Quote

Because YouTube is focused on a lot of different types of content at the same time, it has many opportunities, and the hardest thing is to figure out which ones you shouldn't do, and focus on the ones you should.

YouTube was really good for building a kind of core, loyal fanbase. I didn't want to be a YouTube artist as such. I mean, there are people who are able to release albums and live off YouTube, but I felt - and not in an arrogant way - that I could be commercial and credible if I really put my mind to it.

YouTube has become more mature, both as a platform and as a community. So much content has been added in almost every conceivable category that there are no more free passes on just getting there first. I think there are greater expectations for audience participation, the kind of participation that makes a real impact in a show's community.

The thing that has made YouTube so successful is that you can relate to the people you're watching to a much higher degree than to the people you see on TV.

As content creators, we're benefitting YouTube every day. YouTube couldn't do what they do without us, so do not underestimate your power.

People go to YouTube to laugh, and as a YouTuber, your job is to figure out a niche and feed people what they want to see. Now that I know what kind of stuff people want to see, then I will keep going down that road and creating videos that are going to make people laugh.

Unfortunately, I think YouTube is going down the route of rewarding the select few around content creation, be it with partnerships or with ways of funding original content.

The great thing about YouTube is there are no gatekeepers. No one is waiting to tell you if you're good enough. It's just your audience.

A lot of people think YouTube is quite easy, when it just isn't. I've been doing YouTube for six years now, and I'd say the hardest years were definitely the first three or four. You have to constantly put out content that is good just to make people come back to your channel, and I work every single day just to try and expand my brand.

On YouTube, when you have a big viral success with a song that isn't your own, the natural inclination for most YouTubers is to keep doing that. What you really should do is show people that you actually have substance and can write your own music.