YouTube's Robert Kyncl on vlogging and big tech jumping into high-end video
YouTube isn't just for cat videos. People have built empires by "vlogging," sharing parts of their real lives or taking on different personalities in online videos.
As YouTube's chief business officer, Robert Kyncl is tasked with supporting these creators. He helps make sure they have the right tools to cater to their subscribers and earn revenue, and, hopefully do not abandon the platform for another tech giant.
Kyncl just released a book with titled "Streampunks: YouTube and the Rebels Remaking Media," cowritten with Maany Peyvan of Google, where he profiles some of these YouTube creators. He joined Mashable's Biz Please podcast this week to chat about the rise of these so-called YouTube stars.
"In television, if you had a famous star, you never felt like they were your friend, but on YouTube, you kind of feel like they are because you're there, you're watching their evolution, they're talking to you all the time, they're responding to your comments," Kyncl said.
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YouTube can take some credit of their rise. It's arguably the biggest single provider of online video with 1.5 billion people coming to its service every month. In fact, when asked if there was vlogging before YouTube, Kyncl responded, "You know, I don't think there was. Yeah, let's take credit for it."
Kyncl name dropped Michelle Phan, who created her beauty empire with makeup tutorials on YouTube. Makeup tutorials and other "How to" videos are some of the most popular genres, but Kyncl noted that pretty much everything is on YouTube.
"It satisfies people who care and whatever it is that you care about," Kyncl said.
Video is important, and it's everywhere. Just ask any publisher, advertiser, tech platform, and, we guess, average people on the internet too.
Facebook is trying to build a competitor video empire. Last month, it released its new video platform called Watch. Should creators go to Facebook?
"That's if you don't want to make money," Kyncl said. "The fact is that we are the only ones who are paying."
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Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
