"Amazing things can happen when you set your mind to it," Finn Harries said to the audience of eager NYU students, all eager to hear what he had to say. iPhones were recording, DSLRs were snapping and people were on the edge of their seats.
When you think of Finn Harries, you probably think of the famous YouTuber from London who has an equally attractive twin brother. You probably think of the billions of views on his videos or the even larger amount of followers on Instagram. But what you probably don’t think about is how truly talented he is.
This past Monday night, the Global Media & Creative Production Club at NYU invited Finn Harries of JacksGap for a Q&A. Studying architecture at Parsons, Harries talked about anything and everything; from being a twin to driving across India in a rickshaw. No stone associated with the infamous YouTube channel was left unturned.
Harries began at the beginning and how he get involved with JacksGap, the YouTube channel created by his twin brother, Jack. He admitted he was even unsure about if he wanted to be a part of it, saying he was concerned about what people thought about him, more so than Jack. But it begin as a fun project that the twin brothers spent their time on.
After collaborating with Tyler Oakley, the animal that was JacksGap transformed before Finn and Jack's eyes.
"It started to snowball more than we ever thought it would. We actually gained 60,000 followers overnight," Harries said.
The channel was started after Jack took a gap year from university. For a year, Jack and Finn devoted themselves to the channel, making money from Google and AdSense. However, the one question constantly loomed over their heads: What is JacksGap?
"Even currently, we're trying to bring the brand with us as we develop ourselves," Harries said. "This has been our biggest challenge."
Being completely transparent, Harries also touched upon sponsorships. This was a scary topic for him, as he admitted before embarking on the subject. He reflected on the struggles that both he and his brother encountered with managers and surrounding teams. It took them some time to find people who believed in what the twins wanted to accomplish as a brand and producers.
"You would be surprised at how many people knock on your door and want a slice of it," Harries said, reflecting on the amount of people who were just wanting to be a part of JacksGap for the money.
But the idea of sponsorships signaled a turn for JacksGap, not only as a YouTube channel, but as a packaged product.
The trailer for "The Rickshaw Run" played in the background and Harries described how they raised thousands of dollars just based upon partnerships with brands like Skype and Sony Entertainment.
Currently, Harries is studying in New York City at Parsons. Obviously this means he is not in London with his brother, Jack.
"The last thing Jack said to me before I left was 'I want a brother, not a business partner,'" Harries said. The crowd let out a collective "Awe" as if on cue.
But, overall, a main theme Harries projected was that mistakes are integral to evolving and growing as a creator.
A producer, an editor, a marketer, a business owner and a graphic designer, Harries seems like he has it all and his success has come easy. He's currently sitting on a worldwide known brand, billions of views and even more followers. However, Harries was clear in saying that the ups have been great, but he would be nowhere without the downs.
"Every time you make a mistake, you learn a lot from it," Harries said.
Touching upon struggles in Greenland to getting robbed at gunpoint in Kenya, Harries asserted that you can't get anywhere without failing or falling a few times. But what matters is that you get back up and throw yourself back into it.
"Throw yourself head first into whatever you are passionate about," Harries said. "The lesson I have learned is that you should always follow your gut instinct."
For any aspiring creators in the audience, ranging from designers to filmmakers Harries definitely made "light-bulb" moments happen tonight. He surpassed expectations with his passion for what he does. His face lit up when he talked about education and climate change. His hands were constantly moving as he explained his trips around the world, and how he found himself going back to school in the Big Apple. His passion for creating and being an artist of all mediums is truly inspiring. It's also reassuring to know that someone who gets over six million views on his videos also stumbles sometimes.
We all make mistakes, but more times than none, mistakes can produce beautiful things... kind of like Finn Harries.
All photos by Contributing Editor Emily Harris.
