The most obvious thing about Neistat’s YouTube videos is their lack of production value. Things like lighting, high quality sound, and having a professional “look” all mean nothing to Casey. He often states that his focus lies only on the story and content of his videos. This is certainly one of the most unique things about his personal style of video making, as YouTube is known for it’s most popular users using their revenue from their content to expand upon their production value. In his video “Casey Neistat’s Guide to Filmmaking”, Neistat sternly tells his audience “story is king” (Neistat). In the same video, Neistat literally holds a sign up to the camera that reads “GEAR DOESN’T MATTER” and also praises the film Tarnation and its minuscule budget of  $218.32 (Neistat). “The gear didn’t matter for [the director],” Neistat says, “and he made one of the most celebrated documentaries of the year.” The effect this has on Neistat’s brand is the simple message that tools do not matter. Instead, it is what one makes with them.

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The larger majority of Neistat’s videos consist of his daily vlogs, the style of which style has been extremely influential. Many YouTubers have emulated his run-and-gun, barebones style of filmmaking, publishing their filmed experiences in a way that comes off as unaltered. The most notable case of this is the parody video created by Sarah Dietschy, a young filmmaker who created a fake tutorial video titled “HOW TO CASEY NEISTAT A VLOG by Sara Dietschy” (Dietschy). In it, she included the use of a Penny Board and wore paint-stained sunglasses, both being staples of Neistat’s personal style seen throughout his videos. Neistat ended up seeing the parody and praised it in one of his daily vlogs, which resulted in Dietschy receiving internet fame and launching her own successful YouTube career.

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After comparing the parody video to any one of Casey’s vlogs, one would find that Dietschy hit the nail on the head. Neistat’s personal, individual style is crucial to his brand, and his promotion of creativity would be so much less effective without his expression of his own individuality. It is as if Neistat is an advocate for each person having their own brand, style, or theme. As an extension of this, he makes a living out of doing things no one else has dared to do. For example, in 2016 he collaborated with Samsung to create a drone capable of carrying the weight of a person and using it to lift him into the air whilst snowboarding (Neistat). The resulting video went viral. Through stunts such as these, Neistat dares his viewers to push past limits and create anything they want without any concern other than their own.

Lastly, Neistat encourages his audience to not follow any rules whatsoever. In the video “DO WHAT YOU CAN’T”, which is largely a motivational piece, he tells his viewers that they should never let anyone stand in the way of their goals. “When you’re a creator,” he says over  a highlight reel of moments from various YouTubers, “you don't need someone in your ear telling you what you can and can’t do, what you can and can’t say” (Neistat). Casey makes it clear throughout many of his videos that he is strictly against conformity, often reminding viewers that despite his tremendous success, he never went to college.

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To further send this message out to the world, Casey teamed up with Samsung yet again to run a commercial for the 2017 Academy Awards in which he introduces “the rest of us” (Samsung). He describes the upcoming generation of filmmakers, YouTubers, and content creators that innovate in ways that break the norms of age-old filmmaking techniques. The video, being very similar to his “DO WHAT YOU CAN’T” upload, is a montage of clips from various YouTube videos from a diverse set of talented online video makers. “When we’re told that we can’t, we all have the same answer.” Neistat says to the camera while wearing a tuxedo in an empty parking lot. “Watch me” (Samsung).

Casey Neistat’s brand is a battle cry for all his fans of all ages, and for all who wish to create. He encourages his audience to dream big or not dream at all. For Neistat, absolutely nothing matters besides for the stories he wants to tell, and it shines through in his personal style. It has a big payoff, too, allowing for his collaborations with companies like Samsung, CNN, DJI, and many others, along with his tremendous success and following on YouTube. His combination of creativity, individuality, and a positive outlook on rebellion all work together to form Neistat’s unique genre.