18: Content with a mission & the unreasonable expectations we put on internet celebrities w/Co-Founder of The Queer Network, Justin Gerhard

Today’s episode features Justin Gerhard, co-founder of the YouTube channel “The Queer Network” who shares why they created The Queer Network and the goal of the channel. 

To date, Justin has mainly focused on creating content for Youtube and Instagram so we discuss why he has yet to try live streaming and why the medium might actually be a good fit for him. We also talk about some of the panels he moderated at Playlist and some of his biggest takeaways. 

This interview is part of our series that was recorded at the recent Playlist Live conference. If you’re interested in hearing our other Playlist interviews, definitely go back and check out the past few episodes. 

Additional notes: 

• Justin has his own YouTube channel as well as one that he co-founded called The Queer Network
• He explains the premise behind that channel and why they chose the word queer instead of using LGBTQ
• He is currently focused on creating content for YouTube and Instagram, so I ask him why he hasn’t tried live streaming and what is holding him back? 
• He said as a content creator he strives to have separation between online and real life, and has seen other people use streaming like a vlog in the past and that doesn’t interest him
• He had never thought of doing a live show before though and that is something that interests him since it would solve the problem he has with news-style videos where the news will be too old by the time the video is out 
• We discuss how he deals with trolls and the different types of trolls he faces: Religious/moral beliefs vs. giving feedback vs. blatant hate 
• Growing up in the world of social media, how is the young generation dealing with their internet fame? 
• The difference between traditional fame and internet celebrities. 
• They are closer to their fans and people expect more interaction from internet celebrities than from traditional celebrities

Find him on Instagram at: @justingerhard / @thequeernetwork