PIP 085: Not Another Cooking Show with Chef Stephen Cusato | Tips for Running a Successful YouTube Cooking Channel

Passion In Progress with Javier Mercedes

Stephen Cusato is the creator behind Not Another Cooking Show, a YouTube channel teaching others how to be better cooks. In the episode we tackle topics like going into debt to pursue your passion, creating a format to your show so you don't have to reinvent the wheel each time you make a video , and how getting 70k subscribers in 2 months effected his content creation.

Not Another Cooking Show YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/notanothercookingshow

Stephen's Instagram: @thefoodfreakk

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Instagram: @passioninprogress

E-mail Newsletter: https://www.javiermercedes.com/email

Shownotes

(03:01) I would have never done anything that I am doing right now had I been concerned about what other people thought about me

(12:43) Tackling finances as a content creator

(16:08) Starting my channel on a whim and getting 100 subs in a week

(18:13) I can make this work, I just need to float myself long enough monetarily

(19:01) going into credit card debt to pursue your dream

(24:03) YouTube being a better fit than having a show on Food Network

(25:28) how do I branch out from just being known as the pasta guy?

(29:15) how do I get views using the same kind of thumbnail plating food on a cutting board instead of on plates

(30:44) Creating a format to your show so you don't have to reinvent the wheel each time you make a video

(35:20) Why I use a cutting board to plate every thumbnail

(39:09) Why I have a format to my shows

(40:34) The format removes decisions from the creative process

(45:22) Don't be above someone else in the food world

(47:00) My goal is not to be the best chef in the world, it's just to make sure you are better at cooking

(50:12) Talking about the production work that goes into cooking videos, what angles, what cameras, etc. etc.

(50:13) Stephen hates top down shots, or the “Tasty” model, with hands on pans. Why he has his infamous “Mouth Cam” instead.

(52:07) Eliminating the friction to creating videos

(56:44) How Stephen sources his music for his videos

(57:53) I was compensating for my lack of energy with the music that I was using

(59:04) Sacrificing ad revenue just to use a song, that's how important music is to the cut for Stephen

(01:01:39) How do you take the time to interact with your audience?

(01:09:10) Story behind why Stephen's IG handle is the @FoodFreakk and not "not another cooking show"

(01:11:18) Should Stephen start a cooking podcast?

(01:14:21) “Getting 70k subscribers in two months may have screwed me”