My failed music videos taught me YouTube
2026-03-30 · Short · Ali · recording, 1:13 · watch on YouTube
Topic: YouTube, writing online and creators · mode: Personal story · tags: His own numbers
In a Short, Ali says he began on YouTube around 2016 making music videos with friends, dreaming of a musical career; they flopped but taught him filming, editing and lighting, so he advises starting without a grand plan.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Starting out with failed music videos that taught him video production
- ★★ Ali has made YouTube videos for over eight years, over a thousand of them, and is known for productivity, business advice and personal development. — 00:00:00
- ★★★ Ali started on YouTube around 2016 making music videos with friends, who sang while he played guitar, dreaming of a musical career on YouTube; it completely flopped. — 00:00:00 · first in: 2025-11-25, How I actually started on YouTube
- ★★★ Those early music videos taught Ali video production, how cameras, editing and lighting work; without them, he says, he would probably never have built a career on YouTube. (hedged) — 00:00:00
00:00:29 — You do not need a plan to start: act first, strategy later
- This part replays How I actually started on YouTube (2025-11-25); what is said here is covered on that page: 3 statements.
Threads in this video
- retold · Ali starts on YouTube making music videos with friends, dreaming of a musical career (2016) — Ali started on YouTube around 2016 making music videos with friends, who sang while he played guitar, dreaming of a musical career on YouTube; it completely flopped. (00:00:00)
- refine · Should you plan things out first or just start? — To start a YouTube channel, an Instagram page or an online business, Ali says you need no plan or long-term masterpiece: just get started, develop the skills and see whether you enjoy the thing, one of the most important things. (00:00:29)
Mentioned
Rumi
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