Member Monday- Mateo Aguirre

Have you ever created a YouTube channel? Mateo Aguirre, a junior public relations major, did. That is where he discusses everything from his first apartment to Miley Cyrus.

What made you decide to start your own YouTube channel?

I’m very interested in visual design, so I thought it would be a great way to not only practice my video editing skills, but also work on my public-speaking skills. I started the channel at the beginning of this year, and I already have around 400 subscribers.  It is nice to see people commenting on my videos and get feedback from the viewers.

What kinds of videos do you make?

It is difficult to specifically categorize the videos I make. They are about anything really. I wanted to share with others my experiences working with videos and media, and YouTube is a great way to express myself.

Your channel’s name, Mateo Spateo, is unique. Is there a story behind it?

There is! I am a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, which is a music-social fraternity. I was very involved with music in high school, and I wanted to continue to stay involved when I came to Illinois State University. My big brother in the fraternity is named Spencer, and for a big and little brother project we wanted to make t-shirts. The shirts we ended up making had a combination of each of our names on the back, which were Matencer and Spateo.  Spateo just stuck with me.

Tell me about your experience interning for Griffin Hammond, who is a documentary filmmaker and ISU alumnus.

Working with Hammond gave me a lot of valuable experience within the YouTube community. He has his own channel called “Indy Mogul” with almost 700,000 followers.  This summer, he was working on a documentary project about Sriracha hot sauce. I was able to help him organize a lot of logistical components, such as film festival entries and interviews. It was a great experience to work under someone who is so talented. The documentary is due to come out soon, and I’m very excited to see the final product.

Where do you see yourself after graduation?

I definitely picture myself moving out to the west coast and getting into the public relations industry. I am hoping to work in agency public relations or maybe doing something in the entertainment field. My dream job would be to work for YouTube in California. Whether it is working behind-the-scenes or making videos, it is something that I can see myself doing in the future.

Check out Mateo’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/user/MrSpateoHead


Questions composed by Lily Nedland

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