Wikitubia:Interviews/Sugarcat

This interview was conducted on February 18, 2020, by NameOfUser57

Sugarcat is a YouTuber with over 10,000 Subscribers.

Q1: How and when did you discover YouTube?
 * I probably discovered Youtube sometime around 2006-2007 when it was newer. It was starting to make the rounds as a place for vloggers to record random things and put them up online and that fascinated me so I’d peek every so often and see what was new.

Q2: What was the first video you watched?
 * I honestly don’t remember but I’m sure it was someone talking to a camera doing something odd!

Q3: How many videos do you estimate you have watched?
 * It would have to be in the thousands. For the last 10 years my job has enabled me to watch YouTube at work for the majority of my shifts. I’d say possibly in the 10’s of thousands.

Q4: How many channels are you subscribed to, and which is your favourite?
 * I’m currently subscribed to around 100 channels. Current channels I watch daily are: Game Grumps, Unus Annus, Blamesocietyfilms and Brian Ambs.

Q5: Who is the most subscribed to channel that is subscribed to you?
 * Probably Frankie MacDonald who currently has 224,000 subs.

Q6: What was the first YouTube channel you were a fan of?
 * I was and still am a huge fan of The Yogscast. They were probably the first channel I really started to look at and be like “I can do this”

Q7: What do you think of COPPA?
 * It honestly hasn’t really affected me. My content isn’t targeted towards children so I’m relatively flying under the radar. I do think it’s a good idea though. Kids are too easily susceptible to marketing and now that being online daily is a thing, it’s good to be aware of what they’re taking in.

Q8: Was Sugarcat your channel name when you started your channel?
 * It was. I had a World of Warcraft channel where I uploaded “how-to” boss videos but Sugarcat was always the name of what I wanted to be the main channel.

Q9: What was the first video game you ever played?
 * Either Donkey Kong, Duck Hunt or Mario Bro’s. for the original NES. Life changing.

Q10: How many video games do you own, and which is your favourite?
 * Probably around 20. All PC and digital. My favourites are either Overwatch or Warcraft as they’ve had such an impact on me.

Q11: Do you have a favourite and least favourite video you have created?
 * I’m proud of most of my videos but I do feel like some were rushed and could have used more love. Due to my insane work schedule and wanting to spend time with my family, some days I have literally an hour to record, edit, build the thumbnail and upload it. It’s incredibly stressful and on those days I feel like I could have done better. The almost YEAR of Overwatch live-streams I believe was very lazy. I did them out of need as there would be NO video otherwise due to time constraints. They were a ton of fun but got repetitive over time. I feel terrible about it because the community deserved better. Im proud of my “To the Moon” and “finding Paradise” series due to them being the only games to ever make me cry and I’m proud of Doki Doki because I had SUCH a great time doing the voices. I’m very proud of my new thumbnails the past two weeks.

'''Q12: Can you remember your first video? What was it like uploading it?'''
 * It was Minecraft and it was stressful. I took the plunge and didn’t know if anyone would like it. The process was relatively easy and painless once it was done though!

Q13: What’s your favourite thing about being a YouTuber?
 * Hands down the community. They have supported me in my times of triumph and when I fell. They’ve seen me at my happiest and when the anxiety and depression threaten to tear my life apart. Yet they stayed. They stuck by me and enjoyed my wacky content. I’m eternally grateful. They deserve all the fame and recognition I can bring them. Other then that the ability to touch base with other Youtubers and companies which would have never given me the time of day had I not been one. It’s pretty cool.

Q14: What do you use to record and edit videos?
 * I currently use Streamlabs OBS to record and Sony Vegas 13 to edit. Audacity for audio editing in recorded videos.

'''Q15: How long does it take to make a video? What about thumbnails?'''
 * It Honestly depends. Usually about 2 hours on a good day. An hour of I’m rushed. I’ve taken upwards of 6 though for videos like the trailers. Thumbnails can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on if they’re text style for Overwatch or my new ones which take about 45 min.

Q16: Do you watch your own videos after uploading them?
 * I’ll usually do a quick flick through to make sure it works and sounds ok but generally no. It makes me anxious.

Q17: Do your family watch your videos?
 * No, they do not.

Q18: If you could change anything about YouTube, what would you change?
 * I wish that Youtube had things like Raids on Twitch. Also I wish that there was an easier way to find terrible videos (racist or nasty videos) I understand that with like a million videos a day it’s impossible, I just wish it was. I’m happy with youtube and how it’s still growing, though I wish it was easier for small folks like me to grow and get their name out there.

Q19: Did you ever expect to get over 10,000 subscribers?
 * Never. I got lucky with the most recent thumbnail and I’m grateful for it. I never for one minute though that my dorky little channel would even pass 1000! I don’t believe in myself enough to think otherwise.

Q20: Did you ever expect to have uploaded over 900 videos?
 * Now this I DID expect. There’s a LOT going on in my head. I’m always wanting to rant and yell and talk and ramble. I knew I’d get there at some point if I just kept talking, doing things I loved and shared them with the world.

'''Q21: What is your lifetime view and subscriber goal? What was it when you started YouTube?'''
 * When I started I expected that future me MIGHT hit 1k subs. Way down the road though. Now that I’m starting to dial in on how it actually works I have a goal of 1 million. I think that is the end game plan for the channel. Views I’m not sure. They’re about to pass 1 million. Maybe 10 million? Lol

Q22: How long do you think YouTube will last?
 * I think as THE platform for people like myself to upload stuff, maybe 5 years? I hope longer but that’s my guess.

Q23: How long will you be uploading videos?
 * I know at some point in time there will be a day where I will have to accept that the channel isn’t growing any longer. It takes a LOT of time away from my family to do this and I sacrifice a lot of sleep and mental/physical well being to try and entertain to the best of my abilities. I love it so so very much and wish I was doing it full time, but as I near year 4 on the channel it becomes hard to stay motivated some days. I still got a LOT of fight in me yet though!

'''Q24: Have you been to any YouTube or gaming conventions? If so, what was it like? If not, do you plan to?'''
 * I covered a convention called Hal-Con in October where I did some filming for the channel. It was an absolute blast. I got to meet a lot of folks. I would love to attend Vidcon someday.

Q25: What advice would you give to aspiring YouTubers?
 * Never ever let people tell you that you can’t be you. YouTube is a GREAT place to be yourself and create. It’s a creators paradise. There will be haters. There will be days where you want to give up, throw in the towel. Take breaks. Deep breaths. YouTube is NOT a sprint. It’s a very VERY long walk. Don’t rush it. Take your time learning how to create the best stuff you can. Be proud of your creations. Be yourself. Believe in yourself. I believe in you.

Q26: What is the future for you and your channel?
 * I have a trip to Japan for a month in April where I’ll be popping by the Youtube Studios. That’s gonna be a great time. I will continue to push myself each day to try to entertain the amazing community we had built on this channel. I will continue to lose sleep over analytics and stress about numbers. I wouldn’t change it for the world though. I love it.

Q27: Have you ever done an interview like this before?
 * I have not. This is my first and it was fun to get stuff off my chest. Thanks for asking them!