I can't hide this anymore...
Summary
TLDRAfter 17 years of creating dance videos and amassing over 30 million followers, the YouTuber reveals a loss of joy in his work and announces a significant change. The narrative traces his journey from an awkward teen in Charlottesville to a celebrated LA choreographer, including overcoming initial failures, a shut-down YouTube channel, and industry backlash. Despite these, his online community's support helped him persevere. He now plans to shift his channel's focus to storytelling, featuring dancers' journeys, collaborations with influencers, and possibly a Netflix series, aiming to reconnect with his audience on a deeper level.
Takeaways
- đ The speaker started dancing at a school dance and felt inspired to learn more.
- đ„ They began documenting their dance journey on YouTube in 2007, gaining followers and recognition.
- đ The initial success of a dance video in 2009 led to rapid growth in subscribers.
- đ Moving to LA in 2010 was a significant step in their career, despite financial challenges.
- đš The speaker faced a major setback when their YouTube channel was shut down due to copyright issues.
- đȘ They persevered through struggles in LA, including a lack of bookings and industry resistance.
- đ Winning The Amazing Race and gaining more YouTube subscribers were significant achievements.
- đ The dance industry started to turn against the speaker as they gained more online success.
- đ Record labels prevented significant monetization of their YouTube content, despite its popularity.
- đ The COVID-19 pandemic led to a shift in dance content creation, with a focus on online platforms like TikTok.
- đ The speaker is redefining their YouTube channel to focus on storytelling and deeper connections with their audience.
Q & A
How long has the speaker been making dance videos?
-The speaker has been making dance videos for 17 years.
What was the initial reason the speaker started dancing?
-The speaker started dancing because they were inspired by artists on TV and music videos and wanted to learn how to dance.
What was the first significant impact the speaker had on others through dance?
-The first significant impact was when the speaker learned a few break dance moves and performed them at a school dance, which led to everyone getting on the floor and having an amazing time.
How did the speaker's YouTube journey begin?
-The speaker's YouTube journey began in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they started their first YouTube channel to document their dance journey.
What was the turning point that led to the speaker's channel growing?
-The turning point was when the speaker posted a dance video to 'Replay' by Iyaz in 2009, which unexpectedly went viral with 600,000 views.
Why did the speaker decide to move to LA?
-The speaker decided to move to LA because they felt they needed to get out and pursue their dreams further, as they had reached a point where they had a large following on YouTube.
What challenges did the speaker face after moving to LA?
-After moving to LA, the speaker faced challenges such as not being able to book auditions, not getting past the first round, and having their YouTube channel shut down due to copyright issues.
How did the speaker overcome the challenges in LA?
-The speaker decided to start a new YouTube channel from zero, teach more classes, post more videos, and work harder to overcome the challenges.
What was the significance of hitting 3 million subscribers again?
-Hitting 3 million subscribers again was significant because it was the same number the speaker had on their first channel before it got shut down, symbolizing a comeback.
What was the speaker's reaction to the dance industry turning against them?
-The speaker felt hurt and questioned their worth when the dance industry turned against them, but they were sustained by the support of their online community.
What is the speaker's plan for the future of their YouTube channel?
-The speaker plans to take the channel in a new direction by focusing on storytelling, collaborating with influencers and celebrities, and possibly creating documentaries or a Netflix series.
Outlines
đ„ The Journey Begins
The speaker begins by expressing a desire for change after 17 years of making dance videos and having over 30 million followers. He recounts his early years in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he started his first YouTube channel with a dream to learn how to dance. Despite being a shy and awkward teenager, he found inspiration from artists on TV and music videos. His dance journey started at a school dance where he overcame his shyness and helped others enjoy dancing. He then joined a dance crew, which became his first family in dance, and began documenting his progress on YouTube. In 2009, he posted a dance video that unexpectedly went viral, leading to rapid growth in his subscriber count. Eventually, this led to a move to LA to further pursue his dance career.
đš Rock Bottom and Resurgence
Upon moving to LA, the speaker faced numerous challenges. He struggled to book auditions and was unable to get past the first round. He also dealt with the shutdown of his YouTube channel due to copyright issues from music labels. Feeling lost and overwhelmed, he considered returning to Virginia. However, he decided to persevere and redouble his efforts, leading to the creation of a new YouTube channel and increased determination to succeed. Within a year, his channel regained 100,000 subscribers, and he began to book jobs on popular shows and teach at prestigious studios. Despite the hardships, his online community supported him, and he found renewed motivation through their encouragement.
đ Rising to Fame and Industry Backlash
The speaker's YouTube channel continued to grow, reaching 3 million subscribers, which paralleled the subscriber count of his first channel before it was shut down. He experienced significant success, including winning 'The Amazing Race' and choreographing for well-known artists. However, this success led to a backlash from the dance industry, who labeled him as a 'YouTube choreographer' and tried to undermine his achievements. Despite this, his online community remained supportive. The narrative also touches on the financial struggles due to record labels taking monetization from his videos, which he estimated to be around $15 million over his career.
đ Global Impact and New Beginnings
The speaker discusses the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dance industry, with studios shutting down and tours being canceled. He also notes the rise of TikTok and short-form content, which he found difficult to connect with. To keep his community engaged, he created an online dance academy. Despite these efforts, he feels a sense of disconnection and exhaustion from the constant pressure to produce new content. He announces a new direction for his channel, focusing on storytelling, documentaries, and deeper connections with his audience. He expresses gratitude for his journey and invites his viewers to join him in this next chapter by suggesting dancers, influencers, or celebrities he should collaborate with.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄDance
đĄYouTube
đĄChoreography
đĄMonetization
đĄCommunity
đĄSuccess
đĄCopyright
đĄTikTok
đĄPandemic
đĄContent Creation
đĄAlgorithm
Highlights
After 17 years of making dance videos and over 30 million followers, the creator feels unhappy and plans a big change.
The journey began in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the creator started learning dance despite being bad at it initially.
Inspired by artists on TV, the creator overcame shyness and started dancing at school events, leading to a memorable and enjoyable night.
The creator's first taste of community and helping others enjoy dance came from a school dance where they encouraged others to dance.
Despite poor choreography skills, the creator was invited to join a dance crew due to their unique tricks.
The creator's first YouTube dance video in 2009 unexpectedly went viral, gaining 600,000 views.
The channel's growth was rapid, reaching 100,000 subscribers, and the creator decided to move to LA to pursue dance professionally.
Financial struggles led the creator to work multiple jobs, including teaching dance and DJing, to save money for the move to LA.
Upon arriving in LA, the creator faced rejection from the dance industry and a copyright strike that shut down their YouTube channel.
Despite feeling lost and overwhelmed, the creator decided to start a new YouTube channel from scratch.
Within a year, the new channel regained 100,000 subscribers, and the creator booked jobs on The Tonight Show and So You Think You Can Dance.
The creator's channel reached 3 million subscribers, matching the count before the channel was shut down.
The success on YouTube led to a backlash from the dance industry, who labeled the creator as a 'YouTube choreographer' and tried to limit their opportunities.
The creator's agent dropped them, and they faced financial struggles despite their online success due to record labels taking monetization.
The creator's online community supported them through tough times, showing unwavering support against industry backlash.
The creator's channel continued to grow, reaching 10 million subscribers in 2019.
Despite being the biggest dance creator, the creator felt disconnected from the dance community due to the rise of TikTok and short-form content.
The creator launched an online dance academy to keep the community alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The creator announces a new direction for the channel, focusing on storytelling, documentaries, and deeper connections with the audience.
The creator expresses gratitude for the support received over the years and invites the community to be part of the next chapter.
Transcripts
there's something I have to tell you
guys that I can't hide
anymore after 17 years of making Dance
videos and over 30 million
followers this just doesn't make me
happy anymore and I'm going to make a
big
change but to explain what that change
is and why I'm doing it I want to take
you back to the beginning let's take it
back to 20 7 Charlottesville Virginia
where I started my first YouTube channel
I had this dream of learning how to
dance but honestly I was so bad I'd seen
artists on TV and music videos and was
really inspired but I didn't know where
to start I was an awkward tall teenager
and I went to a school dance and this is
where my dance Journey began I remember
everyone standing on the sidelines
nobody wanted to get out there and be
the first one to dance and I was
definitely too shy too but I went home
and I said I'm not going to do this the
next dance so me and my best friend went
and learned a few break dance moves came
back the next dance a few months later
busted them out and everyone went crazy
everyone was out on the floor dancing
the whole night having an amazing time
and I remember that feeling how good it
felt to help everyone else enjoy their
night get on the floor and that was the
first time that I can remember ever
feeling like I was helping people bring
them out of their shell have an amazing
time and just encouraging this sense of
community with all my friends so at this
point I really only know a few break
dance tricks I'm starting to take a
class here and there but I'm so bad at
picking up choreography and I get
invited to a dance crew audition some of
the dancers in my city had heard that I
could do a flip and a windmill and uh
they thought I might be a good addition
to the team so I go absolutely terrible
at choreography I don't think I got a
single step but at the end of the choreo
I bust out a flip bust out all my tricks
and they were like you know what we're
going to give this guy a chance that was
my first opportunity to really learn how
to dance but this crew out of
Charlottesville Virginia it was the
first time that I felt like I had a
dance family starting to train with them
learning how to choreograph pick up
eight counts I even started teaching my
own classes and the whole time I'm
documenting this on YouTube and in 2009
I posted a dance video to replay by I I
didn't even know what a viral video was
back then I didn't know that was
possible I was getting like 100 views on
a video I put up this class and it hit
600,000 views and at the time I was
shocked I didn't even know the 600,000
people were on YouTube let alone
watching a dance video I kept posting
videos I kept teaching more classes
suddenly I was at 50,000 subscribers
100,000 subscribers I couldn't even wrap
my brain around more people were
subscribed to my channel that can fit in
a football stadium like the idea was so
crazy and next thing I knew it was
500,000 and then a million and that's
when I realized I need to get out to LA
there was just one problem I didn't have
any money there was no monetization back
then I was teaching some classes but I
was making $ 20 $30 for a class and I
decided I needed to find a way to save
up and I taught more classes I posted
more videos I kept growing the channel I
learned how to DJ and there was a point
where I was working a part-time job at
the gym 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and then
I would start teaching dance from 3:00
p.m. until about 8:00 and then I would
go DJ at the club from 9: until 1: or 2
and then on the weekends I was dejing
weddings for 6 months to a year I don't
think I slept I was just grinding saving
money trying to get to a point where I
felt like I could take this risk and
move to LA on 4th of July 2010 I was at
a party I was with my friends everything
was great but I just felt empty inside I
felt like I wasn't really living up to
my potential and that night when I got
back from the party July 4th I packed
the car and on July 5th I started
driving and it took me 4 days and when I
got to La I didn't know anyone I didn't
have a place to go because it was so
last minute so I actually pulled
straight into the dance studio parking
lot at Millennium went in and said uh do
you guys have any classes tonight and
they're like yeah we've never seen you
where are you from and I told them I've
been driving for the last 4 days but
from Virginia and they were like well we
got one class left and I took that class
that night met someone in the class
started couch surfing with them and that
was the beginning of my move to LA it uh
wasn't very graceful but at least I was
there so I'm in La so excited to be here
my channel is growing I'm almost to 3
million subscribers I was teaching so
many classes in Virginia I feel like I'm
really coming into my own as a
choreographer and I'm so excited to take
on this new city and I get here and I
can't book an audition I can't even get
past the first round I go to the studio
I show them my videos I show them my
choreography my resume nobody will let
me teach and then I get an email saying
that there's been three strikes
administered on my channel due to
copyright from the music labels and
they're shutting down my YouTube channel
and all of this happened within the
first 6 months of me being in LA and I
went from feeling like I knew the road
map and I had the opportunity to being
so lost and overwhelmed and and feeling
like maybe I didn't even belong here and
it wasn't the right decision there was
even a moment after one of my classes
one night where I took the train down to
teach this class in Hollywood and as a
teacher a lot of times you get paid per
student so I think I was making $3 per
student and only two students showed up
for the class so effectively my
transportation to and from the studio
costs more than I made to teach that
class and I was burning through my
savings I was getting to the point where
I didn't really see a light at the end
of the tunnel and I remember sitting in
my car after I came back from the train
station and kind of questioning
everything cried for a minute and
thought you know miss my family miss my
friends had a good life in Virginia was
really comfortable I had a lot of love
around me you know why am I doing this
what's the point and that was you know
basically Rock Bottom for me where I
really questioned going home it was at
that moment that I realized I had a
decision to make I was either going to
go home go back to my life or I needed
to go 10 times harder I needed to start
a new YouTube channel from zero because
I really believed in the power of being
able to reach people and express your
art I needed to teach even more classes
even at the random studio with five kids
I needed to post more videos I needed to
go to more auditions I needed to work
out harder train harder take more
classes because the opportunity that I
had in moving to LA and being able to do
something that I love was something that
I realized is so rare none of my other
friends moved to LA no one else that I
grew up with even had the chance to
pursue something that they loved and so
I decided to turn all that negativity
into motivation and give it a shot so I
decided to give myself one year if at
the end of a year I was still in this
place feeling lost cool let's go back to
Virginia and enjoy life but for that
next year I was going to go 10 times
harder than I ever could have imagined
and what happened next was pretty crazy
within that year my channel came back to
100,000 subscribers I finally got an
agent and booked my first jobs dancing
on The Tonight Show dancing on So You
Think You Can Dance I got invited to
teach at a few of my favorite Studios
and those classes were going really well
started to gain momentum another year
passes 2014 and my Channel's up to
500,000 subscribers still far from where
I was but making my way back and I had
my first ever sold out dance class in La
in 2015 the channel hits 2 million
subscribers I'm growing faster than I
can count my classes are starting to
sell out and literally every video I
post is hitting 20 30 million views 2016
I hit 3 million subscribers and that was
a huge moment for me because that's how
many I had on the first channel when it
got shut down so it felt like I finally
made it back all that hard work was
paying off and I started to feel like I
really belonged in LA and as if things
couldn't get any crazier later that year
I got on to my favorite show in the
world The Amazing Race a race around the
world so many incredible experiences and
we end up winning the show you are the
winners of The Amazing Race and you have
won1 million at this point I feel like
I've made it I've won my favorite show
my YouTube channel is exploding my
classes are selling out I've got a
thriving community of dancers and
students in La that I love but I had no
idea that one of the toughest parts of
my whole life was right around the
corner the exact success that I'd fought
so hard for was actually what turned the
dance industry against me as I started
to gain more success on YouTube and
people started to realize that I was
getting booked for jobs I was getting
teaching opportunities I was getting to
travel the world because of My Success
online a lot of the dancers and
choreographers in the industry started
to label me as a YouTube choreographer
and said that I wasn't really deserving
of the success that I was Finding they
started encouraging students to not go
to my classes they started telling
artists and agencies not to hire me for
jobs and a lot of them were friends of
mine really close friends and a lot of
these industry dancers and
choreographers really didn't feel bad
treating me like this because they
assumed I was making a lot of money on
YouTube but that actually wasn't the
case because the record labels were
taking all of the monetization from all
of my videos so I was actually making
nothing and I tried everything possible
to figure out a way around this not just
for me but for the rest of the dancers
that were out there that were making
amazing content and putting Not Just
Energy but money into their videos I
tried having meetings with the labels
and working out deals for us I tried
posting videos to royaltyfree music I
even remade some of my favorite songs so
that I could try to monetize them
without the copyright blocks I remade
cardi B Drake they weren't great and
eventually they caught on and blocked
those as well and I've actually added up
how much money I would have made on
YouTube monetization across my entire
career if the record labels didn't take
it all and it's around $15 million so
you're welcome record labels and so I
felt like I had this thing that I've
been working so hard for to create
opportunities not just for myself but
for all of the dancers that came to my
class that collaborated with me I wanted
to get us more opportunity better
treatment but they didn't see it that
way I stopped getting invited to parties
I get kicked out of group chats I felt
like the whole industry here in La was
starting to turn on me and then on top
of all this I get a letter in the mail
and it's from my agent and he said that
they're dropping me at this point I'm
just kind of questioning what I did this
all for thinking you know I went from
such a high to I felt like everything
being taken away but the one thing that
never left me was my online community
and the dancers around the world that
were supporting me 10 times more than
anyone in La could ever hate on me it
was you guys that helped me through that
time that gave me that light at the end
of the tunnel your guys support never
wavered anytime anyone said something
bad about me online or hate comments you
guys were always there always had my
back and now it's 2017 I've been posting
online for 10 years and we hit 5 million
2018 we hit 7 million 2019 we hit 10
million and because of this because of
your support celebrities start reaching
out TV shows movies start reaching out I
was on step up I got to choreograph with
Jason Derulo dance with Taylor Swift
Ellen invited me on to dance a couple
times and it wasn't just my career that
was taking off all the dancers that I
was featuring in my videos started to
grow their channels they started getting
opportunities and some of my proudest
moments were seeing my students booked
their first jobs dance for their
favorite artists and by 2020 the channel
had hit 12 million subscribers and I was
the biggest dance Creator in the world
but little did I know something else was
about to impact the whole world besides
my videos China has identified the cause
of the mysterious new virus Corona virus
Corona virus Corona virus is officially
hitting the US So Co hits and everything
that I Love About Dance is changing the
studios are shut down my tours get
canceled my TV shows get canceled we're
not even allowed to be in the same room
to film videos together and at the same
time Tik Tok starts blowing up short
form content becomes popular filming
vertical on your phone dancing in your
bedroom everything just felt so foreign
to me again and maybe I'm just from an
older generation but I just never was
able to connect to it the same as I did
with you guys on YouTube so I wanted to
do something to keep our community alive
and bring us back together and that's
when I created dncr and online Dance
Academy where we had regular dance
challenges tutorials you guys were
posting your videos supporting each
other we were all growing together and
as amazing as building that Community is
I still feel like something is missing
and that brings me to why I'm making
this video and what's changing because
the truth is I'm not happy making Dance
videos anymore I feel
sometimes like a hamster on a wheel just
trying to keep up and drop new videos
every day and cater to the algorithm or
the new trend or the new song honestly
it's exhausting and there's no
connection I miss inspiring you and
reading your comments about things that
you're doing in your life and sharing my
life with you instead of just a
10-second video that's here today and
gone tomorrow and that's why I'm taking
this channel in a totally new Direction
I'm going to be bringing back some of
your favorite dancers onto the channel
telling their stories diving deeper
seeing where they are now doing collabs
with some of your favorite influencers
and celebrities and really putting a
focus on storytelling I want to do
documentaries I want to do a Netflix
series I want to travel the world and I
want you guys to be part of this because
if it weren't for you I wouldn't have
made it this far to begin with and I'm
so grateful that after 17 years on
YouTube I still have the opportunity to
make videos for you so if you're down to
take this journey with me I want you to
comment below dancer or an influencer or
celebrity anyone you want that you want
me to bring on to the channel I'm going
to pick one of your comments I'm going
to bring them on we're going to tell
their story dive into the drama and of
course we're going to make them dance
and thank you thank you for being a part
of my journey so far letting me live
this insane life that I never thought
possible when I was a teenager dreaming
of being a dancer in a small town I am
forever grateful and so excited to be
with you guys on this next chapter
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