If you don’t know Lloyd Ambrose, you should. He has worked his way to stardom at Vanderbilt University and is currently trying to attain stardom on a grander level. His YouTube partner, Steven Simpson, and he have gained thousands of YouTube subscribers in a very short span of time. For those of you who are wondering what makes this guy so special, read on.
Major: mechanical engineering
Claim to fame: YouTube videos… and general awesomeness
When did you become interested in making films/videos?
In the eighth grade, I would use Microsoft Paint to draw stick pictures and make slide shows with them. My teachers and classmates loved it, but it was nothing special. In tenth grade, my friend Steve and I started making test videos, where we tried to figure out how Hollywood put certain special effects in the films we watched in theaters- think people shooting fire or disappearing.
What motivates you to continue making videos?
Popularity (among peers and YouTube viewers) definitely motivates me. My friend Steve also motivates me because he is very dedicated to our channel.
Why did you and Steve decide to focus on comedic videos for your YouTube channel?
People relate to comedic videos more, so comedic videos get us more views. People would rather laugh at our funny videos than be amazed by the test videos. When we were making only test videos, we never got over 4,000 views within a week. Now, we sometimes get 30,000 views in a single day.
Which video did you have the most fun recording, and why?
I had the most fun recording “Ghetto Siri” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwedupPype0), because my friends and I didn’t know we were going to get Terrico White, a former NBA player, to participate in the project. He was very chill. It was a lot of fun.
Which video did you have the least fun recording, and why?
I had the least fun recording “Mortal Kombat”(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeByIsi8ShM) because it took us five months to edit it. Steve had a tight work schedule. I was in a lot of high school organizations and both of us had girlfriends to spend time with.
Do you and Steve have any current projects?
Our short film “4PLAY” will be released before February 15, 2012 because that’s the date of the Vanderbilt Student Film Festival deadline. We collaborated with YouTube comedian SpokenReasons (http://www.youtube.com/user/SpokenReasons) for that one. Also, we have a sex tape spoof coming out soon and twelve projects lined up that we’ve already filmed.
How do you balance your YouTube channel with school, especially as an engineering major?
I’m still working on it, honestly. It’s nice to have a creative partner for the YouTube channel though. If one of us is busy the other one works on our videos more.
What’s most important to you?
Probably peanut butter and jelly. It has to be apple jelly too. Well, if I run out of apple jelly, I use grape jelly. If I run out grape jelly, I go buy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My wife has to be able to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That’s 70% of what I look for in a woman.
What are your other talents?
I’m a black belt in kung fu. I play piano, I’m a pretty good basketball player, and I cook really good New Orleans food.
Do you know how to warm Pop Tarts?
Yes, I do.
Why Lloyd gets the Vandy Campus Celeb Stamp of Approval:
Yes, the above picture is the reason. Well, not really. However, it does depict many wonderful things about him. He is creative, dedicated, artistic, humorous, and humble. Also, there’s eight of him. All of the aforementioned qualities enable him to write scripts for, record, and edit videos while maintaining good relationships with those around him. On top of all of that, he is able to maintain a solid GPA. Is he Superman or is he Superman? If you’re ever in need of a video editor or just someone to talk to, he is definitely your go-to guy.
Check out his YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/50percent16
Check out his Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/50percent16videos