Stephen Rafferty is a freshman communication studies major. He considers himself to be extremely outgoing and he loves meeting new people. He hopes that his story helps people to see that doing what you love isn’t always easy, but hard work and dedication can lead to incredible rewards.
The date was July 8, 2010, and I had just gotten laid off. I was a game programmer for a local gaming company but, after a disagreement between the head bosses, the company went bankrupt and the entire staff was out of a job. At that time, all I wanted to do with my life was be a game programmer; I wanted to be known as the guy who created video games. But after that experience, I realized two things: one, I was not cut out to be a game programmer and, two, I can do anything I put my mind to. Enter YouTube.
At that time, YouTube was expanding tremendously, with YouTubers such as Ray William Johnson aRooster Teeth, and channels such as Epic Rap Battles of History. After seeing these YouTubers entertaining people; I thought to myself, “I am entertaining with people around me, so why don’t I just get a camera and start filming? How hard can it be?”
On April 1 — yes, April Fools’ Day — I released my first video on my YouTube channel, RaffertyStephen.
The video was a 10-minute bit about three of the biggest things happening at that time: Charlie Sheen’s “winning,” Lindsay Lohan’s shenanigans and the madness surrounding the song “Friday” by Rebecca Black. Titled “Rebecca Black Madness,” the video managed to get 100 views in a week and gained between 2,000 to 3,000 views in a month. For a first video, that was exhilarating.
I continued to make videos based on popular topics and dry humor-equse, self-deprecating sketches. Over the course of two years, I have launched an online store, raffnationstore.com, and have increased my repertoire of making different types of videos, from sketches to animated adventures and from spoken word poetry to raps and live stand-up comedy.
There is a question that I ask myself every day: what do I want to become? There are a lot of things that I want to become in my life before I die. Being a YouTube comic is just one. At 18, there is a multitude of things to do, and I realize that there is only one shot and one opportunity to make my life whatever I want it to be. I just want to make sure that it is something that makes me happy.
For anyone interested in starting their own YouTube page, here are some tips that may help you make your own name. First, you need to study the business side of YouTube. Use Google Analytics, a web application that allows users to set keywords to self-market their channels. Second, start out small but work your way up to get better every day. You will make epic mistakes in the beginning, such as bad camera angles, audio problems and software issues. So, try to save some money to get professional software. I recommend Sony Movie Studio version 11. It is only $50 and it has all the basic tools for making videos.
Next, make sure that whatever you post is copyright free because getting hit with copyright claims is horrible. Also, and this is important, the fans will make or break you as an entertainer and the fans will tell you what they want to see. As I say this, I want to remind you about the hate comments. These comments will come from any and everybody and you will get them no matter how good you are. You must ignore them and move on; that is the best advice I can give.
These last two points are especially important. Do not imitate a fellow YouTuber. Just film and record whatever you think is funny and that humor will elicit a reaction with the audience.
Finally, a life lesson for anyone, whether you are becoming a YouTuber or not: work solely on your passions and achieving them. Do not work for a profession that you hate; you’ll be miserable.
