Becoming a YouTuber?!

Chapter 34: Back at Brighton Beach with a camera

It took exactly four days for Frankie to reach out to Nate. It wasn't uncommon for him to hand out his business card at network events but I had seen his determination when he heard Frankie sing. He desperately wanted to help by providing a stepping-stone for her.

Nate was very aware of the privilege he had. He hadn't been too cautious of it back when I first met him but as he'd grown on YouTube and as a person, he'd constantly been reminded of just how lucky he was, and how much the person he had been born as, had influenced that.

He was a straight white cis male from a wealthy family. You couldn't get much more privileged than that.

Frankie had seemed awesome and at ease with herself but a woman of colour faced difficulties he couldn't even begin to understand. Which was probably why Nate had been overjoyed and even let out a victorious "woop" when he read Frankie's e-mail where she said that she'd love to make a music video with Nate if the offer was legit and wouldn't cost too much.

Nate started with the logistics instantly but since he was a tech nerd, he had most of the equipment we would need already. This wasn't to be a bigger production like the American bullying documentary he made. This was to be much simpler and I agreed to lend a helping hand too.

"Great, now we just need to decide on a location for the shoot," Nate said after only a couple of days, where he'd managed to make everything fall into place alongside working on all his other projects.

"What about Brighton Beach?" I suggested. "We're going down there for Zoe's birthday already, so if Frankie could make it the day after, it might work out well."

We'd Skyped with Frankie a couple of times and discussed ideas for how the video should be shot. She wanted it simple and raw and to let the visual support but not overpower the song. With each passing comments, I found myself getting more and more involved in the project. It was something new and fun and exciting and I loved working side by side with Nate.

"I think Brighton Beach might actually work perfect, if the weather holds," Nate replied and his whole face lit up.

I took a moment just to look at that gorgeous smile, which was one thing that hadn't changed over the years. His hair, his fashion style and even his body had changed and matured. His eyes looked the same still too and the way joy played on his face still left me as intrigued and mesmerised as when I first saw him.

Brighton Beach became the location and Megan and Emma agreed to come down and help us film, so we'd have more hands. I knew Nate had gotten used to bigger and grander productions but the idea of shooting a video just the five of us felt intimate and nice.

The day before Zoe's birthday, Nate had Frankie over to our place and they spend hours holed up in his office recording the song a million different ways. When they finally took a break, Nate announced that he was dashing out to pick up lunch and Frankie came out of the office and tossed herself on our sofa.

"Nate said to make myself at home," she commented when I looked with slight awe, as she got comfortable on the sofa. She had some of the same air about that Megan always had, like nothing could touch them. I admired the bravado and attitude but I knew from Megan that some of it was a façade and a way to deal with difficult things.

"You sounded really good in there," I commented.

She snickered. "I'm not sure. The more I sing it, the more shit it sounds to me," she grumbled.

"Repeating it over and over will do that to anything," I comforted. "Nate knows what he's doing. I know he hasn't produced a song before but he's a shark with recording equipment."