This Interview was conducted on May 24, 2020, by CactorTheGasopod.
imicca is a YouTuber with over 7,000 subscribers.
Q1: You mainly upload tech videos. When did you start wanting to make this type of content?
- Right after I got my first iPhone in 2009, I started using it a lot, liking it and eventually wanted to share my knowledge about the system with my friends who had questions. It was not until 2013 when I actually started uploading specifically tech videos.
Q2: When and why did you start your YouTube channel?
- Channel “imicca” started in early 2013. I already had several friends who were interested in iOS/iPhones so making videos for them about the operating system and the phone was the beginning. Another reason was actually for me to practice public speaking. I wanted to improve my confidence in clear speaking and remove my accent.
However my first YouTube channel was made back in 2010, when I was DJ-ing.
Q3: Did you ever consider using other content platforms?
- I tried a few but eventually stayed with YouTube as that is where people go for video content. And YouTube’s connection with Google helps with ads and monetisation for partners, better than any other platform I have seen. Can’t say the same about live-streaming though.
Q4: Do you have a schedule when it comes to uploading?
- No. For me it is impossible. Currently I am working 2 jobs and even if I dedicate weekends for video production, weekends are weekends and plans change all the time. My audience knows that there will be videos whenever I can make them.
Q5: When did you discover YouTube?
- I remember that moment very well. Sometime in 2006 my cousin showed me once on his Voxtel slider phone, a video that he did not download to his memory but rather was “playing it from the internet”. That made me curious. And all I did after that was watch “videos” which were basically music tracks with blue screen and white text made on Microsoft Movie Maker.
Q6: The first video you uploaded was IPhone 5 6.1.2 vs 6.1.3 vs JB 6.1.2 Speed test, boot test, app launch. How would you say this differs from the way you upload videos now?
- This is the first video that shows as public, not the first video I uploaded. Now that I think of it, I should make my first one public, as a piece of history in my channel.
In terms of difference, well, now I don’t make any videos where it is just a screen recording and my commentary over some actions. Which was exactly the format that most people wanted to see, when asking me for some tips on iPhones. Now I spend more time on getting “in real life” shots to show what is on my phone’s screen. Also I can afford a second iPhone, which I use to make those videos. Almost all of my videos are shot on the latest iPhone available with some exceptions when I screen-capture my MacBook.
Q7: Do you remember the first video you’ve ever watched?
- On YouTube? Probably that video that my cousin showed, was the first one.
Q8: Who is your biggest influence in your content creativity?
- Difficult to point out one. I watch a lot of tech channels and get inspired from them. Tech reviews were very boring years ago, difficult to follow and digest. I think MKBHD is one of the pioneers of making great tech reviews. Others, like Dave 2D have “sit-down and talking to camera” setup which is also great, but since I don’t show my face in my videos, I use a lot of b-roll shots. Speaking of b-roll, Casey Neistat would be the person who inspired me regarding editing style.
Q9: Who is your all-time favorite content creator?
- Ah, almost impossible to answer. As I mentioned, I watched a lot of YouTube, not just tech videos and music, but also comedy, how-to, history, animation, vlogs and even political discussions. I can name one content creator who has been very true to his content since beginning until 2019 and that is Nigahiga (or Ryan Higa), one of the “OG” YouTubers. Other memorable mentions are Tom Scott, CGP Grey and PewDiePie.
Q10: What would you say is your favorite video that you’ve uploaded?
- The video called “9 տարի Անգլիայում, 12 տարի YouTube-ում” which translates as “9 years in England, 12 years on YouTube”. I was very excited to share this one with my audience as I think it added some personality behind my channel and videos.
Q11: How did you feel when you achieved your first thousand subscribers?
- Very excited. But excitement gradually goes down with every milestone I think. Of course I am happy that more people are watching my content but I would have made the same videos if I had 0 or 5 or whatever number of subscribers. For some creators the size of audience matters and affects, changes their content, sometimes they even rely on the audience to have content for their next video. The more audience I have, the more feedback I have, that’s helpful. Subs and views are also helpful for discoverability and other KPI metrics that YouTube algorithm uses to promote or not promote your channel. But I am not chasing numbers, I want to make the best videos I can, even if only my friends and family see them.
Q12: Was it the same level of excitement as your most recent 6,000?
- Coming from the previous answer, no excitement at all. 10,000 would be a nice award. Finally I can visit YouTube Space offices around the world.
Q13: Has your personal life at all affected your YouTube channel?
- Most definitely. If it was up to me, I would make videos every day, but I have other responsibilities that I cannot ignore.
Q14: Do you watch any other YouTubers with a similar style to yours?
- Yes. It is not very easy to differentiate yourself from others who make similar tech video content, but for me, even if I make something very similar to others, at least I am making in my native language, Armenian. Sometimes I would mention in my videos that this or that was inspired from some youtuber, mentioning their name. I have not seen any Armenian YouTuber making videos in a similar style to me, yet.
Q15: Who was the first channel you subscribed to?
- RayWilliamJohnson.
Q16: How many YouTube channels would you guess you are subscribed to now?
- Maybe 50.
Q17: How many videos would you say you have watched?
- I have actually tried to find the answer for this question before. Using some estimations, I came up with a number around 20,000. But I think it is way more than that.
Q18: How did you come up with the username “Imicca”?
- My name is Mikayel or Mika, and my father usually says “imika” in Armenian when putting my name at the beginning of the sentence when we talk. Adding “i” to names or nouns is common in Armenian. Interestingly, my channel was going to be exclusively about iOS/iPhones so I thought having a username to start with “i” would make sense anyway.
Q19: Where would you be if you weren’t on YouTube?
- Do you mean if I have never made a channel or I had to pick another platform to make videos on? To answer the first, not much would have been different, I think, same life but less fun. For the second answer, well, back in 2013 facebook still had poor video hosting technology compared to YouTube. I don’t think I would have picked any other platform, although I did use Dailymotion before. Did not like it.
Q20: How would you describe your fanbase?
- If I define a fanbase as people who are subscribed to me, then I would say most of my fans want quantity over quality and sometimes I feel underappreciated when I work on a video for almost a month, only to see “when is next video” comments within seconds of publishing that video. But most of my fans are subscribed to see Armenian videos about smartphones as well as some insight to life in the UK in their language.
Q21: What advice would you give to others wanting to start making content on YouTube?
- The golden question of YouTube! Honestly, I think the best advice I can give is to read the Community Guidelines, rules of the website and just figure out on your own how you can achieve your targets. Do you think collabs are the way to earn subs and views? Then try that. It is just a lot of trial and error to see what works for you specifically. Trends change fast, so be your best to adapt, if you want to thrive. That’s how Felix is still #1 YouTuber.
Q22: Do you plan on continuing content-making as a job?
- Content making is not my job and I don’t earn a dime from my videos. My channel is my passion project, something I can think of outside my studies and career as a finance analyst. I do plan on continuing it, if 2020 does not get worse.
Q23: How do you feel about your channel growth during this year?
- Sad. Growth has been nonexistent, I think. Since the beginning of 2020 I have not been able to dedicate enough time to channel growth, mostly because I got a new job which takes up a large part of my life currently.
Q24: Have you ever done an interview like this before?
- No, and thank you for inviting me to do it. This was fun. If you have further questions or comments, I am happy to do it again :)