Community Corner
Three Minutes on a Park Bench With Adam Schleichkorn
Huntington native's online videos have more than 100 million total views.
"Three Minutes on a Park Bench" is a new feature on Patch in which we chat with local residents. If you would like to be featured, email ryan@patch.com.
We start today with Adam Schleichkorn, a Huntington native who now lives in Long Beach. Schleichkorn, a 1999 Walt Whitman High graduate, was featured on Patch in 2011 after he made YouTube celebrities out of a group of Huntington softball players who starred in his online reality series, “Station Softball."
Schleichkorn is also behind the "Mylo the Cat" Facebook page, which is closing in on 7,000 likes. Mylo, "the coolest cat on the Internet," has starred in many online videos and recently appeared on Patch in what could be the most adorable cat moment ever.
Patch: What's your morning routine?
Schleichkorn: Besides the essentials, email, coffee, and Howard Stern, I start every morning by going through my notes from the previous day, and mapping out a game-plan of what I need to get done. I like showing up to work, and being ready to go, right as I walk in the door.
Patch: What do you do for a living? And what's the best thing about your job?
Schleichkorn: I’m the head of the video department for Driven Local, a digital ad agency located in Melville. The best part about working here is that I’m backed by a great team that I truly believe in, plus I get to create new content on a daily basis for small to medium-sized businesses, that directly help these companies. I love that my work directly helps businesses in a way more effective and affordable way than traditional advertising.
Patch: What's the hardest?
Schleichkorn: The hardest part of my job hands down was learning how to create these animations from start to finish - (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arFWOSFwjgM). Animation is a whole new world compared to traditional video, so I literally locked myself in a room for weeks to hone my skills. I pride myself on my work, and refuse to put out anything even close to mediocre, especially for paying-clients, so I made it a point to spend countless hours to get to the next level.
Patch: How long have you lived here?
I grew up in Huntington, and attended Walt Whitman High School. I then went on to undergrad at SUNY Albany, and then grad school at LIU CW Post for Interactive Multimedia, under the great Pat Aievoli.
Patch: What's your favorite thing about living here?
Schleichkorn: Without a doubt, the fact that I got to grow up with local celebrities, James Catusco, James Gallagher, Garrett Steinger, and the rapper "DT".
Patch: If you had to arrange a secret meeting here, where would you have it?
Schleichkorn: The same place I would’ve as a kid, Whitman Park.
Patch: Tell us something about yourself that most of your neighbors don't know.
Schleichkorn: The majority of my neighbors know that I’m a long-time video creator, but very few of them know that I’ve received more than 100 million views across the web, and have a semi-secret persona with a bunch of fans, Mylo the Cat.
Patch: When you want a really indulgent snack here, where do you go and what do you get?
Schleichkorn: None other than a cold cheese slice at Little Vincent’s or as it’s known around Huntington, “Royo Slices”.
Patch: What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Schleichkorn: As a grad student in 2007, I made a video called “Fence Plowing” that ended up making national news (Ed's note: watch Schleichkorn being interviewed on Fox News here), as what started as a very negative story. Pat Aievoli, the head of my graduate program pulled me aside, and not only helped me spin this seemingly negative press into something extremely positive, but he also strongly encouraged me to pursue video, specifically internet video. YouTube was barely on the public’s radar back then, so I thought, “wait, really? Internet video?” But from that day forward, I banked everything on YouTube, and haven’t looked back once.
Patch: What are you doing after this interview?
Schleichkorn: Getting back to work! I love the company I work for. They understand that creative types need some freedom, and can’t be micro-managed every step of the way, which not only makes me respect them greatly, but it also makes me more motivated than I’ve ever been professionally.
We start today with Adam Schleichkorn, a Huntington native who now lives in Long Beach. Schleichkorn, a 1999 Walt Whitman High graduate, was featured on Patch in 2011 after he made YouTube celebrities out of a group of Huntington softball players who starred in his online reality series, “Station Softball."
Schleichkorn is also behind the "Mylo the Cat" Facebook page, which is closing in on 7,000 likes. Mylo, "the coolest cat on the Internet," has starred in many online videos and recently appeared on Patch in what could be the most adorable cat moment ever.
Patch: What's your morning routine?
Schleichkorn: Besides the essentials, email, coffee, and Howard Stern, I start every morning by going through my notes from the previous day, and mapping out a game-plan of what I need to get done. I like showing up to work, and being ready to go, right as I walk in the door.
Patch: What do you do for a living? And what's the best thing about your job?
Schleichkorn: I’m the head of the video department for Driven Local, a digital ad agency located in Melville. The best part about working here is that I’m backed by a great team that I truly believe in, plus I get to create new content on a daily basis for small to medium-sized businesses, that directly help these companies. I love that my work directly helps businesses in a way more effective and affordable way than traditional advertising.
Patch: What's the hardest?
Schleichkorn: The hardest part of my job hands down was learning how to create these animations from start to finish - (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arFWOSFwjgM). Animation is a whole new world compared to traditional video, so I literally locked myself in a room for weeks to hone my skills. I pride myself on my work, and refuse to put out anything even close to mediocre, especially for paying-clients, so I made it a point to spend countless hours to get to the next level.
Patch: How long have you lived here?
I grew up in Huntington, and attended Walt Whitman High School. I then went on to undergrad at SUNY Albany, and then grad school at LIU CW Post for Interactive Multimedia, under the great Pat Aievoli.
Patch: What's your favorite thing about living here?
Schleichkorn: Without a doubt, the fact that I got to grow up with local celebrities, James Catusco, James Gallagher, Garrett Steinger, and the rapper "DT".
Patch: If you had to arrange a secret meeting here, where would you have it?
Schleichkorn: The same place I would’ve as a kid, Whitman Park.
Patch: Tell us something about yourself that most of your neighbors don't know.
Schleichkorn: The majority of my neighbors know that I’m a long-time video creator, but very few of them know that I’ve received more than 100 million views across the web, and have a semi-secret persona with a bunch of fans, Mylo the Cat.
Patch: When you want a really indulgent snack here, where do you go and what do you get?
Schleichkorn: None other than a cold cheese slice at Little Vincent’s or as it’s known around Huntington, “Royo Slices”.
Patch: What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Schleichkorn: As a grad student in 2007, I made a video called “Fence Plowing” that ended up making national news (Ed's note: watch Schleichkorn being interviewed on Fox News here), as what started as a very negative story. Pat Aievoli, the head of my graduate program pulled me aside, and not only helped me spin this seemingly negative press into something extremely positive, but he also strongly encouraged me to pursue video, specifically internet video. YouTube was barely on the public’s radar back then, so I thought, “wait, really? Internet video?” But from that day forward, I banked everything on YouTube, and haven’t looked back once.
Patch: What are you doing after this interview?
Schleichkorn: Getting back to work! I love the company I work for. They understand that creative types need some freedom, and can’t be micro-managed every step of the way, which not only makes me respect them greatly, but it also makes me more motivated than I’ve ever been professionally.
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