Dave Disci Talks YouTube, K-Pop Culture, and Finding His Niche
Dave Disci is a prominent YouTube creator from Staten Island, celebrated for his K-pop reaction videos. He has built a substantial following, with over 280K subscribers on his YouTube channel, Dave Disci Vlogs. He started his channel in 2014 but pivoted to K-pop content in 2017. Before focusing on YouTube, Dave worked as a dance photographer and videographer, contributing to independent films. In today’s interview, Dave Disci shares his experiences and insights on navigating the evolving landscape of digital media. He reflects on the significance of being recognized by traditional media outlets, such as ABC’s Right This Minute, and discusses his passion for K-pop, highlighting its current state and the cultural shifts it has fostered. Dave also delves into the complexities of managing a news-focused YouTube channel, where audience reactions can be polarized. He expresses excitement about future opportunities for networking and interviews, while offering practical advice for aspiring creators looking to carve out their own niche in the crowded online space.
How did growing up in Staten Island shape your vibe as a YouTuber?
So I definitely spent a big portion of my life in Staten Island, as my parents could only afford a house there, and it’s easier to get a better house when you have a house somewhere else first, so although I didn’t necessarily grow up there, it was interesting because I was so far detached from where all my friends were, and a lot of times if I wanted to make videos with friends, it would take hours and hours just to travel to where they were, which of course, I think limited a lot of the opportunities that I had. Of course, that might not be the case for everyone who lives on Staten Island, but that definitely was the case for me, and I knew I had to get closer to the city if I wanted to do more of this type of stuff.
What got you into making K-pop reaction videos, and why do you think they blew up?
I was searching around for specific types of videos to make, and obviously everything that I was making was something that I was passionate about, hence why I’ve been doing it for so many years. I noticed there was a little bit of a high demand for K-pop content. Now. There were definitely a lot of people who were making K-pop videos, but there seemed to be more demand than there were people making the videos. I noticed this almost immediately. So it made a lot of sense for me to do something that I already grew up listening to around the house, and also in a business sense, it just made a lot of sense.
You started your channel in 2014 but switched to K-pop in 2017. What were your videos about back then?
I was doing vlogs at the time, and this was something that I thought was a lot of fun. They were not anything serious. I didn’t really have a strategy behind it or anything interesting to vlog about. I just wanted to record my day. A lot of the vlogs were just me going to school and then going back home.
You’ve collabed with some cool influencers like Sheik Akbar and IT’SJUSTNICK. How do those partnerships inspire your content?
They were both amazing to collaborate with. Nick, at the time, was a smaller YouTuber, kind of around the same as me. However, Sheik was much bigger, and I was able to discover how a bigger YouTuber navigated the field, and a lot of what he did helped me in my content. When I was doing the reaction videos for the thumbnails, I would have my face. A lot of people assume, and I did as well, that when you see a face in the thumbnail, it’s someone pausing for the camera, and they put the timer on and just snap a pic. But what I learned from actually working with some bigger YouTubers was that to do the thumbnail, people would hit the record button and just pose in front while recording a video, and then just grab a screenshot later when making a thumbnail. So little tips and tricks like that were definitely helpful when I was first starting out.
What did you learn from working with Rox Brown and Amy Pham on “One Style Fits All”
It was a lot of fun working with them. I would love to connect with them again, perhaps in the future. However, this was the first time that I was working on a professional set, and I wasn’t the behind-the-scenes person. It was something I wanted to try, and I was really stepping out of my comfort zone to do this. I felt very uncomfortable the entire time, not because of them, but just because of the nature of the production. It was a big one, and I wasn’t used to having this many cameras on me at any given time. So I almost put on a persona for the day—a character, if you will—just so that I can get through the day. And it made me realize that sometimes you just have to do that. And it really showed me that I could do a long 10-hour day of filming and get through it.
You were featured on ABC’s “Right This Minute”. How does it feel like for an independent YouTube content creator to have spaces like that in more traditional media?
Honor and I really liked that show, so it was so cool to be featured in that way. This was definitely one of the first times that I felt like I was recognized in traditional media. A lot of companies, especially big ones, do not care for the new type of media. So it felt really cool and really good to be acknowledged in this way and to have my video shown on such a big platform like that. I really appreciated it, and I still really appreciate it.
As far as your love for K-pop, how do you feel about where the genre is at right now?
I think the genre has stalled a little bit or slowed down a little bit, and I think that’s normal. I think every genre will have its ups and downs. As of right now, it’s part of the mainstream zeitgeist. People are aware of what it is now when there is a huge comeback, and it makes this huge splash into the mainstream pop world again. I think people will be more willing to accept it again, and it can only go up from there. I think BTS, as well as many other K-pop boy groups in America right now, have really paved the way for Asian men. I’m seeing a lot more opportunities for Asian men that I haven’t seen before. And I think that is very exciting.
If you could have one single person guest in your channel right now, who would it be?
I’ve run into Eric Nam a few times at some red-carpet events. I’ve never really gotten a chance to speak with him. I would of course love to be on his podcast, but I would die to ever have him on my channel just to make some commentary and talk about what his thoughts are. Of course, if I could have any BTS member on the channel, I would love that as well, but I’d think that’s probably not likely at all.
What do you find most interesting about K-pop culture, and how do you share that with your viewers?
Maybe not so much the culture itself, but I tend to perseverate on the fan culture that exists within K-pop. I often talk about that and I talk about how wild some of these perceptions can be within the fan culture.
What’s the biggest challenge in running a YouTube channel for you?
I think there are a lot of challenges. Running a news channel specifically is especially challenging because the audience is extremely divided. There are quite literally people who hate me and want me to die—all of those awful things. And then, on the flip side of that, there are people who really like me and only want the best for me. But there’s no in-between. Because I share political views, I share culture, and I share a lot of things that tend to be more divided.
What are your goals for the channel moving forward? Do you have ideas of where and how your content will evolve down the line?
I’ve been looking for a while to go to more of these events and try to network with people and potentially get more interviews on the channel and do things like that. We shall see where that will go. I’m very excited to potentially have that happen.
Any tips for creators trying to become YouTubers?
Throwing spaghetti at the wall is probably the best and only real method that actually works. Write down a list of genres that you would love to talk about, keep your mind open for any other topics that might pop up, and then do your research a little bit and see if there is any way you can insert yourself into these genres. And if you happen to find a gap in the market, like I did when I started doing the K-pop stuff, then maybe you can go into that genre and see if it’s for you.
