There have always been students who want to be artists or young entertainers, but these days a garage band or a home movie isn’t necessarily the outlet used to get to the top.

Today, sites like YouTube are a popular way to get noticed and express creativity.

“[YouTube] is an outlet that didn’t exist a few years ago,” said Charles Coletta, instructor in the popular culture department. “I think some people might use it as a means to sort of break into the entertainment industry.”

Students Christopher and Kevin Cedar want to do just that. The two have been making videos and short films together since they were little kids, and recently, they began a YouTube channel together.

The channel, called The Cedar Stars, consists of short films and comedic sketches.

“We’re just trying to spread our comedy, just to get big,” Christopher said.

The two enjoy making the films as a hobby, Kevin said. They aren’t making the videos for the potential money, instead, they just want to create a name for themselves and get some exposure, Christopher said.

“We like offending people, we like surprising people with our videos,” Kevin said.

The amount of people, like Christopher and Kevin, uploading to sites like YouTube shows that people are creative, Coletta said.

“They’ve always been expressing themselves, but now you can get it out there,” he said.

There are many ways to get self-expression and personal productions out there, Coletta said.

“The average person has more ways now to make media than ever before,” Coletta said.

In the past five years, the media landscape has changed, and it’s only going to change more, he said.

Sketches and short films aren’t the only type of videos students are creating and uploading. Senior Nate Gotro makes videos about video games with a few of his friends. Gotro makes the videos mostly for fun, he said.

“If we’re going to be playing video games, we might as well get some money for it,” he said. “It showcases what we do.”

The channel Gotro and his friends make is backed by YouTube and affiliated with another channel, he said.

The channel, called 11 Bravo Gaming, has about 700 subscribers, Gotro said.

The videos feature Gotro and his friends playing video games like Call of Duty and Battlefield 3, Gotro said.

“It just adds an all new level of interaction,” Gotro said. “You’re playing for a wider audience, so you have to act better and play better.”

Not only does YouTube offer a wider audience, but it is also a means of production, Coletta said.

“I think people are taking advantage of it,” he said. “You’re not just playing to your family you’re playing to the world if you want.”

Coletta calls this phase a “personal media phase,” and this is just the beginning of it, he said.

“That’s just going to be the way things are, it’ll be here forever,” Coletta said.