Was getting enough views to like pay for My Starbucks every day and I was like oh I'm good I've like made it son like Starbucks every day and then eventually He's like oh now it pays like my phone And then it's like oh wow now this is Like my number one driver of income so It wasn't like a one-time like I'm gonna Call my mom and tell her I'm gonna do it I'm a YouTuber now it was just over time It just slowly but surely became the Number one thing and then all the Peripheral stuff that I had always been Doing just kind of like went to the Background and now this is it you gotta Just press record so what all does it Take to become a full-time YouTuber if You're a musician maybe a singer or an Artist well I'm excited to get into this Conversation with somebody I just met at A Super Bowl party that can be kind of Sketch it can be you know I feel the Vibe was on yeah it was on point over Sure instantly uh this is Sean Daniel Who has a YouTube channel right now at The time of this recording has about 450 000 subscribers he's been full-time on YouTube for about four or so years but Only been doing YouTube for five years So yeah we're gonna be talking about his Journey on how he kind of made that jump And how how you even get there because There's so many creatives and artists That one wonder how YouTube can actually
Be a source of resource for them to be Able to pursue things but I'm excited And thank you for coming in early in the Morning to the video Department had to Do it was funny was yesterday when we Met you're like I'm like oh what do you Do I'm like I'm a YouTuber yeah I'm like Yeah I got like 500 000 followers one is Really 450 000. I'm flexing it at a Super Bowl party Right and then he's like I'm a YouTuber Too and I'm like oh That's not you don't yeah that doesn't Happen every day when you meet somebody It is funny yeah Um it always like catches my attention Obviously because I'm like it's it's a Small like to be considered as that yeah I know what all that entails yes I know Like the grind it probably entails but Also the freedom of lifestyle that could Potentially entail and all that stuff so Yeah I mean if you don't mind can you Share a little bit about your journey And uh what your channel is yeah Absolutely so my channel is all music Based in some way or another uh mostly It's known for guitar stuff but there's You know all sorts of music there's Performances there's teaching I feel Like the teaching videos are kind of Like the bread and butter of the channel What gets the most views uh gear demos I Do a QA sometimes I'll do live streams
Just really whatever just uh just Grinding content out there anything Music related try to try to do it in a Charismatic fun easy going way cool That's pretty much it I get you as a fun Charismatic easy going guy I Try So yeah So I mean that's the mask I put on yeah All the time um no what was kind of like Your your journey you know before you Even started making a video and then how Did you get to that place of like I'm Gonna make a video and post it on YouTube you know what's funny it's like I so many creators have the same story It happened by accident right didn't Start out to be a YouTuber or anything Like that I was just you know a musician Making the grind I was teaching a lot I Was performing and I was in Sarasota Florida so not really like a hotbed of Like musical activity even there's a lot Of talent around there like not a lot of People like you know make it and like Make it bigger or anything like that so I just released an album with a friend Of mine that I thought was really good That I thought was eligible for Success Right I've always been pretty much of a Realist like I have realistic Expectations for things it's like well This is pretty good and we kind of Toured it locally and it didn't really Do much and I was like you know I don't I think it's just I don't have an
Audience so I just made a YouTube video That was a music theory related video That was really just meant to tell my Students like because I was teaching Maybe like 20 students a week at the Time I was like I just want to use YouTube as a hosting platform Essentially for this video to blast it Out to my students and then slowly over Time it just like got views and I was Like maybe this is a thing that's cool And uh I never even really use YouTube Like how to change a tire type stuff Back then you know and then I was like All right well maybe this is this is it So I'm gonna do a video a week see what Happens and then one day uh someone Posted the videos on Reddit made it to The top page and then like overnight I Had like 2 000 subscribers that's Incredible and ever since that day I was Like this this is it like I could see it For the first time and then it was like Almost like a video every day since then Dang that's amazing so yeah I kind of Want to talk about just that idea of Like you know off camera we were talking About how it wasn't like one day I Decided to go full time so like what did That season like so like a year into Posting that first video yes a year from That point you then made a conscious you Know decision yes on like this is what I Will do 100 it's funny there were
Milestones along the way right like I Thought that first video was like it was Good it was represented what I wanted Looking back on it it's cringy because I Feel like I'm cameras we always say it Guys my name is Sean this is a note on a Guitar and then now it's just like you Know this is like what I do in my sleep Almost yeah but the Milestones along the Way we're like okay you know AdSense is A thing this was getting enough views to Like pay for my Starbucks every day and I was like oh I'm good I've like made it Son like Starbucks every day take that Day yeah yes exactly yeah right come on Man and then eventually he's like oh now Pays like my phone bill and then it's Like oh wow now this is like my number One driver of income so it wasn't like a One-time like I'm gonna call my mom and Tell her I'm gonna do it I'm a YouTuber Now it was just over time it just slowly But surely became the number one thing And then all the peripheral stuff that I Had always been doing just kind of like Went to the background and now this is It that's amazing and so I see that you Like you are more or less the you lean Into the education side sure and I think That's a principle to lean into as as Far as musicians creatives and artists And singers like you lean into the Equipment you have the how to use the Equipment or the instruments you have
And and how that and I look at like some Of your most popular videos are search Based videos yes and then those are Meeting people every day and you have You know it's kind of like the think Media story like now we have an archive Of a library that can serve somebody you Know and they can go deep yeah it's 100 Like the think media thing uh I think There's a lot of synergy between our Channels actually because it started out As one thing and then just so almost as Advice advice to any other content Creator out there or even before if You're thinking about becoming a content Creator you know so much more than you Think you know so good right like like Just the the process of becoming like a Professional musician is like I've Learned so much along the way that other People would value from benefiting and I Can only teach it the way that I learned It and there are so many more people Than you would think that have taken That same path yeah like that's the Number one thing about being a YouTuber And like seeing like just like the macro Analytics of like the Earth and how many People are out there and how many people Share your same story so even though I Think media you know maybe you start Just trying to like help people Understand like analytics or you know Kind of growing a channel but then also
It's like hey well through the process Of making these videos we know Everything about cameras microphones Lighting everything like why not use This as a platform to like help people Yeah and I would say that's a counter Cultural or even counter-intuitive way Of thinking of yourself as an artist Because you're like most people are Going on YouTube to say see me I want to Show my gifts my talents my abilities But you took approach of like a service You know like sure there's something I Know that people don't and I'm gonna Start there and I think that's just Something uh that is a very encouraging Moment because like if you are a singer You're probably trying to figure out how To get as many eyes on you to hear you But what are some things that you can do To actually serve people yeah exactly And I think that's just like that's what Keeps you going because as you know like It's a Grind yes if you're going to be a Professional content creator you got to Just keep it going right and like There's not an artist out there in the World that can come up with like an Original artistic I'd idea five times a Week yeah you know what I mean so I Think there is uh almost like an Ancillary reward system like when people Just count I read all my comments and I It's funny like on the internet comments
Are so successful some of the times Which I actually love I love the salty Cameras too that's a big part of my Channel is just like Shining Light Because I just like having fun with Myself you know self-deprecating humor But like there's so many cabinets that Are just like man thank you so much for Helping me with this it's like really Changed how I see it and that could be On a video they totally tanked Algorithmically did terribly but like That one guy who just like reaches out It's like well this was still a good This was still a success right like Maybe financially was not but like I Just feel so much better it's better for My mental health like okay like this Wasn't a failed video like this still Helped people yeah and I love that I Make that connection that like one Viewer one comment that's a person on The other side right yeah no huge yeah So a little bit kind of going deeper Into like the monetization standpoint of Things so like it gets to a point where Like your bills are getting paid which Is awesome right I'd like to know Because you would say now AdSense isn't The biggest amount of income it's now Sponsorships and brand deals and things Like that yes how did that kind of like You're a one-man band you're crushing Everything you got to do for your
Channel yeah this is a grind yes but how Did you develop those relationships how Did you find those people did you reach Out to those Brands did they reach out To you can you kind of share through That kind of process yeah the trade Shows were a big one they're a big part Of it uh dude we have such a similar Like literally CES and NAB which are Things are in Las Vegas yeah uh we would Go there meet companies and then emails Email change well here's the thing when You're a good looking guy you just got To get your boots on the ground and just Show up yeah lean into your strengths so Conventions I mean what's the one in Like Anaheim names yeah like all those Okay so you're going to these Conventions and you know I just I I like Like you said when we met at the super Party it's like oh you're a YouTuber oh Cool yeah right so like that's where you Meet those other people that's where You're for sure going to meet them Because you know they're kind of all Doing the same grind and then you know You just start talking it's like oh I've Been working with that and this like This brand or whatever and the brands Are also there so yeah you just start Talking and uh Just over the years you meet so many People and I think this specific niche Of of work just lends itself to people
Like almost just like just hugging it Out like man you're going through it too Like like that what I found is it's not A competitive thing with other channels Even in the same exact thing and I just Made a lot of relationships that way Dude I think that's so good and that I Mean that's it and you know in many Cases that could just be a seasonal Thing you know you do that for a couple Years you develop those relationships And so talking through about like some Of the types of deals that you're doing Can you talk through like how some are Like more you know long uh longer Partnerships and then how some are like One-offs for sure the number one thing That allowed me to go from just relying On AdSense which is a slippery slope Yeah you know what I mean from month to Month uh is finally working with Companies on a monthly basis right like Uh like sweet water and elixir are like My two biggest sponsors distrokid and It's like I know every month I have like A certain amount of videos and those are 100 from personal relationships like There's a lot of email cold calling and Stuff out there and that's like a whole Hustle in and of itself I would say that You know everything starts as maybe like A one-off and you do a good job and the One thing you have to keep in mind is Like that I think a lot of maybe content
Creators don't really grasp 100 is like When a brand hits you up Like it's not just like a money grab It's like I wanna I wanna make something That we're both happy with we love that Right like you know I could just make Like a pedal demo or whatever which is Big in the guitar space you know it's Like I don't want to make it just like I Don't want to be the same pedal demo Everybody's making and then okay well Cool hit me up next year when there's a New pedal out yeah I wanted to be Something like hey what are you guys Looking for this is maybe something I Can provide and then like both parties Are happy maybe I don't even get paid For the first one you know what I mean Maybe I'm just doing it to like like get My foot in the door for a potential Relationship with like something we're Both interested in and through that I Feel like I became really close to Sweetwater and elixir and distro kid and That was really just from like just Having genuine personal relationships With the people running the brands maybe Not even just one person like a whole Team and then like you're part of the Team so it's a partnership more than it Is a brand I love I love it I was gonna Say like as you're talking it's like Relational yeah you know that you There's a person on the other side of
That brand deal that you're actually Getting to know and even more so I love That even the idea because I tap into That too like there's video those I make That don't align with a actual brand Deal but I'm referencing it because it Makes sense I love this program software You know equipment whatever and so that Is that's like a beautiful imagery as Far as like what you're trying to do to Get your channel monetized is is really Trying to develop those relationships Which could start at conventions then Can start things that go uh from that Point which is which was really cool What would you say that like you making Videos that they had something to look To was very important oh of course like You have to have a back catalog and you Have to have a you know a video resume Essentially yeah right on your resume And that's why I I'm not precious at all with like Anything like hey I'm so I'm so fungible On one whatever you guys want uh just Making something out of passion first And then I think the the potential brand Partnerships see that kind of passion Like oh this is great energy and that's Just the same thing with personal Relationships everything like if you Bring great energy to anything in life People are going to want to be a part of That and kind of like add their energy
To it I love that and it's the same in Business it's just with personal Relationships and all that who would you Would you say like some of your peers or People that would be good to follow and Kind of see their outline because like I Mean you know people are doing it Differently what are some of your like Favorite you know YouTubers in regards To like the music side musician artists And stuff well it's funny because there Are so many different just kind of Schools of thought like one of my best Friends Davida she's a huge YouTuber uh It's almost like all AdSense he's like Not even messed with brand deals like he Does what he does and this is kind of Like man on the street musical Performances and it's just it's so Genuine right there's no there's nothing There's no ad reads or anything it's all Genuine he's able to kill it that way Huh another one of my favorites is uh Samurai guitarist she's a good friend of Mine he does such high quality like Output for that and that I think those Those are those are three great Different strategies for like financing Like a YouTube channel because Samurai Is like really high effort high quality Solid brand relationships David asks Just Just Wing It virtuoso Talent just Raw authentic no brand deals all AdSense Getting eyeballs and then me just like
Straight like Grinder like just like Making what I can most of what I do is One take so it's very genuine that's Cool I mean just turn the camera on dang Like take a moment and just you got 450 000 Subs most of what you do is just one Take yeah which minimizes the process in The editing totally which minimizes the Render that takes place which minimizes The speed that you can you know quickens The speed that you can get the video Actually out there yeah what like how do You how do I just want to speak to that Because I know that's a pain point for a Lot of creators well then like I just Don't know how to edit I don't know like What so how do you get over that like Perfectionism I guess you could oh man That I mean that's been a problem that Has plagued musicians and artists Specifically since the beginning of time Like when is something done when is Something perfect yeah and I think That's just what you have to go into Social media knowing like it doesn't Have to be perfect man it's like Authentic is better than perfect if it's Too polished it won't work if it looks Like it's supposed to be like on a Streaming service or like on a theater Thing it's not gonna work like that's Not what people are there for so I think It's really kind of like understanding Like the trends and that's what really
Gravitated me towards YouTube because It's like oh this is people make a Mistake and it's like that's that's fine You know I might stutter or say Something wrong it's like that's fine Nobody cares right if they flame you in The comments that's engagement that's Free engagement right like great awesome You know what I mean so just like one Take get it done editing it takes me Just as long to edit the video as it did To shoot the video essentially right and That's kind of like that gorilla combat System that allows you to upload I love That so I know I didn't write this down But like could you share a little bit About the gear that you use that allows You to move fast yeah of course so uh Before I go into my gear I think really Like if you're thinking about doing it Any modern smartphone with good lighting That's literally all you need even like The microphones on the new iPhones Because I've used them in a pinch you Know in like Studios like setups and It's like this is fine yeah like So yeah you don't need a bunch of gear Any modern smartphone can get the job Done but uh I shoot mostly on Sony uh Sony a7c the G Master glass is like so It's like just it's so good right it Makes anything look good right and then Uh Sony zv1 is my secondary shot I Usually have two camera shots that I go
Back and forth I saw that and then uh The Sennheiser shotgun mics they Actually just mount on the camera body And go into it are just like are just Like so good yeah and they're easy you Know you don't have to even like set Game level they automatically do it That's good those are nice uh just the Cheap lights just the cheap LED lights And then as far as like your audio are You going into a computer your computer No this audio is just going right onto The card dude let's go yeah right like It's awesome I it's ever since I really Got those Sony shotgun mics that are Just they're just battery powered and They just go right into the camera body And uh SD card it's like awesome it does It does give me anxiety because oh what If the battery runs out that's that's The one downside of doing it that way is Like if you have it going I used to do It going into like uh like a shotgun mic In the logic into my computer and I Could see it in real time recording on The off side of the camera and that was Always nice just to be able to see you But the beauty of doing your two camera Shot setup is you always have a backup Mic kind of going anyway this is smart So that that actually you know saved me A good amount of time because even if It's just like oh I just gotta I gotta Bounce this 18 minute audio track and
Then just sync it and Final Cut uh that Has time you know what I mean so it's so Much better dude I love that like here We go roasting it you're gonna get Roasted in the comments for that yeah Love it fantastic can't wait the salty Cabinets are the best that's another Thing I like like something that I I Noticed meeting a bunch of creators and Stuff is that they really take those Salty comments personally yeah and that That has never been anything that I've Ever done it's like these are just Trolls yeah like come on bro like it's Crazy how we you know obviously it's Just I think it's a natural thing we Lean toward negativity on it natural Standpoint but like those aren't even The person you're the person you're Really trying to serve yeah so like we It's crazy how much energy emotions go Into those comments yeah and it's like Hey you have the freedom to actually not Watch this video you or like I obviously Didn't make this video for you because It's not yeah you know connecting and You can go on YouTube and you know find Something else it is crazy though but Like having to fight that is is Definitely a skill that you acquire okay Yeah it's that thick skin yeah this is Always funny yeah so I mean you know as We wrap I wanna I wanna know some of Your like predictions on YouTube so here
We are you know at the time of filming This it's the beginning of 2023 and you Know we have shorts being a huge thing I Want to know how kind of you're using Those but just more or less like you've Now seen on YouTube for five years what What do you see maybe in the next five Or even just this year well I do think That the shorts thing is still is still Real it's pivoted a little bit away from It my theory and I think a lot of people Share this is always like YouTube was Really building out the shorts Infrastructure as a separate algorithm With the intention of either acquiring Tic Tac or hoping Tic Tac is shut down Right I think it's kind of obvious that That was like their plan so they had a Push where you where everybody was Seeing kind of like inflated pushing of The short speed and then it kind of Dialed back a little bit but it's still It's still very relevant so I think that Prediction-wise is like Schwartz is here To stay for sure but I think that long Form content is still going to be the Bread and butter going forward so he's Got it that that's always going to be The bread and butter you know for the Foreseeable future you know long form Content as you know get it over eight Minutes yeah whatever you can do but Keep it engaging and the then then just Think of shorts as almost like just a
Secondary thing in the same Stratosphere So that's just going to keep rolling Yeah I love that I mean I I think the Power of just posting longer videos is That YouTube is the place where people Spend time with creators you know 100 And so the there is is a psychological Effect that I think a lot of people Don't really talk about and that is People spending hours and hours with you Over a long period of time they really Get to know you uh which is hard to do That with vertical video on other Platforms and his greatest Tick Tock and Insta reels are like that's such a Disposable relationship between you and A Creator right like the long-form ones Are the personalities that I'm Interested in right there's where my Parasocial relationships are coming from From the long form time when I can Instead of just like scrolling up to the Next one yeah so no I dude love that and Especi for making a career because you Know there's always the side house to Let horses patreon all that stuff that's Always going to be driven by long-form Content I think so good I love that all Right ma'am I appreciate your time Thanks for having me
