Conversations with AJ Francis

Today we’d like to introduce you to AJ Francis.

AJ, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story starts with me just having this fascination with cars and watching a lot of automotive movies and tv shows such as The Fast and The Furious, Fast and Furious Tokyo drift, IMSA Racing, and a lot of Top Gear. Those same fascinations influenced me to ask more questions about cars and even lead me to go on YouTube one day and see all these people working on different cars. Which then made me realize the only thing they have is that they have the camera in their hand and are so comfortable with talking to it, so that same day I picked up the camera and just started talking to it and telling people about myself and what my channel will consist of and then moving on from there, fast forward 3 years I have made videos with people and in facilities, and showrooms which I never thought I would be able to step into without having some type of wealth behind my name. But with my camera and having footage from previous places that I have vlogged for before I was able to show them my skills and that opened doors for me. As of today, I have 230 subscribers and over 25 videos have a lot of content with cars from many different countries and many cars that are 1 of 1 in the world.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road for me because of the industry I have decided to join which on Youtube is the automotive space, which is led by great people with amazing cars and content, but by watching them upload these amazing videos, it lead me to having a lot of nights where I would doubt myself and say that I wouldn’t be as big as the other Automotive YouTubers because my content wasn’t the greatest. But I just had to push myself every day from there coming up with new ideas for videos and even just working with people that I had access to and where I lived which was a big plus in my content creation because South Florida has a lot of hidden high-end dealerships that deal in specific cars and many others. Also being in college was a big obstacle that I had to overcome because there would be months when I wouldn’t be able to film just because of the class schedule I had. But quickly I was able to find a new way to not only vlog but have to sit down videos in my dorm room where I would talk about many different things in the car industry and car scene and go in depth with it and even have different sources where you can get more information from. Another struggle that I got over that still happens today is that a lot of people say “no” to a person that is trying to come into their facility or showroom to film with a camera especially just a young black man with a camera and no camera crew but along the way, I just have to remind myself that if they say “no” then I will just go to the next person and the next person after that and explain to them why I’m there and also tell them my story and social media presence that could help them reach an audience that they couldn’t attain before.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an Automotive YouTuber, I specialize in Vlogging different facilities, Showrooms, Car events all over the US, and also do videos on how to do different things to your car such as modifications and installs. I’m mostly known for my knowledge of JDM Cars, Supers-cars, and some Motorcycles/ Sport Bikes. I take a lot of pictures of these places that I go to and especially their inventory that they have in house and I also dabble in cinematography.

I’m most proud of my channel and how far I’ve come and also for my Brand/ Company that I have built which is called HYRO™️.

What sets me apart from the other people in my field of work is that I have a lot of drive and passion for what I do, and I also post more than car content on my channel because I want the community that I’ve built to see almost every aspect of my life which includes family trips, my school that I go to, and even also what I do when I’m not working on my car or even editing videos. Another thing that sets me apart from others is that I am always trying to figure out new places to vlog so that I have new content for my channel and also trying to show the car community different places all over the U.S and eventually the World on how the car community is very diverse and that you don’t have to have the most expensive car or even the latest modifications to be accepted into the car community.

Any big plans?
For the future, I am just striving to grow my channel and also to start making headway with my company so that we can eventually create and sell 3D printed bodykits for new cars and also some cars that don’t have a very big aftermarket influence. Another big plan for the future is being able to attend SEMA in Las Vegas and show off my different builds that I have done over the year and also to be invited through a company I’m hopefully sponsored by at the time to show off our collaborative build. I’m mostly looking forward to racing in the near future hopefully in some type of rally cross racing or even time attack racing and being able to vlog during my journey in it. Other than those plans and hopes for the future I would really want to see how my car will change over time with the channel and hopefully be able to see my obsession with cars turn into a reality of being able to work with them every day and document the process.

Pricing:

• Vlog Automotive Facility/Showroom – Free
• Personal Car Pictures – $100

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autoj_/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AutoJ_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AutoJ78Buster

Image Credits
Kashmcnificent AutoJ