After YouTube expanded its monetization program to everyone, I made a conscious effort to start creating and posting good content.
I had absolutely no experience editing or posting videos. However, I figured my travels would naturally give me plenty of organic material to work with.
So far, I’ve had some decent success posting videos of airplane takeoffs and landings, especially in more exotic locations.
But my most successful video happened completely by accident.
I had just stepped off the subway in Times Square and was walking uptown when a light drizzle began to fall.
I don't mind the rain, so I didn't think much of it. Plus, I was completely preoccupied listening to my iPod.
Suddenly, a shockingly tall woman in a bikini sprinted right past me.
Naturally, this caught my attention. It’s not every day you see a woman over six feet tall dashing through Midtown in swimwear.
Strangely enough, she was running alongside a guy wearing a full tuxedo and sunglasses.
As it turned out, a professional photoshoot was underway right behind me. The model was running to escape the sudden downpour.
As she flew past, I could see her hair and makeup were completely flawless. She had clearly spent hours in a stylist's chair to look that way.
If her makeup got ruined by the rain, it would likely destroy the entire day's shoot.
With the YouTube monetization program fresh in my mind, I quickly whipped out my digital camera and started recording.
By this point, the model was ahead of me, booking it toward the shelter of a nearby construction scaffolding.
Once she reached the dry sanctuary, she found herself trapped in front of the massive crowds of Times Square.
Many of them were out-of-town tourists who were absolutely thrilled to see a real model in the flesh.
Everyone began snapping photos of the model and her tuxedo-clad sidekick. The duo just stood there uncomfortably, completely stranded by the weather.
That night, I uploaded the clip to YouTube and went to bed.
The next morning, I was shocked to find it already had 84 views!
While the traffic has leveled off since then, it remains my most popular upload—and a "viral" success compared to the rest of my channel.
The experience really reinforced my view that the most successful content on YouTube is often completely random and unplanned.
Believe me, whenever I'm walking the streets of NYC now, my eyes are always peeled for the next accidental hit.
Enjoy the video!
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