If you have ever heard of the app Beme or the HBO series The Neistat Brothers, you might know someone by the name of Casey Neistat. He is a 34-year-old YouTuber and filmmaker who pretty much broke the internet last week with just one YouTube video. Neistat resides in New York City, and his location is a key factor in what makes his content on YouTube highly interesting and different than anything else on the site.
Over the past 15 years, Neistat has made a name for himself by producing multiple films and viral videos, but this past year his focus transitioned mostly to YouTube. He started daily vlogging last year and has since produced amazing quality on a daily basis, which is a pretty incredible thing to do. On Jan. 24, Neistat uploaded a video just like he does every other day, but with this one in particular he got over 11 million views in about a week—and the number is only growing.
Neistat’s video, entitled “Snowboarding With the NYPD,” has been featured on Ellen, various news sites and channels, the Jumbotron at different sporting events, and more. In this two minute and 41 second long video, Neistat snowboarded while being pulled around by a Jeep (not even with a rope, but with an HDMI cord) all around New York City during winter storm Jonas. Neistat has always been known to pull crazy stunts and go above and beyond, but this particular act was on an entirely different level, making his video extremely talked about and shared at an insane rate.
Although it is amazing that Neistat is getting so much attention for the video, the quality of it (just like the rest of Neistat’s incredible content) is what is really admirable about “Snowboarding With the NYPD.” Since Neistat is a filmmaker, the way the video was put together was unbelievably remarkable, and that aspect only added to the uniqueness of the content. Small details like the background song (a remix of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”) and interesting shots set the video apart from other content that is featured on YouTube. In such a short duration, Neistat was able to pack in so many innovative features. He used a drone for aerial filming and implanted some of these overhead shots to add diversity.
Neistat’s work truly goes to show how YouTube has vastly changed entertainment and how that change is only growing. Today, in addition to questions like “Coke or Pepsi,” people ask, “Netflix or YouTube?” Many people today watch YouTube content just as much, if not more, than they watch TV, Netflix and movies. YouTube has become a hobby for many, so much so that it has turned into a job for a lot of the people who create content daily or weekly. Neistat is amongst these innovative people who make a living off of something that they are so insanely passionate about, which is a truly incredible part of YouTube.
Neistat also has a background in filmmaking, which obviously adds to the quality of his videos. However, Neistat encourages his viewers to create content even if they do not have experience, telling them that anyone can produce quality videos with the proper means and profound motivation. “Snowboarding With the NYPD” shows that even if you produce videos on a daily basis, you can still make each video unique from one another and continue to wow people with something new everyday. Neistat does just that, and manages to stun and inspire his viewers with exceptional work, and this video is a prime example of that.
Neistat recently hit two million subscribers on his channel (and it grows at an insane rate each day) and he deserves every ounce of attention that he is getting. Neistat is what I like to call a super-YouTuber: he produces amazing videos, runs his own company/app, has a family that he loves and cares for, travels often, is a motivational speaker at various events, along with many other successes. Neistat started off with nothing, making his way up from a dishwasher to an established YouTuber and filmmaker. He adds to the diversity of YouTube with his unique content and contributes to the growth and development of the site. The progression of YouTube is huge for our generation, and Neistat shows just how possible it is to be successful with nothing but a camera, computer and a dream.
IMAGE TAKEN from mediakix.com
