Sales Pitch
Aperture
DJI Osmo Handheld Camera
AlphaMconsulting on YouTube
Canon 70D
Aperture of the human eye
Cheap podcasting microphone
Royal Voice Lavalier Microphone
Philip DeFranco on YouTube
Adobe Premiere Pro
Final Cut Pro
HitFilm Express
Video we filmed with DJI Osmo
The Most Powerful Way to Remember What You Study
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
Tom’s front page on YouTube
Tom’s Making Videos playlist on YouTube
So You Want to Start Your Own Blog (Ep. 125)
How to Start Your Own Podcast (Ep. 133)
How to Become a Published Author (Ep. 102)
Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.
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