Silence–the only noise in the area as he prepares for the shot. His goal is to hear the satisfying plonk of the ball when it reaches its destination. This is something sophomore Rhys Blatt knows well. Beneath his quiet, but well-spoken exterior, Blatt runs his own YouTube channel and Instagram dedicated to trickshots.

   “It gives me a little bit more to do every day because once I finish my homework, I don’t really do anything else,” Blatt said. “I think doing trickshots just gives me something to do until the end of the day.”

   Blatt uploaded his first video three years ago in June of 2019, where he flipped bottles in increasingly hard situations. Since then, Blatt has 1,180 subscribers and around 60,000 views. Blatt has even achieved an unofficial world record for the longest ping pong shot ever.

   “It was technically a world record, and it took over five days to complete,” Blatt said of his 40 foot ping pong shot.  “Usually, I have minor problems like losing a piece of a tripod or camera that I need but whenever I film something outside, wind can really interfere with trying to hit a shot.”

   Blatt’s content doesn’t only do trickshots. He has made multiple skits on his channel revolving around common stereotypes in categories like school, quarantine and holidays like Thanksgiving. 

   “If it includes more than one character, I’ll film each character’s lines in a row, since I’m the only person on set. I’ll sometimes add shots where 2 characters are in the same frame, requiring me to put myself in the video at the same time twice. After filming, I will edit all of the clips up, which will take about an hour, and finish a simple thumbnail which would usually take about 30 minutes.

,” Blatt said. “I would say the hardest part is actually designing and making the intro because it’s the first part of the video that the viewer sees and you want them to stay after the intro. Sometimes I’ll take a day or more just making the intro.”

   Making YouTube content is not the only passion of Blatt’s. He is also proficient in Photoshop and graphic design which can sometimes find its way into his videos when he needs graphics or text.

   “I think his improvement in Graphic Design is mostly due to his interest in art and his hard work,” Graphic Design I and II teacher Andi Morris said. “I hope my class has been a building block for him, as it has given him opportunities to learn new ideas related to design and to refine his skills as a designer, to practice with various projects as well as submit some work to actual clients. It’s been exciting to see his work develop, so I’m very hopeful he continues pursuing his art and design interests.”

   Aside from posting on YouTube, Blatt also posts other trickshot content on TikTok.Hhe has an Instagram account with 259 followers where he promotes his channel and posts some of his Photoshop work.

   “Rhys is always on his grind towards being a full-time YouTuber and with the steps and connections he has, I have no doubt he’ll pass that 2k sub goal or maybe even more,” close friend, sophomore Reivas Bob said. “It’s shocking to me he’s only in 9th grade because his edits are very smooth, especially at his age.” 

   Blatt uploads a new video every three weeks. To watch Blatt’s content, his YouTube channel can be found at Plenty of Trick Shots, his TikTok is plentyoftrickshots, and Instagram can be found at P.O.T.S.100.