Got to see Casey Neistat (entrepreneur, vlogger, youtube star) interviewed at the NYPL last week on the subject of creativity and commerce. INSPIRING – especially for those of us who come from less than auspicious backgrounds and still manage to build businesses and make something of ourselves.

What I love about him is his passion, his realness and his daring. If you want to understand his appeal and why he has 8 million subscribers on YouTube, watch the “You Can’t” video (above). It is amazing and it’s gotten almost 7 million views.

And if you’re working in an industry that you believe is safe from disruption, wrap your brain around what he says starting at 3:19 on the video. Especially relevant the higher up you are on the corporate ladder. The Casey Neistats of the world are lurking, like icebergs, just below the surface – and they’re going to get you if you’re not paying attention!

I have one more video below that is worth watching. It’s about his unexpected upgrade to first on Emirates. He made the video and edited it while on the flight. It’s gotten over 46 million views. His videos, in total, have been watched over 2 billion times.

Why is he so popular? I would say it’s because he’s honest, funny, and questions authority figures in a way we all sometimes wish we could. He’s the everyman who cannot quite believe (yet) how far he has traveled.

I’ve also included info on his background that he discussed including how he’s gone from being a HS dropout to MIT fellow to multi-millionaire after selling his startup to CNN for $25 million.

During the interview he revealed that he had been a less than good kid while growing up and his mom kicked him out of the house when he was about 16.

• He then dropped out of school, was a dishwasher, lived in a trailer park with his girlfriend
• They had a son (now 19 and in college)
• Way too many people in authority positions told him he “couldn’t do” this or that – which always spurred him on to prove them wrong
• When his girlfriend left him he moved to NYC and became a bike messenger
• He and his brother were hired by an artist (I believe it was Tom Sachs) to make videos of his work
• He loved making videos, often making one a day
• The one that really put him on the map was a 2011 one called “Bike Lanes” (that’s what first got him on my radar). It’s been viewed 19 million times.
• It also got him on the NYT’s radar and they hired him for a video project
• Then came a series on HBO (The Neistat Brothers)
• MIT even gave him a fellowship (ironic, HS dropout to MIT) which is where he developed the app – BEME that he recently sold to CNN for $25 million
• It also appears it was Jeff Zucker’s kids who made their dad aware of Neistat. When he came in for a meeting at CNN, Zucker’s kids were there for selfies with him.
• He’s been making videos (commercials?) for Nike, Mercedes and Samsung
• He got married recently and has a baby daughter