YouTube phenom, Casey Neistat, truly has a rags-to-riches story to tell—one that he showcases almost daily in his widely popular vlogs, which have already garnered almost 3 million subscribers on YouTube and over 600 million views.

A director, producer, authentic brand marketer for both corporations and himself, vlogger of authentically branded narratives and advertisements like his rogue Nike “Make it Count” video, now with over 18 million views—Casey has a loyally engaged following, a line of jewelry modeled after his trademark sunglasses, his own anti-editing social media app Beme, and today, fresh from the best of social media’s Shorty Awards where Casey won ‘YouTuber of the Year’ for his innovative and acclaimed visual storytelling, he sat down with Randi to discuss it all on ‘Dot Complicated’:   

“Restrictions should be tighter for drones. I exploit how nebulous the laws currently are.”

“I almost communicate entirely with emojis with my family. I think they’re a great way to express yourself”

“It’s my mandate in life that if there’s something I really want I’ll get it. Or if I want to do something I’ll do it.”

“If I could having anything in the world I’d want to be healthy until I die a very old man.”

“I’ve committed my life to realizing anything I want to do is tangible.”

“The line is so hard to define between what you share and don’t share.”

“I post 8- 10 minutes a day. Sometimes they’re about my life, and sometimes they’re not.”

“Sometimes I skim off what is the punctuation mark of my life.”

“I prefer to share ideas that are universal in life. “

“We used to play on the railroad tracks before social media and video games.”

“The only job I ever had beside being a professional filmmaker was being a professional dishwasher.

“I could take something I was thinking about and share it 7 years before YouTube. I wanted to commit my life to this.”

“I realized how elusive it is to find what you want to do so young. To be 19 and not know what you want is the norm.”

“Never a hire an employee or date a guy or girl unless they’ve worked in a restaurant.”

“My older brother got me into filmmaking. Our relationship went from editing silly videos of my 2 year old son to having HBO series.”

“All writers need is a pencil and piece of paper. I’m not a writer so I communicate with images.”

“My first big deal was making this video for a non-profit and Hillary Clinton pronounced my name wrong.”

“Van [Neistat] is an unbelievable talent and mind. His lack of discretion and following instinct is hugely inspiring.”

“I was frustrated and mad that my $400 iPod didn’t work. What I had was a camera and a computer so I made a movie about my sardonic frustration and it just popped.”

“It’s only going to become harder and harder to stand out.”

“I want to make filmmaking as egalitarian as writing.”

“Video is becoming ubiquitous. Share something that people want to hear or see.”

“I found a lot of success in mainstream media before stopping.”

“The last episodic project I did was on HBO and I ran from it. There’s no nepotism on YouTube.”

“If people want to see your stuff the numbers will go up. There’s little to hide from when it’s real.”

“Whatever is interesting or important to me, like the NYC bike lanes video. After I made the movie the NYT got in touch and gave me a tremendous opportunity to reach a larger audience.”

“I tackled everything from Bloomberg trying to pass the sugary drink law to the return policy in NYC taxis.”

“The Chatroulette movie was one of the first movies I made after the HBO show. I was obsessed like everyone was.”

“Nike is unbelievable because of their willingness to take chances.”

“I was so exhausted of the process by the third Nike video that I just took the budget money with my editor and decided to take the next plane leaving where ever.”

“I’m always open to other opportunities to reach other audiences. But why would I want to go back to a more traditional route doesn’t interest me.”

“I’m platform agnostic. I’m happy to be wherever I can reach the biggest audience in the most realistic way.”

“People look outwards, what’s in vogue, what are others doing? By the time you’ve latched onto the trend, it’s over. Ask what YOU like. Which is risky.”

“I don’t emulate other’s style. I only know how to do it my way. Put your head down. Ignore everyone else.”

“I wake up at 4 in the morning to do my edits. It’s tough but it’s infrequent. I love doing it.”

“When the cadence is that high, you lack the opportunity to dwell. I don’t get the time to stop and think. I have to post everyday.”

“Keep going, it’s the ultimate preventative measure to writer’s block.”

“The numbers are always in line with my own intuition. If I’m doing a crappy job the numbers reflect that.”

“Stop having fun. Are you doing it for fun or to do something meaningful.”

“My typical edits take between 5-6 hours. The filming throughout the day is a constant. I have to figure out what I want to share. Is there an arc?”

“Lilly Singh does close to daily vlogs all on her cell phone. They’re reaching hundreds of thousands of people everyday just using soup to nuts software.”

“Beme came from a place where I see things that interest me and I have to figure out what I want to share.”

“I wanted a platform where one could passively share without looking at your phone.”

“When you view content and you know it was made without being edited—there’s a real beauty in that. Passive sharing and sharing honestly will make the world a better place.”

“My office is my sanctuary with that organized chaos that allows me to function. I’m more efficient in my workspace than anywhere else.”

“Seeing my kids born is my proudest moment.”

“I find the most inspiration in my kid.’

“My cell phone is my favorite camera.”

“I’m getting hell for not talking about Beme on YouTube. We’re about to launch Beme on Android.”

“I love SnapChat, I love Twitter, I love Instagram. I think Facebook has gone back to being as great as it was when it first launched.”

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Make sure to tune into ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ every Wednesday at 12pm ET on SiriusXM 111!

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