Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexander Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alexander, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I first started as a YouTuber, I did a lot of reaction videos. I thought of myself as funny, so it made sense to take other people’s content and make it unique to myself. Reaction videos were also an easy way to generate timely content. However, after a while, I realized that the videos I was putting out weren’t authentic to me. I was doing “try not to laugh” videos, but I didn’t find them funny at all. I knew I had to try something new.

It was about six months into starting my channel when I decided to venture into food reviews. Before making the switch to full-time, I had only done one food review. I wasn’t sure how my community would react, but switching to food reviews turned out to be the best decision I ever made. It instantly brought in more views and subscribers. Even though I knew little about food, I had a feeling that it was the direction I wanted to go, and I’m glad I took a chance at it.

Alexander, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Alex Johnson aka Young Yohn, and I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Currently, I am a student at the FOX School of Business at Temple University. I started my YouTube channel about two years ago, towards the end of the Covid pandemic. It was a time in my life when I had many uncertainties, as I was about to begin my freshman year of college. In the past, I had spent a lot of my time playing sports, but since I wasn’t continuing with sports in college, I felt the need for something else to occupy my time. One day, I decided to pick up a camera, and the rest is history.

My content mostly revolves around food-related topics. Occasionally, I also release travel vlogs, but my main focus is on food reviews. I believe the biggest problem I solve is providing exposure for smaller restaurants. I handpick most of the restaurants I visit, and while some of them already have a large following, the majority of them are relatively unknown. My goal is to find the best food, regardless of a place’s popularity. What sets me apart the most is my scoring system. I noticed that many food critics refrain from giving out scores and tend to only share positive remarks. Since I personally select the places I visit, I don’t have to hold back. If I believe a place is terrible, I’m not afraid to voice my honest opinion. In fact, it has led to several restaurants making changes to their menus.

The achievement I am most proud of is the wide reach of my channel. By that, I don’t just mean the number of viewers, but rather the fact that people from various countries watch my videos. When I first started, I didn’t expect my videos to have such a global reach. My favorite thing to do is respond to comments from people living in different countries or even different states. I want anyone reading this to understand that being true to yourself, regardless of the potential impact on your brand, is the most important aspect of being a content creator. I can assure you that if you pretend or create content that doesn’t align with your true self, your audience will notice.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being creative is the opportunity to meet new people. Although I grew up in the suburbs, I often explore places in the city. The contrast between cultures is astonishing. Every person I have encountered during my videos has been respectful and helpful. Most places treat me as if I’m one of their own. Honestly, I have only had one negative experience, which stemmed from a disagreement with the staff. Through my channel, I have been able to connect with individuals I would never have had the chance to interact with otherwise. Additionally, I have the opportunity to explore different areas of Philadelphia. At this point, there isn’t a neighborhood in Philly that I haven’t visited. In the past, I probably would have only frequented a few of these areas. Witnessing the authentic side of Philadelphia, rather than the version portrayed in the news, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my experiences.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the habit of only focusing on the positives. While I believe it’s important to be respectful and kind to the staff of a restaurant, when it comes to the food itself, I believe everything is fair game for critique. The most challenging part was remembering that there are people who rely on my reviews when deciding where to eat. If I lie about the quality of the food, I lose credibility. Additionally, people work hard for their money, so if I wouldn’t spend my own money at a place, why should they? I’m not saying that I go around bashing restaurants for fun, but sometimes it’s necessary to speak my mind.

The backstory is that when I was growing up, I was always the “yes” guy. I didn’t know how to say no, and I always looked at everything in a positive light. Even when something went wrong, I had the mentality that there was always a next time or it was just a bad day. I would do anything to shield others from blame. I believed that if I said something negative, it would reflect poorly on me. However, I’ve now adopted the mindset that every negative comment I make is an opportunity for improvement. The most difficult aspect of being a food critic is giving a bad score. Even though I’ve given quite a few negative scores, it still pains me every time I have to do it.   

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/young.yohn/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/YoungYohn
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7z-cm3-fCYTXaqz2AWdDNQ