Michael Tucker always wanted to be a filmmaker. After attending Film School, he joined some friends for what became Finite Films, a small production company focused on short films. “We spent a year making short films and web series,” he said, “then realized that short films and web series don’t pay the bills.”

Tucker spent a few years doing editing work and helping with documentary films and small features. After working in this field for a few years, he decided he wanted to get back into creative work.

With Lessons from the Screenplay, Tucker wanted to make videos that analyze movie scripts to examine exactly how and why they are so good at telling their stories. Part educational series and part love letter to awesome films, Lessons from the Screenplay aims to be a fun way to learn more about your favorite films and help everyone become better storytellers.

In this interview, Tucker talks about how to be authentic on YouTube, how to avoid toxic messages on the platform, favorite software and apps, how Patreon works with fans of the channel, and the misconceptions of having a popular YouTube channel.

If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5