The Life of Travelling YouTubers with Tastebud Takeover, Collin Abroadcast, FoodxBert & Cris4tay

To all the YouTube users out there, this interview takes you to the other side of your screen – the production side of YouTube, in which many of the producers start out working for free. Lens of Passion was very fortunate to land in the same city (and happily stuck for a while) amidst the pandemic with 4 traveling YouTubers who create content around the world that may speak to your interests. The road warriors, from East, West and Midwest America, sat down with me to talk about YouTube and the nuances that come with this career path. What is the reality of being a YouTuber? 

Thank you so much for saying yes to this interview! It’s been fun getting to know you guys over the last couple of months. Can you tell us your name and the name of your YouTube channel?

M: Myles, Tastebud Takeover is my channel.
Co: Collin, Collin Abroadcast.
B: My name is Robert, or Bert. My channel is called Food x Bert.
Ch: My name is Chris, channel name: Cris4tay. People mispronounce my last name Forte so I got into the habit of spelling it out 4-tay. It’s an Italian last name.

Being a YouTuber is…

Myles: A challenge. Fun. I like finding different ways to express myself. Everyone makes videos in different ways.
Collin: Prideful. When I travel I meet a lot of people and I get a sense of pride telling people who and what you are. When I tell people about my channel, 99% of the time they think it’s cool and interesting. This identity is something I am really proud of.
Bert: Running an adventurous marathon. Being a YouTuber also helps to find what you want to do as a passion and make it into a story for the world to see. The theme must be something you love otherwise you really can’t keep going.
Chris: Being a YouTuber is fun, yet hard work.

What is your channel about?

Myles (Tastebud Takeover): My channel covers a lot of things you want to see and taste during your travel. I go on food adventures mostly.
Collin (Collin Abroadcast): I travel the world and go to the markets and bargain with the vendors and get the best deals for whatever we are bargaining for. When we go on YouTube, there’s a lot of food and nightlight stuff but I saw a gap in travel-shopping. Then it inspired me to create for this niche. Often people go to markets and get intimidated by these pushy and feisty sellers but there’s actually nothing to fear. I see tourists feel shocked and uncomfortable thinking the guy is gonna rob me, rip me off,  but that doesn’t have to happen if you know how.
Bert (Food x Bert): My channel is about travel advice, bank for your buck, city tours and food is a big part of my content. I focus on local eats and locals’ perspectives so you’ll see I do a lot of collaborations with the insiders. You will also hear bits and pieces of the different countries’ culture and history as I try their food because they’re interwoven.
Chris (Cris4tay): My channel is about me – I’m a 45-year-old New Yorker and I didn’t have a passport before all of this. I am sharing my point of view traveling for the first time as a middle-aged man, letting people know that it’s never too late. I focus on the reality of travel, the downtime beyond the glam stuff on Instagram. I share the personal side of travel, reasons behind my decisions and suggestions.

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What is the opportunity and challenge for a YouTuber who has 1.2K/ 1.4M/ 10.5K/ 600 subscribers?

Myles: The upside is I’m not locked into a specific genre or format. The challenge is when you’re at 1.2K, not a lot of people take you seriously. It is hard to get new subscribers.
Collin: The opportunity is that it can become a career. Well, it can be a career if you choose for it to be at over 1M subs. The challenge is if you wanna try something different, you have to do it slowly. Travel as a theme for instance, I’m incorporating it carefully.
Bert: Having 10K subs gives me a hopeful future and the next goals to work towards. I am developing a style but nothing is too rigid.
Chris: Opportunity is I get to share my life my viewers and build a career around it. Challenge is that it is a long game.

On a regular day, what is the first thing you think of when you wake up?

Myles: Where can I go today? What new thing can I see today? I think of stuff like, how can I experience the city I am in today? And these days, when and where should I take the COVID test…
Collin: I turn my phone back on from airplane mode and check my notifications. For the most part, generally I’m thinking about what obligations I have for the day. Do I edit or film? Do I upload a video to this or that platform?
Bert: I need to answer comments and questions about my videos. I need to edit, film and upload an inventory of videos to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok.
Chris: When I wake up the first thing I think of is that I’m alive, that it’s another day. Then shower, errands, film, edit. Right now I don’t want to rush my life; I make time for myself – middle of day, I enjoy some coffee while I reflect on my day with my notebook around.

A couple of trivial things about you that you want to share with our readers and your subscribers?

Myles: I’ve been eating for 32 years so I can speak about them. [laughs] And, many places I’ve been, the locals think I’m one of them so I guess I have an “international face”. Um…I game hard, and I love broad range of discography and old bands from the 60-70s.
Collin: I love technology and future of tech. I think of it daily and I think of mostly the positive aspects of it. The next 5-10 years should be exciting especially with Blockchain. Fun fact, I won a coloring book contest in my hometown when I was a kid. I think I’m talented with colors. [laughs] Also, I like lucid dreams, astral projections and everything about dreams…it’s weird but interesting. It makes you think about spirituality and what else is there. The different plains of existence. Once I had a sleep paralysis – I saw a shadow man with a machete. The tension felt so real.
Bert: I never won a coloring competition in my hometown! [laughs] Well, seriously, I didn’t start traveling the world until I was 22. I love trying unique things and I always say that I like to try everything for at least 1 time, if not 2-3 times. Say sea urchin, I gave it a chance and I love it now. Passion-wise, I play drums and producing music is my passion. I was obsessed with creating best drumbeat for my first band’s music (“5 Second Rule” from Sacramento).
Chris: I like to cook! I’m a hip-hop connoisseur and a romantic at heart! [cheering]

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What were you doing before committing to a full-time YouTube creator career? What changed?

Myles: I was working at an Amazon distribution center and I was doing logistics to get everyone their products during the COVID pandemic.  
Collin: Before leaving home to pursue YouTube, I was working odd-jobs to get by, mostly retail. All throughout my 20’s this idea started to grow in me that MAYBE the typical 9-5 wasn’t for me. Then I thought bigger. What if I could just TRAVEL and work odd-jobs? I mean it wasn’t that big of a difference than what I was doing at the moment and if it failed, I’m just back to square one. But while I was working in other countries, it’d give me new environments to start my YouTube channel; I’ve always wanted to be a travel vlogger. So then, I found a job teaching English in China that had a low amount of hours so I could dedicate more time to YouTube, comfortably. My idea was I either become a full-time YouTube creator OR build up the necessary skills to get a job in the video production field. I did both. I got a job as a video producer. It wasn’t a month into that new job that my channel started to blow up so I had to make a choice. That choice was rather easy! [laughs] Now I just get to travel the world making videos!  
Bert: I was a professional drummer in Beijing playing at events and expositions. I was really happy living in China but I wanted to see more places around the world. I got a VPN in 2017 and found that people were doing travel vlogs and making enough money to live and do what they were passionate about. I had a dream to travel more of the world so I decided to save money to go on a long-term journey.
Chris: Most of my life was spent in Retail Management in New York. I had some life changes over the last few years that opened the possibilities of world travel for me. I sold everything and I mean everything I owned in America and set out to embark on an endless journey with no time frame. YouTube for me is a way to share my life and journey. Hopefully, I can inspire and motivate others to take chances on themselves in search of getting more out of life.

When did you make this decision? What do you love and not love so much about this path?

Myles: 2018. I love having creative control over everything and I hate leveling the audio during the editing process.
Collin: 2012. I love the freedom that creating for YouTube or working for yourself gives me. I hate the process, sometimes it is really tedious. You can’t slam through it when it comes to editing.
Bert: 2019. I love to click the “upload” button and see the reaction and feedback piling in. I get a very big high when there’s traction because it shows my messages travel far. Editing is hard and it hurts when sometimes the views aren’t proportional to the work I put in.
Chris: Jan 1^st, 2021. I love the act of creating – press record and share my story. I don’t enjoy editing.

YouTube is…

Myles: It is an uncharted territory for me. I’m still diving in. It’s a mountain I haven’t climbed yet, I’m just on top of a little hill now.
Collin: YouTube is my go-to place to learn and get entertained. As a creator, when viewing everything on YouTube, it feels like conducting market research too.
Bert: YouTube is better than regular TV. Everyone can create their own channel on YouTube and make it more relatable than TV shows. TV stuff is overproduced and cannot compete with reality, the real lives of real people. YouTube exudes the “everyone can do this” spirit, it is a company that always has an opening as long as you want to give it a try.
Chris: As a creator, YouTube is a resource for me to share my content. As a viewer, it’s an educational platform.

You all travel a lot and practically live in a different city every few months. What do you think about stability and spontaneity? What is the formula that works for your art, growth and happiness?

Myles: I miss the stability sometimes, but continuous talk with my family and work keeps me grounded.
Collin: I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty tough. You’re always in a constant struggle of balancing business and travel. If I work too much, I feel guilty for not experiencing the places I visit. If I choose to be too leisurely, I feel guilty for not working enough. For me, what really helps is just getting out of the apartment or hotel everyday and going for a walk. I also have a rule that if I can AT LEAST get done 50% of the ideas I have (which videos to film, etc.) – because I do get a lot of ideas, then I feel rather successful and won’t be too hard on myself. It’s about trying to get the most natural creativity out of myself without forcing it or burning myself out.
Bert: I like to get to know a city before I leave so I tend to stay at least a month at each place. This gives me a a little bit of a stable framework, and then In terms the day-to-day I don’t do too much research and like to be surprised. I enjoy exploring. The spirit of adventure energizes me.
Chris: I’m an American so I grew up with the idea of Stability. In my opinion traveling requires you to rethink a lot of things that you’re use to. Stability and comfort were exchanged for uncertainty and uncomfortable times. I’ve always been a planner, so spontaneity is something I usually struggle with. I’m not a traveler that can just head off to a new country without 3-5 days of planning. What works for me when it comes to my art, growth and happiness is having a routine and sticking to it the best I can no matter where I am.

As a YouTuber, do you encounter any struggles to monetize your passion, and the pressure to build up a following?

Myles: Yeah sure. It’s difficult to get to that spot where you’re monetized, I’m guessing it’s even harder to maintain it. But hey pressure makes diamonds and I’ve never had a lack of it in my life.
Collin: At first, there was. But, I mean, not really. I was pretty aware and had asked myself “If I don’t make a penny off this in 10 years, would I still be doing it?” and the answer was always yes. So just going into it without the pressure of having to make money is the way to go about it. I was ready to teach or work other jobs for years as long as it meant I was able to continue to make videos and travel. If you ever hear the cliché story about the middle-aged expat teacher in Asia, I was ready to take it that far just to give myself a shot of achieving my dream of being a travel vlogger.
Bert: Yes I feel it everyday because I need to make enough money to live. On YouTube you never know when a creator will hit a breakthrough, how long it’s going to take, or if the platform will help promote you at all. I want to achieve win-win situation, that I build a strong following that enjoys travel, food and culture content and with that support, I can continue to create more to share and educate.
Chris: That is a great question. As a new youtuber who has friends that are successful on the platform I know it’s a long journey. Right now I’m trying my best to focus on me as a personality and a brand rather than a niche or genre. I think Youtube is just a pathway to bigger things. Life is about the connections you make with others. Youtube can open doors you never even knew were there.

Lens of Passion has spoken with quite a few individuals who combined their passion with their profession. Is this the case for you? Any advice to people out there who want to pursue their passion but do not want to “put all eggs in one basket” financially, so they could perhaps protect and support their passion better?

Myles: If you want to play it safe, have a day job and do YouTube on your off time. I’ve always liked cooking for people and hosting friends at my house for an event so this is just a little way I can do that more and hopefully one day get paid for it. But honestly even if I don’t, I think I’ll still continue to do it. You can’t put a price on good friends and a nice experience.
Collin: Short answer, yes, that is the case for me. As far as advice, according to my previous answer, it looks like I was ready to put all my eggs in one basket! [laughs] Look, if it’s something that’s on your mind every single day, which it was on mine everyday for years, then you owe yourself to take the shot, especially if you’re young. I hear about people changing career paths in their 40’s and 50’s and still being successful. I figured, if they can do that, I owe myself to give it a shot in my 20’s or 30’s and ride it out. So I guess my advice is JUST DO IT.
Bert: Absolutely. My passion has been traveling for the past 10 years and I love the idea of combining YouTube and traveling, creating videos that are helpful and fun for people around the world to watch. Financially, I suggest people to diversify on their income sources, work side jobs. However, time is also a very important factor so if there is an opportunity that comes up, I recommend that they go for it because we only have one life.
Chris: My passion is Music. I wish I could have made a living off of that. When pursuing your passion that requires you taking risk. Risk that most people aren’t comfortable with. That’s one of the big differences between people who find success and those who don’t. People give up because the risk scares them. We have a saying where I’m from “Scared money don’t make money”. It’s the same for travel. Not everyone is built for this life. It’s really a leap of faith. It could end badly but you can’t think like that. Financially speaking you must save up, work odd jobs, do whatever it takes to give yourself a cushion or to word it better buy yourself some time. Everyone’s situation is different.

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What is the best comment you’ve ever received on your videos?

Myles: “The last video you did was weird, I’m glad you’re now going back to this type of video.” I love it because somebody noticed my style of video-making.
Collin: The best comments revolve around how the content can inspire and fulfill someone’s day. One that stands out is a ghost town exploration video I did and a guy who was in a wheelchair commented and thanked me for letting him live through me.
Bert: I got a very well-written email from a subscriber who told me he watched all my videos for Tirana. He went to all the places I recommended and he loved every single one of them. I feel my videos make a positive impact on people’s travel experience and that really connects with why I started my channel.
Chris: I’ve been recognized twice on the street now and it makes me feel bit odd, but very good.

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How do you handle negative comments?

Myles: I just deal with it and ignore the non-constructive comments.
Collin: Yeah the first few stung, and then you get over it. It’s normal. If it’s a personal insult, it doesn’t hurt anymore because it says more about that person than me. I do take the constructive criticisms and think about them. In general, my YouTube videos don’t get many negative comments but the comments I get on Facebook can be ruthless and out of context – I learned to never read them.
Bert: I take negative comments with a grain of salt and I try to reply with something positive and not stay on a foul track. I like to focus on improving myself so even if the comments are negative I take them as feedback; I try not to let them get to my good vibe.  
Chris: Thick-skinned. I don’t think too much about them. I’m going to be myself and do my thing…I don’t take them personal.

If you could change one thing about YouTube as a platform (assuming CEO Susan Wojcicki is listening), what would it be?

Myles: I wish YouTube would be more transparent about how the system works. If my videos are doing good and have a positive click-through rate, I wish they would push it more and encourage me that I’m on a good track.
Collin: Same thing. I was comparing my two videos and the click-through rate was higher in one video with more impressions, but the views were lower. I would say increase transparency with their new “creator studio” that was rolled out 1 year ago. I have the stats and data but there’s no point of contact I can talk to and learn more about them. Oh another one is please stop pushing click-bait videos that have titles that aren’t authentic and piss people off. “We got into a car crash!” for example.
Bert: There are so many things they can work on. Stop pushing pointless videos like “I’m shocked!”, “I’m stunned (by everything)”. They should take a closer look at the content YouTube is promoting, not relying too much on their mythical algorithm, rather a bit more humanly and manually. Also, they should give smaller creators a chance with clearer guidance, offer some touch-base when creators are qualified one way or another.
Chris: Stop the promotion of over-sexualization of women for the most part. This behavior is proven to allow channels to grow, for example with the guy showing the girlfriend’s body, or the lady willingly showing a lot of skin because she knows “it works”. This is very common with those “couples YouTubers” out there and they do grow and make tons of money. It is a big fraud and is worsening societal problems we have, for instance it doesn’t match what the #metoo movement some communities are trying to support. A camera guy showed me a 280,000-subs channel, basically the first 90 videos are all overtly sexual workout videos. Really?

It sounds like just as everything, a tool can be used for good or bad. How did you find the channels that are educational and high valued out there?

Myles: I would look someone up and generally you can tell if they’re being genuine or not.
Collin: I truly believe there is an audience out there for everyone. There are so many people in within the same niches that you could probably quite easily find someone that resonates with you. Just be aware when maybe someone doesn’t have your best interests at heart, say constantly trying to sell you stuff.
Bert: I put in the search words and assess if the creator is a charming, logical and truthful storyteller. The indicator for me is usually authenticity, it shows pretty quickly if they are true to themselves and their subscribers.
Chris: I discover YouTubers based off of what I search for. I don’t care about their number of views or subscribers. I usually click on the most recent video that comes up in search. For me what makes me approve or subscribe a channel is do I see myself hanging out with this person, if I can relate to them. The likability factor with me is huge.

YouTube has 2.3 billion active users on the planet with its revenue closing in on Netflix’s. It’s the second largest social and resource platform out there. Any other thoughts on using YouTube mindfully and wisely?

Myles: I would say just do some searches online, take everything you hear with a grain of salt. There’s a ton of pretenders on that platform so just be weary of what you’re taking as fact.
Collin: I think searching and sifting through the content is a skill in itself. I grew up on the computer so efficiency in sifting through the BS comes natural. What I like to tell people is this: Everybody is going to teach you what they know through what they learned in their own experience. Listen to everyone, but take only the bits and pieces that apply to yourself and what you are trying to achieve. If you can, find a group of other creators on a messaging app and participate. This was a big help for me while living in China and first starting out on YouTube. Take the feedback and criticism with an open mind and you’ll be better in the long run.
Bert: Personally I found the creators I know with substance through trial and error. You search, give it some time and see if the channel speaks to you. Use the “Not Interested” and “Don’t Recommend Channel” button on the top right corner of a thumbnail if you do not appreciate specific creators but YouTube keeps feeding them to your homepage. Check out the “Recommended For You” section because sometimes the algorithm does a good job profiling you. 
Chris: “How To” on YouTube is huge. It’s really the only thing I watch on YouTube at this point. For me I just search the thing I am interested in learning and try a few random channels out. For me I will stick with the creator that I personally connect with. Doesn’t have to be the biggest channel but the person I could see hanging out with. YouTube is so over saturated with content at this point it’s a minefield. It’s just trial and error.

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This is a Black Mirror-inspired question. The episode “Nosedive” depicts a world where your social status and accessibility are dependent on how popular you are online. How do “likes” affect you?

Myles: I am always on my phone and I feel like everyone in the room has the same opinion. We’re connected to social media and we have to be on them. Likes – I want to get the most I can get but I don’t feel better or worse based on the number of likes.
Collin: I don’t even look at the likes but my mood is affected by the traffic (views) of my videos. Usually, I am sensitive the week after I release a video because I put so much time and work into it.
Bert: Sincere comments are so much more important to me than likes. 
Chris: It doesn’t affect me. Done is done, you have to keep going. Focus on now.

How do you balance between having an active and demanding life in the digital (online) world, and living a fully present life offline?

Myles: There’s a time and place for everything. Don’t feel like you need to share everything all the time online. Keep certain things to yourself and off limits.
Collin: I’ve always told myself, “Don’t rush the content.” If I am just posting just to stay “consistent” then it’s not going to come from the heart. I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I can take that stance. With that being said though, I am actively getting back into the groove of consistency. I think with a lot of us, the pandemic really threw us off kilter. So now, I just gotta get back on track. As far as offline, it’s tough, since I love the internet so much! But literally just getting out of the house, sometimes without the phone, really does a lot to make you feel balanced. Also, meditation helps a lot too.
Bert: I may have phone addiction so I am working on that. I try to set a few hours a day when I do not open any social media apps. I go for walks to explore the city I am in and enjoy the local life.
Chris: I put my personal life above all. I create content on social media for fun. My content is about my life so it makes it easier merging the two. The better my personal life is the better my content is.

Working as a freelancer you will need to be very organized in releasing videos on time and keeping to a tight schedule. How do you keep up?

Myles: It’s hard and it doesn’t always happen. All you can do is try to keep improving yourself.
Collin: Just having your own deadlines and sticking to them. Not something I’ve been good at lately but I’m making efforts to get back on-track. I feel it’s also quite important otherwise a month goes by and you look back and think “What the heck did I do this whole month?” I feel like it’ll be an ongoing balancing act.
Bert: I try to allocate 2-3 hours a day to edit and same amount for filming, sometimes I edit or film for 8 hours respectively. What I recently started doing for focus is to turn off my social media notifications so I am not “summoned” by them like a dog playing endless fetch.
Chris: I try not to set deadlines when it comes to my creative work. To me it’s done when it’s done. Stress kills creativity. I don’t want to become a content creator that needs to keep pushing out videos just to feed an algorithm. So no release schedule.

Another Black Mirror-inspired question. The episode “Smithereens” goes at the toxicity and manipulation of social media keeping us addicted to and relying on them for validation. What is your view on using social media or the Internet, and not being consumed by it?

Myles: I’m the same person online and offline so I know who I am and I don’t need validation from anyone. Take a break sometimes and enjoy the life you live.
Collin: Yea, I believe that, actually. It’s hard not to be consumed by it, especially when you make your income from it. Some days it sucks me in. Other days, I make an effort to not use it as much. Usually you can feel whether what you’re scrolling though is actually helping you or if you’re just doing it to pass the time.
Bert: I only use social media professionally and to stay in contact with friends and family. I try not to use any of these platforms excessively but I have to admit that even using them professionally I do end up scrolling too much, but, I notice it now at least.
Chris: As a content creator, social media is my outlet. Not only YouTube, I post a lot on Instagram. These are my 2 most used platforms for sharing my content. My personal views on both are mixed, to be honest. As a content creator I don’t play the algorithm game on either platform. I post what I want when I want. I am trying my best not to be part of the machine. As a consumer on the platforms, I only consume what my actual friends post. I spend very little time on YouTube and Instagram (as a consumer).

Can you share with us a channel or content creator you respect and absorb healthy energy from?

Myles: I have a love-hate relationship with Food Ranger.
Collin: I love this channel LEMMiNO, he makes the coolest videos. Ray William Johnson Equals 3 is a huge inspiration figure for me.
Bert: I love Anthony Bourdain for his passion and respect for different cultures. People are always the backbone of his stories. I also love Andrew Zimmern from “Bizarre Foods”. For YouTube channel, I like The Best Ever Food Review Show.
Chris: Harald Baldr, mainly because of his unapologetic approach to life and YouTube. He does not edit his videos and he does not play the game.

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What is your passion? 

Myles: Storytelling.
Collin: Creating videos.  
Bert: Enjoying where I am, appreciating the culture and place.
Chris: Life, and to be able to travel.  

What visuals, feelings, smells come up when you think of the word “passion”?

Myles: I think of…love, or females.
Collin: Traveling.
Bert: Passion fruit gelato and inspirational music such as Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’.
Chris: I see beautiful open ocean with a beach.

Is there a particular book, song, or movie that has an impact on you? If you could choose a theme song for your life and channel, which song is it?

Myles: I wonder, Kanye West. It’s a vibe.
Collin: The Beach and (The Fast and The Furious) Tokyo Drift had an impact on my wanderlust before moving abroad! [laughs]Theme song is a tough one. I really resonated with the song and music video by Clean Bandit – No place I’d Rather Be. It still gives me chills hearing that opening chord. Oh also, Yellow Claw’s (& LNY TNZ’s) Last Night Ever.
Bert: Movie would be Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and song is Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), a song that inspired me when I was in junior high. They both still remind me of my youth and the spirit to live life to the fullest.
Chris: There is a book called The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck that had a big impact on my ability to focus on me and not waste time on things what weren’t important to my life. Theme song for my life or channel, that’s easy – Doin’ Me by Mikey Mike.

As content creators, who or which organization would you want to collaborate with, to create the biggest impact for a cause that matters to you? We may have readers who work in these places and they can reach out to you.

Myles: Gordan Ramsay, obviously he’s the biggest star in the industry and he’s done a bunch of shows like kitchen nightmares where they go and help struggling restaurants improve and he’s got a lot of innovative ideas.
Collin: Any organizations that help animals!
Bert: I’d like to help create habitats and help people off the streets. I don’t know why we still have so many homeless people in 2021.
Chris: Organizations that tackle underground and underage sex trade in the world.

If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be and why?

Myles: Alex Jones. I want to understand all the conspiracies.
Collin: Tastebud Takeover…just kidding. I want to be somebody who is currently in space.
Bert: I like being me.
Chris: I wouldn’t be anybody else.

If you were to pick your spirit animal, what would you pick, and why?

Myles: Probably a cat because I’m either in a “give me attention” or a “don’t touch me or I’ll claw your face off” mood! And I love naps.
Collin: Another question I haven’t really thought about! Probably a beaver or something. They’re always building stuff and that’s really what my life has become. Building, creating content, one piece at a time.
Bert: Dolphin because I am friendly and playful! And I love to be in the water.
Chris: The Lion because it represents strength and courage.

Can you share a piece of advice for people who want to start their channel or creative project right now?

Myles: The computer is really important and you should make sure it’s optimized to do what you have to do. Besides, remember that it’s going to be a while and it’s not a sure thing. You have to be patient and brave to see how it turns out.
Collin: Unless you’re very lucky, your first 20 to 40 videos are going to suck. Always strive to improve and focus on the improvement. Choose a topic and literally take action, make 20 videos or whatever that means in your industry, then observe the feedback and the direction your project is heading. Pay attention to what resonates most with your audience – this helps you make better decision.
Bert: To become a serious YouTuber is not a sprint. Always treat people with respect no matter how big or small a following they have; be sincere no matter how big or small a following you have. Don’t get cocky. Just be nice and think good things will happen.
Chris: Don’t worry what everyone else is going to think about you. Just do it. It’s a long journey – don’t worry about the numbers, keep doing it. Your tribe will find you…take your time.

Where are you now and what can viewers expect to see coming out from your channel over the next few weeks?

Myles: Currently I’m in Kenya. I’m developing a new street food series that no one is doing at the moment so I’m pretty happy to have come up with something unique.
Collin: Kenya! I’ll have a video out on June 15^th!
Bert: I’m in Belgrade, Serbia. You can expect to see a lot of unique food and urban exploration videos coming out! My next shooting location should be Thailand so if you love Southeast Asian or spicy food, make sure to subscribe and hit the bell button! [laughs]
Chris: I am currently living in Tirana, Albania. This place has become a home base for me. I am doing a lot of live streams currently and editing videos I recently shot in Istanbul, Turkey. I think raw, honest live streams is the future. People like to see random stuff happening.

If your channel is erased today, what one message would you want to tell the world?

Myles: I didn’t commit suicide! [laughs] Life is short, nothing matters, have fun, be nice.
Collin: If you want to travel, do it. It’s not as hard as you think.  
Bert: Don’t let money run your life. Be more adventurous, take more chances.
Chris: Don’t take life so seriously and it’ll be a fun ride. Peace out.

Here are the YouTubers’ channels and social handles.
Subscribe to support them; and message to make new friends 🙂

YouTube: Tastebud Takeover 
Instagram: tastebud_takeover

YouTube: Collin Abroadcast
Instagram: collinabroadcast 
https://abroadcast.com/

YouTube: Food x Bert 
Instagram: foodxbert

YouTube: Cris4tay 
Instagram: Cris4tay 

We hope you enjoyed this interview!

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