Vice Grip Garage has removed himself from circulation.

A 401 CJ said:

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

No he hasn't.

He has said that his content will continue aside from the new endeavor. 

There aren't enough hours in the day.  I can guarantee he's putting in full time hours on his YouTube.  Probably more.  That has to be a hell of a lot of work.

On one of his live chats he talked about how many hours he spends just editing a 1 hour revival video. I think it was 8-10. He also addressed why he doesn't farm that part out to a hired person:  "I have a way I want my videos to look and feel. Not a lot of people seem to get it."

If you earn your living YouTubing and sponsors send you things like they do (Cleetus gets whole engines sometimes) how do you account for that on your taxes?  Do you remove those parts and send them back after "testing" and filming them?  A younger me would have said screw it.  Nobody will know the better of it.  Then I learned that when the IRS starts asking questions, you'd better have an airtight case.  They are ramping up enforcement too.

I've been watching VGG since close to the beginning of his channel. I really enjoy his content, and I'm happy for him in that he gets to do what he loves to make money for his family, etc. Not a huge fan of MT TV, but I'll watch his content there as well. He's also said over and over that this is a side venture, and his YouTube stuff will continue uninterrupted. 

Honestly, I think guys like him are good for the hobby. He's showed that you don't have to spend megabucks to have fun with cars. Go find something, get it running, and drive it. I like that premise. 

In reply to A 401 CJ :

You can write it off as a "development mule" for XYZ or you're shoving it into your LLC... or maybe he maybe "responsible" and have a cpa handle it all. He probably is already filing quarterly. Part of the reason he bought a 20% stake in Motion Raceworks, plus Doug wanted to expand further too... It was a spend it or lose it to taxes situation.

The number I have heard fairly regularly is ten hours of editing to one hour of video, and I am sure that as you up your game over the years that would increase. But to get the one hour of watchable video you probably need to shoot ten hours of video, and to shoot ten hours of video you need to spend 20 to 30 hours doing a job that would just take 5 hours by yourself with no interruptions.....

stuart in mn said:

Appleseed said:

You aren't from Minnesota are you?

I'm from Minnesota.  His episodes are okay but I don't like his schtick  - just like the movie Fargo, we don't actually talk that way here.  I have to turn down the volume to watch.

So kind of like nearly every movie filmed in the New Orleans.

bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) said:

The number I have heard fairly regularly is ten hours of editing to one hour of video, and I am sure that as you up your game over the years that would increase. But to get the one hour of watchable video you probably need to shoot ten hours of video, and to shoot ten hours of video you need to spend 20 to 30 hours doing a job that would just take 5 hours by yourself with no interruptions.....

My sister in law has a reasonable large Tic Tok channel (range of 250k followers) around Star Wars. I know it takes at least an hour for her to edit one of the 45 second videos.

In reply to 93EXCivic :

That seems about right - I believe the rule of thumb at least for short videos (and non-pro editors) is something like an hour per minute of video, but with significant economies of scale and it gets better with practice.

93EXCivic said:

stuart in mn said:

Appleseed said:

You aren't from Minnesota are you?

I'm from Minnesota.  His episodes are okay but I don't like his schtick  - just like the movie Fargo, we don't actually talk that way here.  I have to turn down the volume to watch.

So kind of like nearly every movie filmed in the New Orleans.

However,  SNL's Superfans is 100% accurate.  That's how Chicagoland sounds.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Her day job is in movies and TV production so she certainly has a head start on most people I would think

In reply to 93EXCivic :

She probably makes up for that with much higher standards for quality, though, compared to the average inhabitant of TikTok or YouTube.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Yeah probably. They are Star Wars videos that are pretty funny. Don't really do TikTok personally.

Error404 said:

I prefer JYD, couldn't get into the schtick of VGG. Also watched them sand and paint a car in a closed pole barn huffing crud the entire time, just put me off. 

I actually can't watch that one because of the dude's girlfriend Mook or whatever. Adds nothing and is just there to giggle and make everything awkward. Like nerve gratingly awkward.

I enjoy VGG and don't mind the schtick. It's well done, wholesome, does good work, helps veterans, we get to see him be a good dad and live the dream. No compliants with him getting paid for that. I'll take that over a Trucks! episode anyday. 

I tried to watch VGG.  I just couldn't handle the guy.  I much prefer the Speed Academy guys.  They're just being themselves, no weird schtick or language.

stuart in mn said:

Appleseed said:

You aren't from Minnesota are you?

I'm from Minnesota.  His episodes are okay but I don't like his schtick  - just like the movie Fargo, we don't actually talk that way here.  I have to turn down the volume to watch.

I'm from North Dakota. You kind of do. Uff Da. :) I do as well. Well, maybe not so Canadian.

bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) said:

The number I have heard fairly regularly is ten hours of editing to one hour of video, and I am sure that as you up your game over the years that would increase. But to get the one hour of watchable video you probably need to shoot ten hours of video, and to shoot ten hours of video you need to spend 20 to 30 hours doing a job that would just take 5 hours by yourself with no interruptions.....

Yep.  I went from full on shooting everyting, to kinda off the cuff vlogging.  Trim it back on my phone and send it.  Also my computer struggles with any editing software, so trying to make anything super nice with transitions and titles it kicks the alternator belt off

I have yet to see a car show I thought was watchable. They are universally pretty terrible to me. I'd rather be doing the car stuff than watching the car stuff.

I like the dead pan humor and self deprecating style but I honestly watch because he does what I always did to forlorn cars. Just get them running.

In reply to Katris666 :

That's a weird thing to sign up to a car enthusiast forum just so you can add it to a year old thread.

docwyte said:

I tried to watch VGG.  I just couldn't handle the guy.  I much prefer the Speed Academy guys.  They're just being themselves, no weird schtick or language.

I've watched a couple of episodes, but I don't feel like I need to watch everything he does. Certainly does make my own fly & drives look Mickey Mouse.

I do like the Speed Academy guys, though.

Well, I am the only one here who can speak from first hand experience.

I have met him, and spent more that a few minutes talking to him

Here in Champaign Illinois, there was a stop on the power tour.  I went over after work and his Meet and Greet session was over and he and his family were packing up.

I helped them pack up and we chatted for about 30 minutes or so.

I asked him directly what his idea was.  Like, was he a car flipper, or a mechanic, or was it a concentrated effort to be a YouTube star.

He said he as put a lot of effort into building his YouTube Persona and that was his intention all along.  He knows that his "'Merica!" is a little over the top, but it gets him views, and that's all that really matters.   In person he is really pretty business minded, as in, his business of making a good YouTube Channel.  I would watch him go in and out of his persona as stranglers would come up and ask him to sign a shirt or a hat.  

All in all I can say he is a pretty good guy.  Knows about what he does, and markets what he knows.  I am not subscribed to his channel but I have seen enough of his content that the youtube algorithm always shows me his latest stuff. 

so, um, that's my story about Vice Grip Garage.

In reply to EricM :

So he is really a character or contrived YouTube personality?  Who would have known.  

I am glad that behind the caricature there seems to be a good guy.   

It's a schtick, and it's allowed him to be successfully self-employed doing what he likes. But he works very hard at it.

If you don't want someone playing a character but like the saving-old-junk aspect, Sleeperdude is the channel you seek.

I think Derek's character is a mix of the automotive influences in his life.  I know for me, he sounds like my Dad, my Uncle, my late Grandpa, and all my Dad's buddies who would hang around the shop while they were working on Dad's street stock dirt car.  My dad 100% in real life calls a carburetor a "corburetor" and says "digical" instead of digital.

Funny thing is my Dad watched an episode of VGG and said with authenticity, "This fellar is pretty good."

So the joke is not lost on me. 

Speaking of characters, does anyone else think Puddin of Puddin's Fab Shop is a shtick?  I really can't bear to watch that guy because he sounds like me when I'm trying to mock the east Tennessee accent (I know Puddin is from Texas).