Meet AlexanderCarpenter, your October “On The Rise” YouTube Partner

Congratulations to Alex Carpenter, whose channel AlexanderCarpenter received the most votes for the October On The Rise poll, and his channel will be featured on the YouTube homepage today.

Looking for videos that draw on late ‘90s TV shows to offer suggestions for surviving the Apocalypse? Perhaps songs inspired by literature are more your style. Or maybe you’d prefer to catch Alex on tour with his band, The Remus Lupins. For these pop-culture preferences and more, Alex is here to bring you a mix of vlogs, music and entertainment.



And finally, Alex wanted to share a few of his own words on his success and gratitude for your support:

I think I have the coolest job in the world. For the past 6 years, I have gotten to play all sorts of nerdy music, travel around the world performing my songs and basically live out every geek's fantasy. Now I can add to that getting to be featured on the front page of one of the interwebs' most visited websites. My mom hasn't been this proud of me since I learned to do the Live Long and Prosper symbol with my hand. None of it would have been possible without the support of my amazing friends though, and I must take a moment to say thank you for the incredible outpouring of encouragement from those who enjoy the silly things I put out onto the internet. I owe you all a milkshake next time I see you. Thank you so much, and remember: Be Brilliant.

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel or look for our playlists on the browse page. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!

Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “AmgezaGautengSavingCalf_Short.”

Are you the next big chef or trainer on YouTube?

Since launching the first YouTube NextUp, we’ve been working to supercharge the careers of partners from around the world, and now we’re expanding the program even further. Today we’re kicking off two new YouTube Next Creator Programs to highlight the stars of tomorrow on YouTube today: YouTube Next Chef and YouTube Next Trainer.

Each program will have sixteen participants who take part in a three month virtual class held on Google+ Hangouts. Our chefs and trainers will each receive an equipment kit worth more than $5,000, mentoring from industry leaders, filming and editing lessons and more than $10,000 worth of promotion on YouTube. Here’s more info on each and an introduction from our hosts.

YouTube Next Chef
Crafty in the kitchen? Love sharing your family’s recipes with the world? With YouTube Next Chef, you could be selected to learn filmmaking tailored to cooking videos. Shea Hess of Hungry in Brooklyn will be your host.



YouTube Next Trainer
Personal health comes in many forms, and we’re interested in your unique approach. From yoga to 100-yard sprints, this program will help you develop filmmaking talents specifically for fitness videos. Sarah Dussalt of SarahsFabChannel will be your host.



How to apply
Starting today through October 25, partners from Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States can apply at youtube.com/NextChef and youtube.com/NextTrainer, which also includes all rules and details.

We’ll be back on November 9 to introduce you to the selected chefs and trainers, as we keep working on ways to help YouTube Partners turn their passion into their career.

Austin Lau, YouTube Creator Programs, recently watched, “How To Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds.”

Meet the October "On The Rise" Nominees

Each month, we find four YouTube Partners whose subscriber numbers are growing but who still have fewer than 100,000 for our On The Rise program. After you check out their videos and channels, we want to hear your vote for your favorite in the top right corner of this blog. The channel with the most votes at the end of the week will be featured on the YouTube homepage and videos page.

Our nominees this month are all artists in their own field, and their videos could be especially useful this Halloween. Whether it’s getting you in the spirit with songs about witches and wizards, drawing faces for your jack-o-lanterns, or perfecting your costume with vintage makeup or martial arts moves, these YouTubers can be just what you’re looking for. Check out their videos and vote for your favorite on the top right corner of this blog by October 19 at 6pm PT, and we’ll announce the winner on October 27.

cartoonblock
Wielding only a Staedtler pencil and a kneaded eraser, Evan Burse made his career animating for hits like Batman and Scooby-Doo. But he’s also committed to giving back - his YouTube channel contains tutorials for anyone interested in re-creating their favorite superheroes, anime and cartoon characters.



kwonkicker
Micah, aka Kwonkicker, has devoted his channel to martial arts - specifically, a style he refers to as Taekwondo Kickboxing. If you’re looking for training tutorials or martial arts-based action films, you’ll find it all here.



hollywoodnoirmakeup
Ashley’s history as a makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics and her passion for old Hollywood and film noir serve her well on YouTube. Her tutorials have earned her a dedicated following, and she even keeps a running list of upcoming requested tutorials.



AlexanderCarpenter
Alex is well known for his original music videos about pop culture, movies, and books, like this video about Alex’s favorite book (and a great costume idea). If you like it, check his tour dates to see when he might be playing near you!



Past winners like theneedledrop and JasonMundayMusic and have seen their audiences grow, all thanks to your support. If you’re interested in checking out more rising YouTube Partners, visit our On The Rise channel, which features nominees, trending partners and monthly blog winners. Look for more featured partners on the YouTube Browse page.

Devon Storbeck, Partner Support, recently watched “Adele - Someone Like You.”

An update from YouTube NextUp Japan

This month, the 10 winners of our YouTube NextUp contest in Japan attended Creator’s Camp at Digital Hollywood University in Tokyo. The YouTubers learned to use the magic of green screens, worked with editing pros, talked with industry professionals on brand management and got some hands-on time with high-end digital cameras. We have a summary video of the week’s activities here, and learn many of the same lessons from the YouTube Creator Playbook.

One of our favorite parts of Creator Camp is seeing the creativity coming out of the YouTubers collaborations, so we put together a playlist for you.



The YouTube NextUp winners are already working on their first big projects after Creator Camp, and here’s a few you can look forward to:

• HotchiKazuhiro starts work on his 26-part animated fantasy epic Jugaia
• SQUASHfilms will be touring all of Japan’s world heritage sites and making videos from each
• Two of the NextUp winners will shoot videos from the Northeastern Japan areas affected by the tsunami and earthquake — ChrisNolandTV chronicling rebuilding of the coastal cities and dfarm777 looking at the areas’ stray pets recovery effects

Congratulations again to all the Japan YouTube NextUp creators—megwin, sasakiasahi, soezimax, Kumigar, randomyoko, ChrisNolandTV, dfarm777, HotchiKazuhiro, SQUASHfilms and nariomaru!

Mami Ihara, Partner Program Specialist, recently watched “坂本龍馬 Japanese samurai ryoma sakamoto.”

Introducing Your September “On The Rise” Nominees

Each month, we identify four YouTube Partners who are growing their subscribers but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscribers mark for our On The Rise program. You vote for your favorite in the top right corner of this blog, and the winner will be featured on the YouTube homepage and videos page.

This September, our nominees are here to help you learn and play. So go grab a football, arts supplies, headphones or popcorn and check out the nominees are below. Then vote for your favorite in the top right corner by September 22 at 6pm PT, and we’ll announce the winner on September 29.

UncutSports
Kevin and George were bored with traditional TV sports reporting, so they created the Uncut Sports Show to offer unfiltered opinions on everything from football to wrestling to golf.



simplekidscrafts
When her son was four years old, Merve began this video blog to document their frequent arts and crafts projects. Now three years old, the channel offers step-by-step videos for how to turn everyday materials into fun kids crafts.



theneedledrop
Anthony Fantano is a public radio host and an avid independent music fan. For the last two years, he’s been reviewing all kinds of songs and albums from “music you like and music you hate.”



pineappleboyfilms
Jake Jarvi is a writer/videographer for luxury lifestyle magazines by day, but his real passion is film. In 2008 he produced the short film “Twisted Thicket,” and he’s now creating episodes of “The Platoon of the Power Squadron,” a series revolving around four Chicago strangers who become roommates and happen to have super powers.



Past winners like JasonMundayMusic and DestinWS2 have seen their audiences grow and even been in the news, all thanks to your support. If you’re interested in checking out more rising YouTube Partners, visit our On The Rise channel, which features nominees, trending partners and monthly blog winners. Look for more featured partners on the YouTube Browse page.

Devon Storbeck, Partner Support, recently watched “How to Edit Videos for Free.”

JasonMundayMusic is August’s On The Rise Star

Congratulations to JasonMundayMusic, who won August’s On The Rise poll after receiving the most votes from the YouTube community. Thanks to your support, Jason Munday (and his friends) will be featured on the YouTube homepage all day today.

As the self-proclaimed “nerdiest YouTube musician,” Jason’s repertoire includes songwriting, singing, producing, and sound engineering. His long history of musical projects on YouTube include hit YouTube bands Ministry of Magic and The Oceanic Six, whose songs were inspired by pop culture. Jason credits Ministry of Magic (a collaborative project with YouTube stars Luke Conard and Ryan Seiler) with opening the trio up to the potential of a YouTube music career with hits such as “Don’t Leave,” “On The Other Side,” and “This Town.” The band members have since chosen to pursue individual careers and Jason’s current solo project, Skyway Flyer, artfully combines the big arena sounds of the 80s with modern dance rock. Check out the video below for an overview of Jason’s work, past and present.



Here’s a word from Jason about his YouTube history, channels, and collaborations:

"I've been a YouTuber for several years, a musician for over a decade, and a nerd for as long as I can remember. Being a YouTube musician is now my full time job, and I'm proud to say that I've got to be one of the nerdiest! I started writing nerdy music with Luke Conard and Ryan Seiler over 4 years ago, and as Ministry of Magic, we were extremely fortunate with our online following and support. Thanks to our fans, I've been able to quit my full time job, move to Los Angeles, and pursue my dream of music and video making. I've since been able to focus so much more time and energy toward many different music projects and being out in LA amongst a vast ocean of music & film industry people, not to mention the growing YouTuber population, I've been able to network and make friends that are always looking to collaborate and even just help each other out. I always try to excel at whatever it is I'm focusing my efforts towards, and I find it fascinating to be able to look back at where I started and the place I've reached and simply look forward to where to future will take me. I'm inexpressibly grateful for all the good fortune I've had and as long as there are people enjoying what I do, I will continue to create it!”

If you’ve enjoyed monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel or look for our playlists on the browse page. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!

Devon Storbeck, Account Manager, recently watched “Ready For Anything" (Live!) - Skyway Flyer.”

YouTube is what you make it

Did you ever think you’d be a part of a revolution? Wonder if your contributions to the world would add up to something greater?

As we take the stage today at VidCon 2011, I can tell you for certain that they have. This two day gathering of annoying oranges, ukulele stars, voracious vloggers, super fans and thousands of other YouTubers like you is about changing the media landscape—one upload, view and mashup at a time. Not satisfied with just watching media, you've become the media. Not satisfied with flipping channels complaining there’s nothing on, you’ve created new ones with hundreds of millions of viewers, some of which will become as well known as networks like MTV, CNN and ESPN.

To all the people who are creating content on YouTube, THANK YOU. You have built the site into what it is today and we’re as committed as ever to providing you with the tools you need to make high quality videos and drive audiences to your channels. Initiatives like YouTube NextUp, the YouTube Creator Institute, and the revamped Creator Hub are part of this effort, as is the work we’re doing to make YouTube easy to watch on TV. And keep the feedback coming on Cosmic Panda—we look forward to re-inventing with you how YouTube works and feels in the future.

If you weren’t able to make it to VidCon this year and are eager to catch some familiar YouTube faces, we’ll be livestreaming a special VidCon performance on Saturday at 5pm PT. Come by and check it out!

Salar Kamangar, Head of YouTube, recently watched “VidCon 2011 Approaches.”

Introducing Smarter Every Day, your July On The Rise winner

Congratulations to Smarter Every Day (aka destinws2), who received the most votes in July’s On The Rise poll to become this month’s winner. Smarter Every Day will own the homepage spotlight all day today, thanks to your support.

Smarter Every Day is the result of Destin's fascination with the scientific method and his job as a rocket tester, bringing science to life with experiments like tracking movement patterns of chicken’s head and a DIY high-speed camera. Destin aims to have the channel leave you a little smarter about the science behind our world, while also hoping to motivate his children to explore and even to help with their college education. To kick off your experience with Smarter Every Day, Destin put together a Rube Goldberg system of rockets that’s eye-popping for both the visuals and the fact that he made it in 36 hours.



Here’s a word from Destin about Smarter Every Day:

Imagine a Junior High school science fair except the kids have Master's degrees in Rocket Propulsion and have access to much cooler resources. Since I could talk I've always asked ‘why,’ and I frequently setup experiments to answer just that question. I love to explore creation using the tools of the Scientific method as my map and compass. The saying I've taught my children is that ‘in a world of talkers we are to be thinkers and doers.’ I am very thankful for those who took the time to vote for ‘Smarter Every Day’ in the On The Rise video contest. Come join the fun and contribute science projects you'd like to see in this science fair!

If you’ve enjoyed monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel or look for our playlists on the browse page. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!

Devon Storbeck, Account Manager, recently watched “Magnet making Current - Smarter Every Day 16.”

Celebrating the creativity of YouTube’s Partners

College friends make trick basketball shots into a career. A small blender company gets international attention by blending glow sticks and iPads. A musician goes from bagging groceries to beatboxing around the world. One of the most inspiring things about YouTube is the way people across the U.S. and around the world use it as a way to express their passions—and to turn those passions into careers.

There are more than 20,000 people in the YouTube Partner Program, and numerous other companies and organizations use YouTube to draw attention to their causes and promote their businesses. Hundreds of people are making six-figure incomes on the site, enabling them to hire editors and producers and create even more original content. We’re helping our Partners grow their careers by running programs like YouTube NextUp and Creator Institute, and working to make the site a better and better place for people to grow businesses and build audiences.

To shine a light on the many inspiring things happening on YouTube, we’ve put together a report sharing the stories of 20 YouTube Partners who are changing lives, businesses and in some cases, history. You can download a PDF version of “YouTube: Celebrating the next generation of creative video” or visit it online at youtube.com/awesomeytpartners. YouTube is a very special place because of the passion of our Partners and the positivity they bring, and we hope you’ll find these stories as uplifting as we do.

Tom Pickett, director of content operations and online creators, recently watched “WWII hero and alumnus Louis Zamperini visits USC Annenberg class."

Introducing June’s On The Rise Nominees

It’s already mid-June, which means summer in the U.S. and a new set of On The Rise program nominees are here. We’re proud of our talented partners, and we invite you to check out these folks and vote for your favorite in the poll at the top right corner of the blog.

Here’s how it works: we identify channels who have grown their subscriber base in the past 30 days but haven’t yet reached 100,000. You vote on your favorite on the poll, and at the end of the week, the nominee with the most votes wins exposure on the YouTube homepage and videos page, as well as posts on Facebook and Twitter. Past winners like joshsundquist, theslowmoguys, and cutegirlshairstyles have seen their channels grow, all thanks to your support.

This month’s nominees showcase a range of video that will teach you, entertain you and thrill you. Take a look at their featured videos below, and cast your vote by June 22 at 6:00pm PT. Please note that only votes in the poll on the blog will count, and we’ll announce the channel with the most votes on this blog and the YouTube homepage on June 29.

Vihart
Vi Hart describes herself as a “recreational mathemusician.” She has a passion for music and hobby for mathematical art. On YouTube, Vi walks her audience through whimsical lessons that evolve from staged math class doodles. Who said math couldn’t be fun?



ThePianoGuys
Paul and Tel weren’t even thinking of YouTube when they opened their Yamaha Piano dealership in St. George, Utah, 10 years ago. But after seeing a steady flow of talented musicians coming through their store, they decided to combine their love of pianos with their passion for filmmaking. Their goal is to introduce the world to more talented pianists, and their YouTube channel is already a destination for musicians and music-lovers alike.



TommyandGracie
It’s hard not to love kittens and puppies, and Tommy the chihuahua and Gracie the cat — best friends since they were young — sure are cute. Lucky for us, their owners have documented their play-fights and antics on YouTube for all to enjoy.



Hrlmglobetrotters
The famed Harlem Globetrotters have thrilled audiences around the world for the past 84 years in more than 25,000 exhibition games. Their channel showcases clips of their shows, impersonations and interviews with members who continue the team’s tradition of combining theater with basketball.



If you’re inspired by what you see here, check out other up-and-coming Partners by visiting our On the Rise channel, which features nominees, trending partners and winners. Look for more featured rising partners on the Browse page.

Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Geese Surf Glenwood Wave @ 25,500 cfs!!”