WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.580 Paul: And now that I'm in LA, I'm hoping I'll be doing a lot more collabs. Yolanda: Yeah. That'd be cool. 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:04.859 Paul: I'm excited for it. 00:00:04.859 --> 00:00:07.950 Hi PaulTalkers! I'm Paul Roth, 00:00:07.950 --> 00:00:11.759 not from DC anymore! Now I'm from Los Angeles! 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:14.759 haha! [Yolanda laughs] And today I'm joined by my friend, 00:00:15.330 --> 00:00:20.210 Paul: ah, introduce yourself? Yolanda: my name is Yolanda and... Paul: And your channel? 00:00:20.210 --> 00:00:26.150 Yolanda: And my channel is just my name and I make videos about diversity focusing on film and tv. 00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:28.110 Paul: And you also have a channel about Chris Pine-- Yolanda: Ah, yes-- 00:00:28.520 --> 00:00:33.080 P talking over Y: I mean Chris Evans [laughs] Y: Well, Chris Evans. I also have a, I have a collab channel that i always forget to plug 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:37.890 Y: So that's great. Great reminder! It's called Dear Chris Evans, we make videos to Chris 00:00:37.890 --> 00:00:41.489 Evans, but also about Marvel and about life. And that's with my friend Farrah. 00:00:41.489 --> 00:00:46.890 P: Yaaaay! And occasionally guest stars, I've seen. Y: Yeah we've had some guests on there. If you ever want to be 00:00:46.890 --> 00:00:51.570 on Dear Chris Evans... Tweet at me! [Paul rolls chair toward camera] 00:00:51.720 --> 00:00:58.720 P: Chris Evans, if you'd like to be on Dear Chris Evans, please tweet @ Y y o l a n d a a! Y over P: YES! 00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:00.500 Y: That's the one! 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:01.450 [theme music] [Yolanda laugsh] 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:10.380 P: We're going to talk about what certain things me to us and we're going to start off by talking about the 00:01:10.390 --> 00:01:12.630 the, the big one... YouTube. 00:01:12.800 --> 00:01:16.680 Y: I mean, I feel like I've been on YouTube, and watching youtube for so 00:01:16.690 --> 00:01:20.710 long, that I think the first time I really thought, 00:01:20.710 --> 00:01:26.140 "Oh! I feel validated in this hobby" was when i went to my first VidCon in 2012. 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:30.310 and that was when like you'd have all these like- minded people who are like, "Yeah, 00:01:30.310 --> 00:01:35.710 online media is a cool thing. YouTube is, like, this amazing thing!" And for me it's 00:01:35.710 --> 00:01:40.390 been like this great community where, you know, no matter what happens in life, or 00:01:40.390 --> 00:01:42.910 no matter what changes, YouTube is still there. 00:01:42.910 --> 00:01:48.350 Y: So I think YouTube is kinda like this constant for me. P: I feel very similar feelings about 00:01:48.360 --> 00:01:53.250 P: youtube. Um, especially because for most of my life, I've been trying to find a 00:01:53.259 --> 00:01:58.579 community where I fit in. And I had various, like, geographically-centered communities. You know: 00:01:58.600 --> 00:02:02.710 high school, college, uh, things in the DC area where I lived. But when i discovered 00:02:02.710 --> 00:02:07.600 YouTube, I discovered all of a sudden I could connect with not just people were nearby, who may or 00:02:07.600 --> 00:02:11.050 P: may not have anything else in common with me besides geography [Y: Right] but people 00:02:11.050 --> 00:02:14.680 who literally, like, care about the things that I care about, 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:18.640 P: from the opposite side of the world! That's amazing! Y: Yeah. 00:02:18.790 --> 00:02:24.130 P: And as I've just discovered from my move from DC to LA, this is a community that 00:02:24.130 --> 00:02:25.420 can stay with me wherever I go! 00:02:25.420 --> 00:02:29.200 P: So I've now crossed the country and i'm still on youtube 00:02:29.200 --> 00:02:32.380 Yeah, it's really kinda like my, my online home. 00:02:32.380 --> 00:02:35.950 P: Next question, which is: What does VidCon mean to you? 00:02:35.950 --> 00:02:37.730 Y: Yeah. Vidcon is like 00:02:37.730 --> 00:02:40.730 the internet in real life! And it's wonderful! 00:02:40.730 --> 00:02:44.870 Y: And you're just like-- I always forget to post on social media, because it 00:02:44.870 --> 00:02:49.400 Y: feels like [Paul laughs] you're living IN social media, and inside the internet. And you have, like, all 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:53.209 these faces that you've seen for so long, in real life and, like, "Oh, this is awesome!" 00:02:53.209 --> 00:03:01.669 Y: and it's just like this great gathering of YouTube nerds and peopl who just wanna youtube. 00:03:01.849 --> 00:03:06.530 It's wonderful! If you've never been, I'm sorry, but i hope you can go soon. 00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:10.459 P: When I went to my first VidCon, only three years ago! I mostly went because I'd made connections with 00:03:10.459 --> 00:03:15.560 people who I really liked and they said, "Hey! Are we gonna see you at VidCon?" 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:20.420 and I was like, "I don't know what that is!" I've always tried to connect with people who have a 00:03:20.420 --> 00:03:22.310 small subscriber count. 00:03:22.310 --> 00:03:26.900 P: So my fellow vloggers are people who have, like, you know, a hundred subscribers, fifty subscribers, 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:30.739 maybe a thousand subscribers. Those, those were my people. And when I discovered I could actually, like, 00:03:30.739 --> 00:03:36.440 P: meet them? Face to face? That was it. I was sold. I was immediately sold. I went to VidCon, 00:03:36.440 --> 00:03:42.169 and it was great! Like, I got recognized?! people knew who I was from YouTube!? 00:03:42.169 --> 00:03:47.810 P: (in squeaky high voice): It was my first VidCon! (normal voice) There's just something about the spirit of, like, "We're 00:03:47.810 --> 00:03:52.669 in this together!" that permeates VidCon (Y: Yeah!) that makes me just love coming back to it every year 00:03:52.669 --> 00:03:56.840 Y: I think every time, too, I'm like, "Maybe this will be my last year!" But there's 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.989 always reasons, you're like, "Nope. I have to go next year, because these people are 00:03:59.989 --> 00:04:01.130 coming next year, too! 00:04:01.130 --> 00:04:05.540 Y: So, it's like a never ending cycle, like, I'm still going to go to this! 00:04:05.540 --> 00:04:11.120 P: How about NFI? What does Nerdfighters Info mean to you? 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:12.260 Y: I found out about NFI, 00:04:12.260 --> 00:04:17.900 Y: like many people, through pat. (Paul laughs) Pat, Pat is amazing at networking-- 00:04:18.260 --> 00:04:20.600 P: Last year, in particular, she was on a mission! 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:23.630 Y: Yeah, I mean this year, too - she had her business card, she was, like, ready to 00:04:23.630 --> 00:04:29.210 go! So I've done a couple videos on NFI, and I think going to the meetup 00:04:29.210 --> 00:04:34.190 Y: made me want to be even more part of NFI, and like be more involved in 00:04:34.190 --> 00:04:38.570 that community, because I think there was-- more people than expected showed up, 00:04:38.570 --> 00:04:42.919 first of all, (P: More people than I expected!) yeah! it was wonderful and I think so many great 00:04:42.919 --> 00:04:47.900 people are just so intelligent and just have such great things to say 00:04:48.530 --> 00:04:54.199 Y: so it's great to have everyone in one place. Yeah. P: I've contributed to some other 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:59.510 collab channels, but NFI is the first one that I really invested into and I'm so 00:04:59.510 --> 00:05:01.550 glad that I have, because like you point out, there-- 00:05:01.550 --> 00:05:04.280 P: These are people who are very intelligent they're very socially aware 00:05:04.280 --> 00:05:08.690 for the most part, and they care about the themes that Pat and Dave come up with 00:05:08.690 --> 00:05:13.910 P: for every week. Um, and it's, uh, you can see the passion and the creativity and the intelligence 00:05:13.910 --> 00:05:18.590 of all these members of NFI who come from so many different walks of life! From young 00:05:18.590 --> 00:05:22.910 Zainab in the UK to Yolanda and myself in disparate parts of the United States with our disparate 00:05:22.910 --> 00:05:24.560 racial identities... 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:28.340 I mean you get lots of different perspectives on NFI and I love that! It's like a 00:05:28.340 --> 00:05:33.480 little microcosm of the YouTube universe! and yet we all kind of, like, get along! 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:36.180 Y: Yeah! P (squeaky): That's beautiful! (Y: That's great!) It's so 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:40.889 nice! i'm gonna try to remember to insert, like, a photo of the huge meet up that we 00:05:40.889 --> 00:05:45.389 had! (Y: It was wonderful!) I-- Uh, at this point in the video, if i forget, just imagine tons of the 00:05:45.389 --> 00:05:49.050 best people (Yolanda laughs) and that's-- that's the photo. P: And you just mentioned it, so here's another thing: 00:05:49.590 --> 00:05:55.020 P: What does nerdfighteria mean to you? Y: Man! I think Nerdfighteria was like my 00:05:55.020 --> 00:06:00.180 real introduction to youtube. That, like, the YouTube community. Because i had, like, 00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:04.770 Y: somehow found Charlie and through him I found the vlog brothers and then I found 00:06:04.770 --> 00:06:10.500 Nerdfighteria and that was, like, "Oh! A bunch of, like, enthusiastic nerds about 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:14.039 Y: like, everything! About all kinds of subjects no matter what! You could find, 00:06:14.039 --> 00:06:17.039 like, your little subgroup within Nerdfighteria. 00:06:17.039 --> 00:06:20.729 Y: I think I found Nerdfighteria when I was still in high school, so that was like a 00:06:20.729 --> 00:06:25.229 really cool community to have online, when i felt like i couldn't always fit 00:06:25.229 --> 00:06:26.699 in at school. 00:06:26.699 --> 00:06:30.870 Y: I think, though, as I've gotten older, Nerdfighteria-- I mean I'm still, I still feel part 00:06:30.870 --> 00:06:31.530 of it. 00:06:31.530 --> 00:06:34.800 I don't think I've been as active in Nerdfighteria? 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.750 Y: I still watch vlogbrothers, I still watch their videos, but I'm not, 00:06:39.750 --> 00:06:42.870 I guess, actively part of Nerdfighteria? 00:06:42.870 --> 00:06:47.550 Y: I think that's why NFI has been really cool, because I've kind of been going back into 00:06:47.550 --> 00:06:51.300 it. That's been, like, a smaller community, because Nerdfighteria has grown 00:06:51.300 --> 00:06:52.530 so much! 00:06:52.530 --> 00:06:55.860 But you still have like those smaller groups within Nerdfighteria that are 00:06:55.860 --> 00:07:00.510 still that smaller community that make you feel part of it still. 00:07:00.510 --> 00:07:05.130 P: Yeah, that's really nice. I feel like I first discovered Hannah Hart (Y: Okay!) 00:07:05.130 --> 00:07:10.470 And then through Hannah Hart I discovered some other people and I just kept, like Ashley Mardell, 00:07:10.470 --> 00:07:13.860 P: then also discovered John Green through Hannah Hart, somehow. (Y: Oh, okay!) 00:07:14.610 --> 00:07:18.449 And then i discovered the vlogbrothers videos... Even though I was, like, enamored of 00:07:18.449 --> 00:07:21.569 the vlogbrothers and watching their videos and learned about Nerdfighteria 00:07:21.569 --> 00:07:26.819 P: that way.. kind of similar to Ahsante, I never really felt like a part of 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:30.479 Nerdfighteria because how often have you seen an Asian person on their, on their 00:07:30.479 --> 00:07:33.479 channel? I can tell you explicitly the first time I saw an Asian person on their 00:07:33.479 --> 00:07:34.289 channel: 00:07:34.289 --> 00:07:36.969 P: Sabrina. Y: Right. Yeah, I was gonna say. 00:07:36.969 --> 00:07:40.169 P: When Sabrina substituted in because she won the Nerd Factor 00:07:40.169 --> 00:07:45.969 Y: Yeah P: That, that's when I thought, "Oh! Maybe I can participate in this after all!" 00:07:46.140 --> 00:07:47.819 P: It's only been, like, 600 videos and 00:07:47.819 --> 00:07:51.479 finally an Asian person shows up. Maybe i can now participate in this. 00:07:52.020 --> 00:07:57.120 P: I like it! (Y:Yeah!) I just don't feel like I'm a part of it, necessarily. But at VidCon not only 00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:01.050 is there Nerdfighteria, there are people who just go for VidCon itself. 00:08:01.050 --> 00:08:06.419 Y: Yeah! P: And, like, my favorite panel since the beginning has been Less Than Famous. 00:08:06.419 --> 00:08:11.250 Y: Okay... P: So what does the Less Than Famous panel and concept mean to you? 00:08:11.250 --> 00:08:15.389 Y: I remember when, I think it was talenthatter who started this 00:08:15.389 --> 00:08:19.860 and the idea was just like wow this is great this is kind of what we've been 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:23.699 Y: looking for because it was getting to a point where there was like, only these huge 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:25.750 youtubers and like, they just, 00:08:25.750 --> 00:08:30.010 the smaller community was starting to feel like we weren't important. And we 00:08:30.010 --> 00:08:35.110 Y: needed some kind of platform, some kind of space to be able to talk about our own 00:08:35.110 --> 00:08:38.050 experience on youtube, being a smaller creator because we're not doing this 00:08:38.050 --> 00:08:42.550 full time, this isn't our day job. That was like this really cool opportunity to 00:08:42.550 --> 00:08:46.600 Y: have small youtuber voices amplified. I think the last year was the first time i 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:50.380 auditioned for Less Than Famous, didn't get on, 00:08:50.380 --> 00:08:55.000 that's fine, but there's like so many audition videos you find because of Less 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.200 Than Famous, and you find so many small youtubers because of it. 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:04.600 Y: Because there's like the small youtuber tag [P: Yes!] out there, too, but people sometimes try to do 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:06.910 that just to get more views and whatever. 00:09:06.910 --> 00:09:11.500 Y: I've made one, doesn't matter. [laughs] But, uh, like Less Than Famous I think is more 00:09:11.500 --> 00:09:17.080 community-focused and more about being involved in the community. So finding 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:21.370 those audition videos, I think you find people who are really part of YouTube 00:09:21.370 --> 00:09:26.740 and really kind of are what, what VidCon was about when [phone sound] it started and 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:31.330 Y: hopefully continues to be. P: Less Than Famous was one of the first panels that 00:09:31.330 --> 00:09:32.350 I was really excited about. 00:09:32.350 --> 00:09:36.640 I think that, uh, i think like Linda Barsi tweeted out about it and my friend Alex 00:09:36.640 --> 00:09:40.000 P: Turlockosaurus tweeted out about it, before I went to my first VidCon 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.290 So I was very excited to go and i loved it. From that first Less Than Famous panel, 00:09:44.290 --> 00:09:48.070 I decided I was gonna just audition for it. I'd-- until I get on to it 00:09:48.070 --> 00:09:52.480 P: or become famous. Because it gives me a chance to really figure out what I want 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:56.110 from the community and what I want to bring to the community. Because I think you're 00:09:56.110 --> 00:10:00.290 right! I mean a lot of people do, do things related to smaller creator, related to 00:10:00.290 --> 00:10:04.160 P: little youtube, et cetera, but they're doing it to get out of there. And I'm not gonna 00:10:04.160 --> 00:10:07.279 ever turn down subscribers-- That's great! 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:10.490 There are also lots of videos that are by people like myself, by my friend 00:10:10.490 --> 00:10:15.019 P: Ahsante who was on last year's Less Than Famous, by my friend Justin Dennis who was on 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:19.550 this year's Less Than Famous, by myself and by Yolonda, where our video auditions 00:10:19.550 --> 00:10:24.230 are very clearly about the fact that we care about this smaller creator 00:10:24.230 --> 00:10:27.290 P: community and YouTube and YouTube community at large. 00:10:27.290 --> 00:10:32.120 And we want to contribute something to it by being on that panel. And THAT'S what 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:37.880 I love! When people like that are selected, I just, I'm just so, so happy! [Y: yeah] So 00:10:37.880 --> 00:10:43.490 P: happy about it. I'm gonna audition again for it next year! It'll be my third audition! 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:46.610 You can't stop me! Unless you ask me to stop. 00:10:46.610 --> 00:10:50.990 I think I'm gonna wrap it up by asking one last thing: Race and Representation! 00:10:50.990 --> 00:10:55.970 P: So, what does that mean to you? Both, both within the context of the VidCon/YouTube 00:10:55.970 --> 00:10:58.040 experience and just in general? 00:10:58.040 --> 00:11:02.480 Y: What was cool this year was they had, like, the main stage panel but then they 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:09.079 had a separate Creator Discussing Diversity workshop or some kind of panel. 00:11:09.079 --> 00:11:12.769 So they had different opportunity-- It wasn't just like: This is your one chance to 00:11:12.769 --> 00:11:14.060 Y: discuss diversity, GO! 00:11:14.060 --> 00:11:18.980 They had, like, different opportunities, It was great! VidCon has been, at least, listening to 00:11:18.980 --> 00:11:21.170 the feedback from attendees. 00:11:21.170 --> 00:11:26.060 Y: and saying, "Okay! Clearly you want more diversity and we're going to provide 00:11:26.060 --> 00:11:30.769 these platforms for you to continue discussing it and we're going to invite 00:11:30.769 --> 00:11:35.930 the people who, you know, you want to see represented!" Which is awesome. But race 00:11:35.930 --> 00:11:42.500 and Y: Representation specifically has... has kind of, I hope, opened up that conversation 00:11:42.500 --> 00:11:46.730 more, or at least brought awareness to it more. Especially with online media, because 00:11:46.730 --> 00:11:54.079 it's such... It's a more accessible platform than TV, than film, that it is 00:11:54.079 --> 00:11:59.389 Y: easier to have diversity and representation on online media, but we still 00:11:59.389 --> 00:12:02.570 don't often see it at these bigger conventions and 00:12:02.570 --> 00:12:07.370 and these panels, so at least VidCon taking that initiative to having 00:12:07.370 --> 00:12:12.260 Y: that, is great to see! P: You're saying all the things that I want to say so, I will add 00:12:12.260 --> 00:12:15.769 P: to it [Y: Yeah.] And I will add to it by saying that, you know, outside of VidCon, 00:12:15.769 --> 00:12:20.959 there's often a response to racial representation in media that if we have 00:12:20.959 --> 00:12:25.490 like one person of this color or one person of this identity type 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:31.040 that's all you need! We've done it. We've fulfilled our "diversity requirements". And 00:12:31.040 --> 00:12:35.810 P: I heard a couple people around VidCon talking about how there was a lot of 00:12:35.810 --> 00:12:40.670 race and representation at VidCon both in the literally named Race and Representation 00:12:40.670 --> 00:12:46.910 panels, the discussing diversity panel... There was a YouTube and Represent-Asian 00:12:46.910 --> 00:12:47.990 P: panel... [Y: Mm-hmm] 00:12:47.990 --> 00:12:53.029 P: Yes! So I heard some people make-- remarking about how there seemed to be a lot of that and 00:12:53.029 --> 00:12:58.130 my immediate response thought to that is, "Unless there are so many people who are 00:12:58.130 --> 00:13:02.449 people of color on every other panel that the Race and Representation panel, you 00:13:02.449 --> 00:13:04.459 have nobody left to put on there-- 00:13:04.459 --> 00:13:09.690 we still need it!" It seems like a lot, but only because up until now we've had 00:13:09.690 --> 00:13:14.880 P: little to nothing. [Y: Yeah] My self-designed track of panels at YouTube [*VidCon] was like: 00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:19.650 social justice / disabilities / race and representation track, 00:13:19.650 --> 00:13:23.610 there were like 200 and some panels that were available... Specifically the ones that I 00:13:23.610 --> 00:13:26.970 P: Chose? Had most of the diversity! 00:13:26.970 --> 00:13:30.810 Y: Yeah! That-- I was thinking about that, too, because I think the panels I specifically 00:13:30.810 --> 00:13:33.900 chose were catered toward or had a lot of diversity. 00:13:34.410 --> 00:13:40.020 Y: I mean, for me, I'm like, "Great! There is more diversity!" But overall it's-- there, 00:13:40.020 --> 00:13:41.820 obviously there's still work to be done 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:45.330 P: Yeah. Which is why, one of the reasons why I really like the fact that, even though I 00:13:45.330 --> 00:13:50.550 myself do not enjoy attending the Maine State panels i love the fact that the 00:13:50.550 --> 00:13:53.610 P: Main Stage is where the Race & Representation panel happens [Y: Yeah] because it 00:13:53.610 --> 00:13:58.440 should be! That should be the place where the teenie-boppers who are going to see their white 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:03.180 celebrities that they scream over before Race and Representation and after Race and Representation 00:14:03.180 --> 00:14:06.720 station might sit through a service station here and some shit 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:11.700 I want that to happen! So kudos to you, VidCon, for keeping that up. 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:16.740 I really appreciate it so those are all things i wanted to have our are various 00:14:16.740 --> 00:14:19.740 shared about. Do you want to chip in anything else? 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:22.220 Y: Uhh, I think I'm good! No. 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:27.060 P: Thank you so much for doing this collab with me! [Y: Yeah, Thank you!] You're in LA for a while now, 00:14:27.060 --> 00:14:28.350 Y: Yes! I am. P: So we should do more stuff together! 00:14:28.350 --> 00:14:29.750 Y: Yes! P: Yaaay! 00:14:29.750 --> 00:14:35.240 P: YouTube friends! Y: YouTube friends. P: if you liked this video, please be sure to share it so that other people 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:40.760 can see it. Let me know what you thought about our responses to these things in 00:14:40.760 --> 00:14:44.090 the comments below, or tell me anything that matters to you because I want to 00:14:44.090 --> 00:14:48.050 know what matters to you. And then how do i wrap this thing up? 00:14:48.050 --> 00:14:49.290 Paul: What do I say at the end? [music gets louder] 00:14:49.290 --> 00:14:50.050 Yolanda: Tomorrow 00:14:50.050 --> 00:14:51.270 will be even better! 00:14:52.400 --> 00:14:55.400 Paul: Yeah, it will! [music gets loudest, ends]