Do you ever cross paths with a person in life that ends up changing your whole direction? Casey Nesitat was that person for me, and for so many creators around the world. How has Casey Neistat changed your life?
Life is funny sometimes: we may think that we have concrete plans of where we want to be or think we know exactly how it’s going to happen, but one thing or person might cross your path and ultimately change your life. In the case of upcoming YouTuber, Alex Gassaway, she graduated in 2014 and her plan was to pursue a career as a producer in Hollywood. The only catch was that she was living in St.Luis at the time, and was hopping on every opportunity she could to work in the film industry in hopes of getting the lucky chance to move out to Los Angeles. She was deep into her set path, until one day her friend asks her a mundane out of the blue question: Have you heard of Casey Neistat? That question ended up changing the course of her entire life.
When it comes to the YouTube space and the world of daily vlogging, the person who single handedly changed the game was Casey Neistat. His raw energy and excitement came through in each video he produced, and he was able to show us (the audience) New York City through his own lens. A few months ago, Nesitat hosted an event called “368 Creators Offline” where he invited rising YouTube personalities to his creative hub in the heart of New York City called 368. The event was put together in an effort to bring together the community of online content creators and allow them to connect in real life. In this thought provoking and personal, video, Gassaway reflects on her journey to pursue her dreams and plays homage to Neistats’ impact on her. In the video, she roams the streets of New York City, and recreates pictures that show her standing in front of the most recognizable places that she had seen in Casey’s vlogs.
After watching this video, it made me realize that Neistat had also changed my life. After first seeing my first Casey Neistat video five years ago, he has inspired me to believe in my visions and to tell my own story no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. He broke down the conventional notions of film making and revolutionized how we see film making. Film making and photography are more accessible then ever these days, so there is no excuse to not making your vision a reality. This outlook on film making has gotten me out into the world, and inspired me to create something new everyday.
How has Casey Neistat change your life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!