Hey, what's up guys? Sean here with Video Influencers at Vlogger Fair.
And I'm sitting here with Megan aka Strawburry17, how's it going?
Good, what's good, guys?
This video is brought to you in part by Vlogger Fair an amped up gathering
Of vloggers, creators and their communities. Visit vloogerfair.com for latest
News and event info. This is a cool event because it's an opportunity to
Connect with the vloggers and the video creators, but our
Channels all about people that want to start with online video
And start Youtube channels and you know grow their audiences
And things like that so I'm curious how did you get into this whole video
Thing in the first place? - Yeah, well I'm one of the earlier creators,
Not the originals from 2005/2006, but I started in 2007. And I saw
People my age editing videos and I'm like wow they didn't even go
To school for that so I mean, I looked up a couple of blogs, figured
Out how to use one of those movie making codex and video
Files and that's where it started. But I mean the cool thing about being
An earlier creator is we never started on Youtube with the hopes of
Trying to be a Youtube celebrity or eventually getting paid from it,
We just uploaded 'cause it was a chance for whatever we created
To be seen. And that was so much fun, you could share it with your
Family members that didn't live close by and it was just really interesting
And really cool to the community. " That's awesome. And since back
Then, I'm sure your content and I've watched your content evolve.
What is kind of been the progression for you and what are some of
The seasons you've seen happen, even to like what you're doing
Today. - Well it's crazy. I mean eight years of my life has been
On Youtube and I started original just with regular vlogs, skateboarding
Videos and then I broke into the music scene and I would, I was one
Of the first creators to ever get permission from a major label to
Run ads on a video in exchange for promotion. So I would help push
Songs to radio and help artists sell albums. It was awesome until
Vevo came around and totally took my job. And I'm like, you know I'm
Not really super passionate about music anyways. I mean I love it
And it's a part of my life, but I was like I'm gonna have to quit Youtube
Because my video, my channel is just like sinking right now. 2012 was
A hard time for a lot of creators 'cause Google changed the algorithm
And dropped a bunch of subscribers, it was just bad news. But I went
On an amazing race, I ran up the hill three miles both ways in the snow
And I found out that I was a lot stronger than I was and I wasn't
Gonna throw the towel. So I came back and I'm like I have a vision
And this is something I always wanted to do and it's not traditional
Youtube, but it's something that I'm passionate about, so I started
With shows, I started embracing my nerdier side of things, something
I kind of tried to keep a little secret, doing cosplays, DLYs, cooking,
Anything that really made me feel good about life, I just did it. And
Now my channel's evolved to 4k content, we do shows Monday
Through Friday and we do seasons to which is something I never
Would've thought coming from you know skateboarding videos
Way back when. - That's incredible and you mentioned that you
Embraced this other side, specifically your nerdy side and one of
The things that you're passionate about is inspiring people and
Changing the way the world looks at nerd culture. What's the heart
Behind that? - Well you know I think the heart behind that is what I
Faced. So when I was in high school, I was a skater and there was a
Group of kids who would hang out by a certain area and they were
The anime kids that no one liked, they thought they were weird and
Super just like strange and if you liked anime or associated with them,
I thought they were the coolest. And I just hated like the fact that
There were all these stigmas to things, but I mean I went over
And I started talking to them one day about Sailor Moon and they
Treated me so badly 'cause I didn't look like them. And I'm like
Man, this is just, there are groups to things and if you don't look
A certain way then you don't fit the stereotypes and people don't
Accept you. But I think being a nerd is so much more, it's not what
I wear on my t-shirt, it's how I feel when I put on that costume or when
I watch that anime or read that comic. And I just wanna open it up because
Being a nerd doesn't have to be, you don't have to fit a certain type
Of stereotype. I think that it should inspire you and effect the way that
You create and that's the message that I'm really trying to get out there.
Everyone, there's a nerd in everyone. - I love that and one of the things
You just mentioned to was that you launch these seasons, you're doing
These shows, and you mentioned 4k and your videos are some of the
Coolest, best looking, best shot. - Stop, stop it. - You know and of course
Big resolution, like were you passionate about getting into a format
That not other happen to embrace so much and even everything,
The details, the lighting on set and your attention to detail and how
Colorful. Everything's so cool, kind of what's your heart behind the
Quality and excellence of all that? - Well so what happened is in 2014
We shot the music video on an Alexa and I was just like Yeah, let's
Just do it, why not? We had it for a really good deal and my DP was
Like this is gonna look great, let's just do it and I'm like alright, fine,
Fine. We shot it and I was like This is the best thing ever! You could
See like my eyelashes, the quality was incredible and after you put
It through color grading I was like Man, I can't go back to DSLR after this,
This looks phenomenal. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but
It sparkled something different in me. I'm like Wow, I'm telling a
Different story visually and this is, I'm at a point in my Youtube career where
I could you know afford to use these cameras so why aren't I? And I've
Been around through a lot of different like the 480, the 1280, the 1080,
To a 1440, I'm talking about aspect ratios, in case I lost anybody, and
I feel like 4k is the future, starting to become the standard for television
And what I'm doing on my channel right now is I'm creating a whole lineup
of shows so that when television and digital merge and they become
one and the same, which is happening very soon, guess what? My content's
already 4king and it's ready for anyone to distribute. So that's the method
behind it. A big part of being on Youtube is being responsible not only
for the now, but where you're headed. - Wow, that's really cool. Now
one of the things that could be discouraging for the creators and
up and comers is they might get overwhelmed thinking I need to get
this camera and I need to get this stuff, what kind of advice and
encouragement would you give people, to start where they are,
what they should start with, what camera they need? - I think, I
started with this really old DV camera, it had like DV tapes and I
had to plug in like a firewire to my computer and play it back on
my camcorder in order to get the footage, it took forever. But
you start with what you have. I mean this is eight years in the making,
so I'm able to do 4k. But in the beginning I wasn't trying to have
the best quality camera. 'cause honestly I couldn't afford it. I grew
up super poor, like anything I had I worked really, really hard for it and
probably had to like mow a ton of lawns and do a bunch of weird
stuff just to get that and I think it's important to just make sure you're
creating stuff that makes you feel good, that makes you feel happy,
and worry about the quality of it later. You gotta get that down
first. I mean you could have amazing quality, but super crappy content
that you don't even like doing, so well there's a bee. So that's the first
thing. Be proud of what you're making and then start evolving.
And once it's like supporting you, then there's a budget for that.
That's awesome. And lastly, what's coming up for you? Like what's
The new projects and some of the things on the horizon.
- Well really
Exciting, next month we starting the production of our next season
Of shows, Which is really awesome, we're extending all of our
Formats into a solid of ten-minute for every single show. So you
Can sit down and expect Monday to Friday to be like in a beginning,
Middle, end type format. Those are shows you love already, but we're
Stretching it out and trying to kind of give you a little bit more of
Narrative I guess. - That's awesome and then one last final thought,
For specifically the creators out there, those that have Youtube
Channels and are trying to share their message and their creativity
And their content, what's the final tip or just a piece of encouragement
That you can share with them? - My tip for you would be you definitely
Have something to offer, I think people can get discouraged when they
Look on Youtube and be like Ah, it's already been done and it hasn't
Because you haven't done it. So just know when you upload it's always
Gonna be different than anything else that's out there and the world
Benefits from you sharing your creativity and gift, so just go do it.
Hey, thanks so much for checking out this video. Make sure to subscribe,
For more videos to help you build your influence and your income
With online video and. - And make sure you like it and leave a comment
And share with your mom. - Let your mom know we love her, you love
Her, and never forget Mother's Day. Say Wow. - Wow. - Do it
Backwards. - Wow. - Flip it upside down. - Mom. - Call your.
Mom. - Okay, let's shoot a little outro, thumbnails and we're done.
Okay. - This is total freestyle. The video shrinks down, it's an N card.
Are you gonna rap? - Am I gonna rap? - You said it's freestyle.
Well if you drop a beat. I can't rap without a beat. - I can't drop
A beat. Strawburry17 at Vlogger Fair, she's got an LA hat on her
Hair and I don't even care. Oh, we're back. We're back on the beat
As we rap on the street, up in S E A T T L E, Seatlle's where we're at,
Space Needle coming. - But you're really good! - Thanks! - You're
Really good, like this video and leave a comment and subscribe.
It was powerful. That wasn't the real outro, but that's all gonna be in
There. That's actually, that's the only thing we'll post. Thank you so much,
We appreciate it and we will talk soon.