I went to my first-ever VidCon and the 3rd-ever VidCon this past week in Anaheim, CA.
If you didn't get to go, I'm really sorry! But really, I am - I hated having to watch the live stream last year, so if you were stuck in that boat this year I know exactly how that feels. A year's worth of saving paid off, though, and last Monday I found myself in sunny LA.
A few thoughts on LA:
1) The weather is beautiful. Just gorgeous. Weather in LA...just...well done. Well, well done.
2) Who the hell keeps approving LA drivers for their licenses? Stop it. STOP. STOP NOW.
3) Things are hella expensive. I assumed some things would be, but IHOP? I trusted you. $17 for 1 omelet and 1 pancake is too much.
I went into VidCon without any particular expectations. I've never been to any sort of conference or convention before. All I had to go on was the vague idea that a bunch of people would be there, some talks would happen, and some concerts would happen.
I was mainly right.
VidCon was, in a word, massive. There were so many people! Having such a high concentration of internet people meant that I was even recognized a few times. (All of you were lovely, by the way - thanks so much for coming up to say hello!) I have now signed posters, CD jackets, t-shirts, a back pack and even a melodica. Have I ever played the melodica? No. No, I have not. But I have now signed one. And that should definitely count for something. I was given cupcakes, and a chocolate, and a tiny pirate flag and a puzzle piece and beaucoup de business cards. I took pictures with adorable strangers. All of those things were surprises - lovely surprises, to be sure, but still more than I ever expected to experience.
Two things really stuck out to me at VidCon:
1) People really care about the things they make online. I mean, they really care. If you ever think your favorite vlogger/blogger/photographer/musician isn't into what they do, go to VidCon. It's written all over their faces, it's threaded into their voices when they talk - it's impossible to miss. It was arrestingly apparent.
2) VidCon was brilliant, don't get me wrong, but I wish there had been more for the middle-class vlogger to do. If you're well known, you essentially perform-whether it's signing, playing, making a speech or acting on a panel. If you make nothing, you come to meet people or to learn how to make things or whatever. Being in the middle (even the lower middle) I didn't feel compelled to meet and greet with the Greats (I'm also definitely not a Great), and didn't really want to learn how to edit a video or write a song. I already edit video. I already write songs. The costume contest was great - more participatory things like that would be wonderful. Think doing science experiments with the science bloggers, playing improv games with the people who make sketches, listening to educational lectures from the educational blogs, interactive make-up tutorials with beauty gurus. Maybe I'm just really, really into hands-on stuff, but if there was a way to do more things like that I would be one happy Nerdfighter.
I'll be compiling a vidyo about VidCon this week! Thanks for being patient and if you have any pictures/videos of VidCon that you want to share, please put a link in the comments : )
(I'm especially interested in seeing more of the Not-So-Secret Show.)
Music
Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole: Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World
Elton John: Your Song
Jim Croce: Photographs and Memories
Don McLean: Empty Chairs
i saw you right as you entered the hotel, but being a polite canadian, i let you be, i mean, you just got there, lets give you some space. i figured i would get to see you somewhere at some point over the next 3 days. Unfortunately that didnt happen :(
ReplyDeletethough i will say, you looked lovely in the yellow dress, and i hope to be able to go to next year's VidCon to meet you and the rest of the sarcaschicks
Aw! I wish you'd said hello, but it was sweet of you to be so considerate : ) A rain check for next year sounds good to me!
DeleteI didn't get the chance to go to Vidcon, but still, I think your opinions on more interactivity between 'big' vloggers and the rest of the world is a great one! That's definitely what I'd expect Vidcon to be. I'm very interested in general talks, and I guess meet and greets are a cool thing, but that's not what vloggers do. You should submit this idea to Hank :)
ReplyDeleteHi Bryarly! I saw you at the (Not So) Secret Concert, and you were really great. It sucks that you guys had to kind of hurry at the end there. You should put more of your music online :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely hope you submit your ideas to the VidCon staff, because that sounds really great, especially if I can finally make it next year.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your 2nd point about Vidcon - hopefully this is something that Vidcon will learn for next year.
ReplyDeleteBeing a "lower class content creator" (is this a thing now? :P), I'm assuming I'll be essentially dwarfed by the whole vidcon experience next year. I don't know if there's much room for us smallfrys when it comes to such a big event, but so long as there are interesting discussions to be had, things to learn, and people to meet, I'm all in.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think I can call myself a middle class content creator (probably lower middle class) but my VidCon experience was a little different from a lot of other people. I felt like there were quite a few things to do, but then again I am less of a hands on person and more verbal. I really enjoyed all the discussion that took place. I spent a lot of VidCon meeting other middle class vloggers (mostly on accident, while waiting in line or waiting for a panel) and we just talked about our channels and other people's channels that we liked, as well as future ideas, etc. Also, the panels I went to were on subjects that I wasn't well versed in and I had a tendency to pick panels that were never really full, so that might have also made a difference. The thing I really enjoyed about the panels was fun watching bigger YouTubers voice their opinions and then discuss those thoughts with middle class vloggers and I felt like everyone, not just the big YouTubers (though they definitely were too!), were very passionate about online video in general. It was invigorating to be around that many people excited about something I'm really excited about and I'm going to stop ranting now. Anyway, I'm glad you made this blog because I heard a lot of people make comments similar to yours and I didn't really see what they were saying. You, however, laid it out in a way where its a lot more understandable and you made some really great points!
ReplyDeleteI keep trying to preview but it publishes instead. Correction *The thing I really enjoyed about the panels was watching*
DeleteI actually have a video or two of you performing at the not-so-secret show that I never uploaded anywhere, but I could if you want that for viewing or future use or anything!
ReplyDeleteTook me long enough to find this, but I found it now and it's been read by pretty much everyone who works on VidCon. Often, the feedback we get is "the stars are not accessible enough" and this is just not a problem we can solve. Well, we could, by making the conference more exclusive, but I don't like that idea.
ReplyDeleteThis feedback, however, that there wasn't enough for the people in the middle, who aren't die-hard fans, but also aren't internet-famous or whatever is excellent feedback, and something that makes a lot of sense to me.
I think that it's interesting to see the process of top creators and how they edit videos or write songs even if you already did that. I once watched Charlie McDonnell edit for like an hour straight just because we do a lot of things differently, y'know. But I also agree that more entertaining stuff off the main stage would be really cool. More than just talking about what we do. But, honestly, seeing people talk about what they do is REALLY interesting to me personally. I would be surprised if that wasn't reflected in the general population of VidCon.
Nonetheless, this is very useful feedback and we learned a lot this year about what was appealing to the broader audience, and we will have a LOT of room to do this sort of stuf...just gotta make sure there are creators to do it!
I'd love to be able to go to VidCon, but, money wise, I think I can only afford to go to Summer in the City 2013. And I know what you mean with the middle class vloggers, we should have more stuff to do, you should talk to Hank, I bet he'll try and make it happen! :)
ReplyDeleteSummer in the City is a lot more interactive especially for middle class youtubers, I found. I was able to sit around and chat with a lot of the "Greats" and it was really just about the community. That being said, SitC is completely different than VidCon in organization as it's a free event.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was at LeakyCon this summer when Charlie put up his announcement video about your relationship. It was pretty funny how many people were squealing at their mobile devices when they heard about it. ;D