Although some still prefer the television for their entertainment, I implore you to check out Casey Neistat. His mini movies get a million or more views, and you can find them all on YouTube.
YouTube is full of cat videos, makeup tutorials and viral videos. Those viral videos include some of Neistat's work.
His most recent hit, "Snowboarding with the NYPD," has over 13 million views. The video gained media attention and flooded Facebook timelines.
The reason why Neistat has so much success is because of his desire to create better content for his viewers -- but all this didn't start out of the blue.
Neistat had a tough start in life, having a child after dropping out of high school, living on a friend's couch and working as a dish washer. He worked hard to become a filmmaker in New York City.
With so many obstacles in his way, Neistat started to gain opportunities that led him to create his first viral video before viral videos existed. After filming with his brother, Neistat earned himself a spot on HBO's time-slot.
After his many successes, he moved to YouTube. His mini movies on YouTube made it to the popular page of YouTube a couple of times, and he gained some traction.
Neistat's unique life has given him the opportunity to speak at major events. He has been in a TED Talks video and has spoken at a few schools around the world. His messages speak volumes to many.
Five years worth of films that were sporadic soon became shorter movies. These shorter movies have been uploaded every day for the past year. Because of his consistency in uploads and content, Neistat's channel has gained about a million subscribers, currently leaving him with over 2.6 million subscribers.
There are quite a few popular YouTube stars that have been vlogging (video blogging) for years, but Neistat has taken vlogging to a whole new level. Due to Neistat's new way of vlogging, other major YouTubers have also followed his lead.
Typically vlogs follow a person around and showcase their family, friends and some other special events. Viewers find comfort in seeing people with positive lifestyles and feel a connection. However, Neistat has brought all of this to an entirely new level.
With his background in filmmaking, Neistat has turned vlogging into what he calls "mini movies." The reason being that the effort he put in for other films is the same he uses for these shorter films.
His mini movies vary from traveling the world, starting a new company, being with his family, visually presented messages and drone shots. Although it is difficult to film and produce a high quality movie daily, Neistat has mastered this.
Every episode of his vlog series interests you and draws you in. Some days the message is stronger than others, but you can't help but be attracted to Casey Neistat's style and overall philosophy on life.
My personal favorite message that has been repeated a couple times is: "your gear does not matter." Although I am not a filmmaker myself, Neistat explains this perfectly. You can have the greatest gear in the world, but without a story, you have no movie. Your gear does not matter. As long as you have a great message, you'll have a great movie.
Check out Casey Neistat's channel here and enjoy all the wonderful content the channel has to offer.
