We were lucky to catch up with Brett Voina recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brett, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The mission of The Voina Experience on YouTube is to provide year-round Halloween entertainment for fans who live for the magic of the season. We aim to showcase creative and fun ways to display Halloween decorations, while inspiring others to embrace the spirit of Halloween in new and exciting ways. It’s all about sharing our love for the holiday with our community and making it accessible and enjoyable every day of the year, not just in October.

This mission is especially important to us because we believe in the spirit of shared experiences in a holiday that’s truly meant to be fun and creative-not evil. Halloween is a time where everyone can let loose, express their imagination, and come together in a celebration that blends laughter, excitement, and just the right amount of spookiness. We’re passionate about creating those connections and inspiring others to see Halloween as more than a single day—it’s a lifestyle.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Brett Voina, and I’ve been a fan of Halloween and horror films since I was about six years old. Halloween has always been such an important holiday for me—it’s the one I remember enjoying even more than Christmas. I loved dressing up as scary monsters, and that early passion led me to a professional acting career where I’ve had the chance to make a few horror films. My love for Halloween quickly spread to my family, and it’s become something we all cherish.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when we found ourselves stuck indoors and missing out on visiting places like Spirit Halloween, we discovered a few YouTube videos where other people shared their Halloween experiences. Watching those videos brought so much joy to my kids that I thought, ‘Why not share our own experiences with the community?’ We do so much during the Halloween season anyway. So, we started filming our Halloween shenanigans, like dressing up one of our animatronics, and things just took off from there. We now have almost 6,000 subscribers, which is incredible!

What’s even more exciting is how the channel has grown. We recently wrote a Halloween adventure book called “Pumpinkles and the Lost Circus” that ties directly into our channel’s logo and is currently available to buy on Amazon. We’ve also partnered with companies like Spirit Halloween, Party City, and Haunted Hill Farm to review their products and animatronics—some have even sent us products as a thank-you! It’s been an amazing journey, and we’re so humbled by how much the channel has grown.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Early on, I had to make a decision—was my YouTube channel going to be just for fun and nonsense, or was I really going to try and build a serious brand? After some reflection, I decided that I wanted to make it a serious goal. At the time, to become a YouTube partner and get videos monetized, I needed at least 1,000 subscribers, and getting those first thousand was the hardest part of building my community.

There were times when I would gain a lot of subscribers, only to turn around and lose many of them just as quickly. It was frustrating, and there were plenty of moments when I felt like giving up. But I never lost sight of my ultimate goal, and my family was always there to support me. They pushed me to keep going when I felt like quitting, and I couldn’t have done it without them. They’re a huge part of the channel’s success.

Eventually, I pushed through those barriers, reached the 1,000-subscriber mark, and became part of the YouTube Partner Program. My videos are now monetized, and that was a huge milestone for me and the channel. It was a real test of resilience, but I’m so glad I stuck with it.

Another rewarding aspect of building my audience has been hearing from parents who’ve shared that my channel has helped some children with autism feel more relaxed while watching. Knowing that my content can bring comfort and enjoyment to these kids is incredibly meaningful, and it’s something I never expected when I first started the channel. It’s become another reason why I continue to create content that’s fun and welcoming for everyone.

One of the unexpected joys of running the channel has been how it’s become a kind of time capsule. As I look back at older videos, I can see my children growing up, sharing in the fun and excitement of Halloween with me. It’s amazing to have that journey documented, not just for our audience but for our family as well.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building an audience in a space like Halloween decorations, where there are a lot of similar channels, was a challenge. I quickly realized that I needed to find ways to set myself apart. Being an actor helped me do that by bringing a strong personality to the channel—I made sure to be energetic, funny, and a little quirky. I even started referring to my audience as ‘ghoulies,’ which helped create a sense of community and fun.

The real boost to the channel’s popularity came from a series of YouTube shorts I did, where I took the Spirit Halloween animatronic known as Grim and dressed him up in various costumes. That series really caught on and earned me some credibility in the decorating world. Now, people come to my channel not just for entertainment, but also to see my reviews of animatronics and the tier lists I create for them.

I’m always looking for new ways to stand out, like recently writing a Halloween adventure book that ties directly into the channel’s theme. If I had to give any advice to new YouTube creators, it would be to stay true to yourself. Stick with it as long as you have passion for what you’re doing, and don’t be afraid to watch what the more successful creators are doing. Use that as inspiration for your own videos, but always keep your own unique twist on things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the_voina_experience
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/tNxfjNWcnM81S5Hi/?mibextid=K35XfP
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thevoinaexperience?si=orSObYDoFGOYiieY

Image Credits

All image credit belongs to Brett Voina