A tweet, a post, an update, a snap. The ways teens communicate in the digital age are endless. Private life is not so private anymore, with updates ranging from a test taken during the day to a concert attended at night.

One student has managed to gain hundreds of followers on different platforms, all from doing something that he loves, making YouTube videos.

“Nobody in Fenton has ever really made videos on YouTube,” sophomore Jacob Angelovski said. “I think it’s because it’s not as well known and it can be hard to sit in front of a camera and talk. But for me, I felt like it could be something really enjoyable that stood out from everyone else. Before I started making my own videos I watched YouTubers like Joey Graceffa and Connor Franta, they’re the ones who influenced me the most.”

Angelovski started making videos during the summer before his freshman year. He started uploading weekly in June of 2015.

“I’m a big fan of Jacob’s videos,” freshman Sophie Frost said. “His videos are always high quality and he adds a ton of humor to them. My favorite video is of his meeting Ariana Grande Experience. I think it’s really cool that someone from my high school does something unique, like making videos for YouTube.”

The views started flowing in after he posted a video meeting Ariana Grande. But for Angelovski it was more than just the subscribers and views.

“To me, it’s so important to have a passion so deep for something that you’ll continue doing regardless of what people have to say about it,” Angelovski said. “At first, some of my friends took a while to actually accept the fact that I was making YouTube videos and this is something I really enjoy.”

Angelovski did not let anyone’s comments or opinions about his videos stop him from continuing to upload and doing what he loves.

“A sit down video usually takes around 30 minutes to record, and editing takes anywhere from two to three hours,” Angelovski said.

Being a high school student involves hours of homework and studying, and Angelovski manages to keep up on school work and extracurricular activities and still upload a weekly video for his subscribers.

“My favorite part about making video and having a channel of my own is definitely the YouTube community itself,” Angelovski said. “I’ve met so many incredibly talented people through YouTube. If I’ve never joined I would have never met them! Occasionally I will have some new people come to my channel and leave really nice comments about what they enjoyed about my video and it makes my day.”

Angelovski recently joined a collaboration channel, where multiple YouTubers can upload videos onto one account.

“YouTube is a big commitment and involves a lot of your freetime and creativity that people don’t see behind their phone or computer screens,” Angelovski said. “You have to be passionate about filming videos and editing them to succeed. If you want to create a channel because you’re simply interested in the idea I highly recommend it. If you never try, you’ll never know! YouTube is a place that always needs new, creative people.”