Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Biggs
Hi Cameron, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is still in the beginning stages, but growing up I’ve always had a passion for the automobile. My father was always mechanically inclined, so growing up seeing him work on a car was a normal thing. My mother also encouraged my love of cars, by being the person who would stay hours at car shows, as I walked around, asking questions, observing, and discovering. She was also one of the few who would listen to my rants on cars, even if she may not have been as interested.
From collecting car magazines, building out my first car, a Nissan 240sx, following the aftermarket car culture of Japan, attending shows, watching Speedvision, Overhaulin’, Top Gear, Streetfire.net video, car forums, I was immersed in anything car related and still am.
For years, I dreamed about launching a YouTube channel centered on the automotive space and a podcast. As many creatives can attest to, sometimes our ideas remain ideas or we stop ourselves thinking others have already accomplished what we desire. So I left the idea in my mind for a while, until a year ago when I launched the CarQuicks Podcast.
I listen to and follow a large number of automotive personalities and podcasts like The Smoking Tire and YouTube channels, so I had a very good look into what the current space for automotive creatives looked like and I wanted to combine two ideas.
The podcast is an outlet for me to talk to an audience about the cars and the information I read daily. It’s almost like a therapy session to just discuss my ideas on the latest automotive news, trends that are happening, opinions on cars being created, debates on new technology, and adding my own personality to the mix. I look to create a place where the listener can be informed and entertained on subject matters I find enjoyable in the automotive field.
Right around the time I launched the podcast, the second part of my idea was having a YouTube channel dedicated to my own personal car and the modifications I make to it. I wanted to have videos on installing parts, reviewing those parts, impressions from driving, and how the ownership journey was. The car I own is a 2023 Toyota GR Corolla, a fun 300HP, all-wheel-drive, sporty hot hatch. One of the few available on the market and built in Japan, before being shipped to the United States.
The car has been a joy to own, drive, and modify. It’s also given me further creative areas to record and expand my brand CarQuicks to resonate with owners of the same car and enthusiasts of the automotive field through the podcast. My channel now serves as a place for me to document my ownership of the GR Corolla and to showcase the video portion of my podcast (which is also hosted with video on Spotify and audio on Apple Podcasts).
The two ideas are only the beginning, as more content I have in mind around cars is to soon be added, but at this moment, I am fulfilling a goal of placing myself in the center of automotive news, reporting about it, engaging with an audience about it and deepening my passions about it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road hasn’t been smooth, but it also has not been overly bumpy. I look at a lot of obstacles, as moments to develop a new skill to overcome it.
At the very beginning of the podcast, things like lighting and audio were roadblocks, as I never had the equipment for what I envisioned. It also slowed down my process as I spent a lot of time wondering if I could achieve the certain “look” I wanted.
The cost of equipment, was also a hindering factor, as the standards for video and audio on places like YouTube have a high bar, as do podcasts and capturing clean audio for your listeners.
With the YouTube channel, having the desire to showcase the parts and modifications I am doing to my car, I have had challenges with things like installation and/or expressing the desire to work with companies to review their products, coming from a much smaller page.
However, each challenge has been a place for me to learn something new, continue being patient making sure to work towards my goal, and enjoy my time while doing it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I host an automotive podcast and YouTube channel by the name CarQuicks.
The podcast centers around the automotive field, highlighting the latest in automotive news, car releases, events, car redesigns, reviews, motorsport events, auto shows, and my own personal car build.
For the podcast, I record it both in audio and video format to upload to various channels from Apple Podcasts to Spotify (including video), with YouTube serving as the main video channel. To further my reach, my Instagram and TikTok pages (CarQuicks) are a place where I post reels and stories of clips from my podcast to engage the audience with clips of each episode, and for my YouTube channel on my car build.
My YouTube channel is also where I create content centered around my personal vehicle a 2023 Toyota GR Corolla. I spend time highlighting parts I’ve been blessed to partner with a few companies on, ownership details, performance of the car, engine modifications, and future goals for the car build.
CarQuicks will also be a place where I review cars, as I work my way to that goal through my podcasts and content. The separation I have from others is my approach to the information, to make it digestible and entertaining to the audience and to mix personality into it.
I never want to have a platform where it’s just stats, specs, and numbers being given, because that type of information is easily found through searches on our phone. If someone is taking the time to listen to my podcast, I want them to hear my excitement, my disappointment, a controversial take on the automotive news, and be entertained, while learning something new.
Within this space, there are very few African-American men hosting podcasts on the automotive industry. Even fewer who are able to review cars and release content centered around them. I look to add to that conversation and be a part of an industry I love.
What makes me most proud of this journey, is actually just doing it. Not worrying about what others may think, not comparing my process, or my numbers to other more seasoned automotive podcasters, automotive journalists, or car-related YouTube channels, just creating and having fun. My love of cars is not due to any metrics, number, or success, it’s part of who I am.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
For the automotive industry, large changes have happened with electric vehicles, but more so I see a shift in better more efficient options across the board being created. Not only electric vehicles, but alternative fuels, better, more efficient hybrid vehicles, and even combustion engines.
One of the more recent trends I have seen is many manufacturers dialing back previous EV ambitions of replacing entire lineups with only electric vehicles, to a more realistic approach of listening to consumers, understanding costs, and working to maximize efficiencies on cars currently being built.
I’ve also seen a resurgence in enthusiast cars, ones that are about driver engagement, being fun to drive, and getting back to the allure of driving and the freedoms it brings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@carquicks
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carquicks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093536035630
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7c6H5xnKD0Jp8UxlwVSnjA
- Other: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carquicks
