What it’s really like being a student YouTuber at Temple University

‘Being a YouTuber on a college campus is the BEST conversation starter’

Some Temple students work part-time jobs, others have internships—and then there’s Taylor, Tianna, and Andrea, who all make their own YouTube videos.

Through YouTube, users are given the chance to reach out to people from all over the world in an effort to build their own brand, where anyone can create their own channel and start uploading content immediately.

Besides gaining hands-on experience as a content creator, users also have the chance to earn money through advertisements. Although this can be a smart way to earn some cash on the side, some popular YouTube stars such as Felix Kjellburg (PewDiePie), have made a significant amount of income and have turned YouTube into their career.

In fact, according to Forbes, Felix Kjellburg (PewDiePie) was the highest-payed YouTube star of 2016 with $15 million, and the top 10 YouTube channels earned a combined total of $70.5 million, up 23% from the year before.

With these statistics, it is no wonder why so many are starting their own channels, especially those among the college community.

The Tab had the chance to interview three YouTubers from Temple University to find out what it’s really like to be a YouTuber on campus.

Tell us a little about yourself

Taylor Sison: “I’m 19 years old, a sophomore majoring in Marketing and minoring in Supply Chain Management.”

Tianna Stephenson: “My name is Tianna and I’m a 20 year old sophomore Speech Language Pathology major at Temple University. I’m from Boston, Massachusetts, a die-hard Patriots fan and an outdoorsy type of gal. Take me hiking, biking, swimming, anything, as long as I get out the house!”

Andrea Sarmiento: “My name is Andrea Sarmiento but online my name is shown as Andrea Leoni because my middle name is significantly shorter than my last name. I’m a freshman Global Studies major with a minor in Women’s Studies.

I’m also from Cape May Court House, NJ (pretty much as south of NJ as you can get). I’m 19 and I have an older sister and a younger brother. I love to travel (I’ve gone to Bermuda, China, Canada, and the Philippines) and over the summer I work at a bakery and a surf shop.”

What made you want to start a YouTube channel?

Taylor:  “I have watched YouTube videos for years and years. I think I watch it more than actual TV. I started a makeup channel back in the 6th grade, but I deleted it because I was too embarrassed for my friends to watch. When my freshman year of college arrived, I became more confident in myself and I realized that I don’t care what other people think of me anymore. If I love something so much and I’m passionate about it—then I’m going to do it.”

Tianna: “In 2010, when I first made my YouTube channel I was always a viewer. I would subscribed to other people’s channels and eventually decided to make my own. I was in 7th grade when I decided to post videos to YouTube with just a webcam and Windows Movie Maker. My videos would be about fashion, and what little I knew about makeup. Being as young as I was, I was afraid that people from school would find my videos and make fun of me for them! I deleted all my videos and didn’t return to YouTube as a content creator until Christmas Day in 2015.

Armed with a camera and my new knowledge on video editing, I finally started making content that I enjoyed, and let go of my fear of ridicule. Being older and confident,  I now know not to let anything or anyone stop me from doing something that I love.”

Andrea: “I have made YouTube videos since I was in 5th grade. My first channel was called TheAndreaSarmiento where I created skits and sang covers of popular songs, but has since been deleted due to cyberbullying. My next channel EandAmusic lasted for one day but my friend Erika and I ended up uploading 4 videos of us singing/playing guitar the day that she slept over my house. Another channel, AndreaAsa, contains a video from 2013 that was my most viewed. It’s called ‘Cool In School: How To Be Popular’ and has over 14k views.

I don’t often tell people about this previous channel mostly because it is very embarrassing. My current channel, AndreasLair, shows off more of who I am as a individual and is more mature compared to my previous channels. Overall, I decided to start a YouTube channel because it acted as a creative outlet for me. When I first began YouTube I had this idea that I would gain a large following and to get recognized on the streets. AndreasLair was a fresh start for me to naturally grow my channel instead of being driven by numbers and I am much happier because of that.”

How do you balance making videos and doing schoolwork?

Taylor: “I started a schedule for posting videos! It is probably the best thing I have ever done. Now I can plan when I am going to film and what I am going to film.”

Tianna: “Making videos and balancing schoolwork can sometimes prove to be a challenge, so procrastination cant be a thing! I’ve found that the earlier I get started on an essay and a project, the more time I can focus on my hobby—YouTube. I HAVE to be dedicated to both school and YouTube to make it work and I am to both.”

Andrea: “Vlogs are much easier to create and post when having to balance school and YouTube because there is not much of a need to plan anything out. It’s also easier to balance school and editing when not having a scheduled day and time to post a video. Vlogs showcase my action-packed and interesting day as a Temple student. It almost feels as though filming myself in public is naturally apart of my day (which is what I assume the Kardashian’s feel like… to a extent). I always make sure I get all my work done during a busy day before sitting down and editing a vlog. If I prioritize my time correctly then everything seems to work itself out.”

What is the best part about being a YouTuber at Temple?

Taylor: “The best part about being a YouTuber at Temple is the positive feedback I get from people on campus and even from future Owls on YouTube. I would have never expected that so many people would apply to Temple, just because they watch my videos. To hear someone say that they got accepted and are going to be a future student at Temple the following year is so rewarding, and that is why I create videos. It is by far the best feeling in the world.”

 Tianna: “The best part about being a YouTuber at Temple is the connections you are able to make with people that you would of never known otherwise. Walking on campus I often get the casual “Hey, don’t you have a YouTube channel?” and it brings a smile to my face every time. Being a YouTuber on a college campus is the BEST conversation starter, and it makes making friends so much more fun. I remember an instance at the beginning of fall semester where I was getting out of class and a girl stopped me and told me she watches my college vlogs. Turns out I played a big part in her wanting to apply to Temple, and that to me is just the best feeling.

I’m able to connect with people around the world and hear positive feedback from them. I have people who care about how my day was or what I’m going through or knowing that I have a support system outside my immediate family and friends is crazy to me, and I will never get tired of all the loving comments.”
Andrea: “The best part about being a YouTuber at Temple is the excitement and interest people have when finding out that I make videos. I also enjoy answering questions in my comment section that prospective students have about the school. On top of that, I am able to have a platform to talk about important things occurring in the world that will hopefully have an impact on someone else. Also, since arriving to Temple I have encountered many people who have watched my videos and came up to me to say hi. Everyone I’ve met from this has been so nice and definitely leaves a smile on my face to know that they enjoy the content I create on my spare time.”

What is the hardest part about being a YouTuber at Temple?

Taylor: “The hardest part about being a YouTuber is learning new editing software. Being a YouTuber you want to find new ways of editing and how to constantly make your content look better. It is very time consuming, but in the end, it is worth it, and it brings my creative side out.”

Tianna: “The hardest part about being a YouTuber at Temple is that there are constantly so many people walking around campus so you always get ‘The Look’.

‘The Look’ is how people look at you when you are walking around campus talking to a camera. A lot of people don’t know about the YouTube Community and vlogging, so to them I probably look like I am trying to take a selfie with a digital camera as opposed to an iPhone. I’ve actually been asked more than once if I wanted someone to take a picture for me! Also the editing can take HOURS, but I’ve began to learn to love it because that is where I can throw in my creative flare.”

Andrea: “The hardest part about being a YouTuber is coming up with interesting content. Although my vlogs show normal days in my life, it’s very easy to fall into a routine which can be boring and repetitive to the audience (ex: going from one class to another and doing homework all day). Being relatively new to vlogging, I find it difficult to pull out my camera in public when I’m alone and start talking to my camera.

In my head I starting thinking about a billion scenarios and the many ways people are judging me. The more I force myself to not care what others are thinking, the more confidence I hope to gain when vlogging around campus. When I first started YouTube I also found it difficult to get comfortable talking to the camera and that is very apparent if you watch my old videos and compare it to my newer videos.”

Do you have any advice for students who want to start their own channel?

Taylor: “My advice for people trying to start a channel is to start it and keep doing it with passion. If you start a channel because you want money out of it—you’re not going to get anywhere. Also, find an area you want to focus on, for example, makeup, fashion, food, travel, etc. When you talk about something that interests you and you love it, people are going to know you’re being genuine about it.

Finally, practice being in front of the camera and talking to it. I was terrible at filming in the beginning, but you’ll become more confident and comfortable if you keep practicing.”

Tianna: “My advice to people who want to start their own YouTube channel would be to find yourself first. Find yourself and know who you are and people will see that and your personality and love you for it. On the Internet people can be unforgiving.

With positive feedback comes negative feedback as well. Anyone who is on a social media platform should be confident that they know who they are and no one can tell who they are. Confidence is key when starting a channel, and once you have that you can go anywhere from there.”

Andrea: “Advice I would give students who wish to begin their own YouTube channel is to be yourself. Make the videos that you wish to make and capture your individual personality. Also, if you are just starting out don’t feel pressured to purchase a super expensive camera. You could also use the video mode on a cell phone or even use a webcam!”

Make sure to subscribe to Taylor (Taylor Sison), Tianna (TbhTianna), and Andrea (AndreasLair) on YouTube.

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