all right here we are marco montemagno
digital domination super Sammie 2014 I’m
super super sick to be honest but super
happy to be here with the next guest I
really appreciate his job body what he’s
doing and we have your marques Brownlee
hi Marcus how you doing hey good to see
you and glad to be here so thanks for
joining me
ah first I’m very happy that we have
guests from all over the world I mean I
was speaking this today with Mike body
from Canada and tomorrow we fly in Spain
and then there is Germany u.s. Chicago
New York so it’s great to have so many
countries around the world and the the
most interesting thing is that I think
you are the youngest guest in the summit
this is the first thing I don’t know if
it’s good or not it means we are all
very old I think that’s the problem and
another to definitely you have you are
the one with the largest number of
YouTube subscribers I’ve no doubt about
it so this is a second point and yeah I
was really surprised to discover you we
were talking before but a lot to tell
this story to the people watching us
because I discovered you through my son
that actually I have to say it’s not the
first time that he pointed me to super
interesting people or products and so on
and so one day he came to me and say I
tell you have to see this guy he’s
amazing and I was not really interested
in discovering you because you know he
is always suggesting this strange weird
people from video games world so I
thought you were solved as those guys
and then I was checking your channel and
wow this guy is amazing and a lot of
things impressed me and I want to talk
about this in this chat but yeah so from
that moment on I started follow you and
I said wow I have to get Marcus on the
digital nation super savvy because I
think he’s a super case study and here
we are so
yadi yadi if before the end you will say
a special bye hi to yari he will be the
happiest guy in the world so I just tell
you this but I will keep before the end
so alright okay so I would like to start
from the beginning
first of all little bit of context about
you so you are 20 years old in New York
studying tell us what what you study I’m
a junior in college some major I’m
studying business my major is Business
and Technology and then I have two what
they call concentrations but they’re
essentially minors in marketing and
information systems ok cool
so I would say something that is related
the business part is related and can
help you in your in your activity of
course also online and you have created
this channel I was checking the your
Wikipedia entry sometimes I check it
Wikipedia entries of guests and it’s
always wrong so I hope your horse is
right basically in your Wikipedia entry
is today your channel is the top tech
subscribed channel on YouTube is it
right yeah I think so so which is an
amazing result because if I think how
many companies out there producing tons
of content every day with huge budget so
is really an impressive result and when
did you start this did this YouTube
channel first of all thank you that I
appreciate the time grace
I started the I started making videos in
2009 so my first video was actually
January 1st 2009 so this is the sixth
year that I’ve been making YouTube
videos alright six years by the way
because I haven’t started to do our chat
basically and there are already
questions for you this is the first like
ever I I did over 100 interviews now
through these webcam interviews and so
on and is the first time ever
and I get questions before to start
that’s crazy so let me check because I’m
I’m so curious now wait still what do we
have so one is the CSeries cannon come
on the left of Marquez is interesting so
this is some someone noticing
immediately your your stop what is there
it’s my baby
this is they wanna I guess they very
identified as a CSeries this is a Canon
c100 that I have shot with for about
eight months or so now okay and so
that’s why it’s there because that’s the
main camera that I use a cam and a sigma
18 to 35 f-18 if anyone cares with the
glasses and I I love it I’ve shot with
it for like I said almost a year now and
it’s I’m still you could say learning it
because there’s still a lot of functions
but it’s actually a nice graduated
step-up from it the DSLR that I was
shooting with before so it’s my favorite
camera Wow okay how much does it cost a
camera like that more less body I think
it just dropped a little bit it’s like
5,000 for the body right now
Oh closer to 6,000 Wow okay super cool
very good and the other one I keep it
for later because it’s about about your
technique for a video SEO video engaging
about keep it for later because I’ll
arrive there let’s start from beginning
so the first thing that I want to
understand Marcus is I you know I offer
read biographies of celebrities okay and
the funny thing is that in the top
models Ward they all say the same thing
so all top models in four periods they
always said okay how did you start to be
a top model and the answer is I was
stopping at the cashing machine and one
very famous producer from Hollywood say
oh you are fantastic girl why don’t you
be a top model and I say yes okay why
not so and I hate to these stories you
know because it’s never true yeah so I
would like to understand how did you
really start I mean
and what what’s the process that you
have been following to grow such as use
such a huge YouTube channel so when did
you start where did you start from first
of all yeah it’s kind of been a
evolution of things and the way I’ve
changed doing things but the way I
started was I just got a new laptop and
was kind of bored with not not really
bored but like I wanted to do more stuff
with it like I just got a new laptop I
was younger teenager I was really really
curious about what it could do and what
I could show people and share with
people that it could do so I started
making screencasts which is the term for
you know screen capture recording your
screen and then editing and uploading
that so I started making these one take
two or three minute long screencasts of
software tutorials and helping people
out with different ways to do things
with software and the same people that
kept like watching those few screencasts
like kept coming back and leaving
comments and asking for other tutorials
on how to do other things in Windows so
I was I was just kind of sharing my new
laptop experience with these few people
who are watching it on YouTube so it was
kind of a way for me to share things
that I was interested in and they also
happened to be interested so I was nice
and then I guess the way I grew from
there was just me sharing more and more
different styles and types of things
from software to hardware to anything in
between anything anything with an on
button I like to say is electronic
alright but you know mark as the reality
is that 99% of the companies out there
or the people when they start they
create content maybe they also create
some cool cool stuff they uploaded here
and no one watch it so than you and you
start to think okay now what can I do
you know to get people or customers
watching my my stuff so well when did
you start to get traction I mean because
okay you you started to upload some
screencast and okay there are tones of
screencast out there so what where did
you start to get some traffic or where
did you start to build a community of
people following you and then growing
yeah so in terms of
actually finding and watching the videos
there’s been I think kind of two
different types of ways that people find
and watch a video the screencast that I
did initially we’re all just for people
searching for that and very specific
topic so if you were to punch in how to
like use this effect in this software
and make it work quickly or the highest
quality then my video would be the one
that you found so that was that quick I
guess SEO why but then the other way was
you know tech is so fast moving and and
excuse me mom because if I interrupt
just to understand and you you just
uploaded video on YouTube or you got a
website and you do other other stuff
only YouTube
yeah just YouTube okay yeah so the other
way was so because Tech is so fast-paced
a lot of stuff is like timely so like
really timely stuff people are searching
for things that like have literally just
happened so I guess the first way that I
just realized that was important was
actually when safari first became
available for Windows so far how long
ago this was and I made a tutorial just
on and downloading and installing that
piece of software like the night that it
became available and woke up the next
morning to like a few thousand people
who have watched that video which was
like mind-blowing to me that that many
people cared about that one piece of
software in that one short span of time
so that’s sort of that’s that’s hitting
sort of stuff was also the other half of
people finding and watching the videos
that’s interesting so basically you you
you you were covering something that was
hot in the news and the people they were
searching for it in that moment and so
it was probably I could hook to to find
your video I guess right yeah and what
while in the moment you decided to shift
from doing screencast work basically you
you can just use your voice and show
images or using Camtasia or ScreenFlow
and I know and I’m showing the screen
and then you decided to move to go you
know in front of a camera start talking
which is a totally different this
I mean tilt 84 a skill mmm yeah I I
guess well two things I guess number one
I kind of ran out of things to do
screencast about I did several hundred
screencasts about that several hundred
okay several hundred videos just
recording my screen and another thing is
I just I’m interested in more stuff like
I was interested in in tech as a whole
and video production and cell phones and
tablets and laptops and cars and
anything else I could talk about so you
can’t really do all that with just
screencasts so it was kind of an edible
that I included other styles of video as
I moved on okay and and and then you say
one day you said okay
I just do it I get a camera and I start
filming something like that yeah yeah I
was at first I was kind of obsessed with
the the clarity of the visuals with the
screencast so I was really obsessed with
getting like a really high frame rate
with a really high resolution like a
1080p really sharp screencast and as I
started reading up on these ways of
getting higher resolution video you and
you just come across people who are
showing the same thing with cameras like
how to get better quality out of the
camera like I kind of want to try that I
would I would like to try to see if I
could get better quality out of the
camera so the first camera I ever bought
was a sanyo Zack DC g10 and just just
walking around messing around with that
seeing how closely could focus how sharp
it was the autofocus and just playing
around with that and just at first
really recording random things around my
room that I was interested in but then
you know messing around with didn’t see
another stuff tip and it was immediately
like boom instant success among the
community or it was like you know hey
Marcus come back dude screencast we
didn’t we don’t like this stuff what was
the reaction yeah no I wish it was
instant success but honestly it was it’s
been like a growth curve basically of I
guess the number of people watching but
my first I think there I said it in a
video when playing them after my first
hundred videos I had 78 subscribe
so there was just tons of content out
there that no one was watching but I was
sharing it with a small group of people
the small group of people that were
watching we’re like really into it
because that was what we were all
sharing and we were all interested in
and then that group of people I guess
started sharing it with their friends
and kind of builds as a community from
there okay so you say 100 videos done 78
subscribers right and you didn’t think
gosh I’d give up nah that’s enough at
that point I wasn’t I’m not doing it for
the subscriber number I was just doing
it cuz it was fun like the way the
reason I bought a camera and the reason
I was doing the screencast was just for
fun and it’s still a lot of fun so the
subscriber number is still like a bonus
the the amount of people and I get to
share this with is way more so I get to
talk to way more people in the comments
and stuff like that but the whole point
of it is to be able to share stuff
that’s fun and I have a lot of fun in
text so that’s why I dig tech right okay
I want to stay on this product
oh my keziah I just asking about all
your life so when you say okay that’s it
we just stop okay but I will stay maybe
more on the production part because I
mean I almost did a television show on
Sky News immediately for seven years and
obviously when you do television you
have a lot of production going on and
when you do when you start doing things
by yourself you know like like this with
a simple web camera or more complicated
things if you are alone there is a lot
of work doing so it’s very time
consuming and watching your videos the
quality is very high so there is a post
and risk editing and it’s not you know
that you just go there three two one you
should you start to talk a little bit
sure either phone and say bye guys see
you later know there is a big quality
there so I wonder how long it takes for
you to to create one video review before
and today is for first question
ah mmm so it depends on the type of
video I’m making if I’m making a full-on
video review of say a phone like I take
a couple of days or weeks to use the
device and get to know really well and
write things down and take notes and
figure out what I want to say about it
once I like once I turn the camera on
it’ll probably be 8 or 12 hours before I
hit the export button so that’ll be 8 to
12 hours would be the shooting process
the editing the color correcting the
narration the deleting and re-editing
everything because I’m not happy with it
so like that that whole process might
take a whole day somewhere between I
guess 6 to 12 hours the quick videos
will take 4 to 6 hours because it’ll
just the videos that are just me talking
I’ll already know what I want to say and
it’s just a matter of turning camera on
saying it and then editing it down into
a way that’s easier to follow so that’s
not quite as much you know narration and
color correction and everything like
that it still happens occasionally but a
lot of that is you know 4 to 6 hours
rather than 8 to 12 right so you have a
one part that is you talking camera and
saying and describing everything that
you will talk about but then uh I see
that you have a lot of parts that are
very I would say Hollywood style like in
a moving into the object which is
uncommon because before before that I
always still reviews I mean I’m not
talking about you know super high budget
reviews that is a different story but
usually I don’t know a smartphone review
is very static you see you just see
horrible hands touching the phone and
then say it is true and dirty is quite I
don’t know the light is horrible
but with you is a totally different
feeling so I wonder how you do this you
know it’s like sometimes looks like you
have a camera on your head or something
like that I don’t know how you do it
yeah there’s a lot a lot of what I think
about what I’m
going over the shooting style over the
cinematography I guess you can call it
is I want to I want to create a video
that I would want to watch that’s my
whole thinking whenever I’m making a
video it’s what would I want to see as a
final result and then I end up and they
end up adjusting whatever have to do to
make that happen so a lot of the camera
angles it’s it’s the thing I have the
equipment to thank for a lot of the shot
angles and the the ability to do these
types of things but it’s just what what
would I want to watch I wouldn’t want to
watch a static review just a pair of
hands for 12 minutes just talking and
fumbling with a phone so that’s not what
I make but some people will be totally
fine with that but I enjoy making high
quality stuff that’s a little more
interesting to watch and listen to if
that helps people alright here we have a
comment in chat if you organizes the
work as a profession if more time more
attention good alright and yeah of
course you do otherwise you you wouldn’t
have this kind of result and and how do
you do all these motions things I I saw
some time ago to that I really loved was
kind of like a gorilla pot but with
wheels moving around
I wonder if you use something like that
to give all these motion things when you
when you do your your videos yeah I
can’t give too much away but I have some
tricks like I have the this thing that
the camera is sitting on here is a
slider
it’s a shark slider I want to say it’s
an eye footage shark slider which is
what I can use to move the camera left
and right in and out up and down and
it’s sitting on a tripod that I’ve I can
use again to move the camera in and out
up and down I’m doing a shot where it
looks like a first-person view of
holding the phone a lot of times that’s
just the mono the tripod over my
shoulder and then the camera all the way
to the side of the the slider looking
down directly over my shoulder at the
phone so there’s a lot of there’s not a
lot of trickery to get the exact sort of
look golden want because bone phones
they’re a personal thing you kind of
want a personal first-person view of it
which is why you see the hands so often
I guess but
yeah there’s there’s some some tricks I
guess he can lie with Cooley and and you
do and you don’t use any GoPro I see
everyone using GoPro now every two
seconds putting GoPro all over the body
yeah I have a GoPro I haven’t figured
exactly how I want to use it yet but
there are some neat ways cuz I it’s like
19 degrees outside so I can’t go outside
and shoot very much right now because
it’s freezing but when it is warmer
outside I do like to go out and like try
to shoot more interesting stuff because
there’s way more light outside and it’s
more interesting so yeah very
interesting and then are you have you
been inspired by anyone doing this that
you’re doing or is something that just
came up in your mind and you said I’m
gonna do it this way I feel like that or
there is some kind of mode model for you
like someone that inspired you to go in
this direction it’s combination of both
I get a lot of inspiration from other
other reviewers other movie producers
and cinematography and other youtubers
who are doing similar things already and
then I also kind of get visions in my
head of the way I want to see things
done what I would want to watch and I
kind of merge that into so it’s a
combination of both but there’s plenty
of great youtubers who are also doing
real really really high quality work
that watch also alright cool alright so
next step I’m an entrepreneur marques so
the moment that I saw your videos I
thought gosh if I was you know Samsung
or whatever any gadget company I this
guy if it’s mine I mean I start to to
send you tones of anything to get your
reviews you know not only because the
numbers that you number people that you
talk with but because of the quality of
the of the job you doing so that’s my
personal reaction so I guess I’m not the
only crazy person in the world and I I
think okay a lot of companies probably
they start to say Marcus how are you
over there you know let’s talk about
that
and how would you deal with the requests
from from from big companies ah I get I
get so it’s interesting to say that I
got a little bit of both I get some
people who contact me just because of
the numbers and they want their product
to be seen by X number of people and
they figure that would be the best way
and then you get people that are contact
to you because they actually like the
quality of the work and they would like
something of that quality or that style
to be made for their product so I’ve
been in contact with a couple of
companies I’ve made I don’t necessarily
do sponsored videos but I’ve done videos
that of devices that have been sent to
me from companies for review but about
most of the time I end up purchasing the
device myself just because of timing and
Texas fast moving and I just have to get
the device quickly so I end up buying it
anyway but yeah I’ve been in contact
with some company isn’t that fun and and
how can you handle you know the I was
talking with Seth Godin sometimes ago
probably about number one marketing guru
in the world and he always talked about
how is difficult you know to balance
your authority when you start to get in
touch with companies because obviously
if you start to do reviews of shitty
phones and say yeah this is grateful but
it’s not you’re in your your community
will will say hey Markus it’s not true
and and so you can get you know big
sponsors but you lose your authority so
how do you think to to manage this this
kind of battle cycle eibar yeah that’s
absolutely right there’s there’s a level
of integrity that that is expected I
guess the more power you have the more
you’re expected to have that and I guess
the easiest way to say that is like when
I’m buying a device and I’m doing a
review of it like I’m gonna be honest
there’s no way I’m gonna give up a bad
device a great review I the whole point
of a review when I’m sharing a review a
device of a device is to help other
people decide whether they want to buy
it or not and that always means playing
out the pros and the cons so I will
always do my best at that so then
there’s the whole snag where if a
company sends you something and
it’s bad what do you say do you give it
a bad review do you not review it do you
give it a good review and my my always I
just give it an honest review and if
they don’t like it they don’t have to
send me anything else like that’s fine I
just I can’t I don’t have a problem with
changing the way I do videos because of
any sort of political reasons like that
so my policies are just I just it just
doesn’t seem right to to get to be
dishonest about something because you
want to maintain a relationship behind
the scenes I would just rather keep
making videos that are helpful to people
because once you start lying about
quality it’s not even an honest or
helpful video anymore so I like I like
the idea of integrity and thinking there
is this guy who is unbelievable in the
wine sector he’s I think Wine Spectator
one of the most important magazine in
the world and he’s just one person and
when he does a review about wine he he
really can move to the the big budget of
the company of millions you know and
he’s just working for it I think 40
years and only based on integrity so he
just says clearly what he thinks and
that’s it so that you cannot do anything
to you know movies and I think it will
it will pay but and and then did it ever
happen to you that you maybe you know ah
said okay I tried this I don’t know LG
phone and this is really crap and
doesn’t work and did you ever have any
complain or or problem when you when you
just say honestly how it is oh yeah all
the time
I’ll of I’ve reviewed phones as recently
as this year that I just don’t like like
I just don’t like the screen or I just
don’t like the software on it and I’ll
say like I really prefer this software
over the other or I really don’t like
the way the screen looks and people be
like what are you talking about it looks
like a great screen I’m like yeah you
know this is what I’m saying if you have
to believe me I’m just saying this is
what the video is and this is the way I
feel but at least showing it on video
you can decide for
if you like it or not so if it was just
me talking and writing in a blog post
saying this is bad software there is lag
you might not believe me but if I can
say it and then show it to you in a
video exactly what’s happening you can
decide if you don’t like that or if you
actually don’t care so at least I give
that option I like it is like a effect
you say this is exactly like my opinion
and this is how is is their behavior
right and and how do you handle if I
don’t know the PR of a company right
writes to you and and try to influence
your your opinion I’m asking you this
Marquez because I I know that a lot of
companies are watching and thinking ok
you know every influencer every company
want to talk with influencers in every
verticals every niches so I’m curious to
know from your point of view
well how you deal with the pressure from
companies to you know that they want to
get obviously a good review from you or
start to get a good relationship with
you because they have products to sell
in the end so they need a good
connection with you that you are an
influencer so how do you handle I don’t
know email or request from companies
yeah I get so like there’s a lot of
products that I just turned down because
I don’t review that kind of stuff but a
lot of times I’ll get a product for
review and then the company I won’t name
names but they’ll try to follow up like
hey how you liking it how’s the product
it’s a great product right you know
you’re enjoying it so you know you kind
of have to balance your your frequency
communication with the style of reviewer
and I guess my style because I’m a
one-person show or whatever it’s it’s a
very personal sort of thing so I
actually take my time and get to know
the product and figure out the way I
feel about using it so I prefer to just
not talk to the company at all I just
want to use it and figure it out like
myself what I think about it but
occasionally there was a product where I
just didn’t know about a feature or I
didn’t know what the whole point of the
product was and they’ll give me a better
idea of that
you’re like one email so I prefer to
stay as hands-off as possible with the
the people behind the drapes who are
trying to make sure it’s a positive
review everywhere they send it right I
guess with a personal personal opinion
about a product that’s D really just me
trying to avoid it and you have no one
helping you I mean you still only is
one-man business over there is just yeah
just me okay so when you have to shoot
so you set up the camera and then you
you shoot yourself out to focus and you
do all by yourself yeah wow that’s
amazing
not really I thought you had some help
because some shooting out there was some
help also for Eddie Epstein you do
everything by yourself yeah occasionally
uh occasionally I’ll have someone like
handy that can help me like when I went
to CES I was shown with another youtuber
who was there who happened to be able to
hold the camera while I was holding and
demonstrating a phone so he was able to
do that and help me out 99% of what I do
is just me sitting here in this room or
somewhere and you’re here I’m just
shooting it all the way I see fit
amazing but the video editing
are you using my no final Cal premiere
or something like that I mean for me I’m
in the Adobe suite so I’m using a lot of
premiere and starting to learn After
Effects but mostly premiere Wow okay
very good
so fantastic so till this moment we
discovered that you are a one-man mommy
show that’s great I love it and I love
the way that you talk about integrity is
I think the perfect approach and company
should always remember that you know
because as a Indian is you and your
community I think that’s the most
important relationship that you have and
another thing that was curious about how
is your relationship with YouTube
because again YouTube I know that they
are trying to do court I know if my
English after after 11 o’clock becomes
horrible so I don’t know call it court
about sixes courting a flirt that they
try to flirt with best youtubers and so
on they try to get relationship
going on there I’m not there’s a there’s
a whole little niche in YouTube of like
tech people that basically as far as I
seen just get ignored by YouTube we
don’t really see a whole lot of the
flirting that you see with the comedians
and the gamers and the superstars but I
know I know exactly what you’re talking
about whether I’ll try to you know
maintain his best relationship as
possible so they stay on the platform
and keep using it and make lots of
videos and bringing millions of people
in to the site and that’s awesome that’s
smart
but I don’t really see that much of that
just be I see I see some of that on like
the Google+ part where you know people
will encourage each other to use that
site and Google+ kind of ties back into
YouTube but as far as YouTube goes it’s
been kind of quiet on their end crazy so
that there is not a like a strong
relatable a relationship with YouTube I
don’t know about I saw here in UK for
instance they did the comedy wake I
think on YouTube getting a week with all
the comedians so and you say there is
not this kind of approach yet yeah I
mean closest thing I saw to that was
something called geek week which was
almost tech but then it just went back
into comedians talking about video games
and text so it wasn’t actually tech so I
feel like we haven’t really but at least
this part of YouTube I feel like it’s a
really powerful really strong part of
YouTube that doesn’t really get as much
attention as it might deserve with all
the production quality that everyone’s
putting out but you know it’s if we see
a tech week on YouTube like a consumer
electronics week it’s not a sexy term
it’s not like a nice thing to say I
guess but if we see something like that
I’d be really happy all right very
interesting very interesting so it means
also that there are you know maker
studios or full screen there are several
companies that instead are trying to
collect the best talents from YouTube to
monetize their effort so you still
independent let’s say at the moment you
walk in by yourself right
mm-hmm
very good okay by the way Jeremy Jeremy
vice here asked you what are the best
techniques you have seen for you to grow
your YouTube subscribers space which is
one of the topic that we’ll then we’ll
touch but I want to know immediately –
I’m so curious so how did you grow the
do you grow your subscriber space what
what do you think were some of the
killing techniques that you use defend
yeah I would say engagement would be my
key term for that is actually
communicating back and forth with people
so when I first started YouTube like I
wasn’t I had no idea that subscribers
meant anything but I realized that they
kept coming back so whenever I get an I
got a new email for every time someone
subscribed to my channel so for
thousands and thousands of people I sent
out I received all those emails and
visited everyone’s Channel and wrote on
their not wall but everyone’s channel at
a comment section and gave it thank you
to everyone who subscribed for a few
thousand people and I always answered
comments on all of my videos now
obviously that’s impossible for me to do
I just don’t have that kind of time but
the same philosophy applies I’m
constantly engaging with people talking
on in the comments section on Twitter I
answer as many messages as I can
because we’re all in this as people who
are interested in tech and if we’re all
just talking about tech it’s still fun
so if you get the sort of audience
that’s interested in the same thing that
you’re creating content about evil there
will be no problem creating engagement
you just got to respond and talk to
people and you’ll find some interesting
stuff there interesting and a long time
you spend I mean how long time do you
work on your on your channel on a daily
base because I mean you studying so if
my am one of your professor I would say
Marcus come on let’s study don’t don’t
play with this you know Kiki things just
focus on the important things study book
and so how long time do you do you focus
on your YouTube channel and your YouTube
activity it’s kind of all of my time I
think I would my answer would be every
waking hour I don’t necessarily like
you know go in and change specific
things to adjust for SEO or anything
like that but I’m always thinking of the
next video I want to do I’m always
answering comments always tweeting
posting on Google+
talking to people about other videos and
other things in tech and consumer
electronics and you know it’s just it
all seems like a part of the the stuff
that I’m doing it doesn’t feel like you
know working on my channel because
tweeting about a cool phone doesn’t feel
like working on my channel at the same
time it’s engaging people it’s talking
to people talking about what’s cool and
interesting and that’s that’s kind of an
always thing okay
another question from low-bottom I like
this nickname video SEO tools yes this
is very related if you do initiate
videos with some seeding some form of
seeding or you did it in beginning if
you had some kind of strategy and you
use kind of titles keywords talks in a
certain way does still work these kind
of things that’s my question
yeah it’s so I’m on a very it seems like
I have all my eggs in one basket but
it’s the YouTube platform is where
everything is so it’s the title of the
video the description of the video the
tags in the video and then a couple of
other things that YouTube decides you
know Google+ might be thrown in there
some other stuff but it all for me goes
back to what I would want to watch the
video that I would want to make so when
I’m making a video I’m also thinking
about if I was searching for this video
what would I what would I you know
search and then watch what would I want
to see so for example I’ll make the
review of this Nexus 5 this phone if I’m
making a review about the Nexus 5 and I
talked about the battery life of this
phone one of the tags is going to be
Nexus 5 battery life so that’s when
someone searches for a nexus 5 battery
life and they find the review I did at
this phone they’re not going to be mad
they’re going to be happy because I
actually talked about it in the video so
I tend to to include you know title and
description is the main thing really
that happen to have things that are from
the video that also kind of tied SEO and
what I would want to find right title
description and the right tagging
related I give you a few questions like
that that are coming automatic tagging
tools you use any other tools to
automate this process no I write them
all as I’m uploading it because usually
right usually right when I like finish
exporting the video I immediately begin
uploading the video right when I
finished watching it so I’m kind of in
the zone like I know exactly what’s in
the video so I can title tag and
describe everything in the video as I’m
uploading it and that’s kind of a
one-shot process so I do everything
myself manually I guess so so can we say
one one video per week you were able to
produce yeah relased
an average right ok very good I have
another question from Paul that I say hi
friend of mine totally different but
related what do you think about
augmented reality approach to inform
people trained technicians on product
performances have you ever tried
anything like that in your in aura
because basically when you do reviews
you also explaining teaching also how to
use the features of the phone did you
include augmented reality or you have an
opinion on it so I guess the only the
only product I’ve used that has
augmented reality is oculus rift and I
used it once and it was awesome but I
guess the whole realism thing with
making videos I might not be answering a
question but I guess with with making
videos as realistic as possible I’m
trying to I’m trying to give the person
watching the video a better idea of what
it’s like to own the product so from
what if they’re watching the review of a
laptop I’m trying to show it from the
angle of someone using a laptop and
trying to it’s a lot of the camera
trickery to trying to get these things
to expose for the display and the
background and the human eye has a
ridiculous dynamic range but that’s
besides the point the whole idea is
getting things to be realistic
and I guess augmented reality would kind
of tie in to that all right
so I go back to this play because I just
want to be sure about excelling what you
do and I want the people watching this
video
excelling know what you doing what’s
your routine you do a lot of reviews
maybe there are some kind of I don’t
know tools or gadgets that are very
expensive and how can you do a review I
don’t know Google Glasses is maybe a
pilot program so you have to be inside
the pilot program or maybe it’s coming
out a smartphone super expensive
do you always get it for free to test to
do a review about or you buy everything
because you are super rich I don’t know
and I’m happy for you and you say okay
bye now this gotcha that I do a review
how does it work
most of the time I am buying it I almost
never oh I guess sometimes probably 25%
of the things that I do videos about
will be something that I received from a
company or a marketing agency or
something to do a video on but most of
it is me purchasing the device and then
reviewing it and because I purchased it
but also gives me a better idea of
whether or not I think it’s worth the
money and then once I’ve purchased it
and reviewed it a lot of people don’t
realize you can sell it so if I don’t
like a device anymore and a new one has
just come out but I think I want to
review that one now I can sell the one
that I currently have and review the one
that’s new so sort of a circular process
if you’ve ever used eBay or Craigslist
or whatever something you have a program
like that local to you you can use that
and that’s essentially how it happens
now I like your style if you were
Italian you know how you would do you
just get the phone and then ask for a
refund horrible for the terrible thing
is there are people who do that I like
Best Buy Best Buy has like a 30 day
policy where you can buy a device review
it put it back in the box and get your
money back I would never
but I realized that that’s possible for
people who are like just getting started
I wouldn’t I didn’t recommend it I
mark has another thing a few years ago I
was running the largest a blog network
in Italy we got three million unique
visitors per month and it was a network
of let’s say 200 bloggers writing a
contact like either Mashable something
like that before its way and the the
interesting thing is that we got a
YouTube channel with talisman videos on
and the nectar was about news and one
day I remember with this channel and I
was just logging in and the channel is
appeared from one day to another Google
frozed the the channel and so
immediately I start to call in each
other you know the the CEO in Italy and
say I met what’s going on here give me
back my YouTube channel and the problem
is that everything that is outside us so
Google in Italy no one decide anything
of course so they say I’m sorry just
fill the form say sorry and ask your
your channel back try to understand why
and so I was really panicking imagine
you know a company and thousand videos
gone so the problem basically was that
one of my bloggers went to like a sex
show I don’t know how you say like CES
but or sex but he did a professional
reportage you know about the situation
and so on
talking with directors actors but in a
very professional way and behind him in
a video was like something that was not
possible to show new to book and so we
got the rape or abuse and few reporter
views and Indian just YouTube decided to
close the channel then we got it back
but it was very panicking so the
question here for you is have you ever
thought about that I mean that you know
YouTube is not a charity so that may be
doing this massive work and also for my
mistake
could happen something that you lose all
your water and I connected with another
question here from another poll if you
ever thought to create your own
community outside YouTube what do you
think yeah so interestingly enough I
actually had something like that
happened to me way back when I started
maybe a year into the videos I was doing
where my videos were falsely flagged for
copyright infringement enough times to
have the channel removed from YouTube
with several hundred videos on it and
then I was able to fill out the form and
get them all returned so I’ve never
forgot about that and yes I always I’m
getting always get told to think about
you know bringing your community away
from YouTube and taking them to
somewhere else where you can’t lose them
as easily and not get them back so yeah
I mean that’s always on my mind I feel
like Google+ there’s a weird interesting
place sort of in between there because
Google+ kind of ties into YouTube it’s
the basis of the comments section and I
I’ve been using Google+ since before was
public and I have somewhere between one
and a half one and one and a half
million people who have circled me on
Google+ so I feel it’s kind of like a
community in itself like the Google+
talking with people on Google+ is
different from talking to people on
YouTube or Twitter or Facebook so you
know it’s it’s I’m always looking for a
place I might start a website I have no
idea but I love the YouTube platform and
I love the Google+ platform so there’s
got to be something in that uh I don’t
know no idea all right
also because yeah YouTube comments are
the weirdest comments in the in the
history of human beings I mean maybe
nothing the tech sector but really we
solve the weirdest comments ever read in
my life was on YouTube one of the
weirdest one probably was I just tell
you this because I came up in my mind
once I upload the video I was talking in
a conference and one guy said wrote a
comment like that I hate you because you
are like Steve Jobs but fat and I am
really thin you know and I forgot
how can you write something like that
you know yeah so I made you what you get
in your comments but now it’s changing
right we did Google+ comments so it’s
probably different with an effort to
make it better right and trying yeah uh
Marcus we just have ten minutes left so
for few things more I always stay here
to talk for four hours but just ten
minutes and I remember to me I have to
ask you this thing for my son to say hi
to my son otherwise I I will lose him
forever you know so I have to remember
that yes tell me one thing let’s talk
about monetizing is with this audience
is it possible to monetize these
audience with the YouTube advertising do
you use it yes no you are already
billionaire you you are not how does it
work yeah so you can there is yes yes
I’m a billionaire I know they could be
so YouTube started off way back when
with the YouTube Partner Program I’m
probably already familiar with it but
it’s like you know you had to sign up
and yet to be accepted into it and once
you were accepted into it you could
start having Google place ads against
your videos and then Google would pay
you for ad impressions so if you had
lots and lots of impressions and views
on your videos and you would have lots
and lots of adam’ pressure impressions
and then Google would compensate you for
that so now anyone on YouTube can
monetize any of their videos so my
videos are all almost all of my yes arm
are monetized in that particular fashion
but then you know there are youtubers
who go to the next level with the
creative ways that they you know that’s
all
t-shirt with their name on it or t-shirt
with their slogan on it so I have all
kinds of gear that relates to their
channel and there are all kinds of other
creative things I haven’t even thought
of or tried yet but well that would be
the the act the extreme end of
monetizing such a large community okay
if I can ask Marcus you can also not
answer okay and say Marco off
I’m asking just curious is are you
already monetizing well quite well that
you say okay I’m I’m doing good I can
pay the bills I don’t know
or is still small money
yeah no it’s definitely helpful it’s
it’s a lot of it goes back it goes back
into itself as an investment so again
like the whole you know how you buy a
new phone to review it in the first
place a video about a new phone if it
does well enough will pay for itself so
it helps that it’s all kind of circular
going into the business if you will so
it’s all kind of the attack so it’s all
got it and obviously in chat you have to
think that in Italy so I’m in UK and is
11 o’clock in evening and easily it’s
midnight but anyway when we start to
talk about money
Italians are immediately focused you
know so I see people now arriving in
chat and immediately asking do you there
is a question here for you do you only
use the regular absence to the YouTube
advertising or is your own advertising
for videos there that’s another thing
that I haven’t done there so yeah I do
use Adsense and Adsense is the way that
Google like that’s the default stock
standard there are other ways I seen a
lot of other youtubers do this where
you’ll find a company that who is who’s
really interested in the sort of topic
that you do so for me it will be tech
and there might be a company who does a
tech related product that wants to
sponsor your video for me it’s not
really comfortable in my sort of video
format and I haven’t done it yet but it
there you might see a video you know of
a foam review and then the last 20
seconds of the video will be this video
is brought to you by XYZ company and
here’s a little feel about that company
that they got paid to talk about that
company so that’s that that would be
selling your own ads for your videos it
doesn’t feel quite as organic to me I
understand that Google might not have
the best ads either I’ve seen some weird
ads on tech videos that Google decides
were right so I don’t get to pick those
I guess that’s a downside but I stick
with Adsense got it – and
Marcus tell me one thing well what’s
next for you I mean you study now and as
I told you before two studies this chart
I you should teach to your head your
professors about digital marketing and
digital business because you’re doing
very good but what’s next I mean I mean
probably your life is different now that
you have this YouTube channel than if
you would have have this YouTube channel
so what what do you think to do but what
are the next step for marques Brownlee
that’s a good question I wish I knew at
this point I’m still in school so
finishing my degree is what I want to do
for sure and then you know a lot of the
the people a lot of my students and
people working alongside me are you know
doing internships and getting job offers
and getting into the workforce and
whatever field interested in so a lot of
people on with our business students
people interested in marketing and are
getting jobs at marketing companies and
doing business stuff with them so it
would be weird to find a company that
would fall in line with what I’m already
doing on YouTube but if that happens
that would be awesome but my plans are
kind of wide open I there’s a breadth of
possibilities yeah well there’s a family
a tech example you know a Robert Scoble
you know he for instance you got
companies that basically came to do all
his interviews and so on but but I see
you’re honest no different level I see
you on the like you know director
production I see YouTube with the
potential to do really big things so
yeah you have time also to to get there
very good very good so we have just I
would say five minutes left
Marcus tell me another thing that I’m
encouraged about partnerships how does
it work I mean do you are you able to
create partnership to increase your
audience when you do your videos maybe
with other youtubers even if it’s not
like a proper official partnership but
maybe you say I you know let lets give
visibility on this content that maybe is
interesting for your community how does
it work I mean from the moment that you
have uploaded your video online what do
you do what would what’s your framework
yeah collaboration is actually a really
big thing on YouTube among all the
different communities there’s a tech
community that collaborates those the
the comedians those video games there’s
all sorts of stuff so often in the tech
community you’ll see that the tech
youtubers collaborating with each other
uh you know having people guest star on
each other’s videos hosting giveaways
where they the rules involve following
the other channel or just giving random
simple shoutouts to other youtubers who
you just happen to think your audience
would also like so I I did a couple
examples of like each of these things
one of them was when I gave a shout out
to a YouTube I was revisiting a phone
the Galaxy Note 3 and I was talking
about how I really wish the ROM I wanted
to use shot 4k video boom here’s an
example of a channel who’s doing great
videos with the note 3 in 4k so I just
gave him a shout out just because that
was perfectly lined up with what I was
talking about so that’s a simple form of
collaboration another one I did was add
a top I’d yet top 5 tablets of early
2014 best 5 tablets you could buy but
instead of me rounding up all 5 I had
four other youtubers give clips of them
talking about their personal one of
their favorite tablets so it was you
know in a lot of people’s cases their 5
favorite tech youtubers all in a single
video and there would be annotations or
links or they can go discover those
people after watching if they hadn’t
already heard of them so often they
heard of maybe three of them and they
hadn’t heard of the other two they’d
have a link to go check out the other
two because we all kind of do similar
content got it Marcus India and what
would you suggest to a company that want
to be really super successful like you
are on YouTube I mean could you
extrapolate you know a formula secret
formula let’s say okay all of this
process there’s a friend of yours that’s
a
Marcus give me a help I mean at this
company and I would like to be you know
use YouTube and get as much as busy as I
can what would you recommend yeah it’s
tough to give like that certain like
groupid things because there’s so many
different possibilities and ways to do
it really well but you know there’s a
couple of good examples on you there’s
Newegg is a good example so Newegg is a
company that just sells PC components
and they want to use YouTube as a
platform to leverage that tech audience
and show them products and and bring
them back to the site things like that
so what they do is they have a
consistent string of two or three hosts
that are always there so it feels a
little bit more personal less like a
company and an ad in a robotic voice so
making it more personal helps and
engagement I guess I mentioned this
earlier engagement with the community
leaving comments talking back to people
who are leaving comments you know
bringing them to other places like
Twitter and continuing to talk with them
and and it gives you a that voice so if
you were Newegg and you were just you
know a voice and a camera and you never
showed a face and it was just a robot
and a logo people wouldn’t I guess
people would still watch that but it
wouldn’t be quite as interesting so
having it be a face and a person rather
than a business often on YouTube works a
lot better and that’s what I was suggest
great very good and any technological
tip that you would give I mean because
you did a lot of production in the end I
mean and also I don’t know where did you
learn this all by yourself you learn
basically yeah all self-taught I guess
watch lots of tutorials because
tutorials are still really helpful if
you’re curious about how to make a great
you know video or a great screencast or
something youtube search how to XYZ and
someone’s probably made a great video
that alright and and if you if you have
your like best technical tip for for
companies because for instance I gave an
example when I was working in television
the first tip that my director in the
sky news channel say say look television
people don’t watch television people
listen to the vision so the audio was
fundamental and it is interesting you
know because I never thought about how
do so television people just watch the
vision you know so did you have any
technical tip for four companies well I
agree with the audio part audio is just
as important as video so if you spend a
lot on audio or a lot on video and
forget about audio it’s not gonna it’s
not gonna feel right and I guess a
technical tip if you’re specifically
looking to do YouTube lighting is way
more important than you think it is
lighting is almost everything about
making a youtube video or any sort of
video production and if it doesn’t look
right to the eye change the lights add
another light at another light and it’ll
probably eventually look good if it
doesn’t look good in the camera it’s
because the lights aren’t right like
right very good
marques so we are I would say at the end
I would say thanks a lot to the older
people in in chat and I have to do this
thing for my for my son I was probably
cut in the end the video so I would
probably say look um Marcus just say hi
to you and he probably knows you I don’t
know I would say something so his name
is Yuri Yuri and I dunno just say
something whatever you like he will love
that you say something to him Yanni I
appreciate you showing your dad my
channel because now I get to talk to a
whole bunch more people because your dad
is so awesome so thanks for showing in
my channel you’re the best
great fantastic marques you are
phenomenal
really I was really enjoying this this
conversation obviously all the people
that want to watch marques Brownlee job
just go on YouTube his channel marques
Brownlee and you will find him
straightaway and what can I say more
just good life for everything and I keep
going like that you you really rock yeah
appreciate it thanks for having me cheers bye
digital domination super Sammie 2014 I’m
super super sick to be honest but super
happy to be here with the next guest I
really appreciate his job body what he’s
doing and we have your marques Brownlee
hi Marcus how you doing hey good to see
you and glad to be here so thanks for
joining me
ah first I’m very happy that we have
guests from all over the world I mean I
was speaking this today with Mike body
from Canada and tomorrow we fly in Spain
and then there is Germany u.s. Chicago
New York so it’s great to have so many
countries around the world and the the
most interesting thing is that I think
you are the youngest guest in the summit
this is the first thing I don’t know if
it’s good or not it means we are all
very old I think that’s the problem and
another to definitely you have you are
the one with the largest number of
YouTube subscribers I’ve no doubt about
it so this is a second point and yeah I
was really surprised to discover you we
were talking before but a lot to tell
this story to the people watching us
because I discovered you through my son
that actually I have to say it’s not the
first time that he pointed me to super
interesting people or products and so on
and so one day he came to me and say I
tell you have to see this guy he’s
amazing and I was not really interested
in discovering you because you know he
is always suggesting this strange weird
people from video games world so I
thought you were solved as those guys
and then I was checking your channel and
wow this guy is amazing and a lot of
things impressed me and I want to talk
about this in this chat but yeah so from
that moment on I started follow you and
I said wow I have to get Marcus on the
digital nation super savvy because I
think he’s a super case study and here
we are so
yadi yadi if before the end you will say
a special bye hi to yari he will be the
happiest guy in the world so I just tell
you this but I will keep before the end
so alright okay so I would like to start
from the beginning
first of all little bit of context about
you so you are 20 years old in New York
studying tell us what what you study I’m
a junior in college some major I’m
studying business my major is Business
and Technology and then I have two what
they call concentrations but they’re
essentially minors in marketing and
information systems ok cool
so I would say something that is related
the business part is related and can
help you in your in your activity of
course also online and you have created
this channel I was checking the your
Wikipedia entry sometimes I check it
Wikipedia entries of guests and it’s
always wrong so I hope your horse is
right basically in your Wikipedia entry
is today your channel is the top tech
subscribed channel on YouTube is it
right yeah I think so so which is an
amazing result because if I think how
many companies out there producing tons
of content every day with huge budget so
is really an impressive result and when
did you start this did this YouTube
channel first of all thank you that I
appreciate the time grace
I started the I started making videos in
2009 so my first video was actually
January 1st 2009 so this is the sixth
year that I’ve been making YouTube
videos alright six years by the way
because I haven’t started to do our chat
basically and there are already
questions for you this is the first like
ever I I did over 100 interviews now
through these webcam interviews and so
on and is the first time ever
and I get questions before to start
that’s crazy so let me check because I’m
I’m so curious now wait still what do we
have so one is the CSeries cannon come
on the left of Marquez is interesting so
this is some someone noticing
immediately your your stop what is there
it’s my baby
this is they wanna I guess they very
identified as a CSeries this is a Canon
c100 that I have shot with for about
eight months or so now okay and so
that’s why it’s there because that’s the
main camera that I use a cam and a sigma
18 to 35 f-18 if anyone cares with the
glasses and I I love it I’ve shot with
it for like I said almost a year now and
it’s I’m still you could say learning it
because there’s still a lot of functions
but it’s actually a nice graduated
step-up from it the DSLR that I was
shooting with before so it’s my favorite
camera Wow okay how much does it cost a
camera like that more less body I think
it just dropped a little bit it’s like
5,000 for the body right now
Oh closer to 6,000 Wow okay super cool
very good and the other one I keep it
for later because it’s about about your
technique for a video SEO video engaging
about keep it for later because I’ll
arrive there let’s start from beginning
so the first thing that I want to
understand Marcus is I you know I offer
read biographies of celebrities okay and
the funny thing is that in the top
models Ward they all say the same thing
so all top models in four periods they
always said okay how did you start to be
a top model and the answer is I was
stopping at the cashing machine and one
very famous producer from Hollywood say
oh you are fantastic girl why don’t you
be a top model and I say yes okay why
not so and I hate to these stories you
know because it’s never true yeah so I
would like to understand how did you
really start I mean
and what what’s the process that you
have been following to grow such as use
such a huge YouTube channel so when did
you start where did you start from first
of all yeah it’s kind of been a
evolution of things and the way I’ve
changed doing things but the way I
started was I just got a new laptop and
was kind of bored with not not really
bored but like I wanted to do more stuff
with it like I just got a new laptop I
was younger teenager I was really really
curious about what it could do and what
I could show people and share with
people that it could do so I started
making screencasts which is the term for
you know screen capture recording your
screen and then editing and uploading
that so I started making these one take
two or three minute long screencasts of
software tutorials and helping people
out with different ways to do things
with software and the same people that
kept like watching those few screencasts
like kept coming back and leaving
comments and asking for other tutorials
on how to do other things in Windows so
I was I was just kind of sharing my new
laptop experience with these few people
who are watching it on YouTube so it was
kind of a way for me to share things
that I was interested in and they also
happened to be interested so I was nice
and then I guess the way I grew from
there was just me sharing more and more
different styles and types of things
from software to hardware to anything in
between anything anything with an on
button I like to say is electronic
alright but you know mark as the reality
is that 99% of the companies out there
or the people when they start they
create content maybe they also create
some cool cool stuff they uploaded here
and no one watch it so than you and you
start to think okay now what can I do
you know to get people or customers
watching my my stuff so well when did
you start to get traction I mean because
okay you you started to upload some
screencast and okay there are tones of
screencast out there so what where did
you start to get some traffic or where
did you start to build a community of
people following you and then growing
yeah so in terms of
actually finding and watching the videos
there’s been I think kind of two
different types of ways that people find
and watch a video the screencast that I
did initially we’re all just for people
searching for that and very specific
topic so if you were to punch in how to
like use this effect in this software
and make it work quickly or the highest
quality then my video would be the one
that you found so that was that quick I
guess SEO why but then the other way was
you know tech is so fast moving and and
excuse me mom because if I interrupt
just to understand and you you just
uploaded video on YouTube or you got a
website and you do other other stuff
only YouTube
yeah just YouTube okay yeah so the other
way was so because Tech is so fast-paced
a lot of stuff is like timely so like
really timely stuff people are searching
for things that like have literally just
happened so I guess the first way that I
just realized that was important was
actually when safari first became
available for Windows so far how long
ago this was and I made a tutorial just
on and downloading and installing that
piece of software like the night that it
became available and woke up the next
morning to like a few thousand people
who have watched that video which was
like mind-blowing to me that that many
people cared about that one piece of
software in that one short span of time
so that’s sort of that’s that’s hitting
sort of stuff was also the other half of
people finding and watching the videos
that’s interesting so basically you you
you you were covering something that was
hot in the news and the people they were
searching for it in that moment and so
it was probably I could hook to to find
your video I guess right yeah and what
while in the moment you decided to shift
from doing screencast work basically you
you can just use your voice and show
images or using Camtasia or ScreenFlow
and I know and I’m showing the screen
and then you decided to move to go you
know in front of a camera start talking
which is a totally different this
I mean tilt 84 a skill mmm yeah I I
guess well two things I guess number one
I kind of ran out of things to do
screencast about I did several hundred
screencasts about that several hundred
okay several hundred videos just
recording my screen and another thing is
I just I’m interested in more stuff like
I was interested in in tech as a whole
and video production and cell phones and
tablets and laptops and cars and
anything else I could talk about so you
can’t really do all that with just
screencasts so it was kind of an edible
that I included other styles of video as
I moved on okay and and and then you say
one day you said okay
I just do it I get a camera and I start
filming something like that yeah yeah I
was at first I was kind of obsessed with
the the clarity of the visuals with the
screencast so I was really obsessed with
getting like a really high frame rate
with a really high resolution like a
1080p really sharp screencast and as I
started reading up on these ways of
getting higher resolution video you and
you just come across people who are
showing the same thing with cameras like
how to get better quality out of the
camera like I kind of want to try that I
would I would like to try to see if I
could get better quality out of the
camera so the first camera I ever bought
was a sanyo Zack DC g10 and just just
walking around messing around with that
seeing how closely could focus how sharp
it was the autofocus and just playing
around with that and just at first
really recording random things around my
room that I was interested in but then
you know messing around with didn’t see
another stuff tip and it was immediately
like boom instant success among the
community or it was like you know hey
Marcus come back dude screencast we
didn’t we don’t like this stuff what was
the reaction yeah no I wish it was
instant success but honestly it was it’s
been like a growth curve basically of I
guess the number of people watching but
my first I think there I said it in a
video when playing them after my first
hundred videos I had 78 subscribe
so there was just tons of content out
there that no one was watching but I was
sharing it with a small group of people
the small group of people that were
watching we’re like really into it
because that was what we were all
sharing and we were all interested in
and then that group of people I guess
started sharing it with their friends
and kind of builds as a community from
there okay so you say 100 videos done 78
subscribers right and you didn’t think
gosh I’d give up nah that’s enough at
that point I wasn’t I’m not doing it for
the subscriber number I was just doing
it cuz it was fun like the way the
reason I bought a camera and the reason
I was doing the screencast was just for
fun and it’s still a lot of fun so the
subscriber number is still like a bonus
the the amount of people and I get to
share this with is way more so I get to
talk to way more people in the comments
and stuff like that but the whole point
of it is to be able to share stuff
that’s fun and I have a lot of fun in
text so that’s why I dig tech right okay
I want to stay on this product
oh my keziah I just asking about all
your life so when you say okay that’s it
we just stop okay but I will stay maybe
more on the production part because I
mean I almost did a television show on
Sky News immediately for seven years and
obviously when you do television you
have a lot of production going on and
when you do when you start doing things
by yourself you know like like this with
a simple web camera or more complicated
things if you are alone there is a lot
of work doing so it’s very time
consuming and watching your videos the
quality is very high so there is a post
and risk editing and it’s not you know
that you just go there three two one you
should you start to talk a little bit
sure either phone and say bye guys see
you later know there is a big quality
there so I wonder how long it takes for
you to to create one video review before
and today is for first question
ah mmm so it depends on the type of
video I’m making if I’m making a full-on
video review of say a phone like I take
a couple of days or weeks to use the
device and get to know really well and
write things down and take notes and
figure out what I want to say about it
once I like once I turn the camera on
it’ll probably be 8 or 12 hours before I
hit the export button so that’ll be 8 to
12 hours would be the shooting process
the editing the color correcting the
narration the deleting and re-editing
everything because I’m not happy with it
so like that that whole process might
take a whole day somewhere between I
guess 6 to 12 hours the quick videos
will take 4 to 6 hours because it’ll
just the videos that are just me talking
I’ll already know what I want to say and
it’s just a matter of turning camera on
saying it and then editing it down into
a way that’s easier to follow so that’s
not quite as much you know narration and
color correction and everything like
that it still happens occasionally but a
lot of that is you know 4 to 6 hours
rather than 8 to 12 right so you have a
one part that is you talking camera and
saying and describing everything that
you will talk about but then uh I see
that you have a lot of parts that are
very I would say Hollywood style like in
a moving into the object which is
uncommon because before before that I
always still reviews I mean I’m not
talking about you know super high budget
reviews that is a different story but
usually I don’t know a smartphone review
is very static you see you just see
horrible hands touching the phone and
then say it is true and dirty is quite I
don’t know the light is horrible
but with you is a totally different
feeling so I wonder how you do this you
know it’s like sometimes looks like you
have a camera on your head or something
like that I don’t know how you do it
yeah there’s a lot a lot of what I think
about what I’m
going over the shooting style over the
cinematography I guess you can call it
is I want to I want to create a video
that I would want to watch that’s my
whole thinking whenever I’m making a
video it’s what would I want to see as a
final result and then I end up and they
end up adjusting whatever have to do to
make that happen so a lot of the camera
angles it’s it’s the thing I have the
equipment to thank for a lot of the shot
angles and the the ability to do these
types of things but it’s just what what
would I want to watch I wouldn’t want to
watch a static review just a pair of
hands for 12 minutes just talking and
fumbling with a phone so that’s not what
I make but some people will be totally
fine with that but I enjoy making high
quality stuff that’s a little more
interesting to watch and listen to if
that helps people alright here we have a
comment in chat if you organizes the
work as a profession if more time more
attention good alright and yeah of
course you do otherwise you you wouldn’t
have this kind of result and and how do
you do all these motions things I I saw
some time ago to that I really loved was
kind of like a gorilla pot but with
wheels moving around
I wonder if you use something like that
to give all these motion things when you
when you do your your videos yeah I
can’t give too much away but I have some
tricks like I have the this thing that
the camera is sitting on here is a
slider
it’s a shark slider I want to say it’s
an eye footage shark slider which is
what I can use to move the camera left
and right in and out up and down and
it’s sitting on a tripod that I’ve I can
use again to move the camera in and out
up and down I’m doing a shot where it
looks like a first-person view of
holding the phone a lot of times that’s
just the mono the tripod over my
shoulder and then the camera all the way
to the side of the the slider looking
down directly over my shoulder at the
phone so there’s a lot of there’s not a
lot of trickery to get the exact sort of
look golden want because bone phones
they’re a personal thing you kind of
want a personal first-person view of it
which is why you see the hands so often
I guess but
yeah there’s there’s some some tricks I
guess he can lie with Cooley and and you
do and you don’t use any GoPro I see
everyone using GoPro now every two
seconds putting GoPro all over the body
yeah I have a GoPro I haven’t figured
exactly how I want to use it yet but
there are some neat ways cuz I it’s like
19 degrees outside so I can’t go outside
and shoot very much right now because
it’s freezing but when it is warmer
outside I do like to go out and like try
to shoot more interesting stuff because
there’s way more light outside and it’s
more interesting so yeah very
interesting and then are you have you
been inspired by anyone doing this that
you’re doing or is something that just
came up in your mind and you said I’m
gonna do it this way I feel like that or
there is some kind of mode model for you
like someone that inspired you to go in
this direction it’s combination of both
I get a lot of inspiration from other
other reviewers other movie producers
and cinematography and other youtubers
who are doing similar things already and
then I also kind of get visions in my
head of the way I want to see things
done what I would want to watch and I
kind of merge that into so it’s a
combination of both but there’s plenty
of great youtubers who are also doing
real really really high quality work
that watch also alright cool alright so
next step I’m an entrepreneur marques so
the moment that I saw your videos I
thought gosh if I was you know Samsung
or whatever any gadget company I this
guy if it’s mine I mean I start to to
send you tones of anything to get your
reviews you know not only because the
numbers that you number people that you
talk with but because of the quality of
the of the job you doing so that’s my
personal reaction so I guess I’m not the
only crazy person in the world and I I
think okay a lot of companies probably
they start to say Marcus how are you
over there you know let’s talk about
that
and how would you deal with the requests
from from from big companies ah I get I
get so it’s interesting to say that I
got a little bit of both I get some
people who contact me just because of
the numbers and they want their product
to be seen by X number of people and
they figure that would be the best way
and then you get people that are contact
to you because they actually like the
quality of the work and they would like
something of that quality or that style
to be made for their product so I’ve
been in contact with a couple of
companies I’ve made I don’t necessarily
do sponsored videos but I’ve done videos
that of devices that have been sent to
me from companies for review but about
most of the time I end up purchasing the
device myself just because of timing and
Texas fast moving and I just have to get
the device quickly so I end up buying it
anyway but yeah I’ve been in contact
with some company isn’t that fun and and
how can you handle you know the I was
talking with Seth Godin sometimes ago
probably about number one marketing guru
in the world and he always talked about
how is difficult you know to balance
your authority when you start to get in
touch with companies because obviously
if you start to do reviews of shitty
phones and say yeah this is grateful but
it’s not you’re in your your community
will will say hey Markus it’s not true
and and so you can get you know big
sponsors but you lose your authority so
how do you think to to manage this this
kind of battle cycle eibar yeah that’s
absolutely right there’s there’s a level
of integrity that that is expected I
guess the more power you have the more
you’re expected to have that and I guess
the easiest way to say that is like when
I’m buying a device and I’m doing a
review of it like I’m gonna be honest
there’s no way I’m gonna give up a bad
device a great review I the whole point
of a review when I’m sharing a review a
device of a device is to help other
people decide whether they want to buy
it or not and that always means playing
out the pros and the cons so I will
always do my best at that so then
there’s the whole snag where if a
company sends you something and
it’s bad what do you say do you give it
a bad review do you not review it do you
give it a good review and my my always I
just give it an honest review and if
they don’t like it they don’t have to
send me anything else like that’s fine I
just I can’t I don’t have a problem with
changing the way I do videos because of
any sort of political reasons like that
so my policies are just I just it just
doesn’t seem right to to get to be
dishonest about something because you
want to maintain a relationship behind
the scenes I would just rather keep
making videos that are helpful to people
because once you start lying about
quality it’s not even an honest or
helpful video anymore so I like I like
the idea of integrity and thinking there
is this guy who is unbelievable in the
wine sector he’s I think Wine Spectator
one of the most important magazine in
the world and he’s just one person and
when he does a review about wine he he
really can move to the the big budget of
the company of millions you know and
he’s just working for it I think 40
years and only based on integrity so he
just says clearly what he thinks and
that’s it so that you cannot do anything
to you know movies and I think it will
it will pay but and and then did it ever
happen to you that you maybe you know ah
said okay I tried this I don’t know LG
phone and this is really crap and
doesn’t work and did you ever have any
complain or or problem when you when you
just say honestly how it is oh yeah all
the time
I’ll of I’ve reviewed phones as recently
as this year that I just don’t like like
I just don’t like the screen or I just
don’t like the software on it and I’ll
say like I really prefer this software
over the other or I really don’t like
the way the screen looks and people be
like what are you talking about it looks
like a great screen I’m like yeah you
know this is what I’m saying if you have
to believe me I’m just saying this is
what the video is and this is the way I
feel but at least showing it on video
you can decide for
if you like it or not so if it was just
me talking and writing in a blog post
saying this is bad software there is lag
you might not believe me but if I can
say it and then show it to you in a
video exactly what’s happening you can
decide if you don’t like that or if you
actually don’t care so at least I give
that option I like it is like a effect
you say this is exactly like my opinion
and this is how is is their behavior
right and and how do you handle if I
don’t know the PR of a company right
writes to you and and try to influence
your your opinion I’m asking you this
Marquez because I I know that a lot of
companies are watching and thinking ok
you know every influencer every company
want to talk with influencers in every
verticals every niches so I’m curious to
know from your point of view
well how you deal with the pressure from
companies to you know that they want to
get obviously a good review from you or
start to get a good relationship with
you because they have products to sell
in the end so they need a good
connection with you that you are an
influencer so how do you handle I don’t
know email or request from companies
yeah I get so like there’s a lot of
products that I just turned down because
I don’t review that kind of stuff but a
lot of times I’ll get a product for
review and then the company I won’t name
names but they’ll try to follow up like
hey how you liking it how’s the product
it’s a great product right you know
you’re enjoying it so you know you kind
of have to balance your your frequency
communication with the style of reviewer
and I guess my style because I’m a
one-person show or whatever it’s it’s a
very personal sort of thing so I
actually take my time and get to know
the product and figure out the way I
feel about using it so I prefer to just
not talk to the company at all I just
want to use it and figure it out like
myself what I think about it but
occasionally there was a product where I
just didn’t know about a feature or I
didn’t know what the whole point of the
product was and they’ll give me a better
idea of that
you’re like one email so I prefer to
stay as hands-off as possible with the
the people behind the drapes who are
trying to make sure it’s a positive
review everywhere they send it right I
guess with a personal personal opinion
about a product that’s D really just me
trying to avoid it and you have no one
helping you I mean you still only is
one-man business over there is just yeah
just me okay so when you have to shoot
so you set up the camera and then you
you shoot yourself out to focus and you
do all by yourself yeah wow that’s
amazing
not really I thought you had some help
because some shooting out there was some
help also for Eddie Epstein you do
everything by yourself yeah occasionally
uh occasionally I’ll have someone like
handy that can help me like when I went
to CES I was shown with another youtuber
who was there who happened to be able to
hold the camera while I was holding and
demonstrating a phone so he was able to
do that and help me out 99% of what I do
is just me sitting here in this room or
somewhere and you’re here I’m just
shooting it all the way I see fit
amazing but the video editing
are you using my no final Cal premiere
or something like that I mean for me I’m
in the Adobe suite so I’m using a lot of
premiere and starting to learn After
Effects but mostly premiere Wow okay
very good
so fantastic so till this moment we
discovered that you are a one-man mommy
show that’s great I love it and I love
the way that you talk about integrity is
I think the perfect approach and company
should always remember that you know
because as a Indian is you and your
community I think that’s the most
important relationship that you have and
another thing that was curious about how
is your relationship with YouTube
because again YouTube I know that they
are trying to do court I know if my
English after after 11 o’clock becomes
horrible so I don’t know call it court
about sixes courting a flirt that they
try to flirt with best youtubers and so
on they try to get relationship
going on there I’m not there’s a there’s
a whole little niche in YouTube of like
tech people that basically as far as I
seen just get ignored by YouTube we
don’t really see a whole lot of the
flirting that you see with the comedians
and the gamers and the superstars but I
know I know exactly what you’re talking
about whether I’ll try to you know
maintain his best relationship as
possible so they stay on the platform
and keep using it and make lots of
videos and bringing millions of people
in to the site and that’s awesome that’s
smart
but I don’t really see that much of that
just be I see I see some of that on like
the Google+ part where you know people
will encourage each other to use that
site and Google+ kind of ties back into
YouTube but as far as YouTube goes it’s
been kind of quiet on their end crazy so
that there is not a like a strong
relatable a relationship with YouTube I
don’t know about I saw here in UK for
instance they did the comedy wake I
think on YouTube getting a week with all
the comedians so and you say there is
not this kind of approach yet yeah I
mean closest thing I saw to that was
something called geek week which was
almost tech but then it just went back
into comedians talking about video games
and text so it wasn’t actually tech so I
feel like we haven’t really but at least
this part of YouTube I feel like it’s a
really powerful really strong part of
YouTube that doesn’t really get as much
attention as it might deserve with all
the production quality that everyone’s
putting out but you know it’s if we see
a tech week on YouTube like a consumer
electronics week it’s not a sexy term
it’s not like a nice thing to say I
guess but if we see something like that
I’d be really happy all right very
interesting very interesting so it means
also that there are you know maker
studios or full screen there are several
companies that instead are trying to
collect the best talents from YouTube to
monetize their effort so you still
independent let’s say at the moment you
walk in by yourself right
mm-hmm
very good okay by the way Jeremy Jeremy
vice here asked you what are the best
techniques you have seen for you to grow
your YouTube subscribers space which is
one of the topic that we’ll then we’ll
touch but I want to know immediately –
I’m so curious so how did you grow the
do you grow your subscriber space what
what do you think were some of the
killing techniques that you use defend
yeah I would say engagement would be my
key term for that is actually
communicating back and forth with people
so when I first started YouTube like I
wasn’t I had no idea that subscribers
meant anything but I realized that they
kept coming back so whenever I get an I
got a new email for every time someone
subscribed to my channel so for
thousands and thousands of people I sent
out I received all those emails and
visited everyone’s Channel and wrote on
their not wall but everyone’s channel at
a comment section and gave it thank you
to everyone who subscribed for a few
thousand people and I always answered
comments on all of my videos now
obviously that’s impossible for me to do
I just don’t have that kind of time but
the same philosophy applies I’m
constantly engaging with people talking
on in the comments section on Twitter I
answer as many messages as I can
because we’re all in this as people who
are interested in tech and if we’re all
just talking about tech it’s still fun
so if you get the sort of audience
that’s interested in the same thing that
you’re creating content about evil there
will be no problem creating engagement
you just got to respond and talk to
people and you’ll find some interesting
stuff there interesting and a long time
you spend I mean how long time do you
work on your on your channel on a daily
base because I mean you studying so if
my am one of your professor I would say
Marcus come on let’s study don’t don’t
play with this you know Kiki things just
focus on the important things study book
and so how long time do you do you focus
on your YouTube channel and your YouTube
activity it’s kind of all of my time I
think I would my answer would be every
waking hour I don’t necessarily like
you know go in and change specific
things to adjust for SEO or anything
like that but I’m always thinking of the
next video I want to do I’m always
answering comments always tweeting
posting on Google+
talking to people about other videos and
other things in tech and consumer
electronics and you know it’s just it
all seems like a part of the the stuff
that I’m doing it doesn’t feel like you
know working on my channel because
tweeting about a cool phone doesn’t feel
like working on my channel at the same
time it’s engaging people it’s talking
to people talking about what’s cool and
interesting and that’s that’s kind of an
always thing okay
another question from low-bottom I like
this nickname video SEO tools yes this
is very related if you do initiate
videos with some seeding some form of
seeding or you did it in beginning if
you had some kind of strategy and you
use kind of titles keywords talks in a
certain way does still work these kind
of things that’s my question
yeah it’s so I’m on a very it seems like
I have all my eggs in one basket but
it’s the YouTube platform is where
everything is so it’s the title of the
video the description of the video the
tags in the video and then a couple of
other things that YouTube decides you
know Google+ might be thrown in there
some other stuff but it all for me goes
back to what I would want to watch the
video that I would want to make so when
I’m making a video I’m also thinking
about if I was searching for this video
what would I what would I you know
search and then watch what would I want
to see so for example I’ll make the
review of this Nexus 5 this phone if I’m
making a review about the Nexus 5 and I
talked about the battery life of this
phone one of the tags is going to be
Nexus 5 battery life so that’s when
someone searches for a nexus 5 battery
life and they find the review I did at
this phone they’re not going to be mad
they’re going to be happy because I
actually talked about it in the video so
I tend to to include you know title and
description is the main thing really
that happen to have things that are from
the video that also kind of tied SEO and
what I would want to find right title
description and the right tagging
related I give you a few questions like
that that are coming automatic tagging
tools you use any other tools to
automate this process no I write them
all as I’m uploading it because usually
right usually right when I like finish
exporting the video I immediately begin
uploading the video right when I
finished watching it so I’m kind of in
the zone like I know exactly what’s in
the video so I can title tag and
describe everything in the video as I’m
uploading it and that’s kind of a
one-shot process so I do everything
myself manually I guess so so can we say
one one video per week you were able to
produce yeah relased
an average right ok very good I have
another question from Paul that I say hi
friend of mine totally different but
related what do you think about
augmented reality approach to inform
people trained technicians on product
performances have you ever tried
anything like that in your in aura
because basically when you do reviews
you also explaining teaching also how to
use the features of the phone did you
include augmented reality or you have an
opinion on it so I guess the only the
only product I’ve used that has
augmented reality is oculus rift and I
used it once and it was awesome but I
guess the whole realism thing with
making videos I might not be answering a
question but I guess with with making
videos as realistic as possible I’m
trying to I’m trying to give the person
watching the video a better idea of what
it’s like to own the product so from
what if they’re watching the review of a
laptop I’m trying to show it from the
angle of someone using a laptop and
trying to it’s a lot of the camera
trickery to trying to get these things
to expose for the display and the
background and the human eye has a
ridiculous dynamic range but that’s
besides the point the whole idea is
getting things to be realistic
and I guess augmented reality would kind
of tie in to that all right
so I go back to this play because I just
want to be sure about excelling what you
do and I want the people watching this
video
excelling know what you doing what’s
your routine you do a lot of reviews
maybe there are some kind of I don’t
know tools or gadgets that are very
expensive and how can you do a review I
don’t know Google Glasses is maybe a
pilot program so you have to be inside
the pilot program or maybe it’s coming
out a smartphone super expensive
do you always get it for free to test to
do a review about or you buy everything
because you are super rich I don’t know
and I’m happy for you and you say okay
bye now this gotcha that I do a review
how does it work
most of the time I am buying it I almost
never oh I guess sometimes probably 25%
of the things that I do videos about
will be something that I received from a
company or a marketing agency or
something to do a video on but most of
it is me purchasing the device and then
reviewing it and because I purchased it
but also gives me a better idea of
whether or not I think it’s worth the
money and then once I’ve purchased it
and reviewed it a lot of people don’t
realize you can sell it so if I don’t
like a device anymore and a new one has
just come out but I think I want to
review that one now I can sell the one
that I currently have and review the one
that’s new so sort of a circular process
if you’ve ever used eBay or Craigslist
or whatever something you have a program
like that local to you you can use that
and that’s essentially how it happens
now I like your style if you were
Italian you know how you would do you
just get the phone and then ask for a
refund horrible for the terrible thing
is there are people who do that I like
Best Buy Best Buy has like a 30 day
policy where you can buy a device review
it put it back in the box and get your
money back I would never
but I realized that that’s possible for
people who are like just getting started
I wouldn’t I didn’t recommend it I
mark has another thing a few years ago I
was running the largest a blog network
in Italy we got three million unique
visitors per month and it was a network
of let’s say 200 bloggers writing a
contact like either Mashable something
like that before its way and the the
interesting thing is that we got a
YouTube channel with talisman videos on
and the nectar was about news and one
day I remember with this channel and I
was just logging in and the channel is
appeared from one day to another Google
frozed the the channel and so
immediately I start to call in each
other you know the the CEO in Italy and
say I met what’s going on here give me
back my YouTube channel and the problem
is that everything that is outside us so
Google in Italy no one decide anything
of course so they say I’m sorry just
fill the form say sorry and ask your
your channel back try to understand why
and so I was really panicking imagine
you know a company and thousand videos
gone so the problem basically was that
one of my bloggers went to like a sex
show I don’t know how you say like CES
but or sex but he did a professional
reportage you know about the situation
and so on
talking with directors actors but in a
very professional way and behind him in
a video was like something that was not
possible to show new to book and so we
got the rape or abuse and few reporter
views and Indian just YouTube decided to
close the channel then we got it back
but it was very panicking so the
question here for you is have you ever
thought about that I mean that you know
YouTube is not a charity so that may be
doing this massive work and also for my
mistake
could happen something that you lose all
your water and I connected with another
question here from another poll if you
ever thought to create your own
community outside YouTube what do you
think yeah so interestingly enough I
actually had something like that
happened to me way back when I started
maybe a year into the videos I was doing
where my videos were falsely flagged for
copyright infringement enough times to
have the channel removed from YouTube
with several hundred videos on it and
then I was able to fill out the form and
get them all returned so I’ve never
forgot about that and yes I always I’m
getting always get told to think about
you know bringing your community away
from YouTube and taking them to
somewhere else where you can’t lose them
as easily and not get them back so yeah
I mean that’s always on my mind I feel
like Google+ there’s a weird interesting
place sort of in between there because
Google+ kind of ties into YouTube it’s
the basis of the comments section and I
I’ve been using Google+ since before was
public and I have somewhere between one
and a half one and one and a half
million people who have circled me on
Google+ so I feel it’s kind of like a
community in itself like the Google+
talking with people on Google+ is
different from talking to people on
YouTube or Twitter or Facebook so you
know it’s it’s I’m always looking for a
place I might start a website I have no
idea but I love the YouTube platform and
I love the Google+ platform so there’s
got to be something in that uh I don’t
know no idea all right
also because yeah YouTube comments are
the weirdest comments in the in the
history of human beings I mean maybe
nothing the tech sector but really we
solve the weirdest comments ever read in
my life was on YouTube one of the
weirdest one probably was I just tell
you this because I came up in my mind
once I upload the video I was talking in
a conference and one guy said wrote a
comment like that I hate you because you
are like Steve Jobs but fat and I am
really thin you know and I forgot
how can you write something like that
you know yeah so I made you what you get
in your comments but now it’s changing
right we did Google+ comments so it’s
probably different with an effort to
make it better right and trying yeah uh
Marcus we just have ten minutes left so
for few things more I always stay here
to talk for four hours but just ten
minutes and I remember to me I have to
ask you this thing for my son to say hi
to my son otherwise I I will lose him
forever you know so I have to remember
that yes tell me one thing let’s talk
about monetizing is with this audience
is it possible to monetize these
audience with the YouTube advertising do
you use it yes no you are already
billionaire you you are not how does it
work yeah so you can there is yes yes
I’m a billionaire I know they could be
so YouTube started off way back when
with the YouTube Partner Program I’m
probably already familiar with it but
it’s like you know you had to sign up
and yet to be accepted into it and once
you were accepted into it you could
start having Google place ads against
your videos and then Google would pay
you for ad impressions so if you had
lots and lots of impressions and views
on your videos and you would have lots
and lots of adam’ pressure impressions
and then Google would compensate you for
that so now anyone on YouTube can
monetize any of their videos so my
videos are all almost all of my yes arm
are monetized in that particular fashion
but then you know there are youtubers
who go to the next level with the
creative ways that they you know that’s
all
t-shirt with their name on it or t-shirt
with their slogan on it so I have all
kinds of gear that relates to their
channel and there are all kinds of other
creative things I haven’t even thought
of or tried yet but well that would be
the the act the extreme end of
monetizing such a large community okay
if I can ask Marcus you can also not
answer okay and say Marco off
I’m asking just curious is are you
already monetizing well quite well that
you say okay I’m I’m doing good I can
pay the bills I don’t know
or is still small money
yeah no it’s definitely helpful it’s
it’s a lot of it goes back it goes back
into itself as an investment so again
like the whole you know how you buy a
new phone to review it in the first
place a video about a new phone if it
does well enough will pay for itself so
it helps that it’s all kind of circular
going into the business if you will so
it’s all kind of the attack so it’s all
got it and obviously in chat you have to
think that in Italy so I’m in UK and is
11 o’clock in evening and easily it’s
midnight but anyway when we start to
talk about money
Italians are immediately focused you
know so I see people now arriving in
chat and immediately asking do you there
is a question here for you do you only
use the regular absence to the YouTube
advertising or is your own advertising
for videos there that’s another thing
that I haven’t done there so yeah I do
use Adsense and Adsense is the way that
Google like that’s the default stock
standard there are other ways I seen a
lot of other youtubers do this where
you’ll find a company that who is who’s
really interested in the sort of topic
that you do so for me it will be tech
and there might be a company who does a
tech related product that wants to
sponsor your video for me it’s not
really comfortable in my sort of video
format and I haven’t done it yet but it
there you might see a video you know of
a foam review and then the last 20
seconds of the video will be this video
is brought to you by XYZ company and
here’s a little feel about that company
that they got paid to talk about that
company so that’s that that would be
selling your own ads for your videos it
doesn’t feel quite as organic to me I
understand that Google might not have
the best ads either I’ve seen some weird
ads on tech videos that Google decides
were right so I don’t get to pick those
I guess that’s a downside but I stick
with Adsense got it – and
Marcus tell me one thing well what’s
next for you I mean you study now and as
I told you before two studies this chart
I you should teach to your head your
professors about digital marketing and
digital business because you’re doing
very good but what’s next I mean I mean
probably your life is different now that
you have this YouTube channel than if
you would have have this YouTube channel
so what what do you think to do but what
are the next step for marques Brownlee
that’s a good question I wish I knew at
this point I’m still in school so
finishing my degree is what I want to do
for sure and then you know a lot of the
the people a lot of my students and
people working alongside me are you know
doing internships and getting job offers
and getting into the workforce and
whatever field interested in so a lot of
people on with our business students
people interested in marketing and are
getting jobs at marketing companies and
doing business stuff with them so it
would be weird to find a company that
would fall in line with what I’m already
doing on YouTube but if that happens
that would be awesome but my plans are
kind of wide open I there’s a breadth of
possibilities yeah well there’s a family
a tech example you know a Robert Scoble
you know he for instance you got
companies that basically came to do all
his interviews and so on but but I see
you’re honest no different level I see
you on the like you know director
production I see YouTube with the
potential to do really big things so
yeah you have time also to to get there
very good very good so we have just I
would say five minutes left
Marcus tell me another thing that I’m
encouraged about partnerships how does
it work I mean do you are you able to
create partnership to increase your
audience when you do your videos maybe
with other youtubers even if it’s not
like a proper official partnership but
maybe you say I you know let lets give
visibility on this content that maybe is
interesting for your community how does
it work I mean from the moment that you
have uploaded your video online what do
you do what would what’s your framework
yeah collaboration is actually a really
big thing on YouTube among all the
different communities there’s a tech
community that collaborates those the
the comedians those video games there’s
all sorts of stuff so often in the tech
community you’ll see that the tech
youtubers collaborating with each other
uh you know having people guest star on
each other’s videos hosting giveaways
where they the rules involve following
the other channel or just giving random
simple shoutouts to other youtubers who
you just happen to think your audience
would also like so I I did a couple
examples of like each of these things
one of them was when I gave a shout out
to a YouTube I was revisiting a phone
the Galaxy Note 3 and I was talking
about how I really wish the ROM I wanted
to use shot 4k video boom here’s an
example of a channel who’s doing great
videos with the note 3 in 4k so I just
gave him a shout out just because that
was perfectly lined up with what I was
talking about so that’s a simple form of
collaboration another one I did was add
a top I’d yet top 5 tablets of early
2014 best 5 tablets you could buy but
instead of me rounding up all 5 I had
four other youtubers give clips of them
talking about their personal one of
their favorite tablets so it was you
know in a lot of people’s cases their 5
favorite tech youtubers all in a single
video and there would be annotations or
links or they can go discover those
people after watching if they hadn’t
already heard of them so often they
heard of maybe three of them and they
hadn’t heard of the other two they’d
have a link to go check out the other
two because we all kind of do similar
content got it Marcus India and what
would you suggest to a company that want
to be really super successful like you
are on YouTube I mean could you
extrapolate you know a formula secret
formula let’s say okay all of this
process there’s a friend of yours that’s
a
Marcus give me a help I mean at this
company and I would like to be you know
use YouTube and get as much as busy as I
can what would you recommend yeah it’s
tough to give like that certain like
groupid things because there’s so many
different possibilities and ways to do
it really well but you know there’s a
couple of good examples on you there’s
Newegg is a good example so Newegg is a
company that just sells PC components
and they want to use YouTube as a
platform to leverage that tech audience
and show them products and and bring
them back to the site things like that
so what they do is they have a
consistent string of two or three hosts
that are always there so it feels a
little bit more personal less like a
company and an ad in a robotic voice so
making it more personal helps and
engagement I guess I mentioned this
earlier engagement with the community
leaving comments talking back to people
who are leaving comments you know
bringing them to other places like
Twitter and continuing to talk with them
and and it gives you a that voice so if
you were Newegg and you were just you
know a voice and a camera and you never
showed a face and it was just a robot
and a logo people wouldn’t I guess
people would still watch that but it
wouldn’t be quite as interesting so
having it be a face and a person rather
than a business often on YouTube works a
lot better and that’s what I was suggest
great very good and any technological
tip that you would give I mean because
you did a lot of production in the end I
mean and also I don’t know where did you
learn this all by yourself you learn
basically yeah all self-taught I guess
watch lots of tutorials because
tutorials are still really helpful if
you’re curious about how to make a great
you know video or a great screencast or
something youtube search how to XYZ and
someone’s probably made a great video
that alright and and if you if you have
your like best technical tip for for
companies because for instance I gave an
example when I was working in television
the first tip that my director in the
sky news channel say say look television
people don’t watch television people
listen to the vision so the audio was
fundamental and it is interesting you
know because I never thought about how
do so television people just watch the
vision you know so did you have any
technical tip for four companies well I
agree with the audio part audio is just
as important as video so if you spend a
lot on audio or a lot on video and
forget about audio it’s not gonna it’s
not gonna feel right and I guess a
technical tip if you’re specifically
looking to do YouTube lighting is way
more important than you think it is
lighting is almost everything about
making a youtube video or any sort of
video production and if it doesn’t look
right to the eye change the lights add
another light at another light and it’ll
probably eventually look good if it
doesn’t look good in the camera it’s
because the lights aren’t right like
right very good
marques so we are I would say at the end
I would say thanks a lot to the older
people in in chat and I have to do this
thing for my for my son I was probably
cut in the end the video so I would
probably say look um Marcus just say hi
to you and he probably knows you I don’t
know I would say something so his name
is Yuri Yuri and I dunno just say
something whatever you like he will love
that you say something to him Yanni I
appreciate you showing your dad my
channel because now I get to talk to a
whole bunch more people because your dad
is so awesome so thanks for showing in
my channel you’re the best
great fantastic marques you are
phenomenal
really I was really enjoying this this
conversation obviously all the people
that want to watch marques Brownlee job
just go on YouTube his channel marques
Brownlee and you will find him
straightaway and what can I say more
just good life for everything and I keep
going like that you you really rock yeah
appreciate it thanks for having me cheers bye
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