Do you want to become a great storyteller, but don’t know how? As someone who is passionate about movies, stories, and filmmaking, I closely follow the careers of famous directors, often asking myself how they manage to become successful. After analyzing their career paths, I have realized that there is no single way to become a good storyteller. The one thing all these people have in common is their aspiration and passion for storytelling — not the money, fame, or the ‘Hollywood dream’.
Over the years, YouTube has become a platform for many passionate filmmakers/storytellers who want to work in the film industry but don’t know how to enter this world “properly.” The truth is, these YouTubers could use more recognition because the level of the technique, effort, and preparation that go into the videos that you find on the platform is brutal. The artists who take this career path and exhibit their work on YouTube are full of talent, and without hesitation — I would categorize some alongside the great “Hollywood directors.”
I hope it’s clear that you don’t need to be in Hollywood, go to film school, or have the largest budget to do what you love, which in this case is filmmaking. In this article, I will share 3 YouTube channels in which I’m sure you will find plenty of inspiration to become the next big storyteller. Make sure to check them out!
1.- Jonna Jinton
Jonna Jinton is a Swedish artist, musician, Youtuber, and filmmaker who lives in the beautiful woods in the North of Sweden. Jonna’s channel is full of stories and glimpses of her everyday life. You may think that sounds a little boring, but her content is pretty much the opposite of conventional. Jonna’s videos portray the life of someone who lives under the sky full of northern lights, around forests full of wolves, frozen lakes, and mountains.
Have you ever wondered how people live in one of the coldest places in the world? Check out her channel to figure that out!
It doesn’t matter which of her videos you decide to watch first. All of Jonna Jinton’s videos are beyond incredible!
2.- Nathaniel Drew
Nathaniel Drew is a Youtuber, filmmaker, and storyteller. Nathaniel’s channel is a diary of his own experiences and adventures that he likes to share with the world. He has videos about traveling, productivity and habits, languages, and more. The format of his videos/content reminds me so much of instructional and inspiring documentaries. If you want to learn something new, I recommend you check his channel!
It’s hard to recommend just one of his videos, but the first one I think you should check out is the video where Nathaniel tries Picasso’s daily routine for an entire week. That video has 1.6 million views! But if that’s not very interesting to you, check out his two-part series where he interviews his polyglot grandmother in over five different languages. Both videos together reach 10.2 million views. So, if you want to learn a new language but haven’t started yet, that video is a good source of inspiration.
3.- HeyXNatalie
Natalie is a 19-year-old Youtuber, filmmaker, and storyteller. Her videos show her growth as a person and as an emerging artist. Since she is a young Youtuber, her videos appeal to a relatively younger audience, so her work is the perfect inspiration to go out and take on the world. Natalie is part of a young generation of Youtubers who did not take the “conventional path” in their lives; when Natalie graduated from high school, she decided not to go to university, and went to pursue her dreams of being a freelance filmmaker.
Natalie recently started a series on her channel called “Borderless,” where we see her start her journey of van life at 19. If you don’t think that’s something viable for someone that young, I recommend you watch episodes 1 & 2 to discover how difficult or easy it is to live on your own on the road!