The speaker shares their life story, starting with their birth on March 25, 1981, in a lower-middle-class family in Connecticut. Their childhood was marked by a lack of supervision, leading to mischief and trouble in school. At 15, they got into an argument with their mother and left home, eventually moving in with a girlfriend who became pregnant. The speaker dropped out of high school and worked as a dishwasher, but after the breakup, they decided to pursue their dream of becoming a filmmaker in New York City.
In 2001, at 20 years old, the speaker moved to NYC, where they faced challenges, including the 9/11 attacks. However, they persevered and eventually found success as a filmmaker, making videos and working with their brother. In 2004, their video series "Science Experiments" was invited to be shown at the Sao Paulo biennial in Brazil.
The speaker's big break came in 2006 when they met Tom Scott, who hired them to make videos for his TV channels. This led to a big project, which they worked on for a year, and eventually, they sold an eight-episode TV series to HBO for almost $2 million.
The speaker's focus shifted to YouTube, where they found their voice and an audience for their storytelling. They reflect on their life, crediting their son Owen, who is now 16, for being a source of inspiration and motivation. The speaker concludes by stating that they have no intention of slowing down, feeling that the last decade of their life has been a rush of success and opportunity.
1. The speaker was born on March 25th, 1981.
2. The speaker's mom was watching a horror movie when she went into labor with him.
3. The speaker had three siblings.
4. The speaker's family lived in a lower-middle-class part of Connecticut.
5. The speaker's dad was a restaurant supply salesman.
6. The speaker's mom was pretty hands-off when it came to parenting.
7. The speaker described their childhood as "wonderfully unsupervised".
8. The speaker got into trouble at school and was always in the vice principal's office.
9. The speaker dropped out of high school when their girlfriend got pregnant.
10. The speaker's son, Owen, was born in April, just after the speaker's 17th birthday.
11. The speaker moved to New York City in June 2001 to become a filmmaker.
12. The speaker worked as a bike messenger in New York City.
13. The speaker's three-month sublet was up, and they moved into a friend's couch in the financial district of downtown Manhattan.
14. The speaker was living in New York City on September 11, 2001.
15. The speaker's dad called them and told them it was time to come home after the 9/11 attacks.
16. The speaker decided to stay in New York City and pursue their dream of becoming a filmmaker.
17. The speaker got their first iPod in 2003.
18. The speaker made a video about Apple's dead battery policy and put it online.
19. The video exploded and became popular.
20. The speaker started making videos with their brother, Van.
21. In 2004, their video series "Science Experiments" was invited to be shown at the Sao Paulo biennial in Brazil.
22. The speaker met Tom Scott, who ran a group of local TV channels, and was hired to make videos.
23. Tom Scott offered to bankroll a big project for the speaker and their brother.
24. The speaker and their brother lived and documented stories from their lives for a year.
25. They edited their experiences into 25-minute episodes and formed a TV series.
26. In 2008, they sold their eight-episode TV series to HBO for just under $2 million.
27. The HBO show premiered in 2010.
28. The speaker and their brother stopped working together after the HBO show.
29. The speaker shifted their focus to YouTube and found an audience for their storytelling.
30. The speaker's son, Owen, is now 16 years old and taller, smarter, and better-looking than the speaker.