Utube Lesson:

ABC: How the

Shaytards’ went
from living on
food stamps to
being millionaires
Unusual American Lifestyles
BDC Big
Social Stars

Before you watch the first part of the video:

1. Have you ever wanted to make a lot of money?

2. What are some ways that people become rich?

3. Do you know what the “Streamy Awards” are?

Background:

Shay Butler and his family live in Portobello, Iowa. They were living on food
stamps. They were poor. They posted a video on Utube. Now, they are
millionaires. They struck it rich. This means that they became rich.

In the first part of this video, they are on their way to the Streamy
Awards. The Streamy Awards are like the Oscars for online videos. They are
famous on Utube. Their site has 3.5 million subscribers (3,500,000). 2 billion
people have watched their videos. (2,000,000,000)

It all started when Shay Butler put a video of himself

dancing in his wife’s leotards. The first check they got
was for $300.

1
 Now they have endorsement deals with companies
like Band-Aid and Target Stores. An
endorsement deal is when a company pays you
money to advertise their product on your video.
They even have their own clothing line. Even the
movie star, Matt Damon, has been seen with them.

When Shay was asked, “Why do people watch your videos,” he said, “Inside,
people want a happy family.” Family blogging is a huge new trend. A trend is
something that is becoming very popular. It’s not just a hobby, it is
becoming a career.

The Butler family have 5 children, and they have grown up on Utube.

Watch the first part of the video: (start to 3:01)

Answer the questions:

1. How did the Butler family become millionaires?

2. What did Shay mean when he said, “Inside, people want a happy family?”

3. Can you think of a trend that is becoming popular in your country?

Watch the second part of the video: (3:02 to end)

There are now thousands of channels devoted to parents documenting their

daily lives. The Butlers have a podcast. A podcast is an audio file on the
internet that you can listen to. It is called WTKGTS (When The Kids Go To
Sleep).

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 The Butler children have never known life without
cameras rolling. The Butler’s said that they didn’t
want to think that they forced their children into
stardom. But, Shay says, “I know I have.” They
often wonder if it will have a negative impact on their children’s lives. There
are many Hollywood child stars who grew up in front of the camera and
became a mess. This means that their lives were not very good at all. Many
of these child stars had trouble when they became adults.

Answer the questions:

1. Do you think it is a good idea to have the children grow up being filmed

all the time?

2. Do you think that the Butler family will continue to be successful?

3. Would you put your family on Utube if you could make a lot of money?