This week we’re joined by Brad Colbow, who’s a huge creative inspiration for all of your hosts here at the Honest Designers Show. He’s had a successful freelance career, juggled multiple projects including a series of best selling Udemy courses and a prolifically awesome YouTube channel. Without further ado, let’s get into the show!

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] Tom welcomes Brad Colbow to the show
[1:40] Brad talks his early design career
[2:30] Brad takes his love of video and starts his YouTube Channel
[3:00] Adobe’s Creative Cloud opened up more video apps for Brad
[4:20] YouTube has helped him discover more about what he likes to do
[5:00] Brads explains how he loves to build more than maintain
[6:30] Dustin asks Brad why he feels he’s not being as creative now?
[6:50] Why some videos are just more satisfying to share
[7:35] Reviewing products that fall short can be both challenging and rewarding
[8:00] Brad explains why he wouldn’t buy the Google Pixel Slate
[9:00] Delivering fair, open-minded reviews without rants can be a tough
[10:50] The key to a great review
[11:00] Great reviews pour from great writing
[12:00] Comments can be scathing but don’t be afraid to read them
[13:00] Lisa asks Brad if he’s completely self-taught?
[15:20] Brad shares how he got started in video.
[16:00] The VlogBrothers Crash Course History videos inspired Brad to make the leap
[17:30] The pros make video work look too easy
[18:00] Creating a graphic novel on Internet history became Brads passion project
[19:00] These history crash course videos became deep dives of learning
[20:40] Gaining viewership and building an audience
[21:20] You need an audience built around people who love what you’re doing
[22:00] A Twitter audience isn’t a YouTube audience
[23:00] Running out of steam, content and realising all there is to learn
[24:00] Focus on making better work, not going viral
[25:00] Losing momentum can really be the beginning of something new
[26:00] Brad moves into an Art Director position for iPad magazine
[27:00] Uninspired by the early iPad Brad tried a Surface
[28:00] The Surface was a revelation of what a tablet could be
[29:00] Brad’s video review of the Surface snags an unexpected 50,000 views!
[30:00] 100,000 views later Brad adds an Amazon Affiliate link and starts earning
[31:00] Brad was resistant to run ads and add links because it was boring
[32:00] A full year later – iPad Pro with Pencil and Surface Pro 4 were released
[33:00] The two ways YouTube videos gain traction
[34:00] How YouTube content holes work to feed viewers and gain you views
[35:40] Dustin asks how do you decide what to share
[36:00] Focus on Watch Time metrics
[37:30] Nail your Thumbnails and Headlines
[38:30] Digging deeper into Watch Time metrics
[39:40] Brad answers Dustin’s question, what is a crisp script?
[41:30] The good and bad of scripting and jump cutting
[42:00] Improvement comes with practice
[43:00] Brad shares how he rehearses his scripts
[44:00] The correct way to jump cut
[45:30] Not everything makes it into the script
[46:50] Dustin asks about transitions on videos
[48:55] Mastering Thumbnails
[49:40] Why a consistent thumbnail style is HUGE
[50:10] Brad pulls inspiration from Amazon’s yellow to build his brand
[51:40] Yellow has become Brad’s YouTube brand
[52:40] Thumbnails that work.
[53:20] Bikinis and iPads
[54:10] Algorithms have become smart to click-bait
[55:00] Views right after posting pushes you to the top of the algorithms.
[56:00] Dustin asks if a Lamborghini in the thumbnail helps views?
[57:00] The gang chuckle about this episodes cover art idea
[58:00] Get into YouTube for the long haul
[59:20] Comments are GOLD baby!
[01:00:10] Bothered by impostors, Dustin asks Brad how he deals with them
[01:01:05] Brad has mixed emotions when it comes to impostors
[01:01:20] Be friendly to other YouTubers is always a good idea
[01:02:00] Searches and Recommends build friendships and viewership
[01:03:00] Be a kind member of the YouTube community
[01:04:00] Let others growth inspire you not defeat you
[01:05:25] What Tom’s seeing since his business YouTube launch
[01:05:56] Brad gives Tom a massive pep talk
[01:06:20] Brad wishes he had known this one thing when he first started
[01:07:00] See each video you create as inventory for the future
[01:08:20] Ian shares this great bit of advice played out in real life
[01:10:10] Doing something consistently is paramount
[01:11:40] Dustin believes consistency is essential in success
[01:12:00] Sticking to a schedule
[01:13:23] Brad talks about learning by doing
[01:14:00] Every step builds on the other
[01:15:20] Ian shares what he is learning about sound and lighting.
[01:16:40] What Brad wants his channel to really be
[01:17:00] 50% of Brad’s viewers are young adults
[01:18:20] The journey of becoming a better illustrator and teaching along the way
[01:21:20] Best places to find Brad online.
[01:23:00] If you make great work the money will follow.
[01:24:00] And that’s a wrap!
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