Wikitubia:Interviews/grizn0

This interview was conducted via YouTube Private Message on March 8, 2017 by Aidan Dunphy

grizn0 is a YouTuber with 2,320 subscribers as of March 20, 2017.

Q1: How and when did you discover YouTube?


 * Wow, you're going to date me right away are you? I have pretty much known about YouTube since it first launched. I've been hanging around the internet since the days when IRC was the main method of internet communication between friends. So naturally I was a frequent visitor to sites like eBaum's World which featured videos from YouTube when it first became a thing. But yeah I'd say I discovered YouTube through frequenting eBaum's World.

Q2: Can you remember what the first YouTube video that you ever watch was?


 * Oh my gosh it was probably something really dumb like "Dramatic Chipmunk" or possibly Zonday TayZonday's "Chocolate Rain" video. By the way Tay follows me on Twitter and I am super proud of that lol.

Q3: Can you remember what the first video game that you ever played was?


 * Absolutely. It was both "Epyx Summer Games" and "Epyx Winter Games" on the Commodore 64... if anyone remembers what that was lol. My parents had friends who owned a Commodore 64 and they let me play on it one night when we had gone over to visit them. After that night, I asked my Dad if we could get a Commodore 64 too, and I never looked back.

Q4: How many YouTube videos do you think you've watched in your lifetime?


 * It has to be well over 100,000 at this point. I've been hanging around YouTube since it first started.

Q5: How many YouTube channels do you think you are subscribed to?


 * I actually recently went on a big unsub spree. If I hadn't watched a video from that person in over a year, I unsubscribed. Currently I'm probably subscribed to somewhere around 120 channels. A lot of them I don't watch religiously though I just stay subscribed in case anything interesting pops up in my feed from that channel.

Q6: Who was the first YouTuber that you were a fan of?


 * I used to be a big Call of Duty fan so I'd have to say SeaNanners or Hutch since I found them around the same time.

Q7: Who or what inspired you to start a YouTube channel?


 * Honestly, it was the people I was watching that influenced me. I was just a watcher for so long and I kept thinking to myself "I'm as good at these games as any of these other guys making videos; I should do it too!" So I did.

Q8: What do you think about the new YouTube Advertiser-Friendly content guidelines?


 * It doesn't really affect me as much as other YouTubers I don't think because I have always tried to keep my videos pretty clean. I try not to swear at all and if I do I usually bleep it out and it's just there for comedic value. I personally find it funnier when the expletives are censored out because it's like you don't really know what the word was 100%. You have to use your imagination. One thing I will say though is that I believe advertisers have the right to not support a video if the content is somewhat controversial or just full of swear words. If Disney doesn't want to run an ad for their newest children's movie over a Filthy Frank video because he said the F-word 17 times; they should have every right not to. I also think that people who swear profusely in their videos use it as a crutch. You can still be funny or entertaining without dropping the F-bomb 20 times in a video.

Q9: How did you come up with your main channel name grizn0, and your former and current vlog channel names grizVlogs and griznoHFX?


 * Haha well to answer that I have to tell you the story of how I got my nickname "Grizno". Basically, my friends call me Grizno or Griz which a nickname that morphed from another nickname I had in University. I attended Dalhousie University in 2002/2003 and stayed in residence at Howe Hall. During Frosh week we were all given "Frosh names" as part of a tradition. Without going into too much detail, my Frosh name was "Gretzky Frosh" and all the people in my residence never really knew me by my real name... they just started calling me "Gretzky". My closer friends (who actually knew my name) thought that was really funny so they started playing on that. Also, I feel it is important to mention that Snoop Dogg's "izzy" lingo was really popular at the time; so they started calling me Griz-netzky, Griz-nizzy, Griz-nasty, Grizzy and many other variations of Gretzky. Eventually they settled on "Grizno" and thus, the name was born. The zero for the "o" is just because on Xbox Live someone already had "grizno"; and HFX is on the end of my second channel because it's an abbreviation for Halifax where I currently live and I love to celebrate that in the videos on that channel. The second channel was previously called grizVlogs because a) at the time I just wanted to make vlogs and b) I couldn't think of anything better lol. But I changed it to griznoHFX because I didn't want to pigeon-hole myself into just making vlogs on that channel. I wanted to make other types of videos other than vlogs as well. So when new people discovered the channel, I didn't want them to look at the name and think "Oh this guy is just another vlogger" because I'm about more than just that :)

Q10: What was your YouTube channel name when you first created a YouTube channel?


 * I'm pretty sure my YouTube channel name was just my real name until I decided to change it to grizn0. And it's been grizn0 for a very long time. I'm sure I changed it to grizn0 long before I ever started posting videos.

Q11: Currently who is your favorite YouTuber or YouTubers?


 * I'll break it down into genres I guess that would be easiest.
 * Favourite Gamer: TheRussianBadger.
 * Favourite Vlogger: Ben Brown.
 * Favourite Comedy Channel: H3H3 Productions (I also really like iDubbbz too).
 * Favourite Clickbaiter: David Dobrik (technically he's a vlogger too but not really in the traditional sense).
 * Favourite YouTuber in general: Casey Neistat.
 * Honorable Mentions: Devin Supertramp, Shonduras, Jon Olsson, Bradley Friesen.

Q12: Do you have a favorite and least favorite video that you have uploaded?


 * Great question. I guess if I had a least favourite video I've ever made it would be the one about Cindy Day being rude to Frankie MacDonald][. At the time I was kind of into these "Commentary channels" like [[LeafyIsHere and I tried to emulate that (I've since gotten over that phase). It's not that the video didn't get a good response, it's actually one of my more popular videos; but I just don't like the way I executed it. As far as a favourite video goes... it's tough to pick just one but I'd probably have to go with a recent one I made called "BF1 vs. BF4 - Addressing The Complaints". I really like the format I used and was just really happy with how it turned out.

Q13: What is your favorite part about having a YouTube channel and being a YouTuber?


 * Definitely the interaction with viewers. I get so excited when I get a notification that someone commented on a video of mine. Even if it's just "good video" it makes me feel awesome and I always reply! I mean, making and editing the videos is also fun but in the end it's the interaction with viewers that is the ultimate end goal of making a video for me.

Q14: What is your favorite video game?


 * Battlefield. It's my jam.

Q15: What is your favorite game to record?


 * Also Battlefield. The reason why I like that game so much is because there are not many other games that provide those same unbelievable "WTF DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?" moments. Name another game where you can be flying a jet, eject out of the jet and go flying through the air, pull out a rocket launcher mid air, hit a passing helicopter and get a quad kill, then land back in your jet seat and continue flying. You can't.

Q16: Do you play video games in your free time, if so what games?


 * Yeah definitely. Other than Battlefield I also play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rainbow Six Siege pretty religiously. I do enjoy single player games too though; Fallout is one of my favourite game series as well as Resident Evil. There are many others too; probably too many to go through them all.

Q17: How many video games do you own?


 * Well, there are currently 65 games in my Steam library and then I also own Overwatch, Tom Clancy's The Division, and I am planning on buying Ghost Recon Wildlands when it comes out as well.

Q18: What do you use to record and edit your gaming and vlogging videos?


 * So for the gaming videos I use nVidia's ShadowPlay recording software which is installed by default if you have an nVidia graphics card. Sometimes I'll use Open Broadcaster Software to record but the quality is much better with ShadowPlay so I use that most of the time. Open Broadcaster is a good program to record with, however, and it is free so if anyone is looking for a recommendation of recording software, I would vote for OBS. For the Vlogs and other "IRL videos" I was using a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera up until about a week ago when I bought a new Nikon D5600 DSLR. I also have a Polaroid X80 Action Camera (similar to a GoPro but way cheaper) and I'll also use my phone to record video in a pinch. I edit all my videos (gaming and vlogs) using Adobe Premiere CC 2015 and After Effects CC 2015.

Q19: What are your PC and setup specifications?


 * ASUS CG 8270 Series, Intel i7-3770 Quad Core Processor @ 3.40GHz, 32GB RAM, nVidia GTX970 2GB Graphics Card, Dual Dell Monitors (need to replace :P), Steel Series Sensei Raw Mouse (Steel Blue), Razer Ornata Chroma Keyboard, and a Blue Snowball Microphone

Q20: What is your favorite location to vlog?


 * Anywhere in the city really. I think Halifax is such a beautiful city so anytime I can get downtown to film I'm happy. Actually, there is a walking trail that runs along the Dartmouth waterfront that provides some awesome views of the Halifax waterfront and skyline; I really like going over there to get time lapses of the Halifax skyline from across the harbor.

Q21: Do you have a job in real life, if so what is your occupation?


 * I am an IT professional (Networking) by trade but currently I am working for a company that does roadside assistance for most of the major auto manufacturers in Canada. I get to work from home, which is really nice, and it gives me time to edit videos when I have some downtime so that is also great for me and my channels.

Q22: What is your dream job?


 * Aside from super famous YouTuber you mean? xD I'm actually working on furthering my IT career by trying to pass my Cisco certification exams. I guess my dream IT job has always been Network Engineer which means I'd be the person a company hires to design and implement their network in a new office building or something like that. I'd love to have a job that involved at least a little bit of travel because I get complacent and a bit bored if I'm in one place too long.

Q23: What was your first job?


 * Technically my first job was as a paper boy. Started when I was about 11 years old. My first "real" job though was at Staples when I was 15. I worked in the furniture department and it was awesome. All I did all day was assemble desks and chairs, and then sat in them.

Q24: Do you watch your own videos after you upload them?


 * I'd be lying if I said I didn't; I definitely do. I always watch them once for quality control before I make them live. But sometimes I'll watch old videos just for the fun of it too.

Q25: Does any of your family members watch your videos?


 * Yes but they only really watch the vlogs and other videos on my second channel. My parents, sister, aunts and uncles, they don't really care about video games that much lol.

Q26: How and when did you meet your wife?


 * We met through a mutual friend right around the beginning of November 2009. We met at The Red Fox Tavern (which is now a Bubba Ray's) in Fairview.

Q27: Where did you propose to your then girlfriend?


 * Apparently I'm not that romantic. I couldn't think of an epic proposal idea so I just popped the question one night when we were at my apartment hanging out. Keep it simple right?

Q28: What date did you get engaged and married?


 * I don't remember the exact date of the proposal but we got married on July 4th, 2014. It was actually our "Golden Anniversary" since we started dating July 4th 2010. So 4 years later on July 4th, we got hitched.

Q29: Do you and your wife have any kids, if not are you planning to?


 * We do not and no plans to do so. We're kind of selfish lol.

Q30: Have you lived in Nova Scotia for your whole life?


 * No, I am originally from Bathurst, New Brunswick but I moved to Halifax in 2002 to go to University and I fell in love with it. Went back to Bathurst for a year but moved right back to Halifax after that and I've been here ever since.

Q31: How many Canadian provinces have you visited in your lifetime?


 * Well I've lived in 2 different provinces so far New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I've also visitied the other 2 Atlantic Canadian provinces Newfoundland and PEI. And I've been to Quebec many times and Ontario a handful of times so... I guess 4 provinces other than the 2 I've lived in; 6 all together.

Q32: What was the first province outside of your birth province that you visited?


 * Nova Scotia because that is where my Dad's family is from. he was born and raised in Halifax so it's kind of fitting that I moved here. We've come full circle.

Q33: Have you ever traveled outside of Canada if so to what country?


 * Yes I've been to the US a couple times. Mostly just crossing the border to Maine to shop but I did go there twice under "special" circumstances. Once I hitchhiked from Halifax to Augusta, Maine to go see the band Tool perform live. That was a pretty intense experience. The other time I won a contest through Virgin Mobile for a free trip to Washington D.C. to attend their Virgin Mobile Freefest Music Festival. I didn't end up going to the concert because it was raining so bad that day but we toured around D.C. and went to a crazy big mall where the McDonald's had 16 different value meals. 16! I was blown away by that. Merica.

Q34: Do you think YouTube should make a play button other then it's current 100,000 subscriber, 1 million subscriber, and 10 million subscriber play buttons?


 * I think those are pretty reasonable actually. I get what you're hinting at; maybe there should be a bronze play button at 50,000 or something like that but I don't think it is necessary. YouTube would end up spending a lot more money making bronze play buttons for every semi successful channel if that were the case. So no, I think those goals are fine.

Q35: You currently have 2,310 subscribers on your main channel and 63 subscribers on your 2nd channel, did you ever think you would have that many subscribers?


 * No. No I did not lol. I remember saying to myself when I started the channel that if I could grow a small community of maybe 1,000 subscribers I'd be happy with that. So I definitely surpassed that goal but a funny thing happens when you hit a subscriber goal that you set for yourself; you want more. It's kind of addicting to tell you the truth.

Q36: You currently have uploaded 334 videos on your main channel and 57 videos on your 2nd channel, did you ever think you would have uploaded that many videos?


 * Well, yeah I guess I did. I never really thought about my channel as "how many videos am I going to make". I just started and hoped I would keep going until I was rich and internet famous lol.

Q37: Currently your most viewed video has over 76,850 views, did you ever think one of your videos would have that many views?


 * Absolutely not. Especially when I first started and I was getting like maybe 20 views a video. But you never know when you're going to make a popular video. I remember making the video in question, and when I came up with the idea it was purely out of necessity. I saw a problem people were having in a game called Payday 2 and I was lucky enough to get into a game with some guys who had figured it out and they explained it to me. So I made a video in case anyone else was having a tough time with it. Turns out a lot of people were lol. But the point is I had no idea at the time and it definitely wasn't like I knew I was going to get a lot of views on it. Imagine my surprise the next day when I saw it had hit 10K views overnight!

Q38: What is your lifetime subscriber and video view goal?


 * Man, if I could get me one of those silver play buttons for 100,000 subscribers, I would be happy man.

Q39: What was your lifetime subscriber goal when you first started uploading YouTube videos?


 * I think I mistakenly answered this one already but I think it was 1,000 subscribers. That was like my far away goal that I thought I'd never get to.

Q40: How long do you think YouTube will last?


 * I think YouTube is going to be around for a long time. It just keeps growing in user base, or viewer base if you want to put it that way, every day. Also, more and more people are starting to turn to their favourite YouTube channels over TV for entertainment. Especially cable TV man, they are going to be over soon. I know so many people my age and older who've gotten rid of their cable TV subscriptions in favour of Netflix and YouTube because that's all they were watching. Also, more and more, bigger YouTubers are getting to have a larger voice than traditional media sources so that's pretty interesting as well. When The Wall Street Journal is attacking PewDiePie and slandering him in traditional media; that says something. They're afraid they are being pushed out.

Q41: How long do you think you will be uploading YouTube videos?


 * For the foreseeable future definitely. I started doing this as a hobby and for something fun and creative to occupy my time with and that is what it will continue to be until I either stop enjoying it, or I just don't have the time to put into it any more.

Q42: Are you planning on going to any YouTube/Gaming conventions?


 * I would love to some day! No plans as of right now though. Unfortunately I work a lot since I'm not a famous YouTuber yet xD

Q43: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to make videos on YouTube?


 * The best advice I could give is to just create. Don't worry about the quality of your camera or editing software, just do the best you can with what you have. If you can tell a good story people won't care that it looks like it was shot on a VHS hand held video camera from 1997. Casey Neistat does it all the time and look how popular his videos are. The point is; if you have a good idea or if you feel like you can entertain people with your witty banter over a video game, do it. Use whatever tools you have at your disposal and just create.

Q44: What is the future for you and your channel?


 * As of right now I plan to just keep trying to improve my content both on the main channel and the second channel. I love playing video games so that will never change. But recently I've discovered a love for cameras, photography, and film. So that's kind of why I started the second channel was just to keep the gaming videos separate from the film work.

Q45: Have you ever done an interview like this before?


 * No I never have lol. So thank you for providing me with the opportunity and experience! I really enjoyed answering your questions :)