Book Review On this $1 book on Sponsorships on youtube
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Review of Panasonic RP BTGS 100
Has anyone found headphones like these that they like?
YouTube: Entrepreneurs vs Hobbyist (Analyzing The Lean Channel)
I recently read and reviewed The Lean Channel: YouTube for Entrepreneurs by Carey Martell.
His book is aimed at people who know nothing about YouTube, marketing, and video production, but want to make money using YouTube. To me this raises some interesting questions. Martell says that YouTubers are entertainers, “your job as an entertainer is to entertain other people, not yourself”. If an “entrepreneur” is the term to describe a YouTuber whose intentions are to make money as a business, what is a YouTuber that is a hobbyist but still makes money?
This is the core of my issues with the book’s ideology. I make money off of YouTube doing things that both amuse me, and things that I would be doing anyways. I like technology and experimenting with it, but videotaping that and some of my thoughts I am able to help people. If I only focus on the type of material I have done that reaches the largest audience, it wouldn’t take long till I neglect my original intents: entertaining myself.
Of course this is just one way of thinking. Below is my review of the book. Please use the comment section on YouTube to let me know your thoughts. You can always tweet me as well.
 
Update Vlog using a new phone (Nexus 6P)
New Vlog with sorta an apartment tour showing holiday gifts using new phone Nexus 6P.
Star Wars Ep 7 Pre-viewing interviews
Put me in Star Wars .com invited me to do some video for their blog. With that said I am only going to say everyone was awesome to us. I did come up with some of the questions with my favorite being “What is better, Star Wars Ep 1. or the Holiday Special?”
Check out the video below and check out Put Me In Star Wars.com.
Press from the video:
http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2015/12/28/entertainment/doc56815669bbddf811596596.txt
What is considered “late” on an event video? (Dave and Chuck the Freak Point 5K)
I do event videos for fun. Other than anything I make off of advertisements on YouTube I don’t make anything (I really don’t make much through the advertisements). I want to make that clear before continuing. When I do video work for a client I do am very cautious about timelines (way more than if it is a video for myself/my own YouTube).
In November I ran a Point 5K (not a 5k, but a .5k). My intentions were to run around and record people and some of the different customs or whatever is going on and do a quick event video. I know a video like this needs to be put up right away to get views. However I was getting ready to move the following week and had a lots to do.
With events, people only search for them when they are fresh on their minds (no duh, I know). It is most fresh when it just happens or (and this is where views pick up) is when it is being brought up before the next or similar event. Some of my event videos don’t get views until people are trying to figure out whether or not to go to the next one or a similar event.
Back to this Point 5K run. this video is now almost a month past the event. It is no longer newsworthy. This event was part of a radio show so there is some hope they the hosts could promote it, but that is unlikely because they have their own official video.
I am curious to see how this video does. Now I’m off to edit my Star Wars Ep 7 Premier video before that is a week old . . . .
(update 1)
Even weeks after the event the video made it to a local newspaper’s site.
http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2015/12/22/entertainment/doc567978de02483241971767.txt
How to test a selfie-stick (Selfezy review)
I know that a lot of people think selfie-sticks are silly. I find them to be a very helpful tool when vlogging or just trying to take any picture without an extra person. With a bluetooth selfie stick such as this selfezy (can buy here Amazon link) it does make life easyer for Youtubers like myself.
The selfezy is a product I purchased at a discount in order to review. The bluetooth features really sell this for me. It works as described for pictures but you can use the picture button to record video as well. You just have to have your cell phone set to video before you hit the take picture button.
The handle does look cheap. I can’t complain about it too much though since last time I seen it in stock on Amazon it was selling for under $20. Inside the handle is the usb port to charge it. I am not sure if I prefer that or just using a battery. Then again every other electronic we have charges via usb so why not our selfie sticks? Word of advice for power: remember to always turn it off.
Below is how I test a selfie stick for weight. This being the most important test. If a selfie stick does not hold your phone/camera still, it is worthless. With this said this is my second Selfezy. My first one broke in the first week and the company replaced it. I was able to repair the first one and now I have 2 of these selfie sticks with no issues.
FantastiCon, Should I start interviewing people again?
While at FantastiCon I had the opportunity to interview a few people. The obvious are the featured guests (in this case the “Comic Book Men”). I also thought about talking to an independent artist who’s daughter is also an artist (didn’t get her age but she was younger than 10). She makes her own art and sketch cards and sells them at conventions. Her father does watch the transactions, but for the most part she runs her own booth.
I used to do interviews at events. I stopped doing this because the videos were not getting many views or interaction. People are more interested in the “b-roll” style videos focusing on cosplay and other footage vs interviews with people and any commentary I have about the events.
I was also doing vlogs about events as well. Again I do not feel they were getting many views. I also feel that the vlogs can come repetitive. If I don’t have anything special to the event to say/do at events I tend to repeating the same things. If I had a second shooter and I did more talking points during the events, that would improve the vlogs. However when I am at an event the cosplay/highlights video does have priority and I do spend most of the time focused on getting footage for that. I am hoping these blogs do not become receptive for the same reasons.
Comments are welcomed, and of course feel free to browse my previous videos to see examples.
Scott (Toaden) Maiale
What Microphone To Use For Man On The Street Interviews
For Man on the Street interviews (interviewing people on the street, or MOS) we mostly see people using handheld microphones. This makes sense. The pick up the speaker and can easily be pointed to another speaker, and the range isn’t big enough to pick up a ton of background noise.
For me the big question is do I want a cardioid pick-up pattern or an onmi pickup pattern, that usually depends on the microphones I have available and if I am going to be inside or outside. It is nice to have some background noise so the viewer can hear the environment without being too distracted by it.
Hear are some recent videos I did experimenting with microphones on the street. For more videos please check out the categories on the website or my Youtube channel
Redford Comic Con October 2015
Your Comic Con is becoming known in the Detroit (Michigan) area for small comic conventions. This convention was Halloween theme and even some of the venders were dressed up. It is a rarity to see venders dressed up during the day at a comic con. Normally since the venders are at shows every-weekend they just dress normal.
This was a very small comic con and that is not a bad thing. What you get with small comic cons is that you meet everyone. The 2 costume contests were the first costume contests at a comic con that I participated in. I was a judge for the kid’s costume contest and I participated as Mario in the normal costume contest.