I Uploaded My First Video To YouTube 20 Years Ago

20 years ago, I uploaded my first video to YouTube and started the first of many YouTube channels to come.

For as long as I can remember, I loved creating, and videos were no exception. I would constantly borrow the family camcorder to record all kinds of things with my friends and loved ones. I first learned video editing with Windows Movie Maker in my elementary school computer lab, later teaching myself iMovie on the family computer at home. From convincing my friends to make our own Spice Girls music videos to making highlight reels of family vacations and special events, and countless home videos with my brother just goofing off, I enjoyed every second of it.

In middle school, I entered my first video competition and, to my surprise, won the first of many awards to come for my creations. It was validating to be appreciated for something I enjoyed. Shortly after that win, I was sent to an international boarding school, and the opportunity to create videos had to pause. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to have cameras, and computer time was sparse. While they were fine with students focusing on educational pursuits, anything regarding my creative development was not prioritized. Thankfully, there were other creative avenues for me other than strictly on the computer during this time in my life.

I eventually came home to the U.S. in September of 2006, and one of the first things I did was start a YouTube channel and start making videos again. It was a faceless channel where I talked about anything and everything to my heart’s content. I really wanted to show my face as well, but thankfully, in hindsight, my parents said no. In fact, they actually said no to creating a YouTube channel at all, so I basically kept all of this a secret, since I didn't want to get in trouble. Imagine their surprise when I finally revealed it to them as an adult. But that’s a story for another time.

In those early years of YouTube, likes, subscribers, monetization, and other metrics coveted today weren’t really a thing, or at least not to the scale and intensity we see now. I was just having fun. So I kept creating videos, improving my skills, and enjoying the creative process as time allowed while pursuing higher education. I made videos about the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA, the books I was reading, the TV shows and movies I was watching, my love for video games, being an Indian American and everything that comes with that, sharing my unique lived experiences, travel highlights, venting about being a teenager, and beyond. If I had an idea, I used my free time to bring it to life.

Educationally, if there was an assignment where I could turn in a video instead of a typical paper or presentation, I did it. A documentary on World War II, a video about cyberbullying, video ethnographies and book reports, videos about countries, mitosis vs. meiosis, suicide in America, the Trojan War, fallacies in the media, ubiquity of microbes, DNA fingerprinting, the list goes on and on.

I would also jump at the opportunity to help others with my creative talents any chance I got. From helping friends create music videos for their garage band, recaps of charity fashion shows, fundraising videos for nonprofits I volunteered with, promotional videos for student organizations I was in, videos highlighting friends and family milestones, proposal videos, and even a short film at Ramoji Film City in India, simply because I enjoyed it.

Funnily enough, all the examples I listed while going down memory lane were done for free because I love creating and helping others. I can honestly say I enjoy every part of the video production process. From ideation, storyboarding, scripting, filming, b-roll collecting, editing, sound design, color grading, motion graphics, visual effects, and eventually publishing. Every project was a journey that improved my skills, gaining valuable experience that eventually led me to where I am now.

I remember back in 2007 when the YouTube Partner Program was first introduced with 100 inaugural creators. As a kid who looked up to some of those early YouTubers, I remember thinking how cool it would be to be a talented creator, have an engaging online community, and do that every day for a living.

Today, I'm a proud YouTube and TikTok Partner who not only creates for my own channels, but also for channels with my love, Adam, and for others on behalf of many brands, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals I support through my business, A-Game Creations. While I love keeping myself busy doing a myriad of things, being a YouTube Partner will never get old. The communities I've helped create, from uploading my first video over 20 years ago to all the other connections I've made along the way, feel like nothing else. The funniest part of all this to me is that until 2023, most of my channels did not include my face. It was all faceless. I liked my anonymity and still do with those channels.

As a small business owner, I'm actively supporting numerous YouTube channels and my skills have led me to create videos for a National Geographic explorer, a retired NBA player's business, a former royal family member's nonprofit, politicians, authors, and even taken me to filming sites like the backlots of Universal Studios, many iconic museums and cities, and more that I can't wait to share about publicly in time.

Despite my history, I only started sharing my journey online publicly and openly once A-Game Creations was incorporated in 2023, and it has truly felt like the culmination of my whole creative life finally becoming public rather than a close kept secret. I've even started publishing videos with me on camera to the A-Game Creations YouTube channel instead of just being behind it, which has been a whole different but very exciting ballgame. I'm still learning so much, and I can't wait to see where it all leads me next.

I'm really glad I uploaded my first video to YouTube 20 years ago this month.

If you got this far, thank you so much for being here. If there's anything I can do to support you on your journey, please don't hesitate to reach out!