My name is Campbell, and I’m from Norfolk, Virginia.
I first found the Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighteria from Crash Course.
It was 2015 I think, and it was for, like, a history class.
It was for, like, a test on the Civil War.
And so I was, you know, freaking out about that test, so I started watching the U.S. History videos
on Crash Course.
John was so charismatic, and he was kind of intriguing, his personality and everything.
I looked him up and found the Vlogbrothers channel.
So I started watching the videos, especially Hank’s joke videos.
I just really, really love watching them.
If I’m having a bad day or something like that, they really perk me up and make me feel
better.
I feel like the whole Nerdfighteria culture - they’ve just made me feel like the little
quirks that I have are more normal.
Because, you know, everyone in the community - we’re all kind of nerds, we’re all geeks,
we’re all just a little weird.
And so that kind of always made me feel a little bit better about myself, and about
the things that I do, the things that I like.
I haven’t been able to go to any convention like this until now, so I haven’t been really
able to contribute as much as I think I would have liked to.
Like, I haven’t been able to go to VidCon or anything like that.
But I feel like, you know, just being a supporter of the channel and being a supporter of Hank
and John and everyone else that’s, you know, a part of all the different things that they’ve
created - I think that’s helped them keep their channels going and keep their videos
and keep them still working and everything.
So, I think that, at least the small things that I’ve been able to do for all their
channels and all their projects has, you know, made them at least a little bit more successful.
In 2013, my sister introduced me to John and Hank.
My sister was a big fan of Harry Potter and she actually started reading John’s book.
So what happened was, she introduced me to the fandom, and I ended up binge watching
all of the episodes within a span of about 6 months.
What Nerdfighteria means to me is, basically, it’s inclusivity.
Everybody is able to be themselves without any hassle or, you know, being bullied.
There has been some, you know, backlash for certain things, you know, Hank has talked
about in his videos.
But it’s all about being who you are and embracing the weird in yourself.
That’s why I like it so much, because I have - I suffer from anxiety, and this community
gives me a way to put myself out there and not, you know, be anxious.
Because that’s a problem for me.
In 2014, I actually got this tattoo.
I actually got to go on the, um, the CBS Sunday Morning during the week before the TFiOS premiere.
It was, like, a group of six of us.
We actually had a lot of fun and a group of like-minded people is a positive thing always
because you’ll always want people who’ll agree with you.
And it’s also cool how, like, if you are wearing a Pizza John shirt, somebody will
walk up to you and say hello and ask if they can sit down.
I did that to somebody earlier during lunch.
And I really, really appreciate all the good that this community has done.
And I feel like I have a bit of a part in it because I have donated to the Project for
Awesome and I have gotten perks.
And it’s definitely a fulfilling and happy thing for me to be part of this community.