YouTuber Of The Week: Casey Neistat And How He Takes Storytelling To A Whole New Level
In this week's YouTuber Of The Week, we feature Casey Neistat, a filmmaker that has the gift of making everyday stories seem fun, relatable and interesting. Find out why he's our YouTuber Of The Week below.
By Darian Goh — 27 Oct 2014, 05:50 PM — Updated over 9 years ago
Casey Neistat may not be a name that rings a bell but you may have seen one or two of his videos trending on the Internet before
Casey Neistat may not be a name that rings a bell but you may have seen one or two of his videos trending on the Internet before
Image via blogspot.comBut before we dive into those videos, here's a little background information about Casey that is worth noting
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Image via goandshoot.comCasey Neistat was a school dropout at the tender age of 15 and had a son at 17 before moving to New York City in 2001
Neistat was born and raised in New London, Connecticut. He dropped out of Ledyard High School in the 10th grade at age 15 and did not return to school or graduate. At age 17 Neistat had a son, Owen. From age 17 until 20 he lived in a trailer park with his son and son's mother, it was during this time Neistat was on welfare, a detail cited by Neistat when delivering his own biography. In 2001 Neistat moved to New York City.
There, he and his brother began working for New York based artist Tom Sachs, where they would film and document the artist's sculptures and installments
There, he and his brother began working for New York based artist Tom Sachs, where they would film and document the artist's sculptures and installments
Image via arrestedmotion.comIn mid-2001 Neistat and his brother Van began working with the artist Tom Sachs, ultimately making a series of films about the artist's sculptures and installations. This was the earliest work done by the brothers as a collective.
I started making movies and found some success. I ended up working for an artist named Tom Sachs, and I started making movies about this artwork. My brother Van and I kept going and going and making movies and constantly hustling… We met this guy who said, 'Let's do something big together.' I think he was thinking of a feature. He said 'let's do a TV show.' For me, that was an excuse to keep making short films and lump it together and it was a TV series (HBO's "The Neistat Brothers")
indiewire.com
In 2008, he had a HBO show simply called "The Neistat Brothers"
In July 2008 Home Box Office HBO purchased an eight episode television series entitled The Neistat Brothers. The series was created by Casey Neistat, Van Neistat and Tom Scott. Independent film producer Christine Vachon served as consulting producer. Written and directed by Casey and Van, the show is autobiographical and told in the first person. Each of the eight episodes is made up of short stories about the brothers' lives. The show premiered June 4, 2010 at midnight on HBO.
In 2010, he started his own YouTube channel because he wanted to "tell stories" his way. To him, the "Internet is opportunity" and its what we do with that opportunity.
In 2010, he started his own YouTube channel because he wanted to "tell stories" his way. To him, the "Internet is opportunity" and its what we do with that opportunity.
Image via papermag.comI arrived at this place where I love telling stories. That's all I want to do is tell stories. What's the place where I can just tell stories and get away from all this bullshit that doesn't excite me? That's what led me back to the internet - to YouTube. I say YouTube, but I mean the internet. There are a number of great platforms.
indiewire.com
There's that maxim that luck is where opportunity meets preparation. So I think that opportunity has become something that's ubiquitous and accessible to everyone. The internet is opportunity. We all have the same starting point. It's what we do with that opportunity.
indiewire.com
One of his earlier videos was about how "ChatRoulette", a popular site that allows strangers from around the world to chat through webcams work. From that experiment, he learnt that people on ChatRoulette are much more likely to talk to a lady instead of a guy.
On 7 June 2011, a video showed Casey receiving a fine for not riding within the bike lane perimeters. To highlight the absurdity of the fine, he proceeds to ride his bike within the bike lane but crashes through various obstructions within the lane. That video has over 13 million views.
This video simply called "Make It Count" has almost 13 million views. How? He starts the video with this simple quote, "Nike asked me to make a movie about what it means to #makeitcount. Instead of making their movie I spent the entire budget traveling around the world with my friend Max. We'd keep going until the money ran out. It took 10 days."
Some critics have criticised that all his videos are about him rather than the brand which he promotes. To that, Casey responds by simply saying "if people care about me, then they’ll probably care about what I have to say."
"I’m pretty unapologetic about that. As a viewer, I care about people, I care about characters, I care about perspective. Why do I give a shit about a car? Why do I give a shit about a pair of sneakers or an electronic bracelet that tracks how much energy I use? I need to invest myself in someone. All of my work is character-driven, and I’m always the lead character. If people care about me, then they’ll probably care about what I have to say."
Not all his videos are about him though. One of the most heartfelt videos he made was about his 92-year-old grandmother who never let age stop her from stopping what she loves the most, tap dancing.
What makes Casey's videos so good is that his storytelling hooks viewers no matter how bland the topic is
Coupled with his longing for adventure, he leads viewers to experience new things they would never dream of doing. What happens if you stay at a waterpark at night? Casey clearly has the answer.
Besides that, he explores social issues in his videos. This video indicates how queues for iPhones are no longer consisting of true fans but rather people from the black market.
Casey's desire to find the "whys" and "hows" aids him in getting good stories. In this video dated 2 October 2014, he explores how popular messaging app Snapchat is a popular choice for youngsters over Facebook. It has almost half a million views to date.