In case you’ve been living under a rock, VIDXB took place this past weekend – and YouTube sensation Casey Neistat was a headlining guest speaker on the main stage.
In front of hundreds of screaming fans, the US-based content creator talked about his career as a filmmaker and now vlogging star, and shared some valuable advice for all those aspiring YouTubers out there.
“Through all of the [noise] out there, there really only is one way to communicate,” Neistat said. “And that’s by sharing your individual story.”
If you weren’t able to attend VIDXB, fortunately, we’ve outlined the best bits of Neistat’s advice for all you aspiring video creators here…
Be Passionate, Stay Persistent
“I just wanted to make great films,” Neistat said, in a video presentation during his talk at VIDXB.
From a young age, he considered filmmaking to be the highest of art forms and aspired to win an Academy Award. In order to gain more experience, he took on every opportunity that came his way – no matter how big or how small.
“If you want [to achieve your dreams] you need to stop at nothing,” Neistat said. “So, I spent ten years chasing it down.”
For many creators and influencers, success doesn’t happen overnight. And Neistat is no exception. It’s clear that his passion and persistence played a large role in his success, from traditional filmmaker to YouTube creator.
If you’re not passionate about creating content, don’t start a YouTube channel.
Always Keep The Bigger Picture In Mind
Neistat’s career in filmmaking eventually took off.
He was invited to attend prestigious festivals films, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. In 2010 he sold his television show, The Neistat Brothers, to American television network HBO.
Despite having “made it” into the “exclusive club” of filmmaking, something still didn’t feel right.
“I had, in theory, achieved my [filmmaking] dream,” Neistat said. “But it didn’t feel like it. It felt like I had fit myself into somebody else’s version of the dream.”
Neistat said there were too many aspects of the traditional film industry that forced him to take time away from creating videos.
“It was after winning the biggest award of my career, that I said [screw this],” he said. “I just want to make Internet videos.” He then started focusing on his YouTube channel and began his daily vlogs.
It might sound cheesy, but Neistat’s story goes to show how important it is to stay true to yourself as a creator. If you aren’t happy with what you’re doing with your life – or the content you’re uploading – change it.
Just Start
“Find your audience,” Neistat said at VIDXB. “Tell your story. Start a conversation. Get that idea out of your head and into your videos.”
It sounds very basic, but the important part is to start somewhere. Then, focus on improving the quality of your content.
“Make it slightly better, make it a lot better, make it great,” Neistat said.
The bottom line? Everyone produces “bad” content, when they first start making YouTube videos. But in order to improve, you need to actually start somewhere.
So, don’t worry if your content isn’t as good as Neistat’s after your first (or tenth) video. Just keep at it, with the intentions of wanting to improve.
Keep Consistently Uploading
Casey Neistat has had a lot of ups and down in his career.
In addition to being a filmmaker and a YouTube creator, he’s also worked in traditional media and had his own start-up tech company. But it wasn’t until he started daily vlogging in 2015, that he feels his career as a creator really took off.
“I started talking about myself. And I started to share my stories,” Neistat said. “What’s really challenging and really interesting, and really amazing about trying to make a video every single day on YouTube, is that every day you’re forced to come up with something new to talk about.”
He acknowledged that it’s tough for creators to produce fresh content and ideas on a daily basis. After all, committing to sharing a video with your audience every single day is a big challenge. But Neistat feels that it was daily vlogging that really helped his career on YouTube succeed.
“The reality is it’s only been the last two years . . . it’s really only been since I started daily vlogging that my career’s found its footing,” Neistat said. “It was that daily vlog that got me to where I am today, regardless of how backwards that path was.”
You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it twice. If you want to be a successful YouTube creator, you need to be consistently uploading quality content.
Just keep uploading.