In this age of “new media,” online content for news and entertainment is plentiful. When faced with so many possible sources, it can be hard to identify quality content without first sifting through the undesired. On YouTube alone there are millions of content creators. This month, the Outlook sought to find a variety of channels on the popular video streaming site. Below are our top selections. Of course, we had to include a few of our favorite viral videos which are listed on our website under the A&E tab.
BriTANicKdotcom (according to their page it rhymes with “Titanic”), is run by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney and serves as a comedic channel. Kocher and McElhaney are friends who write, direct, and edit their own videos, with the occasional outside assist. They attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Since beginning their comedy channel, they have worked with well-known groups and people such as CollegeHumor, Joss Whedon, and Nathan Fillion. A screenshot of one of their best videos, “Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer,” can be seen above. The video has all the cliché elements of award-winning movie trailers spelled out in literal terms. For example, instead of actually laughing, in the trailer they say, “laugh.” All their videos are superb, but if there is one video of BriTANicKdotcom that is worth seeing, it is this video.
GiveBack Films is a YouTube channel founded with the purpose of inspiring others to “pay it forward.” The young men who run the channel go out, film themselves “giving back” to their community in some fashion, and then post the videos on their YouTube channel. The videos leave viewers with a positive feeling and although some of their videos have over a million views, the channel has under 400,000 subscribers. The channel’s philanthropy affects a range of people, from the homeless to hotel cleaners to the average person-on-the-street. Sometimes, their videos involve an elaborate set-up, and sometimes, the video is as simple as handing someone $100. One of their most popular videos is shot at a fast food restaurant’s drive-thru. GiveBack Films pays for the food of the car behind their car. The rest of the video shows each subsequent car doing the same. Seen above, an iHOP waitress receives a $200 tip.
speakeasynyc features spoken word poets from around the United States. The channel has just under 62,000 subscribers. Although it is a leading YouTube channel for poetry, it deserves many more subscribers than it currently has. The talent featured in the videos is off the charts. Spoken word poets Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye—no they are not related or married—are regularly featured on the page; seen above, they are delivering their joint poem, “When Love Arrives.” Those who participated in the Freshman Poetry Slam may recall another featured poet, Taylor Mali, who wrote the slam poem, “What Teachers Make.” The diversity of raw talent displayed on the channel makes it worthwhile to check out—at least one of the poets will speak to you, no pun intended.
Amy Poehler, former SNL cast member and star of the popular television show “Parks and Recreation,” has a YouTube Channel called Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls. The channel, commonly referred to as just Smart Girls, seeks to empower its audience. The channel has videos with female role models talking about life experiences; seen above, Poehler interviews three well-known female YouTube content creators—Grace Helbig, Meghan Camarena, and Lindsey Stirling. In one of the channel’s regular segments, “Ask Amy,” Poehler answers life questions from viewers. She does so in an informal setting, while on her bed at home or in the back of her car. The channel does not ignore its male viewers either. There is a segment called “Boy’s Minute” where male adults, typically well-known, talk about a general topic for a minute. Smart Girls gained popularity due to Poehler but has stayed relevant with its accessible advice, inspiration, and comedy. Instead of being a channel with an overly serious tone, it strikes the right balance with its light mood.
VICE News is self-described as “an international news channel created by and for a connected generation.” The news channel mostly posts documentaries about international issues. Their series, “Russian Roulette: The Invasion of the Ukraine” releases regular dispatches that give an unedited, on-the-ground perspective of what is happening in the Ukraine right now.
