MEADIAVILLE

At fifteen, Brad Terry is like most students his age. He hangs out with his friends on the weekends, plays basketball at the nearest court, and is on almost every form of social media. However, a little over a year ago, Brad stumbled onto a talent for shoe painting and cleaning. Eventually, he developed his own business, BTerry Customs, which is now actively engaged on Twitter, Instagram, and most importantly to Brad, YouTube. Through this initial interest, Brad became a part of an online community of people called “sneakerheads.” In short, sneakerheads clean and paint shoes, upload tutorial videos, and share content with subscribers and other shoe enthusiasts.

Brad’s YouTube channel has enabled him to brand himself as BTerry Customs and connect with other young media makers all over the country. He has learned new self-promotion and filming techniques, and he constantly keeps track of the amount of video views and subscribers he gains. To Brad, his passion is more than just painting shoes; his passion involves an entire community and an online presence as well.

Check out the digital shorts below to see Brad at work and to get his perspective on his media-making.