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 creator has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments here.
When Josh and Sandy started a YouTube channel, they weren’t actually trying to become “YouTubers.”
They just wanted to keep in touch with family–and, when you’re in the U.S. Marine Corps, that’s not the easiest thing.
Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
Josh is a currently serving Marine, and when he, Sandy, and their kids were first stationed on a base away from the rest of their family, they started to feel like they were “drifting away” from those they loved, Sandy tells Tubefilter. To ease that feeling and give their family members a window into their far-away lives, they started a YouTube channel where they could upload home videos.
What they didn’t expect was that people outside their family would start watching those videos.
Like, a lot of people.
And, now, more than one million people tune in for videos starring Sandy (aka JMom), Josh (aka JDad), and their kids Priscilla, Maddy, Anthony, and Liam (with videos edited by their daughter Sabrina).
Check out our chat with Sandy below.
Tubefilter: So first, congratulations on hitting a million subscribers! How does it feel to hit a million? What do you have to say to your fans?
JKrew: The feeling is surreal. It has always been a goal of ours and we can’t believe we have one million fans subscribed to our channel. First and foremost, a huge thank you is in order. So thank you to all of our fans who’ve contributed to achieving our goal. We will always continue to strive to please our fans and appreciate how they have always stuck together.
Tubefilter: For those who may not know you, tell us about all the members of your family!
JKrew: We are a family of seven, yes seven, and there is never a dull moment in the JKrew household. Josh aka JDad is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Sandy aka JMom is a stay-at-home mom who homeschools Priscilla, Maddy, Anthony, and Liam. Sabrina aka Bini is the editor behind JKrew.
Tubefilter: How did you end up on YouTube? What made you want to create a channel?
JKrew: We ended up on YouTube to share videos and experiences with friends and family of our activities between the various duty stations that we experienced during 2017 when we actually started to drift away from family due to JDad’s professional obligations. The kids actually wanted to record a fully edited video like other YouTubers were doing at the time. As parents, we had no clue where to start, but we just jumped in and learned on the fly. Now, here we are, one million subscribers later.
Tubefilter: Was there a particular moment when you realized YouTube could be a regular or even full-time thing?
JKrew: I guess the moment that YouTube was considered a regular/full-time thing was when we actually started to receive emails about brand deals and getting monetized on YouTube. However, there has always been that feeling that my military service would be our full-time thing and YouTube more of a part-time thing.
Tubefilter: How does your family come up with video ideas? Do you work on them together?
JKrew: We spend a lot of time together as a family, whether it’s just us or extended family as well. When we sit around the table during breakfast, lunch, or dinner we end up talking about video ideas. YouTube has become part of our everyday lives and so have our fans. We listen a lot to our fans, whether it’s through comments or emails, and constantly get new ideas from them as well.
Tubefilter: We notice you’re very clear about saying JKrew’s social media accounts are managed by a parent. What are some of the challenges of running a channel where your kids are the stars?
JKrew: We want to make sure our fans and fans’ parents know that we as parents are just as involved in the content that is published as our children. Yes, I would like to say we as JDad and JMom are stars too, lol, but nonetheless, we make it known that there are guidelines and rules which our children follow when creating content and that we are there every step of the way. The number one goal above all else is that we are all having fun.
Tubefilter: What does an average day (if such a thing exists) in the JKrew household look like? Do you have dedicated filming days/times? What are schedules like with school? Do you have a set posting schedule?
JKrew: I would love to say that our days can be measured and average in the JKrew household, but…that’s never the case, hahaha. We’ve always wanted structured days for filming and whatnot, but we honestly film when it’s convenient and when ideas come about. The kids are all homeschooled, as previously mentioned, and school is the obvious priority. We do, however, have a set posting schedule, but filming in advance really gives us the flexibility to film on the “fly.”
Tubefilter: What’s your family’s favorite thing about being on YouTube?
JKrew: Our favorite thing about YouTube is truly the fans. Seeing the messages that pour in about how we have changed the lives of so many fans who follow our journey, from helping with self-esteem to cheering someone up when they are having a bad day, to just bringing the everyday laugh, is so rewarding in our eyes as a family. We try our best to make funny, entertaining, and enjoyable videos for fans to watch.
Tubefilter: Do you have any upcoming plans? Any cool projects you can talk about? Let us know!
JKrew: We actually have some exciting news: We are launching a new channel. It’s going to be real, fun, healthy, and entertaining all in one. I can’t disclose what the channel will be right now, but if you’d like to be the first to know, stay tuned!!!
