Meet Facundo Holzmeister | Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Facundo Holzmeister and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Facundo, what is the most important factor behind your success?
That I strive to create videos that stand out from the sea of other generic tech content. Videos that, if I came across on YouTube as a random viewer, I would get curious enough to want to watch them out of the large selection of other recommended videos. However, there are occasions when I do need to create videos on saturated topics, where everyone seems to be producing the same content. In those situations, I challenge myself to add a unique twist to avoid getting lost in the crowd. For instance, a few months ago, I was invited by Samsung to their Galaxy Unpacked 2024 Event (https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/galaxy-unpacked/), where they unveiled their latest lineup of Galaxy S24 devices. At the event, I was surrounded by other content creators, all making similar ‘first impressions’ or hands-on videos with the Galaxy S24. I figured since everyone is posting the same type of content simultaneously, I’d take a different approach to stand out. Instead of creating another typical S24 video. I chose to delve deep into the features of the Galaxy S24 that Samsung didn’t highlight at the event (https://youtu.be/9nAtaNx94hE?si=ukgDw1BbCeFCW_Ok), and the response was overwhelmingly positive. My audience appreciated learning about the unique software features that no other YouTuber had discussed, not even Samsung themselves. And this reinforced my belief in the power of originality and creativity in content creation.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As mentioned earlier, my goal has always been to make videos that stand out from the crowd of other generic tech content. I firmly believe in quality over quantity. If I were to prioritize speed and churn out subpar content I wasn’t proud of, I doubt I would still be pursuing this as a career. Plus, what has really kept me around is consistency. Even when I was juggling YouTube alongside my studies, I made it a point to upload at least two to four times a month. Even during college, when I was pursuing a degree in Computer Science, I never let go of YouTube despite all the work that pilled up on my desk. And when the views were low, or the money wasn’t enough, I never let that get to me cause I knew if I kept at it, things would eventually turn out for the better. Plus, what has always helped me keep going is all of the positive comments that I have received from the viewers. Knowing that my content was helping others encouraged me to push through any obstacles.

As I continued my journey as a content creator, I learned a very valuable lesson along the way: Believe in yourself even if others don’t. When I joined the HowToMen channel, started by my best friend, Daniel Ariza, I never thought I could do it by myself. I had no experience in video editing or video recording, and even speaking in front of the camera scared me as I was a very shy individual. But I still gave it my all, and I managed to push out my first video (https://youtu.be/hqFIKBP0GtQ), which was shot on my parent’s old digital camera that recorded on CDs. For editing, I was lucky enough to have Daniel help me since he had a bit of knowledge with iMovie. I even remember that my first comment ever was of someone saying something along the lines of, “This video is terrible. You’ll never make it.” And from that point on, I was encouraged to prove anyone who didn’t believe in me wrong. As time went on, I learned how to edit on my own, got better at recording videos, and even started showing my face and personality in all of my content. Daniel eventually left the channel in 2018 to pursue a different career in programming, but I still continued on, and here I am today. My message to everyone is simple: never stop pursuing your goals. Even when they seem out of reach, with dedication and perseverance, nothing is impossible.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I personally live in Southern California, so I would first want to show them our beaches. My favorite is Huntington Beach cause it has such a relaxing environment. We would walk on the pier, lay on the sand, and explore Downtown. There’s a lot to do down there, from sightseeing to biking to even grabbing some great food. My personal favorite is Killarney Pub & Grill (https://www.yelp.com/biz/killarney-pub-and-grill-huntington-beach) cause they have some amazing burgers and drinks. They also have outside seating in the center of downtown Huntington Beach, so you can feel the excitement around you and smell the fresh beach air as you enjoy a delicious meal.

On a separate day, I would want to show them the other beautiful half of California: the mountains. I would take them to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway ( https://pstramway.com/), which takes you to the very top of the mountain, giving you incredible views as you glide upwards. Once you reach the mountain’s peak, you can go explore the otherside of the mountain, which, depending on the time of the season, there could be a ton of snow to explore and play around in. Plus, being that you need to take the tramway to get up there, it won’t be crowded at all. Once you get tired of exploring, you can head back into the mountain station, which has a great cliffside American restaurant called “Peaks Restaurant.” (https://www.opentable.com/peaks-restaurant). Or they also have a fantastic bar with a great view and you can take your drink to the balcony for even better views. (https://pstramway.com/dining/)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Plenty of people have helped me on my path to becoming a successful content creator. Even now, I rely on a small team to help elevate my content. But two people who I can truly thank for helping launch my online career are my best friend, Daniel Ariza ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ariza-1234abcd/ ), and my father, Oscar Holzmeister ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscar-holzmeister-5a237445/). Daniel Ariza was actually the one who started the YouTube channel back in 2009. He started making video tutorials showing viewers how to jailbreak their iPhones (https://youtu.be/XeMvEYbK11I?si=e-3D6wlCvzYiSsv1 ). At around that same time, my father, who worked as a Radio Frequency Engineer at T-Mobile, received the first Android phone from his job, the “T-Mobile G1.” To my surprise, he gifted me that very phone, and I was immediately hooked. I started to learn about everything it could do, from the features it carries to all the different apps I could install, and even tinkering with its software, like rooting and flashing custom ROMs. I eventually became an Android expert, and soon, I became the go-to tech support for everyone near me. I was helping so many of my friends and family members out with their smartphones that I figured that there were others out there who would appreciate video tutorials and tips & tricks on how they could improve their devices as well. And after seeing what my best friend was doing on YouTube, I wanted to do the same. So, I asked if I could join his channel and make videos with him. He would focus on iPhone videos, and I would venture into the realm of Android. Daniel loved the idea, and from then on, I made my first video showing how to root the T-Mobile G1 (https://youtu.be/hqFIKBP0GtQ?si=Fp8zPSWy6Ll52nm2). The rest is history. Without the support and inspiration from my father and best friend, I would never have ventured into YouTube. Their influence and encouragement have been instrumental in shaping my path as a content creator.

Website: https://howtomen.bio/

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howtomen

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Youtube: https://youtube.com/howtomen