So you’ve probably already watched my video on this subject, because you’re probably like me and have a short attention span when it comes to blogs, so given the opportunity to watch a video instead, you jump for it. Or that’s just what I posted first. Hm. Ok, and also, I would just like to warn you/ apologize for the fact that this blog will probably take forever to load. There are a lot of pictures.
I’ll try to keep this blog snappy and not dwell too much on things. I know I have a problem with that. Ok. Deep breath. Ready?
This is Michael Buckley, known online as What The Buck for his wildly popular YouTube mock entertainment show. He is in his 30s and very flamboyantly gay, and his interview at VidCon was the best presentation BY FAR. He is so bubbly and happy and entertaining, and he is an inspiration to anyone wishing to make it big on YouTube. I’ve been watching him for about a year and a half now. He was the first person I met at VidCon, and he was SO NICE. He gave me a hug!
Now to the right is Wheezy Waiter, real name Craig something. (I don’t actually know.) He is someone I only recently started watching, back in January when the VlogBrothers plugged him. He’s really funny and nice in person too. He just seems so humble and interesting. AND, just recently, he finally quit his “real” job to pursue YouTube FULL TIME! So, congrats to him!*
Ok so back to the left of the screen. This is Alex Day, known on YouTube as Nerimon. I feel like a broken record, but he was also REALLY NICE in person! I actually talked to him a couple times and thus he spurred inspiration for the song Pen Pal, which will come out on Sunday. (Or, if it’s already Sunday when you’re reading this, I’ll have a link up) Alex is popular not only for his music but for his “Alex Reads Twilight” series, in which he walks you through a chapter or two at a time of Twilight and mocks it. Even as a Twilight fan, I find it hilarious. He played a set during the first concert, on Friday, and he was PHENOMENAL. He blew every other musician that weekend out of the water. I mean, his music wasn’t as good as some of them (but it was still great) but he worked the stage like NO OTHER.**
AND back over to the right. (Sorry the pictures are kind of eating the post but I want you to be able to SEE them) This is Hank Green, the primary organizer of VidCon and one half of the VlogBrothers channel. While VidCon was going on, his channel hit the top 100 subscribed channels on YouTube! So CONGRATS, Hank! He was kind of in a hurry when I attacked him for a picture, but he still took it for me. And then I watched him at the songwriter’s panel and he was hillarious. I don’t have as big of a nerd crush on him as I do his brother because Hank isn’t a writer, but I still have one.
Back over on the left here, this is Brett the Intern. He recently rose to the spotlight as the Station’s second channel vlogger, giving you charming behind the scenes looks at the goings on of YouTube’s first power channel. He was really tall but also really sweet in person, and he was the second guy to agree to saying the site’s slogan on film. (You’ll see it when I start posting videos again.)
And back on your right, OMG IT’S JOHN GREEN. Before the picture, a story. On Thursday night, Craig and I were walking around the [mostly empty] floor where VidCon was to take place the very next day. There was a room where people were hurriedly stuffing the free crap into custom VidCon tote bags. We peeked in as we walked by and OMG JOHN GREEN APPEARED. At this time, I was wearing my red pizza shirt that shows his face, and I basically just stood there in the doorway staring at him in excitement. I don’t think he or anyone else saw me, but still. Craig ran to the elevators in shame. Whatever. He was really nice when I met him in a non creepy way. If you haven’t read Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, or Will Grayson Will Grayson, shame on you. Go read them.
So there isn’t really a lot to say about this picture, although it’s a good picture. This is the viral star of Chocolate Rain, and as an internet geek I couldn’t help but ask for a picture. Craig pointed out later that he would have been a great person to say my slogan out loud (because he has an uber deep voice), but I couldn’t find him again. 
Back on your right are the stars of Barats and Bereta, two of the only people I met who my brother knew/actually cared about. They are hilarious and I’ve probably been watching them the longest out of everyone I got pictures with. I can only hope that they start making videos more regularly again. Because they’re nice and funny and I like them.
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It’s MysteryGuitarMan, real name Joe Pena. He’s Brazilian and he is one of the most talented people on YouTube. His videos, while they may be a lot shorter than most peoples, are intricate and clever and I can’t believe he spends so much time making them. He is truly a talent to look out for. Other claims to fame: he directed the stop motion phenomenon Teeshirt War for Rhett and Link. He was one of the people I actually stood in line to meet.
SEXY PHIL! I think he was also going somewhere when I accosted him for a picture, but he was really nice about it AND also said my slogan. His interview onstage by John Green was both charming and funny. My dad actually introduced me to him, even though my dad doesn’t actually watch much YouTube.
On your left is Damian of the channel makemebad35. Although his videos are often lewd and kind of bizarre, he was really chill and nice in person. I actually kept running into him. We were on the same elevator twice. The second time, it was a pretty crowded elevator so when the ride was interrupted by people also wanting a ride and they couldn’t get on, a guy yelled, as the doors were closing, “ARE YOU MAKE ME BAD??” and Damian was like “Yes!” and then the doors closed and everyone in the elevator laughed.
The first thing I said to Ze Frank came out all jumbled and stupid because I was so nervous and excited to meet him. He is the GOD of vlogging, the ORIGINAL. He was popular back in 2006 for his vlog “The Show with Ze Frank“, and even though I found him four years after it ended, I’m still a fangirl. He’s intelligent and inspiring and hilarious (as shown by his face in this picture), and I was so awed to be able to meet and talk to him.
This is Tyler Oakley. He was first introduced to me by Craig with his video about the different types of poop. I told him this as we were taking a picture and he laughed and said “wow that was a long time ago!” He was bubbly and hilarious and he recognized/waved at Craig and I later that day as we walked back from lunch. I was surprised and enthused to realize that he is just as genuine as he seems online.
The cute red headed boy to your right is Charlie McDonnell, known on YouTube as Charlieissocoollike. He is the #1 most subscribed UK YouTuber, and it’s well deserved. He is best friends/ roommates with Alex Day. I felt really bad for him because there was a mob of teenage girls (I’m not kidding, there were like 100 of them***) vying to get a picture and a hug, and he was really shy and awkward. I tried to make my picture as painless as possible for him, but I really wanted a picture too.
This is Will, who has 2 shows on YouTube on his channel. YouTube Winners and Losers, is where he tells about the movement within the top 100 subscribed and decides who wins for the week and who loses. YouTube News is where he just discusses, well, news related to YouTube. I originally subscribed to him through his roommate, RayWilliamJohnson, and then came to love him on his own. He was really sweet and bubbly in real life.
This next picture is monumental because it is the ONLY picture I took with a female. This is Julia Nunes, a musician who is awesome and funny and cool. I kind of stalked her for this picture and then I rambled incoherently about thinking she was funny and great at music before blushing and running away. Throughout the conference I kept telling Craig how much I hated girls***, or at least 95% of them. Julia is in the other 5%. As is Rachel. And Betsy. (HI!) (Also… I look stupid in this picture. Ignore that, please)
This picture was taken on the last day of the conference, while this poor man was in line at Starbucks for breakfast and I accosted him. He is 1/2 of the channel RhettandLink. He is the only 1/2 I met, even though I stared at the other 1/2 from afar before chickening out. I showed my mom his video “Teeshirt War”, which I already kind of talked about earlier on in this obscenely long blog. I told him that she didn’t believe YouTube was cool before I showed her that video, and he was like “So this is for your mom?” and I said “yes” and walked away.****
DAN BROWN! (Not the author of the DaVinci Code) He’s looking in a different direction because as his girlfriend was taking a picture with MY camera (I know, awkward, right? But she was nice) the official YouTube photographer was also taking a picture. Dan announced the much anticipated “secret project” he’s been working on for a while on the second day of the conference. He calls it “Dan 3.o” and it’s basically a year long vlog project in which his viewers will vote on his website for what he should do every day of every week of every month for a year. I’m still kicking myself for being too shy to tell him about Bri 2.0, which I’ve been doing for almost a year and would have been TOTALLY APPLICABLE to the conversation we had.
These are the boys of Smosh, Ian and Anthony. For those of you who aren’t obsessively familiar with YouTube, you’ll probably recognize them as the Pokemon guys. They made their initial fame from singing along to the Pokemon theme song, and although it was taken down from their channel due to copyright infringement, loyal fans continue to post it up on other channels so it lives on. Although their videos aren’t as funny any more, the guys were really nice about my huge backpack that I hit them with on accident.*****
Ok, last picture, I SWEAR. This is Stephen of 3sixty5days and ApartmentRed. He’s Irish and has an adorable accent, and he was also really nice. This picture was actually taken earlier on, but I forgot to upload it with the first group so it’s stuck here. He was also really nice and soon he will be retweeting the tweet I tweeted with this picture as an @ reply. (If that sentence made any sense to you, I’m impressed)
So there’s my BLOG version of my VidCon recap. If you haven’t already, watch the video and then come back tomorrow for my blog that’s mildly related.
*I bought his band’s CD at the DFTBA Records booth mostly because he was there and I knew he’d sign it for me. And then I listened to it this morning and it was actually really good! Worth it.
**he threw glitter into the crowd. ALSO. In one of our conversations he told me that he didn’t perform hardly at all. So he’s a natural, then.
***I think I’m going to post a follow up VidCon blog on this subject tomorrow. About girls. Obviously.
****That was a GREAT story, Bri. Do you have time to tell it again? SHUT UP.
*****I got kicked out of my room early because they had to clean it for other arriving guests, so I had to carry around all of my stuff for an hour and a half.
