The question we are all asking ourselves is what should we do while being at home. A good way, to entertain ourselves is seeing YouTube videos, specifically those posted by our fellow Nole Erica Sager. This past week I had the pleasure of interviewing her and getting to know a little better the person who is behind those videos.
Her Campus (HC): Tell us about yourself! Where are you from? What is your major?
Erica Sager (ES): Well hey! My name is Erica and I’m from Seminole, FL, coincidentally, and it’s right outside of St. Petersburg, FL. I am a senior, graduating in May 2021 and I’m double majoring in Marketing and Digital Media Production. I really like to cook and eat Thai food and I also love solo travel!
HC: Why did you decide on pursuing Marketing and Digital Media Production?
ES: I came into FSU as an Entrepreneurship major thinking I wanted to start my own business one day, which still rings true. After a few months on campus, I decided that I wanted to seriously pursue one of my passions—video production. I wasn’t interested in the film school as I don’t have dreams for Hollywood but found the Digital Media Production program and it fit my needs. Since declaring my Digital Media Production major, I have also added Marketing as a second degree as I still wanted to pursue business, just in a complementary way. The reason I truly decided to give in to my passions and study them is because of my friend Zoie. She and I grew up making silly sketches and music videos and when she went to college she chose to study media production. Zoie is a year older, so I was able to see her process of applying to the major and having classes where she learned to further perfect her media skills. Seeing that it was possible and something that I’d definitely enjoy, I chose to pursue it as well. Being in the DMP program helped me to better my videography and editing skills and has presented some very unique opportunities for me, such as filming the football games.
HC: When did you decide to start making YouTube videos?
ES: I started making YouTube videos almost 8 years ago to the date! I started my channel in September 2012 and I uploaded my first video in October 2012. I had made a few channels before that but without my mom’s permission, I wasn’t allowed to upload videos onto them.
HC: Why did you decide to make them?
ES: I decided to make YouTube videos out of pure enjoyment. My friend Zoie and I were always messing around with any cameras we had around our houses – making silly videos to put on our Facebook profiles, so I always felt immersed. I went on YouTube a lot as a kid and saw other girls my age making makeup tutorials and fashion videos and I wanted to be a part of it.
HC: What is your favorite topic/theme to do them on?
ES: My favorite topic to make videos on was game day vlogs. I find it really exciting to show other people how our game days go in terms of tailgates and the atmosphere in the stadium. These videos are also really fun to edit because of the high energy footage and the ease with which I can add cool edits These are also my most well-received videos, so it feels even more rewarding.
HC: How do you usually decide on the theme/topic?
ES: I typically set a calendar and try to plan and outline all of my videos so that everything is being uploaded at the most optimal time. If it’s the beginning of the school year I post back-to-school related videos and so on. I try to plan my videos so that they hit YouTube just as people are starting to think about the topics I make my videos about. In addition, if a certain video is doing really well I try to expand on it and consider how I can stretch the topic into a few different videos.
HC: What has been your favorite video and why?
ES: My favorite video I’ve ever made has been “Happy Father’s Day to my Mother” where I honor both my late father for his contributions to my life, as well as my mother for assuming the role of single parent and filling in where my father couldn’t. I poured my heart into it and it was also a very special present for my mom.
HC: Has Covid-19 stopped you from doing your videos?
ES: Gratefully, the Covid-19 outbreak did not stop me at all from doing my videos. In fact, coming home from studying abroad giving me ample time to commit to my channel and I have gained over 6,000 subscribers since quarantine began.
HC: What do you want to do after graduation?
ES: After graduation (after a long summer, of course) I’d like to move to a big city and begin working. My dream job would be doing social media and video production for an NBA or NFL team. However, I recognize how unpredictable a job like that can be, not to mention hard to come by. Working in the sports industry might be a touch too inconsistent for me, so otherwise, I’d love to work for a digital branding agency and work on digital media projects for their clients.
HC: What advice/tips would you give to any future Nole or student who wishes to come to FSU?
ES: I would say in terms of the application, make sure you fill out every little thing, optional or not, to increase your chances of getting in. I submitted a piece for the optional essay on my application and I believe that’s what lead me to receive the scholarship I have held the past 4 years—so better safe than sorry! Going to FSU was a blessing in disguise for me and has been completely what I’ve made of it. I like to guide my experience here by a classic quote from Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines! Sail away from safe harbor.”
Make sure to go check out her videos on YouTube and hit that subscribe button, you will not regret it.
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