Manzo branches into Youtube, explores art of cinematography
Accumulating over 500 subscribers and 27k views, sophomore Katelyn Manzo pursues her passion in cinematography and film through her Youtube channel.
The roots of Manzo’s love for filming and creating content trace back to her childhood where she would often record videos using what was available to her.
“Ever since I was little, I liked making my own videos,” Manzo said. “I had this tiny iPod [that] I would record videos [with], and I would beg my dad to post them.”
In addition to her early love for filming, being a dedicated viewer also gave her an extra push towards the direction of creating.
“I had been watching a lot of people on Youtube for years, and it inspired me [to start my own channel],” Manzo said.
Though being a creator herself, Manzo definitely has her star-struck moments being on the opposite end of the screen. She has met Connor Franta, a Youtube creator with 5.5 million subscribers, twice.
“My inspiration was mainly Connor Franta,” Manzo said. “He does a lot of work with cinematography and poetry [incorporated] into his videos, and I really like that.”
Manzo’s channel focuses on beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, but she hopes to “cover more of that cinematic side [she] likes.”
“I would like to take [my channel] more seriously,” Manzo said. “Right now it’s just fun, but I’d like to make more time and post more often.”
This passion of Manzo’s has brought her more than just an outlet for creativity: it has also brought sponsorships and new interactions into the picture.
“I’ve gotten people asking me if I could promote their brands [by] sending me free glasses and giving me promotion codes,” Manzo said. “People [would] comment [on videos] that they’d like to be friends, and I’ve connected with people through that.”
However, underneath the surface of the positives, Manzo describes the difficulties and hardships of maintaining a channel.
“It’s hard to maintain [consistency] when you play sports and have to do all your school work,” Manzo said. “Trying to find time to film, edit, [and trying to come up with] ideas takes a lot of time.”
Aside from the time-consuming factor, Manzo was initially “scared to say anything” about her channel as she was afraid of backlash.
“I kept it quiet,” Manzo said. “I didn’t really tell people at school, but the news ended up getting out and surprisingly, everybody [supported] my videos.”
Diving into this hobby, Manzo did not expect much more than a platform to help get her ideas and experiences out to the world.
“I [wanted to] connect with other people [to use] my artistic abilities and filming to share my story and help others,” Manzo said.
Manzo has gotten much more comfortable and confident with her videos as her channel developed. She hopes this platform will do the same for others.
“If anybody wants to [start a channel], just go out and do it,” Manzo said. ”You don’t really need any fancy equipment— just do whatever you want.”