Meet Our February “On The Rise” Nominees!

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Thanks to your suggestions, this month we bring you four partners who are still relatively early on in the journey, but your support can help them make progress and build on their success. Our nominees for February use YouTube to share healthy recipes, demonstrate creative art projects, vlog about life in London, and share a family’s story.

Here’s where you come in - you actually have the chance to help push these partners even further on YouTube. Review their videos below, vote for your favorite here, and one of these candidates will have the opportunity to be featured across YouTube later this month. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner we’ll feature.

In past months, featured On The Rise partners like polcan99 and MyCupcakeaddiction have gained many subscribers and seen their careers take off, in large part due to your support. This month’s poll will be open until February 19, 5 p.m. PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see which channel will be featured on February 26.

veggietorials
Cobi has been on a plant-based diet for more than 10 years and has created recipes that put a vegan twist on classic dishes. Her channel hosts a ton of these instructional videos as well as some reviews on vegan products and snacks.


SheSellsSeaShellscom
Debi started designing handmade crafts in college and thrives on turning everyday and vintage items into new treasures with her DIY and crafting skills. Watch her turn paint can lids into a funky mirror and other creative projects on her YouTube channel.


DevinandErica
Based in Charlotte, N.C., Devin and Erica began uploading to YouTube before their eldest daughter was born and they referred to her as "Baby Bug" more than three years ago. A self-described "reality and variety show," their channel content includes skits, vlogs and even original songs!


emmablackery
Emma posted her first vlog to YouTube a mere seven months ago, but has already developed a loyal YouTube following. This 21-year-old from London vlogs about school, family and relationships, and regularly hosts Q&As with her fans.


If you’re interested in participating or have suggestions for partners you think should be featured, you can nominate a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. You can also check out some of our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the Partner Support channel.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Caught Red (Sprinkle) Faced.”

Turning the PSA on Its Head With YouTube

Today’s guest post is from Water.org about an exciting campaign they’re working on to raise awareness about the water crisis. For more information on the YouTube Nonprofit Program visit YouTube.com/nonprofits.

While Water.org is known for our innovative approach to solving the world water crisis, we're less well known as YouTube stars. But every week we use YouTube to share the stories of the people we meet who don't have safe water to drink and to educate people about the water crisis.

With Matt Damon as our co-founder, Water.org can’t claim a lack of star power, but our experiences on YouTube have taught us that having a Hollywood celebrity in frame is not always a guarantee for viral online success.

Over the past few years we've included Matt in a variety of our videos, visiting our project sites, doing interviews, and in other cases "dressed up" for a specific role (like in Damon Claus for a Cause). From looking at our views, it is clear that "one-on-one" interviews with Matt and humorous videos are more popular than what people call traditional "public service announcement" (PSA) videos. It's not all that surprising since both humor and connectedness are key to the YouTube experience.

However, as interesting as this might be, our most successful YouTube moments happened when we invited established YouTube stars to visit our project sites and report back to their own audiences what they experienced. Cummulatively, these videos have nearly 3 million views - more than the lifetime views on our entire channel. Check them out:



So when we sat down and were brainstorming about new ways we could bring the water crisis to new audiences it made sense to integrate what we've learned and try something completely new: Matt Damon + YouTube Creators + humor + information = turning video views into awareness and action. 

Today we are launching an online campaign of videos that feature Matt Damon and a collection of YouTube stars like Wheezywaiter, Lisbug, Shaycarl, and LivePrudeGirls. Check out these videos and watch out for more in the coming weeks.



Finally, support the campaign by signing up here and we'll keep you up to date. Collectively, we will be raising awareness for the water crisis that, in the end, will make the lives better for the millions of people who struggle each day to find a safe drink of water.

Mike McCamon, chief community officer at Water.org, recently watched “When is Thanksgiving? Colonizing America: Crash Course US History #2.”

YouTube NextUp: Collaborators Ahoy!

Back in December last year, we announced our second YouTube NextUp program and called for your most creative ideas of how to collaborate with other talented creators. And you didn’t disappoint! We were overwhelmed with the imaginative and ambitious proposals and those selected represent a spectrum of determined creators who are all taking their channels to the next level. From comedic musicals and adventures of remote-controlled cars to special effects and holistic living, some great “collabs” are coming from these creators soon. Meet all of them in this video and subscribe to their channels today:


Along with grant money and new production equipment, these 30 channels were also invited to come to the YouTube Space LA and get creating. They’ve spent this week attending production workshops, learning about how to build their audiences, and filming new and exciting collaboration videos. We put together a short video showing you what they’ve been up to:


Austin Lau, YouTube Creator Programs Manager, recently watched “25 videos from YouTube NextUp 2011”

Safer Internet Day Tips From YouTube

Community is important to us at YouTube. And we want to see the YouTube community continue to flourish. To ensure that everyone has a safe, positive experience on YouTube, we rely on each of you to act responsibly and to respect others on the site. In honor of Safer Internet Day, please take a moment to make yourself familiar with some of the resources and tools available on YouTube.

• The Safety Center features tips, tools and advice for users, parents and educators.
• You can also report inappropriate content on YouTube.
• Play your part by flagging videos that you believe are not in line with our Community Guidelines or that should be age-restricted.
• In addition to flagging, you can report channels and/or comments using our Help and Safety Tool.
• Use Safety Mode to filter out potentially objectionable content.
• Last year we launched the YouTube Digital Citizenship Curriculum designed specifically for educators and students.

Also be sure to check out how our colleagues at Google are celebrating Safer Internet Day!

Amanda Conway and Claire Rush, YouTube Policy Strategists, recently watched ”Born This Way Foundation Launch Event.”

YouTube and ADWEEK Tackle the Super Bowl XLVII Ads with Ad Blitz 2013

Around this time each year, the viewing public gears up for an epic competition of professional powerhouses operating at the top of their respective games. Legends are made, accolades given and dynasties rise and fall through the glory of one night.

Oh, and there's a football game as well!

We kid of course, but it's true that the big game has become as important to the world of advertising as it is to the world of sports. Fans huddle during commercial breaks, eager to see which spots will become conversation pieces both on Monday and well into 2013. To make it easier to catch up on all the commercials, the YouTube Ad Blitz channel will let you watch your favorite ads soon as they air live on TV and vote for your favorite ad at the end of the game.

 

To make this year bigger than ever, we've partnered with ADWEEK to feature the Ad Blitz voting gallery on Adweek.com as well as on YouTube, and ADWEEK’s executive editor James Cooper and senior editor Tim Nudd will break down the night’s highlights via a post-game Google+ hangout. We also added a slew of new social and gaming components to make the Ad Blitz YouTube channel the perfect big game companion whether you’re on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. New features include:

• Touchdown dance GIF generator: Create and share your own touchdown dance GIF
• Smack Talk: Log in to all your social media channels from the channel to share your team spirit with friends and see a real-time visualization of which team is winning the internet (if not the actual game)
• Paper Football: Test your accuracy in this age old finger flick game
• Call the Coach: Get instant advertising advice from our resident ad coach, DeStorm
• Fun Facts: Learn interesting facts about big game advertising, provided by ADWEEK

As seen in last year's viral spots from Volkswagen, Honda, Audi and many others, savvy advertisers are using YouTube to not only generate excitement for their big game plans, but to dramatically bolster the effectiveness of their game-day spend. With new ad innovations to the Ad Blitz program this year, such as Lightbox ads, marketers can now extend their video presence across the web.

As always, voting begins at the end of the game and continues until February 11. So after the broadcast, be sure to vote on your favorite ads from the big game!

Sue McCauley, Ad Blitz Program Manager, recently watched "Road To The Superdome: 49ers"

Our January featured On The Rise partner is MyCupcakeAddiction!

Congratulations to Elise Strachan, the master chef for this month’s "On The Rise” featured partner channel, MyCupcakeAddiction. Not only is her channel the first featured in 2013, but it’s also the first Australian channel we’ve featured in the program, and Elise was recently appointed as one of the 15 Next How-To Gurus! MyCupcakeAddiction hosts tutorials on how to decorate and make cupcakes, cake pops and other sweet treats, and is in the spotlight on YouTube’s own channel today. Check it out to see some of Elise’s delicious creations!

Elise’s kitchen is based in Queensland, Australia, where she’s been cooking up sweet treats for several years. She often bakes for private events and weddings, on top of selling her cupcakes at a local market twice a week. In October 2011, she decided to expand beyond her Gold Coast clientele by producing videos on YouTube to inspire bakers worldwide. Now, no matter where you live, you can find do-it-yourself tips and tutorials for fun creations like Elise’s Angry Birds cake pops, stiletto heel cupcakes, or even a giant cupcake pinata!



Here are a few words from Elise:

This is an exciting accolade for our little channel, and a huge thank you goes out to the best subscribers in the world for your votes and support throughout voting week. We aim to provide high quality, step-by-step instructional videos showing you how to create the weird and wonderful out of cupcakes and cakepops. MyCupcakeAddiction has something sweet and stunning for any occasion. Make sure you head over to our channel to catch all the latest uploads: now bringing you 3 new tutorials each week! 

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series, and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the Partner Support channel.

You can participate and help us surface YouTube talent by nominating a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. Feel free to submit nominations for your own channel, or for channels you follow that you think deserve more attention or could be the next YouTube sensation. We’ll continue to feature promising partners who have fewer than 100,000 subscribers and produce engaging content on a regular basis. See you next month!

Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Mission Impossible- Lindsey Stirling and the Piano Guys.”

Watch Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Global Town Hall Live on YouTube

You don’t need to text with "Hillz" to know that she’s truly a 21st century diplomat. As the most traveled secretary of state in U.S. history, she’s been to 112 countries and traveled almost one million miles over the last four years. So how is the world’s busiest diplomat spending one of her last days on the job? On YouTube, of course.

Tomorrow at 9:30 am ET, YouTube will live stream the Secretary's Global Townterview (think: town hall meets interview) from the Newseum in Washington, DC. She’ll answer questions from youth in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America and is taking questions via social media as well (find details here).

Tune in to the Department of State’s channel to hear about Secretary Clinton’s global adventures during her last week as secretary of state. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get a few tips on mastering jet lag, too. 

Chelsea Maughan, Communications Manager, recently watched “A Pep Talk from Kid President to You”