Elio

Everyone appreciates (or wants) that witty friend who tells the BEST stories without missing a beat. The one who hooks you in, builds anticipation with every detail, and then, bam—punch line! You’re left either in complete hysterics, or pondering for a moment what the hell just happened—but ultimately, wanting more. Thanks to Elio and his colorfully clever YouTube channel, you can vicariously have that friend. Elio gives you a backstage pass into his zany world of random thoughts and adventures, where fan comments have described him (verbatim): “The way you talk not only fascinates me, but you’re such a talented storyteller. You could talk about anything and I’d listen because you make the smallest of things into magical adventures we can all be a part of.”

Covering everything from monologues and rants in his bedroom, to poetically narrated short films with hits of beautiful cinematography; Elio can make something as simple as pouring a cup of coffee a piece of art. Whether he’s in his room talking about how to improve his productivity, or in a car ride with friends shaming them for not joining in on a sing-along; his gift of gab paired with the ability to fearlessly think out loud makes him easily relatable; with an engaged audience of over 10,000 subscribers and counting.

A residing native of Montreal Quebec, Elio states he’s always had a love for letting the good times roll on camera. “I’ve always loved making videos as a kid and remember having my parents old school camera around; but being a five year old, the output wasn’t very compelling then.” With a complete absence of an art scene in high school, he made up for it by teaching himself how to make films. He joined YouTube in 2007 posting vlogs sporadically, and several years later he discovered other channels that inspired him.” It looked like they were having so much fun, and I realized, this is exactly what I enjoy doing! I have some friends that do it as a full time living, but for me—it’s just a hobby,” he reveals.

Taking cues from everything surrounding his environment to independent magazines, Elio shares, “I find, handmade-crafts-travel-things related to nature really inspiring. Everything I do whether videos or my photography, is based on what makes me the happiest in that moment. I never have a consistent idea on what I feel like doing, it’s whatever I think is funny or enjoyable from one day to the next.” He also explains that making his vlogs can shed insight into self awareness, “It can be weird at first because, how often do you talk to yourself? I highly recommend it though because you learn a lot about yourself; such as when I’m editing I realize I say ‘ok’ a lot,” he laughs.

When he’s not in front of the camera, Elio keeps a regular nine-to five and also earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He has a strong passion for writing and is extremely curious about learning new things; sharing, “I’ve really been into walking and biking around, discovering independent coffee shops; I keep a massive list of places to explore and I’m slowly working through it. It’s an awesome experience going to a really amazing café, and it also motivates me to discover other parts of the city I may not know very well. I keep a small journal about the shops visited, what I ordered, how was the decor, and what I liked/disliked etc. It’s a great reference to have if I want to take a friend somewhere new to hang out, or work somewhere quietly. Writing is basically my day-to-day thing about whatever makes me the happiest, but ultimately every day is random. One day I may wake up and just want to watch Portlandia, and on another day learn something new like how to make soap or olive bread—it’s whatever I feel like learning next. I really enjoy making things on my own.”

While Elio dedicates time for self-exploration, an exceptionally well-groomed beard accompanies him. “This last year is the first time I’ve committed to letting it reach this length. Usually it would sprout from neglect of shaving, but after months of going back and forth with that, I decided to try and break my record. I ended up making a yeard, and now there’s no way I can get rid of it—the longest relationship I’ve had so far has been with my beard,” he admits.

In order to stay on top of his grooming game, he shares a few secrets. “Now that I’ve had it for so long, I’m really into going to the barber shop and having them trim it up, but I also like to take my time and do it myself. There is this Zen moment I experience in the morning when I’m focused on grooming. I also use a little beard oil, with a beard comb—followed up with mustache wax for the final touch.”

When it comes to Elio’s bearded appearance on camera, he explains his audience’s response has been really positive. “There are definitely some beard fans from my channel. So many people have told me they can’t grow one, so I’m like I’ll do it for you man! I’m in a position when I can grow a good one, so I’m doing this for the little guy out there who can’t grow it. Although sometimes I can be talking about a specific topic in a vlog and someone will comment, ‘OMG your beard!’ and I can’t help but wonder, are you even listening to what I’m talking about?”

With so much to explore (and vlog), Elio has a lot more to share with the world and states, “for the next few weeks I plan to work on more cinematic, short films. I recently wrote one close to completing that I’d like to launch by this summer. Above all, I really just want to improve on my own and elevate my videos.” Elio also recently co-starred his beard in a tongue-in-cheek video: "Everything You Wanted to Know About Beards"—but were afraid to ask.

It goes without saying beards can reveal a lot of character, and when it comes to Elio’s—his has one a helluva personality. Be sure to check out his channel, as we’ll definitely be logged in awaiting his next story.