This week’s Farmer Focus is on senior Brennan Licona, a content creator who enjoys making fun YouTube videos with his friends and is determined to present himself more to others.

SNAPSHOTS

What music do you like to listen to: George Harrison and The Beatles

One movie you can never get tired of: “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies

If you could have any ability, what would it be: Fly

Describe a time when you felt proud of yourself: AP exam scores

One word your friends use to describe you: Quirky

ZOOMING IN

Q: What’s the name of your YouTube channel and how did it start?

A: “The idea of creating a channel was introduced by senior Danny Sandoval. We knew each other through our friends but didn’t talk. After a week or so of having the same lunch together, he texted me and suggested we make a podcast together. Bredyoke was born through Instagram dms. Danny and I brainstormed in the car and combined our names together. Our names make the Bred part and the yoke part is meant to resemble two things coming together. In this case, Danny and I.”

Q: What kind of videos do you make?

A: “We’re like a podcast hybrid, so we sit down and talk. But they’re video podcasts so if we ever feel like it, we can be more active like in one of our past videos in which we played badminton. We’re down to do anything.”

Q: How do you come up with video ideas?

A: “I look for inspiration from other YouTubers, TikTokers and small creators. A lot of these ideas come off of stuff we do in our personal time, and we just add a little twist to them.”

Q: If students are featured, what requirements need to be met?

A: “There are no requirements. I’d say just be yourself because that’s what we really look for. If we were to make a video on basketball for example, we’d have to find a person that is associated with that topic. If someone were to ask to be in a video, we just write them down and think of a video they would work well in.”

Q: What is your goal with making these videos?

A: “Our goal is to create a space people can go to and laugh, be entertained and tap into their creative side lowkey.”

Q: What’s the best part of making videos with your friends?

A: “It’s definitely the memories we make. That’s a cliche answer, but it’s fun spending time with your friends and guests. It’s a great environment to work with Danny and our cameraman because we all care about this channel. Our chemistry only gets better with every video. When it comes to guests, you get to see a side of them you probably never knew about so that makes the whole experience even more memorable and meaningful.”

Q: What is the biggest challenge for you?

A: “Just being out there is a challenge. I’m a pretty quiet person which makes the process of connecting with our guests a bit tougher. Luckily, Danny is great at making conversations and making our guests feel welcomed. I’m very thankful to have him as my co-host. We’re complete opposites in that way and I think that just adds even more meaning to our growing relationship. I am definitely making progress toward being a more expressive host and friend.”

Q: How do you promote your videos?

A: “By word of mouth, releasing teasers leading up to the video’s release and putting the best parts of the video on TikTok and Instagram as short clips after the video is out. One time, we asked our teacher to airplay our video in front of the classroom. There’s a lot of people that are aware of the channel but aren’t subscribed so we are also working hard to make our videos entertaining and intriguing to all types of people.”

Q: What is one of the most memorable moments you’ve had while filming?

A: “I would say whenever we filmed with my friend Sebastian. It was a 30 minute video but we stayed at his house for hours, shooting through all the bloopers and just laughing. In the video, we were doing the blazing hot wing challenge from Buffalo Wild Wings, and it was funny because the video turned out to be pretty bad. It wasn’t because of Sebastian; it was because of the dumb questions we were making up on the fly. The wings were also not that spicy because we were meant to eat several, not just one like we did. In the end we had to fake our reactions a little. I do wish everybody could see just how much fun that night was though.”

Q: What advice would you give to someone starting out?

A: “Being passionate about what you’re doing is important. Not necessarily being passionate about being a content creator, but about what your content revolves around. Secondly and this applies more broadly, don’t turn a blind eye to issues that may seem small and unimportant. Acknowledging these obstacles and facing them head on will be your saving grace in the long run. I don’t have much else, we’re starting out ourselves.”