LYNNFIELD — He never saw it coming.
Lynnfield High School senior Cole Giannasca got his start making YouTube videos while he was still a middle school student and posted his first video, “Welcome to Greatness.” He implored the public to subscribe to his channel, which he promised to be the best ever on YouTube.
The public listened.
The 17-year-old hit the jackpot last November, cracking the 100,000-subscriber mark. YouTube marked the milestone with a plaque.
“That was one of the best moments in my life,” said Giannasca. “It felt like all my hard work of hours, days, filming, editing and posting were truly recognized. I couldn’t have done it without the constant support from my family and friends as they really are the backbone to everything in my life.”
Giannasca remembers the day he created his current channel.
“It was snow day in 2016 and my cousin, Nick Grava, was in Los Angeles creating content every day and that inspired me,” said Giannasca. “Growing up and still today, he is a big brother figure to me, so naturally I wanted to be just like him.”
Growth was slow in the first two years with only 5,000 subscribers, but eventually the channel took off. By year three, Giannasca was up to 50,000 subscribers. As of the end of March of 2020, Giannasca’s subscribers had grown to more than 108,000.
“My first two years brought little success, but eventually, as I stuck with it, learned the system and marketed myself more, my channel began to grow. I learned a lot through that journey and I tell anyone who talks to me about starting YouTube or other social media that it is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to have confidence in yourself, the content you are producing, and your skills.”
Giannasca’s videos are geared toward high school students and the average, every-day things that occur in a teenager’s life. Topics include things like relationships, a day in the life of a senior, senioritis, the college admissions process and Friday night football as well as current issues and events in his hometown. They have an upbeat, homespun feel, are funny, insightful and full of genuine spontaneity.
With over 500 videos on his channel, Giannasca says it is impossible to categorize them as they are so varied.
“My videos are about so many different things, but mainly my videos are geared to relate to my high school audience,” he said. “These videos include high school advice videos, days in the life, and anything in between.”
His most popular video is “Asking high school boys questions girls are afraid to ask.” It made its debut at the end of February/early March and now has had more than 483,000 views since then.
A video on Giannasca’s senior trip to Aruba, “Senior Trip Gone Wild,” has already received 41,000 views in just six days.
Giannasca even gets his family into the act in an ongoing series entitled, “Carpool Karaoke.” The videos are recorded from a dashcam and typically show Giannasca singing while his mother, Christine, his younger sister, Bella, and occasionally his dad, Bill, bop and sing along to the beat.
“One of my audience’s favorite types of videos are the Carpool Karaoke ones I do with my family, friends, and sometimes even just myself,” Giannasca said. “These always provide a good laugh and give me a reason to annoy people in the car.”
With over 500 videos on his channel, Giannasca says it is impossible to categorize them as they are so varied. He places a premium on editing his videos so that they are good, clean family-suitable fun.
“A goal of mine is to represent myself as a role model to my younger audience,” he said. “I always have the mindset that ‘what would I want my younger self watching and getting from these videos.’ This is a main reason why, at almost 18 years old, I still bleep out all swears in my videos and promote constant positivity.”
On March 23, Giannasca shared his thoughts on the coronavirus quarantine with his latest video, “How to survive a quarantine and not be bored.” He added two more videos this past week, “Giant ZOOM Meeting with Fans” (10,000 views in four days) and “Quarantined Carpool Karaoke” (28,000 views in one week).
The videos serves as a shining example of Giannasca’s overall mission.
“The main goal is to continue spreading positivity and community feeling. I like to think my 10-15 minute videos can distract people from any worries, woes, and disappointments in their everyday life,” Giannasca said. “I know firsthand how much stress and confusion I currently have and I also know that, when I see that I am not the only one with that stress, it makes me feel better.”
Giannasca, who plans to major in business administration and minor in communications, said the coronavirus pandemic has had a large effect on his channel’s activity.
“I’ve noticed a giant spike in views and I am now more committed than ever to keep everyone entertained and distracted from the tragedy going on. I feel like it’s me doing my part in keeping hope in the world. I always remember that there is more work to be done.”
