An Unlikely Tech Hub, Utah Shows Its YouTube Prowess

Editor’s note: Jesse Stay is Author of Google+ Marketing For Dummies and the upcoming book, I’m on Facebook — Now What??? 2nd Edition. He currently serves as Director of Social Media for Deseret Digital Media. Follow him on Twitter @jesse. They call themselves “Utubers.” As budding filmmakers descend on Utah for the Sundance Film Festival, many other Utah-based filmmakers have already made a name for themselves, boasting millions and millions of views of their products. But why are there so many that have made a name for themselves, and why in Utah? There’s indeed something in the water out here. Something very strange. Utah, known for its beautiful mountains, skiing, and, well, Mormons, is often last on Silicon Valley’s mind when it comes to technology. As a Utahn that almost seems a bit offensive to me, with all the tech companies like Adobe and Oracle and?Xi3?and?Fusion IO?and many others here. But it’s true. As someone whose best friends and audience are in Silicon Valley, I have to admit that we’re just not quite seen as a tech hub. However, there is a group of people networking and collaborating with each other in Utah, the likes of which are found in Silicon Valley. I’m beginning to notice the emergence of an incredibly popular and growing YouTube presence out of the state. It all started several months ago, when I originally approached TechCrunch about this article. I noticed that in?Billboard’s “Social 50″ music chart?that two of the top 50 music stars on YouTube were from Utah: Lindsey Stirling and The Piano Guys. Even stranger? They were among the few on that list who weren’t already celebrities or famous musicians. That got my attention. Pretty soon I began to investigate this weird fact here in my home state. It turns out there are many more. Just to name some of the top stars you may be familiar with: Lindsey Stirling?- Known for her videos (originally produced by Devin Graham) in the beautiful scenery of Utah dancing around while playing violin, she reached No. 13 on the iTunes charts with no record label and only a YouTube channel to propel her presence there. See her video below. Devin Graham?- You may have seen his videos with rope swings off Utah arches or ziplining on waterskis into the water. Everything he touches turns to YouTube gold. Teddie Films?- My favorite is their Star Wars-themed “Somebody

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