Today we’d like to introduce you to Louis Vitiello.
Hi Louis, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Southern New Jersey. I was born in Atlantic City, raised in Cape May County, and spent several years in the Cherry Hill area before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina, 10 years ago. As a young child, growing up on the Jersey Shore was interesting. People that lived there year-round were small in numbers compared to the droves of vacationers that would swarm in during the summer months. As a young lad, I saw multitudes of people from all walks of life. Of course, being a kid, you make friends without unconscious bias. I believe this exposure at a young age would affect me later in life, seeing people for who they are and ultimately influencing the stories I tell today through Real Ridez. When I started Real Ridez in September 2019, it was your typical automotive YouTube channel. The first few videos featured cars from friends I knew from car clubs and local car events. These videos were about the automobile itself and did not focus on the person who owned it. The interviews comprised two parts; the first was about the car and modifications, and the second was about the car’s backstory. Looking back, it was a lot of automotive geekery. Then one day, all of that changed.
In May 2020, I met a gentleman, Justin Herndon, at a cars and coffee event that owned a beautiful 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood. Now, this wasn’t your ordinary Cadillac. They painted it in hot pink pearl, so it stood out, and it was also a lowrider, which made it irresistible. I spoke with Justin and convinced him to do the typical two-part interview. Two days before I was scheduled to film, I got a phone call from Justin that a very influential member of the lowrider community had passed away. He explained that this person meant a lot to him and others and wanted his video to be dedicated to this man’s legacy. This was the pivotal moment for Real Ridez. It was the first time I filmed an interview intending to tell a story beyond the car. At first, it took me outside my comfort zone. I was interviewing someone, asking questions, and digging into a stranger’s personal life. Even when I wrapped up filming, I did not know how this would turn out. I spent weeks editing the video and even more time watching and researching interviews on YouTube and television. I was sitting on my couch with a notepad, taking notes on how they interview and edit into a story. The feedback was overwhelming when I released Justin’s story to the world. I had around 100 subscribers, and this video blew up to 20,000 views in just a couple of weeks. This amazed me, considering this is viral for a channel of my size in the YouTube world. What made this feature different, which likely fueled its success, was that it was a very emotional piece. Justin poured his heart out and showed his love for this man and his family. It was a story that went beyond the car. Viewers had time to look at a person’s life, influences, and how their journey reflects their choices with their vehicle. This moment not only defined the future of the Real Ridez brand but uncovered my passion–to tell stories and not just film cars. This spark made me double down on Real Ridez. I invested in quality film gear, created a website, and incorporated on the 1st of December 2020.
Today, Real Ridez features some of the most inspiring tales of cars and community to come out of the North Carolina region in recent years. From a penniless Mexican immigrant who created a successful business and built a show-quality car that he gave away to a cancer survivor to a former drug dealer whose love of cars helped him turn his life around. Our intimate films show how cars plus people powers change in communities. Most of our films feature residents within the Triangle. But that doesn’t stop me from hitting the road. I will travel to surrounding towns and cities to capture an inspirational story. Like our most recent interview featuring Michael Tillett, whose crowd-funded restoration of a 1985 Chevy Monte Carlo became a community project that led to a car festival that has raised more than $100,000 for youth programs in the Outer Banks. It’s an absolute passion of mine to see how something as simple as a car has the power to change lives. If you’ll excuse the pun, the car is just the vehicle for the change in people’s lives when they work for something bigger than themselves. There’s still plenty of car geekery in my films, but the people are the real stars. I have stories about people achieving their dreams, being a woman in a male-dominated culture, and more. Our stories cover diversity, racism, defeating all odds, overcoming life struggles, and other socially sensitive topics; the goal is to show a different side of people. I want viewers to go beyond stereotypes and see people who they are. The only way to do that is to touch the person’s soul regardless of race, color, or creed. You get a viewer hooked because of the automobile, and then you change their life with a story. At the time of this interview, Real Ridez has over 5,000 YouTube subscribers, hundreds of thousands of views, and thousands of social media followers. Our brand apparel ships to fans across the world. Thanks to the support from our viewers and the local car community, Real Ridez continues to grow fast. With each release, we reach a wider and wider audience, inspiring thousands with every story told.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
Building a brand is like taking a bumpy dirt road with no signs, directions, or GPS. You must figure out everything on your own. When you think you’re on the right path, you approach a fork in the road. You can only make decisions with the information you have. Sometimes your decisions are good, and you can cruise along until the next fork in the road. Other times, you realize you took a wrong turn and need to backtrack. When I started filming the first episode of Real Ridez, I had no prior audio or video experience or training. I’ve had to learn how to film using a digital camera, record audio, edit using software I have never seen before, create an engaging soundtrack, color grade footage, and put together an interesting story that people will want to watch. But there’s more to it than the creative side. There’s YouTube. Most people think you upload a video and wake up with a million views the next day. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t work that way; it’s very complex. Some people make a living offering consulting to paying customers. I don’t have that type of capital. I had to learn how to create titles and descriptions using SEO techniques, design eye-catching thumbnails, create optimized playlists to increase watch time, and more. On the one hand, you must be an artist and become an amazing filmmaker or content creator. And on the other hand, you must be a marketing guru so people can find your videos on YouTube. If that’s not enough, you need a third hand–business acumen. Without it, you cannot grow a brand and run a successful business. In this world, you are always a student. There’s something new to learn every day. The moment you stop learning, you stop growing.
To be honest, it’s not all business. There are emotional challenges too. Some days can be hard. You can spend a lot of time and money putting together a video you feel good about, only to have it underperform. Then you have times where everyone is a critic. It’s the internet, so you must have thick skin to build a brand on social media. The trolls come out even with a channel like mine, one that publishes inspirational stories. If you’re having a bad day, this could affect you. My advice when starting a YouTube channel is to find your why. If it’s aspirations for money or fame, it’s not the right reason. Dig deeper than that. Your reason should inspire you when you hit a creative block or keep your spirits up when you release a new video and subscribers go down instead of up. YouTube is an emotional rollercoaster. Seeking a deeper purpose can make it extremely rewarding. My why? Mainstream media can be full of stories of doom and gloom, but right here in North Carolina, people are doing such wonderful things and positively impacting their communities. That’s why I make these films, to show that there’s a lot of heart and horsepower in our towns and cities.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Real Ridez is a video production company based in Clayton, North Carolina. Our brand specializes in producing creative, interesting, and inspiring stories. We publish our videos on our YouTube channel, which has over 5,000 subscribers and nearly a half-million views. I believe our unique content contributes to our success. Most automotive YouTube channels feature car reviews or event coverage; It’s great content and performs well on the platform; we’re just different. We feature intimate interviews with automotive owners. Often emotional, our stories are not just for motorheads. They are for anybody looking for inspiration in their life. Besides producing automotive documentaries, Real Ridez offers automotive lifestyle clothing and accessories. We ship merchandise worldwide to countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia. We accept freelance video work. Small businesses within the Raleigh region have contacted us to film an owner or customer interview. They don’t have big budgets but realize that video testimonials are powerful. A video on a website or social media page can go a long way in telling a brand’s story. At the end of the day, I am most proud of our automotive documentaries and how stories from the Raleigh car culture can positively affect a viewer sitting in front of their phone or computer, likely miles, if not countries away. When you think about it, North Carolinians are changing the world, one view at a time.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
When starting a business, you might think of financial, management, or market risks. Often, we are not thinking about unspoken risks. The risks that keep me up at night are personal. When you start your business, you invest time, energy, and money. Real Ridez is the same. I spend almost every night, weekend, and even time on the holidays working on my business. I usually book my weekends for all-day filming and spend my weeknights editing and marketing my brand. Time isn’t free. It must come from somewhere. If you’re investing time in your business, you’re taking time away from something else.
When starting a new business, we often juggle our full-time jobs, family, and social life while investing every remaining drop of ourselves into building our dream. This drains our energy. I’ve gone months without a break. Sometimes I feel so exhausted that I can sleep an entire day, and when I do, I feel guilty that I could have used that time to grow my business. Those who suffer from all this are usually your family and your friends. We put pressure on our companions because we are not as present as we used to be. Instead of spending time with them, we spend it chasing our dream. Friends also become more distant. No longer do you have free time to socialize. You turn down opportunities to meet up, and as you do, the invites get fewer and further between. The unspoken risk that keeps me up is this; the risk of losing family or friends because I don’t spend time with them that I used to. When I think about everything I’ve put on my wife since I started Real Ridez, I often wonder how she still tolerates me. Weekends used to be about us. We would go to the movies, plan an activity, or travel somewhere new.
Now, I spend much time on the road, away from home. When I am home, I am usually locked in my office all night, editing what I filmed over the weekend. It’s not just the long hours; there’s the financial pressure I put on her. Starting a video production company not only takes time, it’s also expensive. Purchasing audio and video gear can be a sizable investment. I didn’t want to take a loan, so I purchased a lot of my equipment from our family savings. Yes, it’s an investment into the business. Still, it’s also money taken out of family-centric investments, such as purchasing a home, going on vacation, or simply having a date night.
I’m fortunate that my wife is very supportive. She encourages me to follow my dreams and build the brand. Without her support, there’s no way I’d be where I am today with Real Ridez. She worked with me on developing a schedule that accommodates work responsibilities with home life. We plan out our date nights and weekend getaways, blocking dates on a calendar I refuse to wavier from. When she puts something on our calendar, I treat it as the most important appointment I could have. I don’t change it for the world. It works for us, for now, at least. Life will become more complicated one day, and we’ll need to figure something out. Communication is key. Working situations out and finding a compromise with my spouse have been crucial to my success. When you are in a relationship, it’s important to remember that it’s not just one person who’s risking it all and sacrificing everything to fulfill their dreams, it’s the two of you. I’m glad my wife and I have a working agreement; I just need to do a better job managing relationships with extended family and friends while still allocating time for Real Ridez. One day, I hope I find the right balance. For now, I just keep doing the best that I can, one day at a time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://realridez.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/realrideztv/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/realrideztv/
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/realridez
- Other: https://linktr.ee/realridez
Image Credits
Andreea Vitiello (my wife)
