In a quickly rising trend, online video is starting to dominate the way savvy businesses leverage their marketing plans over their competitors. In fact, you might be surprised to know that individuals without any formal training whatsoever have been even more successful at making a name for themselves; performing various nifty tricks or bringing their audiences something with which they can resonate. If nothing else, these amateur entrepreneurs have shown that you don't have to be professionally trained to produce spectacular videos that grab the attention of thousands – sometimes millions – of people.
With technologies like YouTube and WeVideo, grassroots content creators are provided with the tools to produce professional-grade videos of the most mundane or esoteric stuff, sharing what they love to do with a receptive audience and actually making successful careers out of their hobbies. Consider a few eye-opening facts of the sheer success of online video as a platform for exposure:
With numbers like these, it's no wonder that the video revolution is in full swing, and you should meet some of the young stars responsible for driving that revolution forward.
Once just a regular art and illustration student, Vietnamese-American sensation Michelle Phan began making YouTube videos back in mid-2006 and has made more than 200 videos to date. With hip and upbeat makeup suggestions, including special episodes mimicking a particular celebrities makeup style, Ms. Phan was catapulted into fame after an astute decision to show people how to get the “Lady Gaga makeup look”. With current music laced over her clear directions, Michelle is the most watched makeup instructor on the blogosphere.
You figure somebody would fill this niche sooner rather than later; Michael Buckley figured it sooner than everybody else and rose to online video fame with his commentary on the entertainment industry and general gossip. With a funny, flamboyant, take-no-prisoners style, Michael takes a newsroom style with rapid-fire delivery on the top Hollywood stories and celebrities of the day. His vlog is called What the Buck?! And pretty much tells you all you need to know about the flavor of humor on his show, and why millions of viewers tune in faithfully each month.
Known fondly by lovers of Korean cuisine as Maangchi, the titular name of her YouTube page, Emily Kim started posting online video in her endearingly ethnic Korean accent (which is as much a part of her charm as the delicious concoctions she whips up on screen) to YouTube in 2008. Followers will notice that the quality of her video production has grown by leaps and bounds, contributing to even greater success today.
Bryan Odell is the definition of the mantra “anyone can make it if you follow your dreams relentlessly”. Bryan is a college dropout with the idea to interview rock stars who are coming through his hometown of Nebraska. His claim to fame came when he successfully competed in a Google-inspired video contest and won $35,000, which he used to upgrade his video equipment. You'll be seeing more of him in the near future.
As American as apple pie – for the youngsters, at least – skateboarding was sure to garner a sizable following, and Joel Jutagir leveraged his skills on the wheeled contraption to provide viewers a look into the exploits of members of the skating underworld, employing cool concave and convex camera tricks.
Publishing video-game-inspired films with awesome effects, YouTube sensation Freddie Wong is possibly one of the greatest examples that you don't have to go through fancy training or own expensive equipment to produce videos that generate hundreds-of-millions of views. In addition to entertaining millions of YouTube subscribers, Freddie and partner Brandon Laatsch launched RocketJump, a new ad-supported video site.