TubeTalk: Your YouTube How-To Guide

From Tape Measures To TV: When A Pencil Beats The Algorithm

• vidIQ • Season 6 • Episode 14

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We catch up with Leah from See Jane Drill on how clear teaching, close-ups, and kindness turned simple tools into viral lessons, brand partnerships, a TV series, and even a White House visit. From trades advocacy to the Ugly House rebuild, the message stays the same: you can do this.

• making the leap from trades instructor to YouTube creator
• why women and young people are vital to the trades
• close-ups, no assumptions, and truly evergreen content
• viral hits from simple tools and clear titles
• turning recognition into community and confidence
• handling sponsors with care and long-term mindset
• from YouTube to History Channel’s Secret Restoration
• on-set realities, showrunners, and story prep
• the Florida move and the Ugly House renovation
• doors opened by YouTube, including the White House

Click the link in the description below. We have an AI coach that will literally go through your channel, look at all the stuff you’ve done, all the performing high videos, and give you a bunch of ideas


Welcome And Mission Of The Show

SPEAKER_01

It felt like this instant connection with people that were beyond the camera. So I knew it was really, really important to teach in a way where people could actually see what was going on.

SPEAKER_00

Welcome back to the only podcast that's here to help you build your channel, even if we're helping you build your house. I'm your host, Travis, as I'm here all the time talking to some of the most interesting creators on the platform. And today I have someone who's not only interesting, but actually a personal friend of mine. C. Jane Drill is Leah. And Leah, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for having me, Travis. It's a pleasure to be here.

Leah’s Path Into The Trades

SPEAKER_00

It's so cool to uh have an excuse to get caught up. I was just telling Leah before we went live that uh basically we're just gonna get caught up and we're just gonna do it in a podcast, which is great. Be able to talk to each other, see what we've been up to, and uh lots of fun times. If you're new here though, uh I help you grow your YouTube channel sometimes through advice, but sometimes through just talking to other creators and seeing how they did it. And one of the cool things about the series I'm doing at this moment is people like Leah who have taken something that they were already passionate about and made into a successful YouTube channel. Let's talk a little bit about where you started before YouTube. So we're not even talking about even uploading anything. What were you doing before YouTube?

SPEAKER_01

Well, um, right before YouTube, I was a trades instructor in Seattle, Washington. And I came there by way of being in construction in Cleveland, Ohio for many, many, many, in fact, all my adult life. And so when I moved to Seattle, I got a job as a trades instructor working with pre-apprenticists and uh those that wanted to get into the construction field. It was in partnership with the unions there in Seattle, Washington. So that's what I was doing.

SPEAKER_00

So what kind of things were you constructing? Because someone hears construction, you're thinking across on the road, you know, they're driving through and someone's building a bridge or something like that. What kind of things were you doing?

SPEAKER_01

Well, back in Cleveland, it was uh just renovations. I was a carpenter and I was a journeyman plaster. Then when I moved to Seattle, it was strictly in the classroom and teaching uh young uh pre-apprentices before they started their their um apprenticeship programs with whatever trade they were gonna go into. If they were gonna be a pipe fitter or a carpenter or sheet metal worker, they started off in my classroom before they started their official apprenticeships with the unions.

SPEAKER_00

I'm gonna point something out that's very obvious. And uh I know it's kind of unusual, but in the trade that you're in, you're a woman. I hate to say it like that, but you are the minority in this trade, in this business, in this industry, which I would uh guess at least at the beginning was kind of hard. Were people hard on you? Did people not respect you? Or how did that work out for you?

SPEAKER_01

Travis, it was awful. I gotta tell you. It was so tough. It was like climbing Mount Everest. But what I want to say today, that has changed. You know, it's very, very welcoming, the trades. The trades are dying for people. They want women, they want young people because the workforce has really gotten older. You know, what people don't understand about the trades is, and this is really important, and I want to say this here because I've been thinking about this for a few days, and that is with artificial intelligence and people worried about having their positions replaced and all like that, okay? The trades are something that you can go into, make a living wage, make a, in fact, a really great living, and they pay you to go to school. They pay you while you learn. You go into an apprenticeship, usually it's about four years. They can be as short as two, but as long as five and six. But while you're in that apprenticeship program, they're paying you while you learn. And each year it becomes more and more and more until you become a journeyman, and then you're making big, you're just making great money. So I would really encourage people to check it out because with all the student loan and jobs being replaced, the union, the the trades, that's really a viable option for a lot of people. They don't realize it.

Why Start A YouTube Channel

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's very, I'm glad you said that because uh it's very worrisome for white collar. We've heard some really interesting things in the news. I don't want to go too much in that because it's it kind of worries me a little bit, but you bring up a good point that there are other ways uh to have a good, sustainable living. Okay, so you're you're professional, you're actually teaching in Seattle and such. Why you what happened? How did the YouTube thing happen? What made you even upload for the first time? Uh who told you about YouTube? What made you go? This is something I want to show.

SPEAKER_01

I gotta tell you, this here's the thing. I remember when YouTube first came out, and it was like, honestly, Travis, I said, that's ridiculous. What kind of application could that have? People just uploading, you know, silly, because that's how it started, right? People were just uploading anything. And then I realized in my class that my students, they hadn't taken shop in high school. A lot of them knew nothing about tools, because you know, schools today are very focused on, you know, science and math and and English. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I I think there needs to be more balance because not everyone is going into math or science. Some people just want to go into the trades. So they took that out of the classroom, but my students knew nothing about how to repair anything. And I remember one day my one of my students came to me and said, you know, Leah, this is the kind of thing that everybody needs to know. Have you thought about doing something and putting something on YouTube? And I hadn't. And then it was just like, wow, that's that's a great idea. So that's how CJ Angel got started, just to make it accessible for everyone, especially homeowners that didn't know the first thing about making repairs around their house.

First Videos And Teaching On Camera

SPEAKER_00

Do you remember what it was like uh to kind of make your first video and what were the things that uh you had to overcome? Because it's different, right? You're you're talking to an inanimate object. Uh, most people have never talked. Well, I mean, nowadays it's a little bit more easy to talk in front of camera because you know your FaceTiming and stuff like that. So, but back then, like it wasn't real common. Uh, what was it like for the first time to shoot like a video? Was it weird? Did you like it? Or what was it like for you? It was pretty effortless.

SPEAKER_01

And I know that sounds very odd, but because I was teaching in a classroom, there wasn't. I I felt it's gonna sound silly, but I felt like this instant connection with people that were beyond the camera. So I'd be talking to the camera, but the whole time I would know Travis, I'm speaking to somebody beyond the camera. This is pe the these are people, okay, that you're touching. So it wasn't really a leap for me. I felt very comfortable. And then I had done a lot of summer stock when I was young, and I felt very I just felt comfortable. It was just a comfort, it was a comfortable experience in front of the camera. But, you know, when it came to editing, you know, you know, I had a hard time, Travis.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, we'll talk about that later. Do you do you think it's because you were a teacher and you already were doing that thing? Do you think that helped?

SPEAKER_01

Not really. And the reason I say that is because you have to be a certain kind of person to feel comfortable in front of a group speaking. And I think I I brought that to teaching. I always felt comfortable, you know, because I never felt a disconnect. I never felt a disconnect between myself and my students. I just always felt like I'm just talking to somebody. And I kind of just brought that to YouTube as well. I just talked to folks.

SPEAKER_00

Did you ever um so is your oldest video the the beginner tutorial to install a toilet, or did you have something unlisted? Do you remember if that was your first one?

The Power Of Close-Ups And No Assumptions

SPEAKER_01

That was my first one, but if I remember correctly, I made a few videos before I uploaded them to the channel. I think maybe I had five or six videos. That way I wasn't just starting with one, but that was probably the first one that was uploaded. Yeah. I would do it differently.

SPEAKER_00

I just want to point out Maybe you don't even know this, but like it the it right now is your oldest video on your YouTube channel and it has 1.8 million views, which is kind of insane for what would be your first video. Like, that's not something that happens to people. That their first video has almost 2 million views. What looking back on that, why do you think that particular video did well, would you say?

SPEAKER_01

I have no idea. The reason I say that is because it was not, I would do things differently. And um, it was very detailed, a lot of close-ups. And one of the things that I realized very early on in my YouTube journey and in teaching, that you would look at a lot of videos on how to do something. It wouldn't matter what it was. It could be working on cars, it could be, you know, learning how to juggle. Um, I noticed that creators didn't utilize close-ups. And a lot of times when you're teaching somebody how to do something, they have to really be able to see what you're doing. So I utilize close-ups a lot so people can really get in close and see what I'm doing. No one will ever say in my videos, I, you know, I didn't see that, Leo. What was it? What did you just do? Because I use close-ups. And I think maybe that has a lot to do with it. Plus, I never assume. I never assumed anyone had any idea whatsoever what I was doing and the tools I was using. Because I remember uh talking to somebody about pressure washing, because you know, Travis, pressure washing is a big thing in Seattle, Washington. And um, I was going through this with and you do this, you do that, this is how you, you know, you work the nozzle, you change the the settings, all like that. And after I thought I just had totally explained it, I said, What do you think? You think you can run this? And she said, Absolutely not. And I said, Well, why? And she said, You didn't show me how to turn it on. So that was just like at that moment, I got that there are a lot of videos out there where the people are very, very good at what they do, but they miss really important steps that the average person may not know and you take for granted, like how to turn the dog gone thing on. So, yeah, I just showed everybody at all the steps and and kind of up close and personal.

Evergreen Content And Idea Generation

SPEAKER_00

And I want to uh talk about that because uh a lot of content creators actually listen to this podcast. We get emails from them. There are a lot of people who haven't even started their channel yet. So sometimes we'll use phrases that people who are in YouTube understand. For example, one of 10. I mean, any creator knows what a one of ten is, but a lot of people don't. And they're just starting out like, what's a one of ten? So I try to make sure whenever we we talk about YouTuber y things that we do kind of explain each thing. It's so funny you say that because that's literally true, even for this podcast. I love that. Over 200 million views on your channel means that you know kind of what you're doing. Um, but I think the question becomes uh, like, how do you know what to make videos on? And before we get into that, I want to talk about how we met. So uh I I met Leah at a YouTube meetup in Seattle, and I'll never forget it, because uh I had been going to this meetup for a while and uh I kind of knew people there, and I I'd never seen Leah before. And um we we were into the QA section of the meetup. First of all, if you're in somewhere in the States, if you use meetup.com, I think you might be able to find a YouTube meetup. That that was a really cool thing for me. I really loved getting together with other YouTubers, I think it's something that's very valuable. And at the very end, Leah um people are like, Well, is there any questions? Leah raised her hand and she said, Yeah, I have this video, I have a couple videos that went viral, and I just don't really understand why. I just love someone to take a look at it and see why. Now, at this point, I had been doing YouTube for uh around a year-ish. I don't think I had started VidIQ yet, and I thought I knew a lot. Like I thought I was Mr. Smart About YouTube thing. And um, I remember thinking to myself, Leah doesn't know this part because I don't think I've ever told her this part. I remember thinking, oh, that's sweet. She probably thinks a thousand views is viral. So I went over to check out her channel and like her videos, and these were videos that had millions of views. I immediately was like, well, wait a minute. Maybe I'm the one that needs to take a step back. And the video that I think we talked about the most was the pencil. The uh what was it, the carpenter's pencil, which to this day is such an interesting kind of I mean, you have more popular videos, but the thing that killed me about this video was it was, and even you, you're like, I don't really understand, it's just about a pencil. It was so simple. Let's talk a little about this. First of all, what is a carpenter's pencil? Some people have seen it, but some of you don't, and then let's talk a little bit about that video. So, what is a carpenter's pencil?

SPEAKER_01

Well, it's flat and it's has a very thick lead to it. There's a certain way you sharpen it, and we use it in construction because you can mark on just about anything brick, wood, you know, it's just uh and it's beefy. It's something big enough that you're not gonna lose.

SPEAKER_00

I think most people that have, if you've been into a hardware store, you've seen them. There's this kind of flat, uh, maybe our editor will put a picture of one up. A flat uh pencil, and it is interesting. The the question was so your your question, the title of this is actually kind of genius. Why is a carpenter's pencil flat and other stuff? And that video now has 6.7 million views. And I think I think at the time when we met, it only had like 2 million, so it's still getting views. Uh, what made you even make that video? Because it's such a it's almost a some overly simplistic thing, but what made you make that?

Recognition, Community, And Real-World Impact

SPEAKER_01

Travis, I have no idea. I I I can't even remember. There are videos, okay, that I remember. But that video, no idea. And here's the thing, just to mention another video, because this is a video I can tell you why I made it. And it's the many the it's the video that I have 18 million views on, okay? And it's about a tape measure, all right. Here's the thing, Travis. I had spent all morning in the shop. The camera person was there, the person that did my editing was there, and we're going through it, and I can't tell you what it was, but whatever it was, it didn't film or it was just awful. And I remember uh Karen, she came to me and she said, Leah, we have nothing. And I said, Well, what do you mean we have nothing? She said, We don't have anything, and I was like, but we're supposed to upload tomorrow, okay? And she said, Well, think of something. Can you think of something? I was holding the tape measure and I said, Let's do a video about a tape measure. And she was like, Really? I said, Yeah, I got nothing else. So that's how that video, that's how I came up with the idea. I just happened to be holding it and said, Let's just do a video, and I we were up against it. And you never know, Travis. See, that's just that's the whole thing. Sometimes you have an idea and you think it's the best idea in the world, and it goes nowhere. And then there are those occasions when you're not really even thinking, not really, and and something comes to you and you go with it, and it turns out to be you know very surprising in terms of how it's received. And I think the thing that surprised me the most about that video was I went into um um the analytics, and I could see that it had views in Antarctica and it had views in North Korea, and I was just wow. YouTube is a powerful thing.

SPEAKER_00

And it's called four tape measure tricks, in case anyone wants to go check it out later. It's only four minutes long, and uh it is from 10 years ago. I think the thing is it's evergreen, right? If you have a tape measure and there's some interesting tricks you can do with it or interesting things you can do with it, then it's it's just as relevant today as it is 10 years ago. So that's another kind of interesting way to make something uh have views over years. Uh, evergreen is really which which is a lot of your channel, actually. Your channel in general is evergreen. So you may not upload every day, but because your content is evergreen and people can find it all the time and it's still relevant, that keeps your channel kind of going. Is that true?

SPEAKER_01

I agree with that. Having evergreen content does matter. Um, and yeah, I think that a lot of times if weeks go by and I don't upload, I I don't worry about it because, well, I have a lot of content for one. I think there's probably about 600 videos. People are always looking for ways to do certain things. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So, what's the least favorite thing about content creation for you right now?

Brand Deals And Professionalism With Sponsors

SPEAKER_01

Ideas are hard. And ideas are hard because after you make 600 videos, you still want to present fresh ideas, even though it's a how-to channel, I want to bring fresh things to my audience. And so sometimes I struggle. Honestly, Travis, sometimes I struggle, and um, I think that's the most difficult part. It used to be editing, but now I kind of look forward to editing because it means I I it's done. I just have to kick back and do it. But coming up with ideas can be a challenge.

SPEAKER_00

I agree. And you know what? For those listening and watching, that is a thing for a lot of people. And just so happens, uh, VidIQ has some great tools to help you come up with some uh video ideas. Of course, there's a link in the description below. You should click that. Uh, we have an AI coach that will literally go through your channel, look at all the stuff you've done, all the performing high videos, and give you a bunch of ideas. So maybe I'll show Leah that here a little bit. But I think ideally, when you're thinking about 600 videos over the course of like 10 years or even actually more than like 12 years, it is difficult to come up with new ideas. But the things that work really well for you, if you just look at your channel, are like some very simple things. Like so, we have the simple trick to install baseboard corners, what no one tells you about oscillating multi-tools. So you have these like beginner-friendly videos, or you no assumption is made about your knowledge. And you have talked about that forever. And it's like in your whole DNA of your channel that like anyone can do this. Talk to us about that whole mantra.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I will say this. I remember when I got started in the trades, and uh there were times when I was working with a journeyman, and he or she usually it was a he, he was showing me something, and I wouldn't get it. I'd be like, wait a second, can you show me that again? Can you show me exactly what you're doing? And so I'm right there in the 3D with whoever I'm working with who was ever teaching me at that time. And so I started to think about how difficult it would be for the average person to learn how to do something, because we're visual learners, okay, if you're really not in the space with the person. So I knew it was really, really important to teach in a way where people could actually see, because I had already been there in the trades, where I knew the importance of really being able to be visual, to really see what was going on. And that's why I incorporate that in all my videos. I don't want, like I said earlier on, Travis, I don't want anybody to ever say, I didn't see that because we are visual learners. Most of us are.

From YouTube To TV: Secret Restoration

SPEAKER_00

I make a lot of jokes on this podcast about when I explain what I um what a what I call utility channel is, which is it answers a question. And then, so for example, like if your toilet is clogged, I use that example all the time, you go and you you watch it and then you're done, right? I actually talked to Roger Wakefield recently about his channel being utility channel, but how he kind of makes it more uh kind of uh interactive so people come back. You you have the same thing, but I want to read a couple of comments from your from one of your YouTube videos, just because I think like it's it proves the point of what you're saying and the thing that like you the people who watch videos love you. So here's one this one's an old this is an older video, how to stop a uh running toilet in seconds. So this happens. I think if you live anywhere, your toilet's probably running, and it's like, ah, why is it how do you here's one of the one of the comments. Um, and again, so the video is five years old, but this video is only this comment's only from two years ago. I want to scream and cry. My toilet has been running for weeks. Guests coming over for Christmas forced me to search YouTube. Thank you so much for this, seriously. Another another comment. This is legit the best instruction video I've seen on YouTube. Instant fix. Here's another one. I had a running toilet and asked my husband to check it over a week ago, but he hasn't had time to look at it because of his work schedule. And after watching this video today, I was able to fix it myself just a few minutes ago. Thanks for sharing. And this is like this is so common in your comment section that people are like overly thankful for the content that you do, which is a good signal to YouTube, by the way, if people are enjoying your content. Um how do you because utility uh videos a lot of times are just do this, do this, do this. That's it. And now move on. But there's something about your content and the way that you teach it and the way that you interact with your audience. You've kind of talked about this earlier in this in this podcast. What are the magical ingredients that you put together in your videos that people are really connecting with you? Like these people are thankful. They're super thankful for you.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I I don't know if it's a magical ingredient, okay? It's just the way I it's just the way I feel. Number one, I talk to people like like they're my friends, okay? When I'm on camera and I'm showing somebody how to do something, I I there's no need to be condescending, you know. I'm just talking to you like a friend. This is what you need to do. And I know that you can do it. And see, this is really, really important because I think people psych themselves out. They think plumbing, oh my goodness, I could never do it, or carpentry work, oh no, how do I hang a door? That sounds so complicated. And it's not. See, that's just it, it's not complicated, and I think that's probably the two most important ingredients to get across to people. I'm just here to help you, and I'm gonna talk to you just like you're my friend. And number two, this is not rocket science. You can really do this, and so that's it, Travis.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I love a you can do this thing. It's um it's such a such a connecting verbiage that is uh again makes people connect with you. And I've talked about this over the last couple of interviews that in order to grow your audience, uh obviously want people to want to come back, right? And building a community based off of the connection that they have with you is super important to that. And you do it, you do it kind of naturally. Um, let's talk a little bit about the the um the things that have happened since you've had your channel going. So your channel was going for a while and it was doing good, like it was growing over time. Tell us about the time where things started to kind of do really well for you, and then we'll talk more about some of the the TV shows and stuff you've done. But like tell us when you feel you felt like, man, I kind of got this figured out. Maybe you got three or four hundred or five hundred thousand subscribers. What was that feeling like and what kind of things were you changing in your process and that sort of thing?

Production Realities And On-Set Workflow

SPEAKER_01

I you know what was a few different things. Um I I I was teaching with um a nonprofit that was working, like I said, in combination with the unions. And since it was a nonprofit, funds were fronts funds were very difficult for this nonprofit to come up with at times. So I wound up being laid off. So I was laid off, and things in Seattle, it can be expensive, and my days working in the field. I gotta tell you, Travis, those days were over. And I started to supplement my income because I was getting paid through YouTube. You know, I was making I was making um, I wasn't making a living at that time. It was just supplementing um my teaching. And so I said, wait, what? I gotta do something. I know what, I'll drive for Uber. And I started driving for Uber while I was doing YouTube, and then interesting things started happening because people were getting into my car and they were like, I I know you, you're and and then time went on and again, yeah, it got to the point where I couldn't even go to Home Depot and go to Home Depot and Well, that I know, and I do want to talk about that in a minute, but keep going. Uh yeah, and so um time went on, and it got to the point where this is gonna sound crazy, but this is the honest to goodness truth, Travis. I could stop driving for uh Uber and go full time, but I went full time, and what I mean by that was I didn't need to drive for Uber anymore. Okay, I didn't need to supplement, I was making a very good living on YouTube, but I kept driving because YouTube can be very um isolated, you know, and I missed connection with people, and so I continued to drive for a while just so I could meet people and talk to them and talk to them about their challenges and what they were doing in their own homes. And so I used my driving to connect with people and their problems, and I just incorporated that in my YouTube videos. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

What was that? Do you remember the first time, or even maybe an earlier time when someone recognized you from YouTube and tell me what that felt like or what that was? It's a little weird at first. Sometimes I think you forget that there's people watching.

SPEAKER_01

I was in an elevator, and it was the first time I was in an elevator in Bellevue, and I had just come from seeing a movie with uh a group of my friends, and we were standing in the elevator, and one of the people in the elevator turned toward me and he said, I know you, I watch your videos all the time. You're Leah from C Jane Drill, and I didn't even know what to say. I was I was stunned, okay, and then he got off, and I was like, everybody looked at me and I was like, that was so weird. Because I was just stunned. So that was the first time. I wish that I had said something to him, but since that that experience, it well, it gave me experience to know how to deal with people when they do come up to you and say something, you know. And I always take time. What's what's the common thing?

SPEAKER_00

So, like if you if you go to like a hardware store, like a Home Depot or something, what's the common experience? Do people come up to you and see you, or do they can you just tell they know who you are by looking at you and they don't say anything? Like, what's the common experience for you so far?

Florida Move And The Ugly House Series

SPEAKER_01

People come up to me. People, people always come up to me and they say people are looking. They they start off by just looking, and then you walk up to me and they say, I know you, you're you're a YouTuber, and then we talk a little bit. And I ask them about you know, what project are you working on and this and that? And they generally say, What are you doing here? What are you doing in this town in Crink? What are you doing here? And then I tell them, you know, I what I'm up to. So that's generally how it works. But there are those times when I'm someplace I'm not like at Home Depot, I'm just doing my grocery shopping or something, and then that's when it's really unexpected, you know?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you expect it in certain places, but yeah, like random places, not like I have a friend who's a tech youtuber, and it's funny because whenever he goes, and he does a lot of Apple stuff, whenever he goes to Apple stores, he does he's not really seen, but whenever he's gone to like a furniture store or a restaurant, people know him and he goes, I don't understand what's happening. And I'm like, Yeah, it's so weird. Um, fun thing though. That's a really fun thing.

SPEAKER_01

It is, and it's a great honor. I don't know why people become upset when you know what, Travis, I had somebody come to my house. I had somebody come to two women come to my house, and it flipped me out. I've had people send stuff to my house, but these two women showed up at a piece of property I was renovating in Cleveland, Ohio. I pulled up in the driveway. I had just come out of the house when I saw them, and they were so excited about meeting me, and they were so sincere. And they said they had driven around the neighborhood for hours trying to find the house. Because they could tell from the videos, it was uh was a project that I was working on in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a renovation, and I had been there for about three or four months, and they knew the neighborhood well enough that they were able to drive around and find the house from the videos, but they were wonderful, wonderful women. And um, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, that's a little creepy. I'm glad that you had a good experience from it. That's a little unsettling at times, I'd imagine.

SPEAKER_01

It it was, it started off being unsettling. However, these women were so genuine and so nice. And I to tell you the truth, Travis, I've never had a bad experience ever with anyone that has approached me. And again, it gets back to what I was gonna say, and that is this is such an honor to do this, this work, and to be recognized. And those that do not want to take the time to speak to someone, that is just craziness, craziness. And I always just like to connect anyway. I like to connect and see what people are doing and and all like that. So that's the way I see it.

SPEAKER_00

Can you tell us about the first time? Because um, you know, we we always tell people you shouldn't rely on AdSense for all of your money, right? Can you tell us about one of the first times you got uh an offer for a sponsorship, what that was like, what you were thinking, um, any parts of it that you remember? Travis, you know what? I don't remember the first sponsorship. What about one of the biggest ones? Like one of the first times you got a big one. Like, tell us what your mindset was with that.

SPEAKER_01

The biggest one came through Carhartt, and they wanted me to build a float for St. Patrick's Day. Because Carhartt and oh man, what was the name of the beer? It's not harp, it's another beer that's very well known, but it's uh it's like an Irish beer. Any ideas, okay, Travis, what that could be?

SPEAKER_00

I'm not a drinker. I don't know.

Doors YouTube Opens: The White House Visit

SPEAKER_01

But it was a it was a big, big name. And they also owned Carhartt, so with like a combination of Carhartt and this beer. And uh they wanted me to build a float for St. Patrick's Day, and I did. I built a float, and we drove it around the neighborhood, and people were on the float waving, and it was a lot of fun to do that, but that was one of the the biggest, I believe.

SPEAKER_00

Might have been the what was it like to because I imagine they offered you a lot of money. What was there a moment where you you had a little imposter syndrome, or were you like, yeah, no, this is I've deserved this. Like this is this is what I've been waiting for.

SPEAKER_01

I didn't even think about it, Travis. You know that I I didn't really think about how big they were because because I had worked with so many brands, and when you work with brands, or at least I do. This is how I approach it, okay? When I sit down and I work with a brand, I treat them like they're the biggest brand ever because they are the biggest brand to them, you know? And so, small or large brands, I don't really think about the size. I just really I just kind of treat everybody the same, Travis, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_00

So I think this is important for content creators, but even if you're starting out, you're thinking, well, I don't really get brand deals or anything, you'd be surprised at how fast it can happen. If you're really focused and dedicated on something, brands are looking for ways to advertise to their audience. And if you have an audience that's worth advertising to, you could, I mean, you can get uh uh picked up before uh right around a thousand subscribers. I've seen it happen before. So what what Leah's saying here is actually really important. Treating that brand, no matter how big or small they are, as if they are the biggest company that you're you're ever going to work with, I think is good. It it puts out that energy, it certainly makes the brand excited to work with you, and you never know, it could be like an ongoing relationship.

SPEAKER_01

That's true. That that's true. And it it's it's a reflection in your work as well. I mean, if you really love the product and you really love the brand and really believe in them, it's gonna show in the product that you you know you upload to YouTube. So it's just important all the way around.

SPEAKER_00

I remember a couple of years ago, uh, you texted me and you're like, hey, do you have a you have a minute to jump on a phone call? I'm like, sure, I always have time for Leah. And you told me about uh getting offered a television show, which I thought was incredible. So can you tell us how that happened to be a part of an actual legitimate television show from your YouTube channel?

Closing Wisdom: You Can Do This

SPEAKER_01

Well, I gotta tell you, there's a little bit of a funny story with that. And let's hear it. I have a friend who is incredibly psychic, and a lot of times she'll tell me stuff, and I'll just say, okay, yeah, sure, okay. But she's incredibly, incredibly psychic.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

And I remember her telling me, you're gonna have a television show. I see it clear as day. And I remember saying to her, uh, I don't think that's gonna happen. Because Trans, I really believed, you know, that's not gonna happen for a lot of reasons. Right. But I just didn't buy into it. Um, and she kept telling me, I thalia, listen, I'm telling you, I feel this really strong. It's right around the corner. So when it showed up, I was like, she was right, holy so it was somebody from um um the the production company that reached out to me worked with the History Channel, and I remember he was the vice president of talent acquisition, and um I was just so shocked. I gotta tell you, Travis, I was so shocked. And um, we were in conversation for about six months, and then they flew me out to Bridgeport, Connecticut to do what they called a um was a certain kind kind of test. Man, I can't remember the name of the test, but it it was to see how you interacted with other cast members. Make certain that there was chemistry. So they it wasn't just me they flew out, they flew out the entire cast and to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where the series was shot. And at first I didn't get it. I didn't get why I was Bridgeport, Connecticut. You know, you just don't think of Bridgeport, Connecticut as a place where they'd have shows or they would film and have a studio. But they were so close to New York City, they could get, you know, their cameramen and their sound people, and they just didn't have a hard time getting people to work on the set because it takes a lot of people, Travis, more people than I ever knew, you know, to put a series together. So being that close to New York City made a big difference.

SPEAKER_00

What was the show called? What was it about? What were they having you do on it?

SPEAKER_01

The show was called Secret Restoration. It's still on, and it was about restorations, taking objects that really meant a lot to people. They would bring them to us, or we would go there. There was a canon. We did a canon from like the 1800s. And me and my partner restored it. Oh, okay. You saw that one. And but my my thing was the thing I loved was I had always wanted to uh restore a bicycle, and it was the ones with the hand the butterfly handlebars and the banana seats. Oh my gosh, that was my dream restoration. So um, yeah, that's what we did. We restored items and uh and revealed them to the people we restored them for.

SPEAKER_00

This is essentially like uh reality TV show. What kind of things behind the scenes would people be interested in knowing about how that show is run? Like how much of it is scripted, like do people know all these things in advance? Like, what are some of the cool things that uh that we would love to hear about?

SPEAKER_01

Okay, here's the thing. There are a number of things. Number one, okay. I really thought, you know, when actors are doing like motion pictures or television shows, and they would say, We got there at the crack of dawn and we worked till like nine at night. I was like, There is no way. Actors are not showing up at six in the morning and work until eight at night. Well, guess what? True. You work incredibly long hours, and the reason for it is there's something called the golden hour. And YouTubers, they know this. The best light is right in the morning, right before dawn. You get the is the golden hour. And in the evening, it's the same thing right before dusk. You just get perfect light. So they too they want to capture the best light possible, and that's why the hours are so very, very long. So it is true, you get on the set and they have a commissary there. So you just go up and you know, you have breakfast and lunch and you have dinner there, too, sometimes. And um, so that's part of it. Yeah, they feed you, and it's generally whatever you want. So um there's that. Now, in television, there's not a director, they call them showrunners, but they're like directors, they they got a lot of power, okay? And um the showrunner for Secret Restoration, he had come from Deadliest Catch. He had done that series. These were big, these were heavyweights that uh I worked with, but you would never know it because they were just down the you know, earth folks. They put us up in a hotel. I think it was put up in a hotel for a couple months in Bridgeport. So you got the showrunners, you got the cast members, the cameramen, everybody there in this hotel. And you know, you meet the showrunner in the laundry room, he's doing his laundry just like you are. So there's not a lot of glamour on the set. Um, or there's just not a lot of glamour there, but you know that these people are heavyweights because of the people they've worked with, because they would have things like um not cast parties, but all those long hours you would work, the um production manager would arrange outings for us all. And it was usually karaoke. We'd all meet in the bar and do karaoke. And if you've ever seen that in the movies, where that's part of the script where there's a movie and it's about acting and they're doing karaoke, it really does happen. So um, you just get to know people. You're sitting, you're drinking, you get to know their stories and what shows they worked on, and um what actors and actresses they've worked with. And so that's uh it's a real exciting, it it can be very, very exciting in terms of script. There really isn't a script, but what they'll do is you'll sit down with your producer because I worked with these these shows have several producers, and if you have a cat, we had a cast of six, and each cast member had a producer that they worked with. I had a couple producers that I worked with. So your producer would come to you and they would say, This is the item you're gonna restore, and they give you a little index card with a lot of um um facts on it about whatever it was that you were gonna restore, okay? Who the person was you're restoring it for, and what exactly it was, what was significant about the item. Just a little card. And you would read that card, and then during the process of restoring the whatever it was, the item, or meeting the people that were bringing it, or you're going there to meet the people, you had that little card that you memorized. So when you spoke to folks, you were speaking from a position of knowledge because you you knew about the item. So that's how it works. You don't have a script, but you have the very the most important details like who you're doing it for, what it is, what makes it significant, and you've got to memorize those facts. And then when you're talking about it, you just weave it into a very natural story. So that's how that works.

SPEAKER_00

That's so cool. So, what are you doing now? You're in Florida now. What are what are you up to nowadays?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I um Travis, I gotta tell you, Florida is not Seattle. I miss Seattle's weather. I know that's crazy, but I miss it, man, because it gets so hot. It gets so hot down here, 100 degrees, that's nothing. My family is from Florida originally, and um, my brother lives down in South Florida along with my mother, and and then I have cousins and all kinds of folks here. It's just that I spent all of my life in either Ohio or in Seattle, you know, and it's it's a different world down in Florida. So it gets real, real hot. And I was at a time in my life where I felt real isolated, Travis. You know, we talked about it in Seattle. I didn't have anybody in Seattle other than friends, and I wanted to be near family. And so I decided I it was time for a different kind of project. And I decided what I was going to do was I was going to buy a house in Florida, find the worst house, the worst house in the state. Because I had this idea. If I could take a real eyesore and turn it into something really beautiful, I would, I would show my audience, listen, real estate is out of sight right now. Um, it might be a good idea to really transform your house, the one you're living in, into a dream house. And you can do it no matter what the condition is. So that's why I went out and I just bought this really, oh my goodness, eyesore of a house. I mean, Travis, it was it was bad. The runner up, just to give you an idea. The runner up was a house that had a train parked in the backyard, and it had uh termites, and it had paneling on every single wall, including the ceiling. That was the runner-up. That was the runner-up. Oh my gosh. So, yeah, I bought this. It's uh it's uh in Seabring, Florida, which believe it or not, is famous for a racetrack. It's got a really just famous racetrack. So I'm in Seabring, nothing but cattle, orange grows, and of course the racetrack. It's in the middle of nowhere, man, but it sure does get it gets hot. Thank goodness I have a swimming pool. That's a good thing. I have a swimming pool.

SPEAKER_00

There you go.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So you're you're making a series about fixing up this house.

SPEAKER_01

It's called the Ugly House series. And when I started the series, I thought, oh, I'll be done in spix months. It's just gonna take me six months, but there is so much wrong with this house. And there are still challenges. There are still challenges ahead for me. I'm about 80% done, but I still have some major renovations I want to do. And that's where I am. I'm still working on the ugly house, and when I get this done, I think I'm moving on to another place that's a lot cooler than Florida.

SPEAKER_00

I think it's so cool that you're able to take something that's going on in your life and make it a huge piece of content that you can make a series out of, and ironically, probably make some good money at the end of this. I imagine that by the time you're able to sell this house, it's gonna be worth a lot more than whatever you paid for it.

SPEAKER_01

I hope so, but I've put a lot into the house. You know, I've put a I don't I'm not certain about that, Travis. I'm not certain I'm gonna give back what I put into it, but it's been fun, man. It's been a blast, and I've had a great time doing it. And I will say this this is what I want to say to other creators or anybody who's watching. YouTube opens doors that for you that you would never know. I don't know if I told you this or not, Travis. I probably didn't, because it can be kind of a divisive subject, but I'm not a divisive person, and that's not how I look at it. But I was invited to the White House. Did I tell you that?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, that's right. I feel like you did, yeah. I think you might have.

SPEAKER_01

But I didn't want to tell anybody in my audience because you know it's some of the things that you're gonna do. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so, yeah, and um what a cool thing though. It was it was it was incredible, and it's funny. Here's the funny thing. This is the funny thing about it. I wasn't gonna go, I wasn't gonna go to the White House, and um I will say this for those that are wondering, okay. I went during a time, it was a while back, it could have been during Biden or it could have been during Trump. I'm not gonna tell anybody if it was Biden or Trump, okay?

SPEAKER_00

That's fair.

SPEAKER_01

But I remember thinking, I don't have time. I can't go to the White House, I just have all these videos that I have to put out. And I told my family I wasn't going. I said, I'm not going to White House. I really don't have time. I felt like so backed up with work. My mother, you met my mom, Travis. She called me up and she said, My your brother has told me that you're not going to the White House. Is that correct? I said, Mom, mom, mom, I don't have time. She said, You are going to the White House. And I said, What? She said, You're going to the White House. Do you think that just that people get invited to the White House every day? They don't. No. This is for our family. You're going. And I was like, Well, you know what? When your mom says you're doing something, you're going to do it no matter how old you get. That's right. When I went, and I got to tell you, Travis, I'm so I'm so glad my mother forced me to go because I honestly thought when I was invited, even though the Secret Service was very involved with background checks, I had to go through a whole lot, okay? I really honestly thought that I was just going to do the tour through the White House that everyone does. You know, you can write to the White House and say, I want to take the tour, and you wait with everybody else and you go to the White House. That was not it at all. It was really upfront and personal. I went to the press room. You know how you've seen it a million and one times, the podium and all. We were there. I spent time in the West Wing and I saw what was going on there. And then we went to a building that's right across because you know the White House is a campus. And there it is not just the White House, but there's the Eisenhower building where, you know, like the vice president's um ceremonial offices along with other secretaries and stuff like that. So we met there as well, and I was just thinking, this is an amazing experience, and uh and I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to do it. And it was because I was a YouTuber.

SPEAKER_00

YouTube opened that door from the story you've told us. There was a moment where you were laid off, you were right driving Uber all the way to being on TV and going to the White House. What an incredible story for having a YouTube channel. And Leah is one of the most genuine people I've ever known. And I thank you so much for, of course, checking us out. Anyone who's watching, or if you're listening to the audio podcast, see Jane Drill. The links will be in the description in the show notes. You have to go. If there's anything going on around your house or apartment that needs to be fixed, you need to go to her channel, check it out. She's probably got a video to help you fix it. I'm sure she does. And what do you always tell people at your in your videos uh about them being able to do it? I love I just love to hear it. It's kind of like it's a catchphrase. I love to hear it. I'd love to hear what you always tell people.

SPEAKER_01

You can do this.

SPEAKER_00

That's right. You can do this. Thank you for joining us, and we'll see y'all in the next one.