An Interview with Heroes and Legends (Content Creator)
I had a quick interview John, the founder of Heroes and Legends, an MTG YouTube channel that currently has over 20000 subscribers. His relatively quick rise in the community sparked my curiosity. His advice for new content creators is incisive and helpful.
John, what venues do you use to produce MTG content?
John: Currently I produce content for YouTube but at some point would like to get more involved with Twitch. I do have a Patreon page but I don't offer exclusive videos to Patrons just an early access video once a month.
What type of content do you focus on?
John: My main focus has become MTG Finance especially when it comes to single cards, but I do like to create diverse content. I have begun recently doing tournament result recaps more consistently; I do the occasional pack opening, and I always cover card previews and MTG news. I have made some game play videos in the past and I plan on doing some more in the future, perhaps using MTG Arena.
How long have you been an active content creator?
John: I have been making videos on YouTube for a little over three years now.
Tell me the story of how you got interested in MTG and how you eventually became a content creator.
John: I originally started playing MTG back in the summer of 1994. A couple of my friends bought some cards and began playing and then showed me the game. There was a LGS just a few minutes away from my house so my friends and I spent a fair amount of time there over the next year or so. Before that I really liked board games like Risk, Monopoly, Axis and Allies, and a lesser known war game called Supremacy, but MTG brought a whole new level of strategy and customization that was far more complex than the games I had played before. That's what really hooked me. I made some great friends from the game store who I still stay in touch with today, which is pretty cool.
I didn't start making MTG content until many many years later. About four years ago I had moved across the country and I no longer had a LGS near me. I was looking for some way to still feel connected to the game and the community, so I thought I would try using YouTube as a platform to stay in touch and still be involved. Things started off slow but as momentum picked up I was truly shocked and humbled as to how many people followed my channel and videos.
What things, would you say, have made your channel so successful?
John: I think one of the reasons my channel has been successful is because I try to find gaps in MTG coverage and focus on those areas. It seems like so many people try to make videos that are similar to things that have already been done. Product Reviews, Set Reviews, and Pack Openings are fine to do some of the time but ultimately you need to find something that no one else is doing. For me it was the videos focused on card singles and tournament updates.
What mistakes have you made, or that you see new content creators make?
John: When it comes to mistakes I made, usually they revolve around trying to do too much. There have been times when I tried to cover too many things in too much detail and you end up putting multiple hours into a video that does not get all that many views and that does not feel good. I am trying to keep videos times down in length so that more viewers will have time to watch them and discover the channel.
One of the bigger mistakes I have seen content creators recently make is giving into the temptation to create drama videos. You will get a lot of views for a while and you will get new subscribers but you have to ask yourself if that is the attention you want for your channel. In the long run it is not the best way to build a solid and stable viewer base.
Any nuggets of advice for prospective content creators?
John: The advice I would give to all new creators is this:
1. Be yourself, don't try to be something you are not. People can tell if you are
not sincere.
2. Focus on something that no one else is doing. That will make your channel
unique and give viewers a reason to subscribe.
3. Don't expect your channel to blow up over night. It will be a lot of work and
take a lot of time before you build a true dedicated viewership.
Heroes and Legends can be found HERE.
Let me know what you think.
John, what venues do you use to produce MTG content?
John: Currently I produce content for YouTube but at some point would like to get more involved with Twitch. I do have a Patreon page but I don't offer exclusive videos to Patrons just an early access video once a month.
What type of content do you focus on?
John: My main focus has become MTG Finance especially when it comes to single cards, but I do like to create diverse content. I have begun recently doing tournament result recaps more consistently; I do the occasional pack opening, and I always cover card previews and MTG news. I have made some game play videos in the past and I plan on doing some more in the future, perhaps using MTG Arena.
How long have you been an active content creator?
John: I have been making videos on YouTube for a little over three years now.
Tell me the story of how you got interested in MTG and how you eventually became a content creator.
John: I originally started playing MTG back in the summer of 1994. A couple of my friends bought some cards and began playing and then showed me the game. There was a LGS just a few minutes away from my house so my friends and I spent a fair amount of time there over the next year or so. Before that I really liked board games like Risk, Monopoly, Axis and Allies, and a lesser known war game called Supremacy, but MTG brought a whole new level of strategy and customization that was far more complex than the games I had played before. That's what really hooked me. I made some great friends from the game store who I still stay in touch with today, which is pretty cool.
I didn't start making MTG content until many many years later. About four years ago I had moved across the country and I no longer had a LGS near me. I was looking for some way to still feel connected to the game and the community, so I thought I would try using YouTube as a platform to stay in touch and still be involved. Things started off slow but as momentum picked up I was truly shocked and humbled as to how many people followed my channel and videos.
What things, would you say, have made your channel so successful?
John: I think one of the reasons my channel has been successful is because I try to find gaps in MTG coverage and focus on those areas. It seems like so many people try to make videos that are similar to things that have already been done. Product Reviews, Set Reviews, and Pack Openings are fine to do some of the time but ultimately you need to find something that no one else is doing. For me it was the videos focused on card singles and tournament updates.
What mistakes have you made, or that you see new content creators make?
John: When it comes to mistakes I made, usually they revolve around trying to do too much. There have been times when I tried to cover too many things in too much detail and you end up putting multiple hours into a video that does not get all that many views and that does not feel good. I am trying to keep videos times down in length so that more viewers will have time to watch them and discover the channel.
One of the bigger mistakes I have seen content creators recently make is giving into the temptation to create drama videos. You will get a lot of views for a while and you will get new subscribers but you have to ask yourself if that is the attention you want for your channel. In the long run it is not the best way to build a solid and stable viewer base.
Any nuggets of advice for prospective content creators?
John: The advice I would give to all new creators is this:
1. Be yourself, don't try to be something you are not. People can tell if you are
not sincere.
2. Focus on something that no one else is doing. That will make your channel
unique and give viewers a reason to subscribe.
3. Don't expect your channel to blow up over night. It will be a lot of work and
take a lot of time before you build a true dedicated viewership.
Heroes and Legends can be found HERE.
Let me know what you think.
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