Today we’d like to introduce you to Ethan Campbell-Reid.
Ethan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
A love, an appreciation and my addiction for social media began in grade 10 while I attended Ardenne High School in Kingston, Jamaica. During my time at high school I felt as if I were below average with the self-esteem of a pubescent child trying to find validation in the approval of others. I silently envied many of my peers for their charisma and confidence. At the time, I was incredibly introverted and barely had the ability to even answer a question in front of a class of my fellow schoolmates. However, upon joining a comedy group that was created by one of my closest friends, I was beginning the personality transformation I desperately yearned for. My friends and I were inspired by a new trend at the time, a wave of comedy through social media began to impact Jamaica.
We created memes about Jamaican governance and about Jamaican lifestyle. We garnered the attention and the laughs of our high school for a couple of years but things suddenly changed when we graduated. Physical separation negatively impacted our ability to collaborate. We also lacked the tools and a decent camera to even continue riding the wave and to make things worse I migrated to the United States in 2014. Upon arriving to the United States I figured with this newfound confidence (and an iPhone with a decent camera) that I could create my own platform and to be completely autonomous. Ardenne High School would later be dubbed at “Stardenne” for its uncanny ability to produce “stars” in Jamaican media. From the likes of Reggae and Dancehall artistes Alkaline and Koffee. To YouTuber Young Don the Sauce God. I just want to put my name amongst the stars to represent the place where I found my confidence.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has been as smooth as Jamaican roads… If you have never experienced Jamaican roads Google it, then check the images with the potholes. In America you may have potholes in your roads. In Jamaica, we have roads in our potholes. Doctors, lawyers, politicians along with some other traditional occupations are the expectations to be pursued amongst the Jamaican youths in terms of a career. This pressure was applied unto me by older family members (especially those who think social media is a waste of time/distraction/evil). For a time, I thought my dream career of being a content creator would only be a dream because I knew I would never have a strong support system to encourage and invest in me. I also received resistance from former friends and acquaintances who did not believe or see the same vision I had for my life. Destructive criticism, disparaging remarks and what Jamaicans call “bad mind,” which is jealousy or resentment of the success of another, were some of the hurdles placed before me.
Having a platform on social media I had to learn quickly to block out the noise other people made in my ears. I learned I had to stop validating myself on the expectations of others and focus on exceeding my own expectations. I had to sacrifice so much to accomplish what I have already built. I quit my job last year to pursue YouTube full time, I lost friends who did not support my goals and I even sacrificed relationships to get to where I needed to be. As of right now I am happy to know that I am well on my way and I am already living my dream. To quote one of my favorite Reggae artistes Chronixx from his song “Christina,” “Oh, Christina I still believe in me and I’m a dreamer but now I’m walking in my dream.” A dream is only a dream unless it is real.
Yaadman Etan – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am an entrepreneur, comedian, vlogger, content creator, motion graphic artist, and all of that combined is what it took for me to become a YouTuber. “Yaadman Etan” is the name of my platform. “Yaadman” can being translated simply as “Jamaican” or “Jamaican living in a foreign country.” I also Omitted the “H” from my actual name “Ethan,” because Jamaicans hardly ever pronounce the letter “H.” I chose this as my alias online to reflect my Jamaican identity and to carry my culture along with my success. The content that I create is comedy, anything to make my audience have a good laugh and this is what I am known for within Jamaica, the rest of the English speaking Caribbean and the Caribbean diaspora.
I take the most pride in the fact that I was able to become my own boss, set my own hours, and make a living from something that I actually love to do. I am also proud that I am able to be actual representation of my country and region. Many times in American media, Jamaicans and other Caribbean people are misrepresented. Carrying my culture with me not only gives my non-Caribbean audience a true understanding of Jamaica but also inspires other Caribbean people to shamelessly represent their respective cultures.
As a content creator from the Caribbean living in the United States, I have to stand out from not only my fellow Caribbean content creators but amongst others in the USA as well. What sets me apart from other Caribbean creators are my aforementioned skills as a creator. I have spent significant amounts of time studying and honing my craft not only as a vlogger but to edit all of my work on my own. My quality of work speaks for itself and I felt I needed to utilize skills many other Caribbean creators were not incorporating in their work. Putting my culture to the forefront of all my work also sets me apart from other creators in the United States along with my authentic Jamaican flare as well as first-hand experience living in the Caribbean.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am nowhere near where I want to be as I am continually running on a perpetual hedonic treadmill battling to exceed my own expectations. However, I must say that I am enjoying each step of this journey to become one of the best YouTubers my country has ever produced. YouTube has given me the opportunity to build a platform to show off my creativity and each and every new subscriber makes me feel more and more proud each day.
Pricing:
- Instagram Promotional Videos: $150
- YouTuber Product Placement: $100
- Event Coverage: $250 (+accommodations & transport)
- Event Hosting: $150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/yaadmanetan876
- Phone: 6783578565
- Email: hey@effit.ltd
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yaadman_etan/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yaadman_Etan
Image Credit:
Campus Connect JA, EFFIT LTD
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