Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.
This installment of YouTube Millionaires is brought to you by Epoxy. 
Jack Baran is evolving into one of YouTube’s most versatile vloggers. The 19-year-old from Fairfield, Connecticut creates videos on his thatsojack YouTube channel, where he has more than 1.6 million subscribers. His content covers a wide variety of topics: He discusses his favorite music, shares his tastes in fashion, produces skits and sketches that often discuss the differences between guys and girls, and collaborates with many of his fellow creators. Here’s our chat with Baran concerning his digital work:
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Tubefilter: How does it feel to have one million subscribers? What do you have to say to your fans?
Jack Baran: I’ve always been so excited to have an outreach and influence, even when I had 100 subscribers. I don’t let the number scare me and although it can be overwhelming, I appreciate everyone who watches and follows me. My dedicated followers will be most impacted by what I have to offer.
TF: With so many vloggers on YouTube, what do you think makes you unique?
JB: I’m a perfectionist with taste and strong insight. Not only do I work to make my content perfect, I make sure I like everything about it. I care about everything…background music, wardrobe, lighting, color correction, titles, intros, outros, and of course making creative content. I’ve made plenty of videos that I see other creators in my space taking inspiration from. I also make sure my content is meaningful and nowhere near surface level. I don’t think superficially so I don’t act like that online.
TF: Where does your style inspiration come from? How does that apply to the kind of content you share?
JB: My style pretty much originated from being a risk taker way back when I was a student, just like most of my viewers. I was always stepping out of my comfort zone at a time in my life where conformity was strong. This helped me build confidence in myself and in fashion as I expanded my taste and grew with it. Now I feel comfortable in most anything and apply that to my content by sharing variety. One of my lookbooks is actually themed specifically to the prep style I struggled with growing up in an East Coast town.
TF: How would you say your videomaking style has changed since you first got started on YouTube?
JB: I make completely different videos now. I was a little kid when I first started posting, so it’s safe to say I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I like to create. I made some pretty immature videos, and when I watch them now, I actually cringe at whom I represented myself as. But I’m glad I’ve had so much room to improve. I always get comments about how much I’ve grown up and matured, so it’s nice to know people recognize that we’ve all had a past.
TF: How do you use YouTube as a platform to share your musical tastes?
JB: I always look for an opportunity to feature one of my favorite new or underground artists. Sometimes I create an entire video around one song, as you’ll find in my lookbooks. Other times, I’ll feature a playlist in my series “My Favorite Songs You’ve Never Heard.” I’m currently working on a “get ready with me”-style video that’s edited like one of my lookbooks, showcasing my current favorite artist Astronomy. In addition, I am also in the midst of developing a short video project for linear television that will intertwine my interests in music and fashion.
TF: Since you have a mix of female and male viewers, how do you balance the content when it comes to fashion?
JB: I always make sure to offer content that can be entertaining and beneficial to both female and male viewers. When I make a lookbook I go beyond putting outfits together for myself, since that would only hit one demo. For my female audience, I showcase a friend wearing a comparable look and give details on how to achieve it. My content is for people of all genders and ages.
TF: Are there YouTubers you would like to collaborate with, beyond those with whom you’ve already made videos?
JB: I would love to make a video with Gigi Gorgeous. We’ve met and talked a few times but I want to know more about her. Her story is really intriguing and I can imagine she’s great to converse with.
TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans?
JB: Just doing more of what I like. I’m excited to further explore my current interests. I’ve found that when my viewers see I love something, they love it too. Outside of my YouTube channel, I’m currently working on a few properties I think my audience will respond very well to. Everything is an hourglass waiting game, so I’m excited to finally release the projects I’ve been working on.
This installment of YouTube Millionaires is brought to you by Epoxy, the premier company that helps multi-platform creators and digital networks distribute videos, engage with fans, measure success, and grow their communities across the social web. Check out Epoxy’s new Sharing Studio, a place for quickly creating and distributing native social content from your YouTube channels.
