Casey Neistat's Success Story

Dedication to Craft

Before even transitioning to YouTube, Casey received international attention for a three-minute film, iPod's Dirty Secret. This landed him media coverage, but more importantly? He was honing his skills as a creator before YouTube even existed.

You don’t have to be a professional filmmaker to start on YouTube, but you should invest time into learning the craft of film before you begin. Continuing to hone your skills is also critical, and something Casey consistently did prior to his time on YouTube. Try learning the fundamentals of framing, the importance of specs and editing. You can experiment with videos without the final product being perfect. As Casey has shown, shorter, well-crafted pieces of content can make just as big of an impact on your career as a long-form piece.

Building Brand Consistency

Casey’s daily vlogs introduced his audience to his artistry, personality and day to day life. By sticking to a recurring format, viewers could trust that he’d deliver them consistent work and he was able to establish a strong presence on the platform.

You don’t have to post daily videos, but consistency is key in getting an audience to trust you. Try starting out with one to two videos a month and expand as you gain more experience. It’s better to start out with a solid foundation and build consistently than to pile too much on your plate from the start. Keep the barrier of entry as low as possible.

Diversifying Your Business

Casey has used his skills as a vlogger and filmmaker to launch companies like Beme (acquired by CNN) and 368 (a workspace for creators to collaborate), and has even directed and starred in commercials for Nike, Google and Mercedez-Benz.

Casey’s entrepreneurship ensured he would create a sustainable living, and leaning into your passions and interests isn’t just good for the soul… it’s critical to create career longevity. Once you’ve built a foundation as a creator, consider using those skills to expand. This could be digital products, providing services or simply just expanding to more than one platform. Remember: never put all your eggs in one basket!

Which career success tip resonates with you? Take the time to audit your career journey so far and you’ll be following in the footsteps of iconic creators like Casey Neistat himself.