Today we’d like to introduce you to Janae Black
Hi Janae, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We had always been a bit of a behind-the-scenes family. We have always loved vacationing to Disney themed locations but never craved the spotlight or attention. But then covid hit, and like most of us, life changed. We couldn’t go and visit the same locations or do the same activities and we started wishing that we had a better way to recall and relive our past family experiences. We started thinking about the possibility of vlogging our adventures. Not only would this help us better preserve our memories but also be able to share our experiences with other young families who might be wanting to prepare for their own fun family vacations. As the world began to heal from the pandemic, things like equipment, programming software, and content opportunities started falling into place and we booked our first trip that we would eventually vlog and publish in the spring of 2021.
As we were trying to think of a name for our YouTube channel, we kept falling back on our favorite Disney fireworks show, which teaches about the idea that we are in control of our own “happily ever after”—that we can be like the heroes and princesses that we read about in stories and we can do great things in our life if we only have the courage to reach for it. And so, with this new adventure on the horizon, we decided to just reach for it and our family of four became the “Happily Ever After Four.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenges that we have faced weren’t the technical aspects of managing a vlog channel, but rather the fear of judgment, or “making the cut” on the Youtube platform. There was so much to understand about YouTube, and there were times when we just felt lost as content creators.
What we learned most from these experiences is that there will always be ups and downs. There will be waves of views and subscribers as well as lulls of quiet, but consistency in publishing genuine content with a purpose for viewers will be what brings you success.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One thing we noticed in a lot of Disney vlogs we have watched is that they are run mostly by couples with no children or single adults. However, the target demographic for these Disney destinations has always been children and families. People are usually quite surprised when they learn we have been taking our children with us on vacations since they were infants. This gave us a perspective and experiences that were unique to many vlogs. We focus on the opinions and perspectives of our two children as much as our own so that similar families can learn more about how they could have their own successful vacations.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Many people might be surprised to learn that we never filmed or edited anything before we posted our first video. It has been a challenge at times but learning to use editing software and learning about the different parts of a vlog and how to bring them all together cohesively has been something that we have taught ourselves. It is a skill that continues to grow and develop, but it started with only us and a desire to create something. We are so thankful to so many other content creators and individuals around us that have helped us learn and grow to where we are today.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @happily.ever.after.four
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHappilyEverAfterFour
