Photo by TheDigitel
Update March 14, 2012: Just a bump to the top to mention the video eventually broke 20,000 views. Back story is below.
First Report: In less than 24 hours, Sh*t Chants Don't Say pulled in nearly 6500 views on YouTube. In less than 48 hours, it surpassed 10,000 and it should be well past 15,000 views within 36 hours of the initial release.
On the national level, it doesn't really fall within the current definition of viral (WPDE's Coach Bennett "dogs and cats" video went nationally viral and received over 1.2 million views). However based on TheDigitel's experience of monitoring Myrtle Beach-specific online activity, it's significant. Particularly with such a niche topic as covered in Sh*t Chants Don't Say.
I caught up with the video creators, Sarah Stusek and Hannah Greene, to find out more. Be sure to check out some of the links embedded in the text.
Tell us who you are.
Sarah: I am a communications major, journalism minor from Annapolis, Maryland. I have been a member of the Screen Actor's Guild since I was five. When I came to CCU in August 2008 I realized that my true passion was behind the camera. I currently work for the Athletics Department at Coastal as an intern and I am the Associate Producer for "Inside The Clubhouse".
Hannah: I'm also a senior communications major, journalism minor. I'm from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Sarah and I have been in communication classes together all four years of college. I'm the student writer and reporter for Coastal Today, reporting student interest stories and hosting an interview segment called "Giving Back with Hannah Greene" that are all about Coastal students who give back to the community. While Sarah loves being behind the camera, I have always loved being in front of it. After graduation I will be in LA through an internship program called Dream Careers, working for a television production company.
How did the idea for Sh*t Chants Don't Say come about?
Sarah: On January 14th we watched the video Sh*t Nobody Says on YouTube. On the same day during the double header basketball game we got a little bored and started coming up with...well..Sh*t Chants Wouldn't Say.
How long did the project take start to finish?
Sarah: I shot the video on Thursday, edited it on Friday. My brother, Asher Stusek makes killer graphics for all of our videos. When he finished it on Saturday, I immediately released it at 1:00 p.m. It hasn't even been 24 hours and we already have gotten 6,312 views.
Who wrote the lines?
We both wrote the lines with help from our good pal Kenda Conley, who makes a few appearances in the video.
What was your favorite line that rings more true than funny?
Hannah: They're all my favorite, because they are all so true. I could say something about every single one. I really like "our fight song is super catchy", because no one even knows we have a fight song.
Sarah: Hands down, "Parking spaces are abundant". This is our number one issue on campus. I have literally failed a class for being late/missing too many because I have failed to find a spot.
Have you made other similar videos? Do you plan on making any more?
We made a few videos in our video production class last semester. Hannah stars in "Halloween Town News" a wacky twist on your typical newscast, and we made a mini-doc about Facebook called "Obsessed." Yes we have some other vids in the works, but we don't want to give anything away and spoil the fun.
