I can't hide this anymore...

Summary

After 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

• 😀 The speaker started dancing at a school dance and felt inspired to learn more.
• 🎥 They began documenting their dance journey on YouTube in 2007, gaining followers and recognition.
• 💃 The initial success of a dance video in 2009 led to rapid growth in subscribers.
• 🚀 Moving to LA in 2010 was a significant step in their career, despite financial challenges.
• 🚨 The speaker faced a major setback when their YouTube channel was shut down due to copyright issues.
• 💪 They persevered through struggles in LA, including a lack of bookings and industry resistance.
• 🏆 Winning The Amazing Race and gaining more YouTube subscribers were significant achievements.
• 📉 The dance industry started to turn against the speaker as they gained more online success.
• 📉 Record labels prevented significant monetization of their YouTube content, despite its popularity.
• 🌐 The COVID-19 pandemic led to a shift in dance content creation, with a focus on online platforms like TikTok.
• 🔄 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

00:00

🎥 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.

05:01

🚨 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.

10:02

🌟 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.

🌐 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.

Keywords

💡Dance

Dance is a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement that often communicates an idea, emotion, or tells a story. In the video, dance is the central theme as the speaker recounts his journey from being a beginner to becoming a professional dancer and choreographer. Dance is used as a medium for self-expression and community building, as seen in the speaker's initial experiences at school dances and later through his YouTube channel.

💡YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users can upload, share, and view videos. In the context of the video, YouTube serves as the primary medium through which the speaker shares his dance journey, teaches dance classes, and builds a community of followers. The platform is integral to the speaker's success, allowing him to reach a global audience and reestablish his career after facing challenges.

💡Choreography

Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical exercise, especially for the stage. The speaker discusses his initial struggles with choreography and how joining a dance crew provided him the opportunity to learn and improve. Choreography is a critical aspect of the speaker's growth as a dancer and his eventual success as a dance content creator.

💡Monetization

Monetization refers to the process of generating revenue from a digital asset, such as a YouTube channel. The speaker mentions the lack of monetization in the early days of his YouTube channel and later the challenges of dealing with copyright issues that prevented him from monetizing his videos, despite their popularity. This keyword is central to understanding the financial struggles the speaker faced despite his online success.

💡Community

Community refers to a group of people who share a common interest or goal. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the sense of community he fostered through his dance classes and YouTube channel. He recalls how dance helped bring people together and how his online community supported him during difficult times, illustrating the importance of community in both his personal journey and professional success.

💡Success

Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. The video details the speaker's various milestones, such as gaining subscribers, booking jobs, and winning a TV show, which he considers markers of success. However, it also explores the negative perceptions and challenges he faced within the dance industry due to his online success, showing that success can be multifaceted and sometimes controversial.

💡Copyright

Copyright is a legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution. In the script, the speaker discusses how copyright claims from music labels led to the shutdown of his YouTube channel and the loss of monetization opportunities. This keyword is crucial for understanding the legal hurdles the speaker encountered in his online career.

💡TikTok

TikTok is a social media platform known for its short-form videos, primarily in a vertical format. The speaker mentions the rise of TikTok and its impact on his dance content creation, expressing a disconnect with the platform's style compared to the longer-form content he was accustomed to creating on YouTube. TikTok represents a shift in the landscape of digital content creation that the speaker had to navigate.

💡Pandemic

A pandemic is an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population. The speaker references the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the dance industry, leading to the closure of studios and cancellation of tours. The pandemic forced a change in how the speaker and his community interacted and created content, highlighting the global impact of the crisis.

💡Content Creation

Content creation refers to the process of producing various forms of content, such as videos, articles, or images, for online platforms. The speaker discusses his journey as a content creator, from posting dance videos on YouTube to adapting to new trends and platforms. Content creation is central to the speaker's career and the narrative of his growth and adaptation in the digital space.

💡Algorithm

An algorithm is a set of rules or steps used to solve a problem or perform a computation. In the context of the video, the speaker mentions the pressure to create content that caters to the YouTube algorithm to gain visibility. The algorithm is a key factor influencing content creators' strategies and the speaker's feelings of being like 'a hamster on a wheel,' indicating the challenges of creating content in a competitive digital environment.

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