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Smart phones reside in almost everyone’s pockets nowadays. With these phones comes quick accessibility to the internet, and with this accessibility comes the popularity of
YouTube videos. People of all ages spend their time watching videos that appeal to them. Some students have taken it a step further though, and created their own channels.
Seniors Ryker Erickson, Christian Johansen, and Noah Richmond have a channel called Dairy Fish. The story on how they got their name is different depending on who
you talk to. Erickson claims that he just suggested the random idea and that became the name of the channel. Richmond says he came up with the name and Johansen has a
different story.
“At that time Ryker ate a meal called ‘Dairy Fish’ every night for dinner. I can’t remember who suggested it but when they did, it just fit,” Johansen said. “Just by hearing the
name you get an idea about what it is like to be one of us.”
The Dairy Fish boys aren’t the only ones with a YouTube channel thought. Sophomores Kaleb Cox and Trayson Thompson have created a channel called SprayCan Productions.
“I was sitting at home, and was like, ‘Huh, Kaleb and I should make a YouTube channel, but what should we call it?’” Thompson said. “I decided SprayCan Productions was a
good name, so I made a logo and sent it to Kaleb.”
Cox confirms this story.
“He was just basically messaging me on messenger and said, ‘Here’s this logo and here’s this name, we’re making a YouTube channel.’ And I said ‘Okay’. I didn’t really have much say in it,” Cox said.
In order to start a YouTube channel, you have to have a reason for doing it. These reasons can vary from entertaining others, to just having a good time, to reasons like Richmond’s.
“I like watching TV–who doesn’t?” Richmond said.
Besides the joy in watching TV, Dairy Fish created their channel for fun, as did SprayCan Productions.
Another reason for creating a YouTube channel, or certain videos, is the inspiration around you.
“David Bowie and Jurassic Park inspired me,” Johansen said.
Once you have the reasoning and inspiration for starting a channel, you are ready to build it up piece by piece.
One of the many traits of a YouTube channel is the personality each channel gives off. This personality is created by the types of videos posted.
“Our videos are a lot like Steven Spielberg’s movies,” Johansen said.
The Dairy Fish channel creates videos from ideas that they personally think are funny and that they find humor in. SprayCan Productions also has similar ideas.
“Our videos are kind of inspired by the early days of YouTube, where people would just get together with their friends and make ridiculous little skits,” Cox said. “There’s not
really a punchline, they are just kind of bizarre and out there and that makes it unique, I guess.”
Another trait of a Youtube channel is the videos themselves. With each video posted, the people making them start to pick out their favorites.
“My favorite video we’ve made is ‘The Baseball Movie’ because it was fun to run around town just filming. And it was fun to play baseball,” Erickson said.
Richmond’s favorite video is titled “Dino Land” and Johansen’s favorite video is titled “Leaf Man”.
“My favorite one is called ‘Low Budget Spiderman’. It’s about this guy dressed up as Spiderman with a crappy jacket and wrestling mask and his spidey senses go off and he
marathons his way over to where he thinks the problem is,” Thompson said. “He ends up punching one of the guys and taking his change.”
Thompson stars in this video, which is part of the reason it is his favorite. This same reasoning goes for Cox’s favorite video that he stars in.
“Mine is called ‘The Message’, and in it there is this guy who wears this weird jester ski mask and it is about his journey to take a message to someone,” Cox said.
One more quality of a Youtube channel is whether or not you plan on continuing it throughout your life. For some people, Youtube is how they make their living, and for others it is just for fun.
“We do it because it’s fun. Buddha once said, ‘Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment,’” Erickson said.
While Dairy Fish does not know if they plan on going somewhere with their channel later on in life, SprayCan Productions has an idea on what they want to do.
“For now I think we are just doing it for fun, but if we are able to get it somewhere later on in life, we’re fine with that,” Cox said.
Thompson agreed and also gave his own reasoning for continuing the channel.
“I am kind of using it to kind of see what sort of stuff I can do with the camera and lighting because I want to be a director when I get older,” Thompson said.
One last quality and sort of duty about having a Youtube channel is to give new and upcoming channel creators some advice. Both Dairy Fish and SprayCan productions has a
range of advice for high school students who might be interested in a channel.
“Don’t do it, it’s h***,” Johansen said.
Richmond has a different form of advice.
“Youtube channels are fun, but you could start a band instead,” Richmond said.
Rather than starting a band, Erickson offers some more encouraging advice.
“[When starting a channel] do what you want to do, not what others want you to do,” Erickson said.
Not only is it important to listen to yourself, but it’s important to just try.
“I’d say go for it. If you have this vision and you just want to do it, then there is nothing stopping you,” Thompson said.
After you’ve gone for it, don’t overestimate, or underestimate, your abilities.
“Don’t try to do more than you know how do,” Cox said. “If you know what you’re capable of then you can make it look professional.”
Overall, Youtube is a popular thing that isn’t going away anytime soon. For those of you looking into creating a channel, Dairy Fish and SprayCan Productions say to go for it.
