Ben Peréz-Villatorio ’23 released his first YouTube video (@BenPV_) in August 2020. In a vlog filled with dancing, music, and insightful advice, in order to help his community, Peréz-Villatorio shared his thoughts on a variety of topics, such as fitness, growing up, boarding school, and living in a city.
“I want to have a vlog type of channel, and also have storytimes about how I got into boarding school. Especially because people who come from East Boston and the Bronx—more urban areas—don’t really come to boarding school. I want to open up those resources to people who come from those places—I want to help them be aware of what is out there,” said Peréz-Villatorio.
Peréz-Villatorio’s interest in watching YouTube inspired him to create his own platform that would share the values and messages of his favorite YouTuber, @JustFanum.
“[Fanum] is from New York, he is from the Bronx and that is very similar to Boston, where I’m from, East Boston. So I wanted to create that type of vibe for my videos,” said Peréz-Villatorio.
In addition to getting general inspiration from Fanum, Peréz-Villatorio also hopes to echo Fanum’s high energy, specifically when he shows himself dancing. In every video, Peréz-Villatorio includes a clip of him dancing to upbeat music.
“I have gotten a lot of positive feedback, from family members and friends, especially when I start dancing in my videos in the intros. They love that. they just get hype. I am happy that they have something they can look forward to in the video,” said Peréz-Villatorio.
Peréz-Villatorio’s driving values for his YouTube channel focus around guidance and positivity, as well as being a role model for others in his community, giving advice on topics ranging from boarding school to shaving.
“Obviously I am not a perfect person, but I just want to be there for them kind of like a big brother, telling them this is something you should know about, something you should think about as you get older so kind of somebody to look up to or just come to for advice,” said Peréz-Villatorio.
