Archives for January 2020

Imagine that part of your brain that contains all thoughts of individual skepticism, philosophical creativity, self-deprecation, English banter, an immutable attitude that everything is meaningless yet at the same time, the constants of physics are laid out so perfectly, the unexplored universe being is wrought with potential discovery. When you put all those qualities together, those sentiments culminate into mid-twenties British voice, who has a healthy inclination towards cats and science fiction, on the internet producing a hodgepodge of videos about human existence. In other words, you would have the channel of Exurb1a.

I discovered Exurb1a’s content during one of my notorious “midnight scroll sessions” in bed, an hour binge of random content before I inevitably pass out due to exhaustion. My sleep schedule has never been healthier nor more consistent. Excluding the fact that I had a calculus examination the morning after, I happened upon one of his and was not prepared for the cognitive adventure of content posted on the channel. And then I proceeded to score a C on a quiz the next day.

But it was a worthwhile exchange of time that I do not regret, since the sacrifice of not understanding advanced mathematics allowed me to explore topics of humanism, individualism, and science. Exurb1a found a way to transcend the confines of traditional learning, and instead taught in style through a webcam, using detailed and descriptive imagery, and most importantly, with a British accent. The simplest description of his videos is that they are stories. But that definition pales in comparison to the variety and range of what he covers, which extends to his recorded science fiction narratives, which he writes himself, music, philosophy, college, intrinsic human traits, and the list goes on.

Exurb1a takes the methodology to online video production that most do not choose to employ. From historical data on the YouTube algorithm, consistent uploads on the platform are rewarded with better Google AdSense and popular sponsorships. But Exurb1a chooses to take longer periods between uploads, normally a month in length, to ensure the quality of what he posts is up to his own standards. He utilizes this time to ponder ideas, research, storyboard, procrastinate, record voice overs, play with his cat, edit, and ultimately publish for millions of people to see his work come to fruition.

I have not seen a single sponsored video throughout his channel, and I cannot imagine that he makes an exorbitant amount of money from his Google ads due to “bouts of excessive no-no language”, which reflects badly upon his standing within the overall platform. So, I tend to contribute to his creative processes with whatever financial savings I muster. He has two individual novels that are already written, published, and available for purchase and titled The Fifth Science and The Prince of Milk. Additionally, he has a few eBooks, The Bridge to Lucy Dunne and Logic Beach: Part 1, which are kindle exclusives. If any of you are fans of science fiction, mythology, philosophy, and other genres analyzing the human condition, I highly recommend these short stories if you have the free time to do some light reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                           Exurb1a’s science fiction novels

(Provided by Exurb1a and Amazon)

 

Watch these when you want to contemplate about your place in the universe:

 

 

 

 

The culmination of events that led to my discovery of Chris Jereza happened rather sporadically during the “college acceptance and rejection” period of my senior year. At the time, I was still unsure of what I wanted to pursue as a career, so I applied to only three college programs of study: business, healthcare information systems, and software engineering.

While the prior two were areas of interest that I had considered for undergraduate education since junior year, my passion for software engineering, computer science, and coding actually stemmed from watching Chris’s videos, in which he discusses a variety of topical interests within the field. His insight and experience from internships at Google, Lyft, and Amazon, day in the life of a UC Berkley series,  and preparatory recommendations for coding interviews all informed me of invaluable college advice.

In an online ecosystem of content sharing where every other creator is consistently engaged with the growth of his reputation, Chris projects vibes of genuineness throughout each upload. As a software engineer student at UC Berkley, he shares his own experiences on topics centered around his own interests, which include coding, following up on stock market, implementing quality of life changes, and traveling, to target a supportive, niche demographic of viewers.

 

Examples of topics that Chris has discussed over the course of his channel (Provided by Chris Jereza Channel Thumbnails)

 

I have touched upon the topic of qualitative substance versus flashy, immaterial content in my previous blog post about Casually Explained, but I think Chris’s editing style, story boarding, and presentation are also worthy of merit and discussion. Particularly in his video logs (vlogs), Chris utilizes impactful framing, emphatic zoom ins, smooth transitions, and an aesthetic backdrop, accompanied by upbeat music, that is detailed across multiple locations and borders the realms of professional cinematography. However, Chris also remains exceptionally humble while creating content, and he is never afraid to include the occasional blooper. It’s this quintessential aspect of his personality and comedic humor that reminds me of the earlier ages of YouTube, when more creators were focused on character growth and talent maturation rather than for corporate contracts and sponsorships. His content evokes such nostalgic vibes.

It’s this presentation of an identity of “hey, this a person I could meet on campus and just talk and chill with” that couples with an “upperclassman mentor-ship attitude and approach” that really captivated my attention upon my discovery of Chris’s channel and retained my overall, ongoing appreciation for the different avenues he takes in his career that he is willing to share online with us. Now that I have also completed my first year at university, I can commend his showcased efforts and invested work ethic he adheres to while simultaneously staying true to his own interests, publishing content, and interacting with the community he has cultivated over the years.

Here are my personal favorite videos from Chris:

The creator behind the widely popular YouTube channel Casually Explained is in his early twenties and creates content by providing insightful commentary, witty story boarding and transitions, and entertaining deadpan humor through his uploads that revolve around a general topic that he chooses to explain in a casual demeanor: hence the channel name, Casually Explained.

Joining the video sharing platform in December 2015, James, the disembodied voice speaking to millions behind a camera is a professional artist and employs Microsoft Paint as his masterful canvas software. Additionally, he seeks out only the most pristine stock and creative common images to utilize as visuals throughout his uploads. The interesting appeal from a contextual standpoint is the variety of the topics he chooses to discuss on his channel. Videos range from covering broad interests such as personal travel, humor, fashion, and the stock market to discussing James’s own personal interests, reflected in his videos focusing on his brief “professional” StarCraft career, meme chronology and history, Elon Musk, and his multipart series likening evolution to update patches in video games.

 

Many of his videos are targeted to the age groups of high school and college students. Having been through both institutions recently, James articulates his conversational quips to appeal to this demographic by addressing subjects such as understanding the fear of missing out (FOMO), making new friends, moving out, dating, exercising, and completing group projects. And in doing so, James generates a virtual sense of relatability within his unique community of garnered viewers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cannot remember when I first stumbled upon one of his videos in my recommended feed, and I even questioned the algorithmic processes that led to YouTube listing a thumbnail drawn in Microsoft paint as something I would enjoy. But after viewing the channel’s “unique visual style”, depth of such arid comedic scripting, and the sporadic nature of video topics ranging from highly specific to encompassing general aspects of life, I was immediately intrigued and waited in anticipation for the next unknown upload that would be published in the upcoming month.

In an online ecosystem where one publishes content alongside more than two billion creators, exceedingly amounts of emphasis are placed on production quality and audience retention, James and his channel have continued to grow under such a simplistic concept that deviates from the norm. Casually Explained could even represent one of the first online media counter culture examples in returning to an era of individuality for online media influencers, during which talent stemmed from the authenticity of one’s ideas instead of over the top, engaging visuals and over hyped reactions to scenarios. We all know how to draw stick figures and we can easily do it in Microsoft Paint. Additionally, we can source images from Google, and we all have that stream of consciousness wrought with sarcasm, social awkwardness, and repressed emotions that can serve as the fundamental basis for deadpan, self-deprecating humor.

But only James was able to successfully create Casually Explained and begin a career of content creation by coupling these three intrinsic aspects into his descriptive, entertaining, and thoughtful monthly uploads.

Check out Casually Explained here and subscribe if you enjoy his content!

Here are my personal favorites by the creator (some of his videos do contain profanity, but he does not go out of his way to swear. It is more for comedic effect and depends on the situation):