This week on You Are What You Love, Sequoia Simone joined me to talk about how A Very Potter Musical started the domino effect of what her life turned out to be today. We talked a ton about how growing up watching YouTube content shaped us -- and how it helped us become creators in own right.
If you’ve listened to the episode, you know that we also talked about the unique way online creators have of being personal to their viewers, and that some of our experiences meeting those creators were, in fact, perfect. I talked a little bit about meeting Philip DeFranco, and how kind he was to me. I dug up the photos I referenced, and looking at them again just reminded me where I was at the time.
The live event I mentioned was in 2013, which was pretty far in to my gap year between high school and college. Almost all my friends were living all over the country, and I’d lost the idea of consistency and honestly, community. Phil’s show was a constant for me at that time -- I’d been watching his videos all throughout high school and middle school, and when I was suddenly mostly by myself, I had a daily friendly, energetic face on my screen.
And having that kind moment from Phil in person has stuck with me. It helped me when I needed it, and it sparked an urge to give that same kind of help with my own content. To be a creator means that you are, ultimately, giving people a break from reality, and hopefully a kind face. You don’t know what’s going on with the person on the other side of the screen, but if you make something good enough, you might give someone a break, and a minute to breathe.
If you want to catch the whole episode, where we talk about AVPM, the Vlog Brothers and Nerdfighteria, and becoming creators ourselves, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or find You Are What You Love on your favorite podcast app here.
