Creation:[]
For many years I had wanted to experiment with new types of videos. I had considered Vlogs, Tourist Videos, comedy and more. The problem was that I did not want to mix these with my Lift and Bus videos, as I wanted to keep the content on my main channel (The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel) strictly to the types of videos I usually posted.
As a solution to my dilemma, I decided to set up a second YouTube Channel, which I decided to call THE ALEX VLOG. For many years I had used orange (my favourite colour) as the main colour for my main channel, so I decided that this new channel should a different colour, which was a nice blue. THE ALEX VLOG officially began on 8th December 2016, and was officially re-branded to BRITISH KIWI in mid-2018.
The videos I make are made on a budget of nothing, using only the tools i have available. The idea of the channel is quality of learning, not of production. What matters to me most is what people are able to learn and get out of the actual content of the video, and not be focused on how professional or unprofessional it looks. I also do not monetize the channel. I never aim to get any kind of financial gain from my videos, as the most rewarding part of doing it is helping other people to learn, and that's also the reason I plan to become a teacher.
Re-Branding into "BRITISH KIWI":[]
In early 2018, I mostly stopped making videos on the channel. I was having difficultly working out exactly what I wanted the channel to be about, and what sort of videos I wanted to make. In mid-2018, I decided to re-brand the channel as "BRITISH KIWI", and focus on making mostly educational videos. This decision was also made in order to help the videos on my channel have one singular identity, rather than falling under specific labels.
The name "BRITISH KIWI" derives from the fact that I was born in the UK and live in New Zealand, hence I am literally a British Kiwi.
My videos on the re-branded channel are designed to be educational, and are usually related to New Zealand (mostly Wellington, as this allows me to use on-site locations). The aim of the channel is to be help others learn, as well as to point out some great places to visit (both on and off of the tourist trail) around the Wellington region.
The old format[]
The old format of the channel consisted of five individual "shows", which were: Vlogs, Tourism, Comedy, Education & Reviews. Only the Education & Tourism aspects have been retained, and have been rolled into one brand. below is a brief description of each video type.
THE ALEX VLOG[]
THE ALEX VLOG is the name-sake of the channel. This is the show in which I make vlogs about whatever I like. Each video has a specific topic, which is the main focus of the video (e.g. West Coast Trip, Starting University, etc). Sometimes I post longer, edited videos such as road trips or day's out. Many of my vlogs are about issues that I feel are important and I give my views on the issue. I try my best to do this in a way that doesn't offend or upset anybody else, especially when talking about political topics.
WELLINGTON WONDERS[]
This is the show in which I show off some really cool parts of Wellington that I think Tourist should/would like to visit. Some of these are the standard tourist areas, such as the Brooklyn Wind Turbine. Other videos are about areas that you perhaps might not think much of at first glance but are actually either very beautiful or very interesting.....or both. I try my best in videos to explain how it is possible to actually get to these places.
WEATHERMAN ALEX[]
This is actually a continuation of my Weatherman character that I played on TC NEWS in my final year of secondary school. My skits as Weatherman were so popular that I decided to bring them back on my own channel. These videos are designed to be comedic, and often don't actually give an actual forecast. The theme song for WEATHERMAN ALEX was composed and performed by Rob Sweeney, who is a good mate of mine I went to college with. he is currently studying History and English with me at Victoria University.
FACTOID[]
This is the show where I tell you some very interesting facts! Sometimes this will be an in-depth look at one thing, but other episodes cover multiple, smaller facts. Part of this show involves an on-going series of videos about interesting facts at Victoria University.
5-MINUTE REACT[]
I wanted to start doing Reaction videos to Doctor Who episodes, as series 10 was being broadcast. I wanted to use a unique format, and got an idea from a video I did on my other channel. In each episode, I have a time limit of 5 minutes to give my thoughts on that week's Doctor Who episode. If I have something extra to discuss that I feel is important, then I may chose to go over the limit. This rarely happens, however.