Falling In Love with YouTube, Again

As a multi-creative I have a million ideas and creations that I want to pursue all at once.

Sometimes I feel like a mad scientist who’s trying to creat something new that feels true and real to me.

On any given day I’m obsessed with creating content, what makes social media tik, and AI’s impact on creatives. The sagittarius in me wants to put it all out into the world and see what blooms.

Realistically though, it’s just not possible to do it all and managed life’s ups and downs too.

I’ve been seriously thinking about building my YouTube channel. It’s a thought that lives rent free in my mind and I can’t ignore it anymore.

YouTube has always felt like home in a lot of ways. For several years, during my tenure at FamiLeague, Kin Studios, Maker Studios, and of course BuzzFeed YouTube was the lens I used to to think about content.

“You never get bored with YouTube.”

I worked with YouTubers from various backgrounds to shape their content ideas that could increase their subscriber base and watch time.

I also managed the Tasty team at BuzzFeed to create content for the YouTube Channel.

I worked with several high profile talent like Tabitha Brown and even Bad Bunny. I adore them both.

Oh and how could I forget. All the content my team and I created at OWN The Oprah Winfrey Network was shot every month at YouTube Space LA.

That creator haven in Playa Vista, CA was practically my second home for a long time.

YouTube is part of my creative experience and expression. I’ve never thought about creating content on YouTube for myself, weird I know. I just always felt comfortable championing creators and their content for the platform.

I understand YouTube. It just makes sense to me.

Share your story

Create a weekly program schedule

Focus on quality not quantity

Create a clickable thumbnail

Watch time matters

Create a community

Monetization though adsense, brand deals, affiliates, courses, products etc.

It’s a full on machine. That you have to take seriously. You don’t just go on YouTube and start creating. I mean you can…

But a strategy and deep research is a must to find success and grow organically on the platform.

I was so invested, I was even certified in YouTube Audience Growth for a couple of years.

YouTube is not a game it’s a business that could change your life.

I moved away from the platform once I started working at LinkedIn in 2021. Then LinkedIn became the thing I thought about all the time.

Creating for LinkedIn is like working at a bank when you used to work for NASA and was the first woman to walk on the moon.

It’s Real Different.

I was laid off from LinkedIn’s Creator Management team in 2023 and I kept on creating on LinkedIn. Whew, there was a lot of emotions (still is) mostly sad, annoyed, grief, and a lot of WTF.

It’s like breaking up with your boyfriend yet you’re still living together and he keeps trying to tell you what to do. And all your shared friends don’t talk to you anymore and they are all on his side.

All that aside, I love the community I’ve created on LinkedIn. A lot of amazing people where part of my co-hort as a creator manager. I still love to see them all shine and grow on LinkedIn and their businesses as well. I’ve made real friends from around the world too and I don’t take that for granted.

Time to Take a break from LinkedIn

This break from LinkedIn will help me to reconnect with my first love YouTube. It requires a lot of time, focus, and research to be a successful YouTuber.

I’m sure I’ll end up repurposing some of my YouTube content for LinkedIn at some point.