The “Shaytards” may appear as a prominent word to many. This family of seven has been posting daily videos on YouTube broadcasting their lives for over five years. The father of the family, Shaycarl, has astonished me with his ability to integrate the world of business within this hobby of his, which undoubtedly has become his career.

If one rewinds back to half a decade ago, they would have learned that this family tried to fulfill just the bare necessities in life. To many, posting videos on YouTube seemed like a terrible alternative to getting a “real job” and Shaycarl, an entrepreneur himself,  is the epidome of the so-called risk taker we have discussed in COMM101.

The YouTube channel’s creativity has allowed Shaycarl to make use of his fame and display the positive effects of working behind with a team of people: his family, his co-workers, and his online audience. As an integral part of founding Maker Studios, a corporation that helps with the production and distribution of videos, in 2009, this has triggered the news of Disney buying the company for 500 million dollars earlier this year. Shaycarl is getting part of those shares, of course.

With the support system that he has had, companies selling products including but not limited to food, athletic apparel, and audiobooks have been striving to get the “Shaytards” to let their items appear in their vlogs for promotional purposes.

It’s unbelievable how a single camera can prompt such a massive alteration in one’s life.

Picture source: http://www.hlntv.com/video/2014/02/19/shaytards-youtube-stars