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SA’s wildlife YouTube channel breaks a billion
Latest Sightings, the pioneering wildlife community started by a schoolboy, this week became the first South African YouTube channel to reach a billion views. ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK speaks to its founder.
“I think that I have two great assets,” he says. “Firstly, I am the biggest user of my own app and I am part of my community. I think that the fact that I use the sightings service, which ultimately is the driver of the YouTube channel, helps me know what would make the community happier and thus make meaningful changes that drive growth.
“Secondly, I have the drive to find easier ways of doing things when they seem impossible. I see so many people stick to the status quo and not think out the box. For example, I didn’t have money initially to start an app or pay for advertising.
“So I just used YouTube to learn how to develop the first app, and I then used social media to reach the right audience, all for free. I’m not scared to experiment, where I find that a lot of people are scared to do so.”
Among his friends, Ossendryver is notorious for working through the night to solve a specific problem or challenge that prevents him from adding new functions or features to his app. A bundle of energy, he is usually eager to share the discoveries he makes in the process. In that way, he has also found himself at the centre of an informal community of digital adventurers always looking for new paths through the online jungle.
Building the Latest Sightings community has not been a smooth ride all the way, but he says there are far more highlights than low points.
“The biggest highlight has been that excitement of receiving an incredible sighting, and knowing that no one else in the world has seen this yet.
“The second big highlight is showing other South Africans that an SA-Based channel can reach the world stage, and that YouTube isn’t only an American or British person’s place.
“Another great highlight is the fact that people can take me, a 23-year-old, seriously when I speak about YouTube and general social media strategy.”
Click here to read Ossendryver’s advice about why YouTube isn’t the only game in town.
