#NerdsUnite: 35 and single - now what? (time for a scene change)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet by buddy Jeff. We met on twitter a little while back, and then over Christmas I helped him revamp his OKC profile. He's now here to talk to you about his life outside of the programming world. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT JEFF!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Jtwebman
So I am going to take a break from my becoming less wimpy posts and talk about some changes I am making in the next few months. Since I broke up with my ex-girlfriend I have wanted to move but I wasn’t sure where yet. I also want to make sure it wasn’t just because of the breakup.
Actually hold on, I need to add a little back story here. Now I am not sure if you knew this as I haven’t really talk about it on my blog posts so far but I love making YouTube videos, you can check out my channel here. I haven’t posted a video in over a month now but I am get back into it now.
This last weekend I went to a video workshop in Dallas where Geekbeat.tv talked about the process of starting a show as well as equipment and setup for shooting professional videos. If you watch any of their videos you can tell they are much more professional then most YouTube videos. For their niche, which is gadgets and electronics, I think they are one of the best and even produce GeekBeat Live for cable TV. I think they are one of the first if not the first YouTube show to make cable TV.
I went into the weekend wanting to start a show from scratch about computer programming but throughout the weekend kept narrowing it down to mobile programming and then even just Android programming. The reasoning being that a more niche YouTube show can get advertisers for it much easier.
One of the best parts of the workshop was the last talk where John Poz and Cali Lewis talked about what it really takes to be successful in the business. The key point being that to be successful you need to be willing to do it for more then just 3 to 6 months. You will be doing it for years so make sure it is something you don’t see as a job but something you love.
So I had to think long and hard if I thought I had the drive and love to do a programming show that long. I am passionate about it but adding entertainment value to a programming show would be a lot of work. Also I love doing programming but would I be passionate about a show about programming but not doing programming anymore. After a few days of thing I decided it was not the route for me to go.
My current show, which is cool “how to” videos on the Internet and and about my life in Colorado, could just be changed up. I figured it would also be better then starting a new show from scratch. So I plan on making it more about cool Internet news including social media, YouTube, and a little of just the general news. It would be a lot like Philip Defranco show but with my own twist and less about celebrities . This way I can talk about what ever interests me including nerdy things.
My plan is to start making a show once a week starting this week and then up it to twice or more in the next few months. Good or bad I am going to still film and upload it. I have filmed a few shows over the last few months but have thought they were stupid and never edited and uploaded them. No more, the only way to get better at something is to keep doing it and learning from your mistakes.
So now back to the moving part. I feel like I still need the change and the fear of some where new to keep life interesting. I am way to conferable here in Colorado. So I had thought about two places I would want to move too. First was Dallas as it was a big city that I had not lived in before plus I had made a few connections with people there over social media. My second choice was LA. The main reason for this pick was there are a bunch of YouTubers there and I could start mingling with others with my same passion. I had been going back and forth on where to move over the last few months and this week I finally made my decision.
I am moving to LA in June, ether West Hollywood or Santa Monica area. My main reason is if I really want to do this YouTube thing I need to start working on it daily, basically become a professional YouTuber. Also I am single and can move anywhere so why not move to somewhere fun and warm. Third is LA is full of people with my same passion for video so why not.
I am still working out the details but I would like to find a roommate that is into YouTube video making and/or at least a blogger. If anyone knows of anyone looking for a roommate or anyone wanting to move to LA as well and would like to make it a little more affordable please let me know. I also ask if anyone has any tips on the LA area let me know. I want to be able to ride a bike to the beach but it can still be 5-10 miles away, I need to get in better shape anyways.
I plan on keeping my day job of web / Android programming to pay the bills for now but plan on working extra daily to make the JT Web Man Show the next big YouTube show and transition to video production from programming. I know it’s not going to be easy as doing both will mean not a lot of free time but it will be well worth it in the end.
It’s funny, when I was a kid, all I wanted to do was be the next Bill Gates. Now that I am an adult and get paid to do programming it not as much fun anymore. So now I want to pursue my next passion which is video production and YouTube.