From: officialflagrant
Early Life and Artistic Aspiration
Casey Neistat’s earliest artistic endeavors were deeply influenced by his older brother, Van. Neistat attributes all his creative knowledge and accomplishments to Van, considering himself a “mediocre photocopy” of Van’s “truly virtuous creative brilliance” [01:27:07]. His initial aspiration was to make movies [01:05:06]. This passion was evident early on, as he bought a camcorder on a credit card to film his son, while Van had a computer for editing [01:05:12].
The First Viral Hit: “iPod’s Dirty Secret”
In 2003, three years before YouTube’s inception, Neistat and his brother Van created a video titled “iPod’s Dirty Secret” [00:09:06]. The video stemmed from Neistat’s frustration with Apple’s iPod battery life. His iPod, a gift, died after a year, and Apple’s customer service simply told him to buy a new one [00:09:16]. They recorded a call with Apple and used stencils to spray paint disclaimers about the iPod’s irreplaceable battery life on Apple’s silhouette posters [00:09:30].
“The first video I ever ever made that was seen, the iPod the iPod. My brother Van and I made this in 2003, three years before YouTube was a thing” [00:09:03]
They created a splash page, iPodDirty.com, for the video, and it went “so viral, so quickly” [00:09:49]. In 2003, “viral” meant copying a URL and emailing it [00:09:55]. The video received so much bandwidth that their hosting company threatened to pull the site [00:10:13]. Ironically, Apple eventually hosted the video through their iDisk service, which had no bandwidth limitations [00:10:54]. Neistat notes that the video’s success was due to its humor and engaging style, not just the complaint [00:11:08].
Transition to Art and Commercial Work
Following the iPod video, Neistat and his brother delved into the fine art world, making videos they called “Fine Art” [01:41:08]. They created a series called “Science Experiments” based on a book of home science experiments, which were shown at Miami Art Basel in 2002 or 2003 [01:42:06]. They sold limited edition DVDs and stills from these videos, essentially creating an early form of NFTs [01:42:13]. Their art career was bankrolled by art collector Tom Healey, who also co-signed the lease for their first studio in Chinatown, which Neistat still uses [01:42:27].
To gain commercial work, Neistat and Van would create “fake commercials” for companies they wanted to work with, like Nike and the anti-smoking campaign Truth [01:44:13]. This strategy led to their first paid Nike job for a small event in 2005 or 2006 [01:44:42]. Neistat considered himself “commercially successful in my head” after this, even though it was only a $5,000 project [01:45:07]. The idea of being paid to make anything with a camera was “mindboggling” [01:45:19].
The HBO Show: “The Neistat Brothers”
A significant breakthrough came with their HBO show, “The Neistat Brothers” [01:47:29]. This opportunity arose after a meeting with Tom Scott, who started a small TV channel and wanted them to create content for a cable access channel in Aspen, Colorado [01:47:51]. With a $20,000 budget for 10 videos, they instead bought a 1985 Ford Econoline van and two mini-bikes and documented a “Dumb and Dumber”-style road trip to Aspen [01:48:18]. This project, which Neistat considers to be the infancy of vlogging, was initially called “The Responsibility Tour” or “The Respectability Tour” and was influenced by Gonzo journalism [01:49:07].
After showing their work to director Doug Liman, who created Swingers and The Bourne Identity, he declared it a TV show [01:51:04]. They then re-edited their content into 22-minute episodes with proper show structure [01:51:07]. HBO eventually bought the show for “a couple million dollars” [01:52:43]. However, the head of content who bought the show was fired a week later, and the new head of content “shelved it” [01:52:50]. The show didn’t air for two years and, when it finally did, it was on Friday nights at midnight with a “zero dollar marketing budget,” which Neistat found “soul crushing” [01:53:08].
The Rise of YouTube Vlogging
Following the HBO show, Neistat and Van pursued different paths, with Casey aiming for more commercial opportunities [01:53:50]. Out of frustration with the television industry’s lack of understanding of his content, Neistat decided to pivot to YouTube [01:55:17]. A year later, his YouTube channel was generating more views in a 24-hour period than any Viacom property [01:55:21].
His vlogging style is characterized by its authenticity, a comfort with talking to the camera, and a focus on storytelling over sensationalism [01:14:10] [01:49:30]. Neistat consciously avoids the “sensationalism” seen in other YouTubers, which he finds “gross” and “yucky” [02:00:31]. His goal is to maintain integrity as a filmmaker and storyteller [02:11:09].
“I like to think of myself as like a filmmaker or Storyteller and so it’s like I’ve got that insecurity on one side and that that driving like desire to still maintain some of that filmmaker you know Integrity on the other” [02:10:09]
He believes that the driving force for aspiring creators should be “creative expression” and “making art” [02:22:17]. He rejected the notion that YouTube’s sole purpose is growth and monetization [02:23:10]. He notably did not monetize his channel for the first 100 million views because he viewed YouTube as an outlet for passion projects, though he now regrets this decision due to the significant lost revenue [02:47:06]. He also initially considered merchandise a “lame sellout sort of thing” but now understands its value for fans to support creators [02:59:58].
Tech Ventures and Filmmaking Philosophy
In his mid-30s, Neistat started a tech company called Beam (originally BeMe) [02:57:30]. The idea was to create a video product for social media that was “honest” and “unfiltered” in response to the prevalence of filters and dishonesty on platforms [03:40:42]. While the app ultimately didn’t succeed, it was acquired by CNN for $25 million due to its underlying technology and the talent of its team [03:39:10].
Neistat’s success in content creation is attributed to his unique ability to tell compelling stories [02:13:00]. He defines a story as having three acts: a setup, a conflict, and a resolution [02:11:53]. He emphasizes connecting with the audience by inviting them to be part of the story, making them feel “in on the joke” rather than excluded [02:13:59]. He believes that even ordinary experiences can become compelling stories if told well [02:13:00].
Casey Neistat continues to create content, prioritizing his unique storytelling approach over maximizing metrics or following trends. He admits to struggling with the “on and off switch” of his work, preferring the instant gratification of daily content [02:23:33]. His deep connection to New York City also serves as a constant source of inspiration and material [02:10:09].