Today marks a special milestone for me as I celebrate ten years of creating YouTube videos full-time. To commemorate this achievement, I’m excited to answer your questions and share some insights from my journey.
My love for filmmaking started when I was a kid, participating in plays and musicals. However, I always thought that a career in traditional film or TV was too risky and beyond my control. So, I chose a more stable path, studying engineering and physics, eventually earning a PhD and teaching the subject. While I have a deep love for science, I also enjoy the creative process of making videos. YouTube allows me to combine my interests in science and performance, making it the perfect platform for my skills and passions.
Looking back at my early days on YouTube, I remember the challenges of starting out. Building an audience felt like climbing a steep hill, and there were times I thought about quitting. I struggled with being on camera and picking interesting topics. Luckily, I didn’t realize how inexperienced I was, which probably kept me going.
If you’re just starting out, my main advice is to jump in and start creating. A few months after launching my channel, I attended a science awards event in Sydney. There, I met the executive producer of Australia’s only science show. I followed up with an email showcasing my best work, which led to a great conversation about potential collaboration. The lesson? Always have something to show when you’re looking for opportunities.
The toughest part of my YouTube career was definitely the beginning. It’s often hard to gain momentum when you’re starting from scratch. However, overcoming those initial challenges has made the journey worthwhile.
Outside of YouTube, my life revolves around my three kids. They keep me grounded and offer a fresh perspective on what content resonates with audiences. Their reactions often serve as a gauge for what might appeal to a broader audience.
Getting a PhD was a rollercoaster ride. The uncertainty in research can be intimidating, and I often felt the pressure of possibly spending years on something that might not yield results. However, the chance to engage with various academics and improve my writing skills was incredibly rewarding.
An unexpected benefit of my YouTube journey was the increased visibility of my research. Creating videos about my work allowed more people to engage with my thesis than traditional academic routes might have.
As my channel has grown, so has my team. I’m lucky to work with talented individuals like Johnny Hyman, who contributes in multiple areas, and Yvonne Tello, my animator. My wife, Raquel, often supports behind the scenes, and I have advisors like my former professor Grant Lewis. Their contributions have elevated the production quality of my videos, allowing me to explore new creative avenues.
As I reflect on the past decade, I’m eager to hear from you, my audience. What content do you want to see more of in the future? Your feedback is invaluable as I continue to create videos that add value to your lives.
Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Here’s to many more years of exploration and discovery together!
Start your own YouTube channel to explore your interests. Choose a topic you’re passionate about, whether it’s science, art, or technology. Create a short video introducing your channel and explaining why you chose this topic. This will help you understand the initial challenges of content creation and audience engagement.
Reach out to a local content creator or someone you admire online. Prepare a set of questions about their journey, challenges, and advice for newcomers. Conduct an interview and share your findings with the class. This activity will give you insights into the real-world experiences of content creators.
Select a popular YouTube video and analyze its structure, content, and presentation style. Identify what makes it engaging and educational. Present your analysis to the class, highlighting key elements that contribute to its success. This will help you understand effective storytelling and video production techniques.
Work in pairs or small groups to plan a collaborative video project. Choose a topic that combines your interests and skills. Outline the video’s concept, script, and roles for each team member. This exercise will teach you the importance of teamwork and planning in content creation.
Write a reflective essay on a personal journey or challenge you’ve faced, similar to Veritasium’s early YouTube days. Discuss how you overcame obstacles and what you learned from the experience. Share your essay with the class to foster a supportive environment for personal growth and learning.
Physics – The branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy, encompassing concepts such as force, motion, and the structure of atoms. – In physics, Newton’s laws of motion describe the relationship between a body and the forces acting upon it.
Science – The systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. – Science allows us to understand the fundamental principles that govern the universe, from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies.
Engineering – The application of scientific and mathematical principles to design and build structures, machines, and other devices. – Engineering students often study thermodynamics to understand how energy is transferred in systems.
Research – The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions. – The research conducted at the Large Hadron Collider has provided insights into the fundamental particles of the universe.
Audience – A group of people who are intended to receive and understand information, particularly in a scientific context. – When presenting scientific findings, it is crucial to tailor the complexity of the information to the audience’s level of understanding.
Collaboration – The action of working with others to achieve a common goal, often seen in scientific research and projects. – Collaboration between physicists and engineers led to the development of more efficient solar panels.
Creativity – The use of imagination or original ideas to solve problems, particularly in scientific and engineering contexts. – Creativity in designing experiments can lead to groundbreaking discoveries in quantum mechanics.
Momentum – The quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity. – According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of a closed system remains constant if no external forces act on it.
Visibility – The state of being able to see or be seen, often used in the context of scientific phenomena or data. – The visibility of stars is affected by atmospheric conditions, which astronomers must account for in their observations.
Journey – The process of exploration and discovery in scientific research and experimentation. – The journey to understand dark matter involves numerous experiments and theoretical models to uncover its properties.
