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.
What exactly is going on in the intros of all those cartoons you watched as a kid? That’s the question the creator known as Berleezy answers in Exposed, the most popular series on his YouTube channel. Berleezy, whose channel also features skits and vlogs, used YouTube as an outlet for his comedy while simultaneously attending college. Now that he’s graduated, he’s ready to move on to the next phase of his online video career, which will feature plenty of fresh content for his fans. Here’s our chat with him:
Tubefilter: How does it feel to have more than one million subscribers on your channel? What do you have to say to your fans?
Berleezy: It is easy to feel overwhelmed. I try to remind myself that I actually achieved one million subscribers. I try not to lose sight of that because YouTube has definitely turned into a rat race. It is easy to feel discouraged; one million today doesn’t feel as distant as it did when I first started. To my fans, I say thank you for finding my stuff to be worth subscribing to. And I hope I continue to keep you all entertained within the scope of my abilities.
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TF: What is it about your personality that you think so many people find enjoyable?
BL: I believe it is how accurate I am with the way I make fun of things. My audience is young, so when I say something like “Numbah 1 looks like a baby Pitbull”, it may not make sense to most people. But look it up! I promise you that you will agree. My delivery helps too. I’m loud, but a fun, kind, and accurate loud.
TF: Have you ever heard from people who worked on the shows you “exposed” in your videos?
BL: No, not yet at least. I can’t imagine what they would say! Believe it or not, I tried to remain respectful. Dora the Explorer got it the worst. I would love to hear from Butch Hartman. I loved his shows, so whenever one of his showed up, I tried to articulate myself well. So funny, right? He is the man.
TF: What do you think it is about cartoon intros that makes them so much fun to make fun of?
BL: I think because all of us have seen them thousands of times. Not everyone may have seen a specific episode, but when you hear that song and see the intro, it brings everyone back to some point in their life. Cartoon intros force people to reminisce, and my Exposed videos speak on the things everyone see, but don’t recognize.
TF: What’s your personal favorite episode of Exposed you’ve ever made?
BL: My personal favorite would have to be “Recess: Exposed.” That video was right up my alley in terms of what I find funny. The first joke, “LOOK AT THIS TALL ASS FEMALE!!,” is my favorite. The inflections in sounds can literally be the joke itself. So many quotable lines, and I remember I was in my garage laughing while making the video.
TF: How long does it take to write and film one of your sketches?
BL: Most of my sketches have been improv, which is something I am changing as I continue. If I come up with a concept, I’ll usually explain it to my team and we just flesh out ideas together. Then the plot forms, we pick the characters, and we act it out. A lot of bloopers, but worth it every time. As I grow as a writer, however, I have been creating more scripts. Improv usually creates longer projects, where scripts give us concrete guidelines, which I prefer.
TF: It seems like your activity has slowed down lately. Would you say the YouTube grind has affected you?
BL: I think it’s a number of things. Kids rule YouTube, and they need new content everyday. The kind of videos I do (Exposed, skits, vlogs) take time to perfect. Most other YouTubers have a team working for them (which I have started doing), or they react to other people’s projects. That is so crazy to me, but as time goes on I realize I am doing the same thing. My Exposed is just me “reacting” to cartoon intros, its just scripted. On top of feeling like I need time, having two channels is harder than it looked when I started. I’m still grinding, but I’m loading up on content so I can keep a schedule going. I believe summer will be my season to heat up the internet again.
TF: What are some other types of content you’d like to explore?
BL: Stand up comedy for sure. Gaming commentary lends itself to just talking and cracking jokes, and because my videos are usually close to an hour, I think I have a decent chance at it.
TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans?
BL: I’m going to start making music this summer, as well as creating new content focused on motivating the youth. It’s hard to explain right now, but I used to make videos where I would really just talk to the people. The goal is to keep these videos relatable, informative, funny, and motivational. Exposed videos will be making a return, but I don’t want to box myself in as the Exposed guy. I’m more than that.
