Facebook Emphasizes Positivity at VidCon 2019 Fireside Chat
Having broken its video creator news days before VidCon 2019 started, the social network used its VidCon fireside chat to emphasize the positive side of online video. Speaking in conversation with Prince Ea, a top Facebook creator, Sibyl Goldman, Facebook’s head of global entertainment partnerships, said, “There’s a lot of positive out there if you look for it.”
Positivity is what Ea’s work is all about. Once a musician, he turned his career to video creation in 2016 with Facebook as his main outlet. He soon started to break out with a wider audience. A video on friendship marked his tipping point, Goldman said.
For Ea, listening to the audience is crucial to online success. He regularly reads comments and polls his viewers. He’s attentive to viewing data, and watches what other top creators are saying and doing.
Being positive in his work creates an oasis for viewers. Today, even the weatherman is negative, Ea mused, wondering why the weather report emphasizes a 60% chance of rain and not a 40% chance of sunshine. Words can make the heart soar or the heart sore, he said, adding that it’s through hope and positivity that we lead people.
Online success has led to offline work, as Ea now speaks at colleges and universities, and will soon do an appearance with Tony Robbins. But he hasn’t ruled out a return to music, where positivity can also make an impact.
“If you can create a nice song that’s catchy and positive it might change somebody’s day and maybe somebody’s life,” Ea said.
Running a successful online video business means assembling a team, Ea said. “You can’t do it all yourself.” Staffing up is critical to leveling up. He thinks of his company as a service business, and the service is helping people deal with the mental obstacles in their lives.
Burn-out is a frequent problem for high-level video creators, and Ea sees it often in his colleagues. To combat that, he said don’t focus on the results but on the action itself. People are attracted to a career in online video because of the freedom it promises, but that freedom soon starts to feel like a prison. He urges creators to center themselves and remember who they are and why they’re doing what they do.
“Life can get tough, and we all need a hand sometimes,” Ea said.
Photo: Sibyl Goldman and Prince Ea at VidCon 2019
Related Articles
Mobile app lets creators stay on top of data insights, make edits to titles and descriptions, and respond to viewers
20 Feb 2020
Nestled in Los Angeles' Playa Vista neighborhood, Facebook and Verizon Media's RYOT 5G Studio are using the latest social strategies and technologies to create innovative content that connects with viewers in unpredictable ways
16 Jan 2020
Video calling comes to the biggest screen in the house with the introduction of Portal TV. But is this something consumers have been asking for?
18 Sep 2019
The social network now offers creators more control over how ads appear in their videos, avoiding mid-rolls where they would interrupt content.
09 Jul 2019
For small businesses, creating online video ads is now easier, thanks to improvements Facebook announced to its Video Creation Kit.
05 Jun 2019