It always astounds me that people actually watch my conent and decide they want to stick around for more. It's one of the most amazing feelings and experiences I have ever had.
Photos Courtesy of Cris the Girl
I am happy to be back here once again with Part 2 of my two-part interview with Cris of the YouTube channel, Cris the Girl. Part 1 focused on Cris’ childhood as well as her love of amusement parks and travel. If you haven’t read that yet, I encourage you to do so. It offers great insight into Cris’ desire to explore the country and enjoy life. If you’ve seen any of her videos you know that those two things are abundant in spades throughout her work.
Now it’s time to meet Cris again, this time as Cris the content creator. She was kind enough to give us an insight into these last six months of filming, editing, and brainstorming that went into keeping her channel up-to-date. I think the only thing she didn’t share between these two interviews is her shoe size and whether she likes pineapple on pizza.
Oh wait… “Size 8 and pineapple absolutely belongs on pizza,” she insists.
All kidding aside, I can’t wait to see where Cris visits next. I’m looking forward to the day we can explore a park or roadside attraction together. Well, as long as it’s not stopping for pineapple pizza! Yuck!
Preparation
Q. When did you launch your YouTube channel, Cris the Girl?
A. My first video was published October 15, 2021.
Q. I think this one might be a bit obvious, but I usually ask everyone: How did you decide on your channel’s name?
A. I went back and forth on a name for a while. Believe it or not, I really did not want to do a pun or a twist on words. One day though, it just popped in my head. The Little Mermaid song, “Kiss the Girl,” sounds a lot like “Cris the Girl.” It’s not my favorite Disney movie or song, but it fit too perfectly not to go with it. The rest is history.
Q. Can you tell us how the idea to launch the channel came about?
A. It was something that has been on my mind for a long time. I’ve had many people suggest I start a channel over the past number of years, but I never really seriously considered it. Well, not until I began my journey with plants. I was thinking about starting a channel devoted to plant tips and tricks, but my plans for YouTube were placed on hold when I decided to move to Pennsylvania.
After I got settled, I started thinking about YouTube again. This time though, I started getting bigger plans than just talking about my plants. I started watching more and more YouTubers and was amazed at how their videos were so approachable and accessible. I thought about all of the adventures I’ve had over the years and about all the knowledge and experiences I had about theme parks, traveling, and all kinds of things. Although I was inspired by others, I felt like I was not seeing my own experiences and views reflected on the screen. I finally decided to change that!
Q. How long did it take to go from that budding idea of starting your channel to getting things underway?
A. It took longer than I would have liked, but that is only because I am impatient. First, I did a lot of research into the tools I would need to start my channel. I researched cameras, editing software, and ideas for topics I could start off with. Once I got my tools in order, I practiced filming and editing to get used to the process. All in all, it took maybe about a month to a month and a half from conception to filming.
Q. Did you have any goals in mind for the channel before you began, or was it more of a see how it goes sort of thing?
A. Ultimately, my number one goal was to show different experiences and perspectives. From there, connect with other people who shared the same point of view and maybe haven’t seen their voices and experiences on YouTube either. This is still my goal today. I aim to provide fresh new takes on things we have seen before, plus show different experiences, thoughts, and ideas seldom seen on YouTube. Oh yeah, and of course, to have fun while doing so!
Q. Were there any channels or content creators out there that you enjoyed, or drew inspiration from, prior to launching yours?
A. Yes! People like Jackie from Super Enthused, Nate of Paging Mr. Morrow, Adam from The Daily Woo, Jay of Tampa Jay, and Jacob from The Carpetbagger make really enjoyable yet “simple” videos. And by simple, I mean they show their lives and adventures without having to rely on flash editing techniques, music, or expensive equipment to get their point across. They made me think that I could do this too. I was drawn to the accessibility and rawness of their channels.
Q. Did you have any kind of background with video or media creation prior to launch?
A. Not really! I have always been interested in this field and dabbled being in front of and behind the camera a few times. My videos have been my first prolonged experience with filming, talking to a camera, and editing footage.
Up & Running
Q. For those out there who might not be familiar with your channel or content, can you give us a description of what people will see?
A. Oh goodness. What won’t you see is more the question. I never liked to be put in a cookie cutter box. I am definitely not a theme park channel, or a plant channel, etc. I like to think of it as a channel about my life, my many hobbies, and interests. Sometimes those are going to theme parks, traveling, or talking about plants. Sometimes it is going to the beach, talking about organic cosmetics, or decorating my Christmas tree.
Q. How do you come up with ideas for what you cover on your channel? Has that changed along the way?
A. A lot of it derives on my natural hobbies, interests, and experiences. I am constantly thinking of different places to visit and different content I can create to keep things relatively interesting and unexpected. This process has not changed too much since I started.
Q. Aside from me telling you to go to Storybook Land last year, have you visited any other places your followers have suggested?
A. Two of my videos have been specifically based off viewer suggestions. Those were my Universal CityWalk tour and my visit to Bok Tower Gardens. I always try to write down and keep track of the suggestions I get so I can hopefully do those videos down the road.
Q. I saw you recently picked up a new camera. Can you share what equipment you use to create your content and how you edit your content for upload to YouTube?
A. The camera I recently purchased is a Canon G7X Mark 2 and I love it so far! Prior to that, I was using my iPhone 13. The editing program I use is iMovie and I edit on my phone. That part has not changed since the beginning. I also use a pretty standard gimbal to hold my camera. That is basically all that I use for my videos.
Q. How often do you find yourself out and about creating new content?
A. At a minimum, I film all weekend, every weekend. If I can swing it or have a good idea during the week, sometimes I will film after work. It just depends on how busy I am during the week and what events come up.
Q. I’m sure you plan out a lot of your video topics and destinations in advance, but do you ever just film on a whim at some random place?
A. The nice part about being comfortable filming on my phone is that I always have a camera with me just in case. No experiences as of yet have come up when I filmed on a whim. That definitely does not mean it won’t ever happen.
A Look Back at the Journey
Q. Now that your channel has been online for 6 months, if you could go back in time to give yourself one piece of advice when starting out, what would that be?
A. For the love of everything that is good, please edit down my videos a little more. Seriously! That is probably the best piece of advice I could give myself. When it comes to editing, however, it’s just trial and error. You have to find a process that works best for you and what you’re trying to get across. It’s just hard watching those old videos. I would edit them so differently now.
Q. What has been the hardest part of keeping the channel going thus far?
A. I think the hardest part is finding the time for everything. It takes a lot of time planning out projects, traveling from place to place, filming all day, and then coming home to edit for hours. Then wake up and do it all over again the next day. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there you must respond to comments, promote videos on social media, try to stay relevant by posting often, and also somehow have a regular adult life in there. It has been a struggle to balance it all out with the few amount of followers I have. I have no idea how the bigger channels manage it all.
Q. What has been easier than you expected?
A. I am very fortunate to have such wonderful support during this whole thing. First of all, having friends who are also creators and understand the struggles of this process. Having people who get it and who you can vent to really makes a huge difference. Also, again, I am very fortunate to have so many supportive people who watch the channel. The comments and feedback I receive have been so overwhelmingly nice. I was not expecting so much kindness. I guess I always expect the worst and anticipated hatred and failure, so I am very lucky in that regard.
Q. Your follower count has certainly grown since we met. How happy has that made you feel to see more and more people wanting to follow along on your adventures?
A. I think it’s amazing. Of course, I have to attribute some of that to the exposure Tampa Jay gave me by having me on his channel. At the same time, at least some of those people gave me a chance and stayed with me. Just because I am on someone else’s channel does not mean people will automatically follow me, so I am very fortunate and grateful!
It always astounds me that people actually watch my content and decide they want to stick around for more. It’s one of the most amazing feelings and experiences I have ever had.
Q. How has the feedback from viewers been thus far? Care to address those who follow your work and share your content with others?
A. Yes, again, I could go on and on about this because it’s truly been the most rewarding and amazing part of this process. The feedback has truly been amazing and I am still floored that people actually enjoy the content. I really just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who watches. Being a person who is used to being overlooked, to now have people like me and my work is beyond anything I could have asked for. I will never stop being grateful for the viewers.
Q. What are some of your favorite videos you’ve created thus far? What makes them stick out to you?
A. Oh wow! There are so many. I am generally so proud of all the work that I do honestly. I will always love my very first video, even though it is hard to watch because, again… editing. I was so proud of what I did and so happy I started with Hershey Gardens too.
My Hersheypark holiday is another one. It was my first video to really take off. Also, going back to the park with Tampa Jay will always be special. It was my first collaboration video and our first video together.
Knoebels was another special video. I decided at the last minute to go and I ended up having the best time! It also opened the door to meeting a lot of other vloggers who are still my friends today.
The Q&A video (above) was one of the hardest videos for me – both with editing and filming. I am so proud of it though because it is one of my most-viewed videos to date.
Tarpon Springs was another video I really enjoyed. I laughed so much during the experience and then again while editing and watching the video back. Same thing with the Fazoli’s video. Those usually end up being my favorites because they are relatively simple. It leaves me room to relax a little more and focus on having a great time filming and editing.
Videos Mentioned Above
A Fall Visit to Hershey Gardens
Hersheypark Christmas Candylane 2021
Tampa Jay & Cris the Girl Visit Hersheypark Christmas Candylane
First Trip to Knoebels! Hallo-FUN 2021
Get to Know Me! Cris the Girl Answers Your Questions
Penny Lane, The Ultimate Beatles Museum & Tarpon Springs
New Fazoli’s Opens in Tampa, Florida
Q. Overall, what is the one thing that you are most proud of looking back at your channel’s journey up to this point?
A. I really am just so proud of myself. I hope that does not sound too conceded, but again, I am used to being the person that is overlooked and who does not get recognized for achievements. I used to have a relatively hard time going out the front door. My life wasn’t really going anywhere meaningful and I wasn’t putting myself out there for people at all.
I felt all of this basically right up until I started my channel. Once I got going though, I became the person I always wanted to be. I connected with amazing friends, found the love of my life, and was able to express myself creatively and do it on my terms. I have already done so many things I never would have had the motivation to do if it were not for this channel.
On top of that, I feel like I am able to help people in some way. Many people have reached out to say the videos brighten their day and help them through tough times. To me, that is the most important part of the channel. Getting to make a difference in people’s lives, even if it’s just making people laugh when I climb into small army vehicles or show them how to use a sponge as a planter, it great.
Channel's Future
Q. Any upcoming videos you’d like to tease for people to look out for?
A. Oh boy! Well, I have big, no, huge ideas for the future. Expect more Disney and Universal videos with content that I guarantee you have seldom seen before. I also plan on doing a lot more personal vlogs in the future. I really want to talk more about my life and my various hobbies.
I also cannot wait for the Halloween season to start because I have so many plans and ideas for content that will hopefully be refreshing and fun. Additionally, expect more travel videos in the future. I cannot wait to visit national parks, historical landmarks, and explore the United States and all of the amazing things we have to offer here.
Q. How about upcoming travel plans? Going anywhere interesting you want to share with your followers?
A. As many know, I will be heading back up to Pennsylvania in a couple of weeks. Expect some travel videos with hopefully some interesting stops along the way. When I am back up north, I have plans to visit New Jersey and other surrounding states for more theme parks, botanical gardens, and other fun activities. I have just an endless amount of plans and ideas and I am so excited to share them all with you soon.
Q. One day I hope we get the chance to meet up like we always talked about doing. Well, more than in passing like at Sesame Place. Until then, I, like many others, will enjoy your journeys through your channel. Thanks for having us along for those trips and for taking part in this interview. Is there anything you’d like to say in closing?
A. Thank you for deeming me interesting enough to interview. Ha! I want to say thank you again to everyone for all of their support. I just want to provide fun, and hopefully insightful, videos for you all. I am so happy and grateful for each and every one of you for sticking with me through this adventure. I have so much planned and an endless amount of ideas. It is really thanks to everyone’s wonderful encouragement and enthusiasm that I feel inspired to do more and be more. So thank you all again!
