Just ask YouTube
To many YouTube may seem like the home of family pets grinning at the camera, clumsy dads falling off ladders and shaky videos of birthday celebrations which every body regrets the moment they are shared. YouTube, though, and its parent company Google, want it to be so much more. Much has been made this week of their new studio facility “You Tube Space” in Playa Vista L.A. According to the Los Angeles Times it is to be a “creativity incubator” where excellence in video-making can be honed. On the same spot where Howard Hughes’ sometimes bizarre aviation visions were turned into reality, others will no get to bring their dreams to life on YouTube. They have invested a reported $25 million in the project, and there are other studio facilities already open in New York and London. The state of the art facilities will be available free of charge to all who are selected, and this represents YouTube’s commitment to promoting excellence in the content visited 4 billion times per month. As a preacher I can certainly concur with the view expressed by the facility’s head, Liam Collins: ‘There is a correlation between watch-time and quality’.
Drill down a little further though, get behind the wow factor of the new studios and dig into YouTube’s ‘Creative Playbook‘ and you find some very old material. Some of what you find their predates YouTube, predates Howard Hughes, predates the internet, and goes all the way back to a time when a caveman would tell tales of ‘the one that got away’ as the shadows of his listeners danced on the cave wall. Advice like ‘hook the viewer‘, ‘keep them watching‘ and ‘No matter what type of content you’re making – how-to, comedy, vlog, music – you inevitably tell a story. Having a beginning, middle, and end is fundamental’ seems far from new.
We love stories, we are wired for stories. As a Christian and a preacher I cannot help but believe they are woven into our DNA by our creator. As a communicator I love to see anybody, from the primary school teacher in the story corner, to YouTube with their 41,000 square foot facility, promoting excellence in storytelling.
The clip below has, of course, been culled from Youtube!
