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What Happens After a Content Creator Retires?
I sold my artwork to Joaquin Reixa, one of Spain's first and largest Youtubers.
James Song
June 19, 2024
Firstly, wtf! I never thought I would be delivering my art to Spain!
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported my journey so far!
I also sat down with Joaquin, my customer and one of Spain’s first and largest Youtubers to talk about:
How he got started on Youtube.
What were his highlights and lowlights.
Why he stopped and what he does now
At its peak, Joaquin’s Youtube channel had 160,000 subscribers.
You can see the process of me hand delivering my art to Joaquin by plane from Berlin to Madrid below:
How did you begin creating content?
I began creating content in the summer of 2011 when I was 16 years old.
I was very bored and didn’t enjoy typical summer activities like going to the beach and watersports.
One day, I thought, "What if I opened a YouTube channel?"
At that time, the concept of a YouTuber was almost nonexistent, especially in Spain. There were only a few in the USA.
I enjoyed making videos and storytelling, which I discovered through a contest at school.
It started as just a summer hobby with no objective in mind.
As the channel grew, I became part of a growing community of YouTubers in Spain, which I enjoyed a lot.
Other platforms like Instagram also grew organically for me, without any premeditated intention.
What were the highlights and lowlights of being a creator?
Highlights:
I made a lot of friends during my years of content creation on YouTube. Many of my main social pillars today come from my time as a content creator.
A significant highlight was the experiences that I wouldn't have had if I were another type of influencer, especially during my teenage and early twenties.
My current job and company are a direct evolution of my content creation journey.
Lowlights:
I was essentially an experiment in this space.
Being exposed to so many people while I was still young and developing had notable consequences. My friends and I had to deal with social anxiety and difficulty assimilating the experiences we lived through.
Ultimately, there weren't that many lowlights, but these challenges were significant.
Why did you quit and what happened next?
It's not that I quit, but I did stop making content on YouTube. I still use Instagram, though.
YouTube was too time-consuming, and I had already achieved what I wanted from it. Sure, I could have pursued more brand deals and partnerships, but I was ready for a new challenge, which led to starting my current company.
I felt exhausted from making videos.
The compensation in the USA is different from Spain. In Spain, the CPM (cost per thousand views) is one of the lowest in the world, meaning we earn very little per view and mainly rely on brand campaigns for income.
When the pandemic happened, it gave me an excuse to take a break, and I simply never returned to YouTube.
Today, I focus on my business, OMGlobal, which was born from my content creation experience. We specialize in agnostic communication, covering branding, social media, and interior design.
Joaquin and his partner kindly hosted me at their place and also invited me to hang out with their friends. I’ll be coming back to Madrid soon!
Gracias Joaquin!
Hanging out with Joaquin and his friends in Madrid’s Retiro Park!
ps. if you know of any budding content creators feel free to share or forward my newsletter with them!