Meet Gisselle Rodriguez: YouTuber

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gisselle Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gisselle, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
As a YouTuber, there is one thing outsiders are probably unaware of. Being a YouTuber is not as easy as just uploading a video. It takes time and dedication. Many people decide to start a YouTube channel thinking it will be easy, but then quit once they realize it is time consuming and takes actual work. After talking to another YouTuber friend, I have realized that the average time it takes to edit a video is five hours. However, it also depends on the type of video. Some videos can easily be edited in about two hours and others can take as long as nine hours or more. Not only is the editing time consuming, people do not consider the time it takes to get ready to look presentable for a video and setting up the equipment to film. In addition, filming can range anywhere from a few minutes to hours. The quality on YouTube is not the same as it used to be. Viewers expect the creators’ video quality to be at a certain level. Also, in order to grow your brand, you must be willing to interact with your subscribers. That can be anything from responding to comments or creating content on other social media sites. Because anyone can start a YouTube channel, most people tend to believe that it is easy to maintain. Outsiders are unaware of the fact that YouTube can take as much time as a part-time job or more depending on how much a creator uploads.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I would consider myself to be a creative over an artist, and being my authentic self is what sets me apart from others. For my standards and other people’s standards, I may not be a “huge” YouTuber, but I am still proud of where my channel is. It definitely has not been easy, because it has taken me years to get to where I am today. However, that is also because I do not have the time to dedicate to my channel as I would like. The main challenge is trying to balance college, work, YouTube and my everyday life. I like to have time to do everything I love, but that is not always possible. Another challenge I have faced is learning to deal with haters. It was hard at first, but I have learned to not let negative comments bother me. As far as lessons I have learned, there are many. One of the most important lessons is that persistence leads to perseverance. This means that even when times get rough, it is never good to give up and throw it all away. Another lesson I have learned is to do what makes you happy. There are certain videos I have realized that I do not enjoy creating, so I tend not to do them. I am more motivated to produce videos if they are videos I am excited to film and edit. Lastly, I have learned that it is ok to not accept every single sponsorship. Subscribers trust their favorite creators, but that does not mean the creator can abuse that trust. What I would want the world to know about my brand and story is that everyone’s journey on YouTube is different. Not everyone has the overnight success that some creators have, and that is ok. I truly consider YouTube to still be one of my hobbies, but I still manage the business side of it by working with brands I love or am interested in.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spots in the city include: – Downtown Dallas – Reunion Tower – Deep Ellum – Northpark Center or Galleria Dallas. These are my favorite malls in the Dallas area, and the Galleria includes an ice skating rink! – Six Flags Over Texas – Hopdoddy’s Burger Bar – LSA Burger in Denton Honestly, there are too many spots to choose from, but those are some of my favorites.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my parents and friends. My parents have always supported my dreams and hobbies from the start. They have helped me on the financial side of creating videos by helping me purchase equipment, materials and anything else I may need for my social media presence. I would like to specifically thank my mom for always being willing to help me film whenever I need an extra hand. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends for always reminding me to upload videos when I disappear for a while, giving me ideas, being willing to be in my videos and helping me film.