An exciting interview with one of our Community Challenge guests - Akash Jones!

Akash Jones is a renowned brick-filmer and stop motion expert! He has created a lot of viral hits over the years and is well known in the Toronto filmmaking community as well. On his two channels he has amassed over 200,000 subscribers and 128 million views! He is best known for his Star Wars and Marvel Lego fan films, and has also started working on his own live action films.

During our 10th Community Challenge, in partnership with TIFF, he introduced us to Action Motion animation and prepared a super fun short animation with drawings submitted by our viewers! We can’t wait to reflect on all 10 challenges this Thursday March 24th at 7PM! Are you going to be there? Sign up now!

I had a chance to interview him about his work. We had a great conversation about nostalgia, creating content, and collaborating with others in the community. 

Sierra: Hi Akash!  The first thing I’d like to know is how did you start creating stop motion?

Akash: So I started in Lego primarily with lego stop motion, and then it moved over to other mediums. Like every kid I had a ton of Lego growing up and I used to watch other YouTubers who would make stop motions with Lego. And I was just really intrigued, so I tried to learn it myself. Then I got better at it over the years and it kind of became like a hobby.  from the YouTube channel. When I was like 12, I started making these Lego animations. And then it just kind of flourished into a career, which was really fun to see, like a hobby, being able to become like a sustainable job.

S: Yeah, I've realized that's very rare, youtube becoming a viable career. So who are those youtubers that you watched at first?

A: So there's Forrestfire101, Fancy pants and a bunch of really old Lego youtubers, not old as in like, their age, but how far back they go. I feel like a lot of people in my age range grew up watching their videos.

S: Yeah, I did as well. It's kind of odd how nostalgic those old videos can make you feel.

A: Yea that's true. Even just like the camera quality of them. It's so funny.

S: Exactly. So that leads into what inspired you to start on YouTube?

A: What inspired me a lot? Star Wars: Clone Wars, the animated show. I used to watch that a lot as a child. And it was cool to see a series that made branch off stories of the Star Wars universe. And then I had a lot of Star Wars Lego. There were often storylines, I imagined that never came to life in the Clone Wars episodes. So I'd sit in my room, and make up these stories with my Lego. And then I thought I can actually make these into stop motions. Now, I'm starting to develop these videos. So that really inspired me to start animating, because I just had all these ideas in my head that I wanted to see come to life. If no one else was going to make them, I might as well!

S: That's really cool. So you started when you were 12. When you started, where did you imagine it going at first?

A: Honestly, I had no plan for it, it was just kind of a way to preserve a lot of the stuff that I made. When I was little I just wanted a place to keep it all. So I didn't think I didn't even think that many people were gonna see it. So it was just a way for me to put my art somewhere because I was really young, I didn't have a laptop or a hard drive, so it was just a place for me to have all my work since I made everything on an iPad.

S: Oh, that's interesting. So, one thing I noticed is, you make a lot of Star Wars and Marvel content. Why those two things exactly?

A: I think Star Wars and Marvel are the biggest Lego themes and I just have accumulated so much over the years from being a kid. And it just feels nice to go back to my roots once in a while since I do a lot of work in the field. As an animator, I use the YouTube channel to be a place where I can make less professional and more fantasy or fanfiction based stuff. Just because it's what I grew up doing. I like to lean back towards that superhero genre. And it's just nice that YouTube is an avenue where I can make those stories come to life. So it separates the hobby and work thing in a way.

S: Yeah, you said you like doing a fanfiction style? How do you start with writing something for a video like that?

A: I just start with an idea. I'll read a comic, or watch an episode of something or a movie. And there's maybe two characters that didn't interact in a way that I imagined. So I think it'd be cool if this guy met this guy, or if this girl met this person, and then they did something. And it just stems from that into a story that builds in my head then I write it down. And since I have the tools to make you stop motion, it's really fun to bring those things to life.

S: Well, that does sound super fun. I can definitely relate to that by trying to take the characters we have and then make a script out of that. And then at the studio we have all the gear there and we can actually put this into reality. So you've been creating content for over seven years now, and some of your videos have gotten millions of views. What does that mean to you?

A: I mean, it was really overwhelming at first, I don't think young me really understood the gravity of the amount of people taking my work in. But it means a lot, it's really cool to know that some people can watch my videos and feel the same way I felt when I was watching those old Lego videos. Those are my favorite comments, people telling me this inspired me to start a YouTube channel, because that's exactly what I went through. And my whole life revolves around animation. Now, it's my job. It's like my best hobby. So it's just really cool to think that many people are seeing my work and getting inspired hopefully. It was always a dream of mine to have these stories that I thought of in my head viewed by a lot of people. So that has been the best part for me.

S: That's really sweet. I can definitely understand the overwhelming part too, especially with the YouTubers I watch. They've talked a lot about how having so many eyes on their content all at once can be a lot for them. Suddenly they're thinking I don't know what comments to respond to, or what not to. Do you find that you're able to take in all that feedback well, and use that in your future content?

A: Yeah, I think I am, I think I don't get too much actual critical feedback from my viewers, because my audience is more on the younger side, I think most of the people are just there to enjoy it. But when I do get that rare comment that's giving feedback, I take in all those. I take those really seriously because the people that you're pushing your content out to see your work in a different light than you. So it's always good to keep an open mind and take into consideration what they say.

S: That is great that you've had such a positive experience with something that can be a very overwhelming experience for some people. So what advice do you have for people wanting to get their content seen online?

A: I'd say it starts with not focusing on wanting to get it seen. I know everyone says this all the time but it's true. A lot of the people I know who were successful on YouTube, they didn't start their first video thinking, oh, this is going to get so many views! You have to start making content that you actually do want to make, because viewers can see through that and what your intentions are behind the video. You'll lose authenticity even if you're trending at third, second, or first, it just won't be sustainable. So I'd say just try not to bend or alter your stories, or what you're trying to make. If you put out stuff consistently, and have high quality, it'll be picked up. There's always going to be some group of people out there that want to see the specific niche, or the specific type of film that you are working on. And also just to make friends with creators, that was a big part of helping myself become more popular with my content. There's a lot of people who are making the same things as you online, and you can build a community, you can help each other and collaborate, that always really helps.

S: Yeah, that whole thing of building a community is huge, because for a while on YouTube, I think people were focused more on drama and getting on each other’s bad sides a lot. But it's  a good point to make that it's better to have those positive relationships where you can learn from each other, especially for future creators. Also, I saw on your LinkedIn profile that you got education from both Ryerson and OYA Media Group. How impactful was that to you? Do you recommend artists get formal education like you did?

A: Um, that's tricky. I honestly think it depends on a lot of things like the career you want and your financial situation, because film school is very expensive. The OYA program that I went to is free for Black Filmmakers. So that would be my advice, to find those groups that are supporting creators no matter what kind of person you are. Because those places are really focused on getting you placements and experience rather than the school route which is more on building your educational background on the subject. It’s something you can do on your own time for less expense. So I honestly say it's up to you, if you have the means to go through school, it is very helpful. But most of the success I found has been off of building connections and actually reaching out to places trying to get spots on certain films or shadowing somebody or interning. I'd say the most value you're going to get is out of those groups and support programs that help artists amplify their voices and get the necessary resources and experience.

S: Okay, that is really good advice. So where do you see your channel in a year or more?

A: I'm hopefully still making content, I don’t want to be too busy with my other animation work so I actually have time to make my own videos because it is my favorite thing to do. When I’m making my Lego animations it is when I’m the happiest. Also I hope I'm still posting more consistently than I am now. I feel like I've lost a bit of the momentum recently, I haven't been making as many videos because I'm at a point in my career where I need to go all into my own work. I just hope that I'm still making videos and enjoying it as much as I am now.

S: I've seen from your two channels, all the other projects you start as well, like the podcast you started with your friends a while back. I can see it as an effort to try and start new projects or things that are a little outside of what you usually do. So are there any projects aside from your YouTube videos that you'd love to work on?

A: Yeah, I like to work on animation stuff that is like puppet based, as well as claymation, just so I can sharpen my skills. And then I like to direct as well. On the side. I've directed a couple films, and I'm in the process of directing a film about my father. It's a film about his life and how he grew up in Regent Park in Toronto. Aside from my YouTube channel I’d like to direct stories that compel me and branch off from those fiction stories that I wanted to tell as a kid. Now that I'm older I have other stories that I also want to tell that require more than the medium of Lego. Whenever there's something that I want to create, I'll just put my all into it whether it's Lego or live action.

S: Okay, that's, that's really awesome. Like branching out into more creative things like that. Because I think one thing, especially on YouTube, if you do the same thing over and over again, then you risk burnout. And like, Do you have any advice for people who are like, wanting to get into creating videos? And how to do that in a healthy way?

A: Yeah, I'd say when somebody asked me a while back, and my biggest advice to them was don't feel like you need to post everything you make, I have a lot of videos that haven't seen the light of day. Doing that relieves the pressure a bit so that you don't feel like there's all these eyes on your project at once. Remember why you're making the videos and that it's okay to have something you make that doesn't necessarily need to be seen. That will help you with not feeling like it's this routine of making a video just to put it out. And then hopefully that helps you avoid burnout. Also collaborating with other people is a good way since you get ideas outside of your own. And then when there's a bunch of people on the project, you can split the workload. You can talk to your project partners if you are getting burnt out with certain things. And then also don't be afraid to take a break. It's okay to not be creating stuff 24/7. Finally don't compare yourself to anyone just create content that you genuinely want to.

S: Okay, that is, that is really solid advice! Thank you so much for your time on this. It's really awesome to hear your perspective, with all the experience you have on YouTube with your large and loyal community. Thanks Akash!

A: You’re welcome, it was great to get to talk about my work with you!

“I say just make everything that you want to make”

“You have to start making content that you actually do want to make, because viewers can see through that and what your intentions are behind the video. ”

“There’s a lot of people who are making the same things as you online, and you can build a community, you can help each other and collaborate, that always really helps.”

Spectrum’s 10th Community Challenge with Akash!

Sierra Lynne

About the author

Sierra is a long-time producer and he has a Diploma in Journalism and Communications from Okanagan College. He is the content creator for Spectrum.