Ally Aldridge: Making his YouTube dream come true…

My son has repeatedly asked to be a YouTuber. For job day at school they suggest roles to dress up as but Noah insisted on going as a YouTuber. It wasn’t on the approved jobs list.

They are the celebrity gods of his generation. Noah loves watching gamers on YouTube. It looks so much fun, you can’t blame him for seeing it as a dream job…

Squashing Dreams

I’ve warned him, it’s not easy. That most YouTubers don’t make a living from it and just do it for fun. I’ve tried to deter him.

Worst of all, I realised I sound a lot like a dream crusher. I’m still haunted by all those people that told me not to write books. They told me I wouldn’t make it. It’s a poor mans dream, the struggling artist…

But, I couldn’t let go.

And, I don’t want to raise my kids to not try because it isn’t easy. If making videos brings him joy, what does it matter? As his mum, it’s my job to support him in his growth, not to put him down.

Homeschool

When the UK went into lockdown and we were faced with figuring out how to homeschool overnight, I tried to include Noah. I explained core subjects, we must do every week and ‘projects’.

Projects have included making rainbows for the NHS, caring for others, letter writing, making slime, writing a competition story, etc.

Project: YouTuber

The project Noah really wanted was “Become a YouTuber.” I told him mummy had no clue what to do, what software we need, or where to even start. We would literally be learning and figuring it out together.

I tried to stall him with:

Online safety project
Graphic design (research & design a logo).
Research YouTubers.
Storyboard favourite shows.
Mind map content ideas.
Storyboard his proposed show.
Script an intro….

He passed every challenge until all that was left was “Record a Show”.

Pre-Recording Prep

Mummy wasn’t confident about making a gaming video, screen recording was a step too far. So, we compromised on BookTube which I was more confident about as I watch these. Noah chose his book, Pests by Emer Stamp.

Noah’s storyboard pointed out the importance of reminding viewers to subscribe, like and “hit that bell”. He also chose an outfit that didn’t identify him and a clutter free space to record (yay – bedroom tidied).

Recording

We did it! Here is how…

iPad

We used an old iPad to record Noah talking. We used the tips on making a video from the Toppsta site, and their review ideas.

B612 App

We had a few bloopers; Some where mummy took a photo instead of a video, and some where Noah got camera shy, tongue tied or too excited! We used these to create an intro using B612 App.

iMovie App

The B612 Intro was much louder than the rest of the video. We adjusted the clip’s volume in iMovie. We used it to cut and move content around.

FilmR App

We used the FilmR app to add text and fun GIPHY. Then we saved it and uploaded it to YouTube.

YouTube Studio App

We used the YouTube Studio app to create Noah’s channel. We were a little lost and scared as it was all getting a bit real by this point. We changed his profile image and named the channel.

YouTube app

I did this part for Noah. I added a video description and included the blurb for the book he was discussing. Then we uploaded to YouTube.

RapidTags website

I had to research how to tag YouTube videos. I tried hashtags, speech marks… then accidentally hit return.

I research tag generators and found RapidTags site gave the best suggestions.

Here is Noah’s first show for Starboy TV:

Don’t forget to like, subscribe and hit that bell!