“Helping others is a major reason why I make my videos.”
EJ Tech produces high quality, informative videos on YouTube, teaching people how to make videos! His content such as Editing For Beginners: Different Video Editing Cuts! and How To Edit Videos Better! offers you tips and key information to advance your skills and knowledge in video creation.
In this week’s Pixlr Spotlight, EJ Tech talks about how he started his channel, his strategies on maintaining audience engagement, what he loves about being part of the industry, and his advice to upcoming creators.
How did you get started on your YouTube/Instagram?
It is a pretty long story, but before the EJ Tech channel started to find its footing, I was just another kid fascinated with the idea of making videos and publishing them for anyone to see. I would often see other channels have fun with their content and I wanted to know how it worked behind the scenes, so that is how I started with the earlier version of the channel. But it was not an easy start. After many failed attempts, I stumbled on a random video idea that I wanted to do because I was bored! That video was the first tutorial video on the channel, and it did pay off, as well as the second video and so on. Little did I realize that I found something I was good at and that I enjoyed doing. Fast forward to today, I found my center focus of the channel which was content creation, specifically video editing. Answering questions like how to edit videos, what are the best tools to edit those videos with, and the list keeps growing.
Did you always know you wanted to do this?
The idea of having a YouTube channel and making videos was introduced to me at a young age where I thought about it no more as a hobby. However, throughout the years there was a significant shift that I noticed amongst channels going from normal fun videos to higher quality production. At first, I was willing to try it out without realizing the potential for more, but I was hooked on the idea of it becoming more. In short, I was skeptical that I could do it, but later on, I knew that I wanted to pursue this even further.
How and when did you know you can make this a career?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a career just yet, since things are just getting started. But I did notice a significant shift quite recently in the past year of 2020 as I started getting more serious about the channel and the type of content I make. To put it simply, I have an audience who support the channel and expect more content out of it. By dedicating a proper amount of time and coming up with new creative ideas, I have been blessed with new opportunities to expand the channel and partner up with some teams that can offer amazing tools to other creatives to help them in their journey. Just by being able to share these resources and advice allowed me to see how this can hopefully turn into a career someday.
How do you keep your audience engaged?
At least for my channel, I tend to see that my videos are a good source for open discussion. Not only with me talking to my audience, but with them talking amongst each other, and it is a cool thing to see. Sometimes I may talk with them one-on-one, or they’ll help each other out with any questions that they have or opinions that they want to share. Just providing that space and opportunity for discussion can go a long way when trying to keep your audience engaged.
What do you think is most important when you’re looking for ways to engage with your audience?
Communication is an important factor to me. You never know how you can make somebody’s day just by responding to a comment. I try to keep open communication through YouTube or DM’s to answer a simple question, announce new updates, or say hi. Of course, there are times where I am busy, but most of the time, if you want to say hi, chances are that you’ll get a reply!
What do you love most about working in this industry?
I enjoy helping others, and being able to do that on a major scale is quite exciting. I know that I’ve stated this in my videos before, but helping others is a major reason why I make my videos. I know how it feels to have so many questions when it comes to editing a video, looking for the best resources and tips to do it, and not finding a clear answer. It can be frustrating as a beginner. So I consider all of this and do my best to answer those questions amongst others.
How do you stay current on all the shifts and innovations?
This is a tricky topic to cover, but generally, it takes a lot of research specifically in my area or niche. Always asking and answering questions like, how can I make this video idea more interesting and unique from other videos?… How can I make it better? It requires a more interesting point of view to capture what ideas are popular now, and being able to communicate that idea with your unique take on it, does allow for innovation.
Have you noticed any positive or negative changes in your work since the pandemic?
Since the pandemic, nothing has changed. But there was this period where I had much more time to dedicate to my channel and hone my skills. As well as, identify my niche, and improve the content that I was making and sharing on the channel to those who watch my videos. In short, it was a very productive time.
What’s the funniest story that comes to mind ever since you started working more indoors due to the pandemic?
Well, I’m not sure if this is too funny, but what comes to mind is losing track of time. There would be days where I’d spent researching and on post-production that I would totally forget what day it was, the last time I ate, and just wondering where the time has gone. But I’m pretty sure that this is just more relatable than funny.
What advice would you give for aspiring creators?
For anyone who wants to create content, I would tell them to do it for the fun of it and don’t worry about the numbers (subscribers, likes, views). Growth will come at its time, but the fun of creating and innovating will pass by without you realizing it. So, enjoy the process from beginning to end, and I am sure that all your work will come to fruition.
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Want more from EJ Tech? Check out his YouTube for tutorials or follow his Twitter for updates!
Read our previous Spotlight interview here.