A Friendly Favor to Ask

Hey everyone! I know in a recent YouTube post I said I wasn't going to invite new friends to be on my show anymore, but I didn't mean it literally. I was just really disappointed with some things that a few friends of mine had recently said regarding comments my fans leave on my videos and filming paid commissions for my fans. This show is my creation and I'm very passionate about it and my beloved fanbase, and I'm happy that I feel comfortable sharing these feelings with all of you.

As a creator, I love all the kind words and compliments that fans leave for me on my videos, and I consider it an honor that my fans love me enough to want to support me by commissioning me for custom videos or purchasing access to behind-the-scenes extras. As a result, I don't need to shill for paid product advertisements in the middle of my videos like mainstream YouTubers do because I have you, my fans, as individual sponsors instead, and that's far more authentic than trying to use my influence to sell you some company's product just to make extra money on the side. I would much rather use my influence to help people feel good about who they are and what they like without allowing the world around them to feel any sort of shame for it.

At the last two part-time jobs I worked, I met plenty of cool friends who made time to film videos with me on this show and had a lot of fun doing it until their lives took them in different directions and they drifted away. Currently, it's been harder to meet friends who are able to participate. I make new friends easily, but so many people I meet are stressed out and overwhelmed with things like college and relationships, and as a result they don't make time to hang out. Ideally, my show would be an entire crew of good friends having fun together on camera -- our own modern "Jackass" crew, if you will, inspired by the humor of shows like "Ren & Stimpy" and "Rocko's Modern Life" that I grew up watching -- but currently it's just me and my friend K2, who comes around once or twice a month to participate. I do have friends who say they'd like to participate in fitness videos and jiu-jitsu matches, so we'll see it that goes through on their end.

While I'm on this topic, I do have a favor to ask all of you. If a new friend appears in a video, please be sure that all your comments you leave for them are kind, welcoming, and respectful. Obviously any friend of mine who appears in a video is going to read the comments that are left for them, and they're more likely to want to continue making appearances if the messages left for them are positive and appropriate. If they're made to feel objectified by comments, they're less likely to want to return to that type of environment, and frankly, I don't blame them for it. My friends are people with feelings just like I am. They don't appear on my show just to be eye candy for my audience or be judged for their looks, or to only entertain something specific someone is into -- they're here as honorary friends of mine to have fun with me on my virtual playground (my channel). In other words, if you want to see new friends on my channel, just remember to be respectful to them.

Most of you are kind and respectful to everyone on my show and I appreciate that. I just want to mention this in case there's anyone out there who may have the wrong idea about my show and what it's about. It's always been a comedy, sports, and entertainment show since the beginning, and it always will be. My friends are not "models," they are personal friends of mine who are simply trying to have fun with me on camera. I meet them all organically at part-time jobs I work. I don't go out looking for people I can just make money off of. My friends know this to be true, but when they read comments about themselves from fans getting carried away after seeing a new face on the show, it makes them feel uncomfortable because they've never experienced something like it before.

I've been filming for seven years and I truly love and appreciate all the kind and affectionate things my fans say about me, but it's different for new friends who have never been on camera before or never had people online admire them. After a while people will grow to appreciate being admired, but in the beginning they're going to be nervous about trying something new, and the best way to help them feel welcome and encourage them to continue coming around is to be kind and respectful.

As the host, creator, and operator of the show, I want to do my part to make sure that my friends have fun and enjoy being a part of this adventure with me. If you, my beloved fans, can help me do this, I believe we'll start to see more new faces participating in the fun. Video commissions are a whole different level of comfort for people new to such a thing, but I at least would feel better if more of my pals were comfortable representing as my friends by being in videos with me.

Thanks for your understanding and for taking the time to read this. I'm happy to feel close enough to my fans to publicly share these feelings. There's more content on the way, and video commissions are still always open, so thank you for all the continued love and support 💚

- Primal